d’Verse
Merril’s d’Verse challenge is But no, a butterfly and you can read the prompt and join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2026/08/04/poetics-but-no-a-butterfly/
Lost opportunity (freestyle)
The antelope stood
pondering the clouded yellow
of the early morning
Stray rays of sunshine
turned his coat
a lustrous copper
Making it shimmer
in the pale light
Stealthily
I reached for my camera
hoping to capture
the glory of the moment
Sadly
a velvet rose
peeping from behind a bush
caught the eye
of the hungry creature
It moved
and the opportunity
was lost
Esther Chilton’s Writing Challenge
Esther’s writing challenge prompt this week is test. You can join in here: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2026/08/05/writing-prompts-125/
Life Tests (haibun)
When I was a girl of nine, I contracted chicken pox. Within a week, my three younger sisters also went down with the virus. There were no vaccinations for chicken pox back then and Laura, aged one year old, and I were both very sick. I remember the day before the spots broke out in support of my claim of feeling unwell. It was a Saturday so we were all at home. I lay on a bean bag in the family room in a patch of winter sunshine feeling to ill to even read. My mother brought me a chicken mayonnaise sandwich at lunchtime but I could not eat it. Not even a bite. She was annoyed when she saw the untouched sandwich and said I was naughty to not eat it. She didn’t believe me when I said I was nauseous. On reflection, its strange that she didn’t believe me as I was never fussy about food and a chicken mayonnaise sandwich was a treat. I’ve never forgotten that she didn’t believe me. A day or two later, I came out in the tell tale rash and Mom knew I had chicken pox. One by one, the other children got sick and came out in rashes. The rash was itchy and I had to lie in a bath with Epsom Salts a few times a day to help sooth my skin which has always been ultra sensitive. We were all warned not to scratch the rash as that would leave scars. The only good thing I remember about this period is that I missed all the end of term tests for my grade. I was given an exemption from writing the tests due to contagious illness. I still have a few white scars along my hairline as testimony to my having had chickenpox. I never liked chicken mayonnaise sandwiches after this and still don’t ever eat them.
An interesting thing about this episode of childhood illness is that Mom never got chickenpox. We all assumed she’d had this virus as a child. A few years ago, my mother contracted chicken pox at the age of eighty four. This illness was a real test of her resilience and she had to be hospitalised for a few days. Her skin was yellow and she looked like a dried pear. It’s amazing that she cared for four sick children and never picked up the illness. Her resistance must have been good at the time.
white chickenpox scars
reminders of misery
days of nausea
CFFC
Dan’s CFFC challenge is to pair white with any other colour. Here are a few of my photographs featuring white and another colour. You can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/08/03/paired-with-white-cffc/
Thursday Doors
Dan has featured the Japanese Room for his Thursday Doors post so I am staying with the Japan theme and sharing two doors/gates I saw in Japan in December 2024. You can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/08/06/japanese-room/
roberta-writes.com 
Funny how are memories work. I’m sure I must of gotten chicken pox as well but cannot remember a thing about it?
How lucky you were to not have to take those exams Robbie! My teacher would of come over after school and make me take them I bet!
Getting It as an adult is more dangerous I believe?
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Hi Wayne, I have a very retentive memory but the sandwich incident triggers the rest of the memory. Mom hurt my feelings π. Getting chicken pox as an adult can be very serious. My mom was very ill. Have a great weekend.
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Wonderful Robbie a beautiful post on all levels πππ
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Thank you, Willow ππ
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Love your poem using the butterfly namesβ¦ itβs amazing how loving parents donβt always believe a child. I remember having fish and chips one evening, from the shop a real treat, but the fish tasted funny. Both mum and dad told me to eat it, or they would take it out of my pocket moneyβ¦. I tried to tell them again and sat at the table sobbing. I was sent to bed, then my mum mustβve smelt it and I heard her tell my dad it was βoffβ β¦
Chicken pox was horrible, I have a scar on my forehead.. your poor mum, to get it at that age β¦ I steer clear still now as worried about catching shingles β¦!
Lovely pics as always Robbie π
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My aunt has shingles and it was terrible. It took months for her to recover. It is strange how parents decide their child is just being difficult instead of believing them. Mom was very busy with two babies so probably just impatient. I remember it though π§‘
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Itβs interesting what we do remember from childhood isnβt it? Memories seem to work in mysterious ways β¦π
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Indeed. Memories are tied to feelings and emotions. Have a good eeekend π¦π©΅
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Thank you very much, Roberta, for this great and touching post:)
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Hi Martina, I hope you are managing the very hot weather all right. I think of you sometimes π. Iβm pleased you enjoyed this mixed post π
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Thank you very much for your words π€£ It is not plesant here and we are trying to save our trees, bushes and vegetable garden, but rain is still not in sight and water is getting more and more scarse!
I hope the βspectaclesβ help your mother a little bit!
All the best Martina
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I hope rain comes soon. The spectacles have helped and I also got the hot pack mask you suggested. She uses it when she rests. She also has thick eye drops that help. There is an improvement ππ
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πβοΈπ
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Another full post, Robbie! I enjoyed your lovely response to my prompt.
Your experience with chickenpox sounds so traumatic. I wonder why your mom didn’t believe you. Maybe she was having a bad day. I know I had chickenpox, but I don’t really remember it. I do remember my kids getting it. My friend’s three kids and my two all got it over a period of weeks. My husband and I got our shingles vaccines a couple years ago because my mother-in-law had a terrible time with shingles, which comes from the chicken pox virus that remains in your body.
Beautiful photos, as always!
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Hi Merril, my aunt had shingles and was very ill. The vaccination isnβt yet available here. Hopefully it will come. Iβm pleased you like the poem and photographs π
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Hi Robbie, I hadn’t considered you might not have it there. You’re probably too young to get the vaccine, but hopefully it will be available (or a better one!) when you’re older. It’s two shots; the second one about a month after the first.
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I do want to get it if possible. I tried to get it for my mom.
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π
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Fun photos for the white pairing challenge and intriguing story about your childhood boot with chicken pox. The virus is serious and I’m grateful to not have had it.
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Hi Brad, chicken pox can be serious especially in older people. Someone I knew died of chickenpox a few years ago. Iβm pleased you like the photographs.
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I caught Chicken Pox when I was staying round my sisters because Mum was having an operation and Dad was working. I remember going to a different school for two weeks and missing out on a school trip because I got it. I was so annoyed at the time. Also, it was the only school I felt at home in because I wasn’t bullied.
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How interesting that you went to a special school instead of just staying home. Missing out on a trip would make this illness memorable for you.
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I had chicken pox as a kid. My dad got them at about eighty and my brother did, too, in the same week. Too bad they didnβt get it over with when I did. I did go for the shingles vaccine because I donβt want the second round.
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Hi Craig, the shingles vaccination isnβt available in SA but I hope it soon will be. I agree itβs much better to have these illnesses as a child.
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That’s such an interesting story. I’ve never had chicken pox but everyone around me has. Your mother must have had such great immunity. Great pictures, Robbie.
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Thank you, Esther. I think itβs better to get these illnesses as a child.
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I agree.
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π
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Sorry, Robbie, about you and your family’s chicken pox ordeal years ago. π¦ Like your mother, I got chicken pox as an adult and it was horrible. But that was in my early 20s; getting it at 84 — absolutely awful.
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Hi Dave, my mom was very sick. She was in hospital for a week. Thank you π₯°
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A most interesting post, Robbie. I love your story of having chicken pox. I remember having them as well. Seems to me that I wanted the room dark. Amazing how we remember things like your mom’s reaction to you not eating yrou Chicken Salad sandwich.
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Hi Dwight, I remember the sandwich incident better than the illness. The dark room makes me think of measles which makes the patient light sensitive.
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Yes!
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π§‘
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It’s amazing how you cover several prompts in 1 post, Robbie.
Love the D’verse poem.
The Chicken Pox story sounds similar to mine… except the chicken sandwich. But the itching & scars, and my sibling and cousins all got it from me. Now we have to worry about shingles. Did you get vaccinated? I got the first one, but it wears off.
B&W photos are sublime. Thank you!
β κ§ β κ§ β
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Hi Resa, I do a few challenges together because of limited time. Especially with three Latinos posts a week, I donβt manage as many of my own post π₯°. I havenβt had the shingles vaccination as it isnβt available in SA. Hopefully soon.
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I particularly like your poem, a “hold your breath” moment. I had chicken pox twice when I was little. I know that’s not supposed to happen, but it did. I love all the photos, too hard to pick a favorite.
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Hi Liz, maybe my mom got chickenpox a second time. We donβt know for sure. She said sheβd had it as a child. Iβm glad you liked the photographs
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It is a beautiful nature poem and the photos are beautiful. The large heavy wooden gates of a Bhuddist temple in Tokyo is just stunning. It was an interesting story about chicken pox. I got chicken pox, rubella and measles when I was a kid and I remember them all. I think measles was the worst and the whole class got it at the same time, except three kids (out of 25). I am sorry that your mom got chicken pox at an old age. That is tough.
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Hi Thomas, getting chicken pox as an older person is much worse than as a child. I also had measles and rubella and those are their own stories. The temple closed at 6pm so we couldnβt go into that temple. I only saw the closing doors π
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It’s really nice to read your fascinating childhood memory, Roberta. I don’t remember getting chicken pox, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t get it. I do remember getting vaccinations, but don’t remember what for.
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Hi Tim, I had some vaccines but not for chickenpox. My sons both had chickenpox vaccinations. Iβm pleased you enjoyed this post.
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π
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I got chicken pox on my 8th or 9th birthday. Not a present I wanted; don’t know if the other kids at the birthday party also came down with it.
The gates of that Buddhist temple are magnificent!
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A wonderful poem, Robbie. A missed photo is really a disappointment. As my husband always says when I miss an opportunity, “but you took one with your mind” to try and cheer me. π It sounds like your bout with chicken pox was a bad one. It’s interesting that you don’t eat chicken sandwiches because you have a hurtful association with one. I have a few of those. Your paired with white photos are gorgeous. I do love zebras. They always make me smile! The gate and grand door in Tokyo are incredible. Happy weekend to you!
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Hi Brenda, Iβm delighted you enjoyed this post. Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
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Ah….I just want that zebra to take homeππ those snowy scene look spectacular. They said that everyone will experience chicken pox in their lives and it’s awesome to hear your mom wasn’t infected from you and your siblings. I have a chicken pox scar on my stomach, too. I never forget the time it happens to me too: we do girls scout activity in the river, floating candles on top of the coconut husk.
Amazing entry, Robbie!
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Beautiful doors and white+ photos.
Your chicken pox story reminded me of mine. My son, aged 5 and in his first year of primary school, came home feeling ill. A few days later, he had about 5 spots and soon recovered.
We went on holiday, and during that time, I, and my daughter (aged 10) felt ill. She wasn’t too bad, and had a few more spots than my son, but I was covered from head to toe. We were in Scotland at the time, but by the time we got home, I had more or less recovered.
When I told my mum, she said, “But you had it as a child!”
It seems that, contrary to belief, you can get it twice. I consider myself lucky not to have had shingles, as it’s said that’s what usually happens when an adult, who had chicken pox as a child, contracts the virus as an adult. (I don’t actually remember having it as a child, though.)
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Hi Viv, another reader said sheβd also had the virus twice. I thought you could only get it once. Itβs much worse for adults. Mind you, I was also covered with spots from head to toe.
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I remember how quickly those viruses spread. I remember having either chicken pox or measles, but I don’t remember much about the experience.
Your poem and photos are great. Good job on the CFFC photos (I love your wildlife photos) and thanks for choosing doors from Japan.
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Hi Dan, I really loved Japan so Iβm always happy to share photos from my trip there. Iβm glad you liked the photographs .
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I’m a great believer in food triggering memories…Me and my sisters had both types measles and chicken pox as children I do remember the itching my mother used calamine lotion on the spots…My sisters had mumps and I didn’t and still haven’t even when my children caught mumps I didn’t catch it…hopefully I don’t contaract it now at my age…
As always images and poem are great, Robbie xx
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Hi Carol, I had both measles too. I had German measles in high school and missed another set of exams. My illnesses were well timed. Iβm glad you like the photos π©·
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I remember having had chicken pox as a child and my brothers too had it.
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Most children used to get this virus. Now there is a vaccination so itβs less common.
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Yes, but my eldest still got it because we missed the booster shot.
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All very interesting, Robbie. Loved your poem… click, but not quick enough! But also, I am a little worried – I never had chicken pox either. Oh well, I’m looking at your lovely photos again.
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Hi Chris, if you havenβt had chicken pox ask your GP if you can be vaccinated. It is not a nice virus to get when you are older. I am quick but sometimes not quick enough.
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This post is a smorgasbord of delight Robbie – love all the different facets you show – but I absolutely adore the Buddhist Temple and Lost Opportunityπ
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Iβm so pleased to know you enjoyed this post. Thank you.
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Wonderful, Robbie! I really like the big doors in the Buddhist temple. I had chickenpox as an adult and it was miserable. I was down with a fever and severe pain for almost a week. Because of that, I got my shingles vaccine the moment I turned 50.
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Hi Edward, those wooden doors are impressive. Chicken pox can be dangerous for an adult. My mom was in hospital for a week.
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Yes, those doors are amazing! Wow, your mom went through that too? That’s terrible. I had so many doctor visits and there was a lot of concern, but I made it.
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Mom made it through too. Sheβs always been tough.
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Great combination post, Robbie. Those Tokyo doors are awe inspiring! I love that you used animals for the color-pairs. I’m glad I don’t remember when I had the chickenpox (strange though, since I have other memories of that age… Although… that was during a bad time when I have a lot of blanks (or protective blocks) in my memory.) Thanks for sharing the lovely moment with the antelope. Have a relaxing weekend. Hugs.
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Hi Teagan, Iβm sorry about the bad time you had. Itβs a great shame you had to suffer as a child π€π. Iβm pleased you liked the photographs π
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I love your butterfly poem, and the haibun brings back memories of having Chicken Pox. Not fun. Your doors and photos are amazing. My favorite photo is the last one-it looked like an unfamiliar planet.
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