Tanka Tuesday

How many challenges can I fit into one post? Six is definitely an achievement for me.

Tanka Tuesday and Esther Chilton’s writing challenge

For Tanka Tuesday this week, Yvette asked poets to focus on mental wellness or the lack thereof. You can join in here: https://tankatuesday.com/2026/01/27/tankatuesday-poetry-challenge-no-49-mental-health-1-27-26/

This is last week’s challenge by Esther Chilton and it was shapes. You can read what other bloggers wrote here: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2026/01/21/writing-prompts-100/

I’ve written an American cinquain.

Shocking

shape of

future events

looming like thunderclouds

electrified environment

shocking

d’Verse – Quadrille

Punam challenged poets to write a quadrille using the word trip.

Road tripping

across South Africa

road starts out dark grey and smooth

toll booths at regular intervals

stop at Ermelo for coffee

see a mountain goat

road deteriorates

patched potholes, no shoulder

plenty of coal trucks

Stop at Piet Retief

restaurants closed, no power

This is the mountain goat we saw in Ermelo. What I took for a window is actually a doorway for him to get in and out of this shady enclosure.

CFFC

Dan’s CFFC challenge this week is up or down. You can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/01/26/up-or-down-or-both-cffc-jusjojan/

The gallery includes a giraffe bending down to drink and bats on the roof of the entrance to the Huhluwe-iMfolozi National Park.

My video footage of the giraffe drinking and the bats.

Thursday Doors and The Flower Hour

I am posting these photographs together because the flowers photographs were taken at Lodge Afrique and I’ve also featured the front entrance and door to the lodge.

You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2026/01/29/chinese-room-free-book/

You can join Terri’s The Flower Hour here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2026/01/27/the-flower-hour-15-desert-daisy/

Tanka Tuesday

This week’s challenge by Melissa, is to write a Double Ennead poem on the theme of gratitude. The syllabic count for a Double Ennead poem is 3 x 3 verses of 6/5/11/6/5.

You can join in here: https://tankatuesday.com/2025/11/25/tankatuesday-poetry-challenge-no-40-double-ennead-11-25-2025/

Eight Legged Wonder

delicate silver threads

woven skillfully

into a deadly trap for flying insects

flies a favourite meal

of reviled spiders

***

annoying mosquitoes

trapped in sticky thread

succulent dinner for female arachnide

malaria vector

out of commission

***

carrying diseases

from within sewers

cockroaches contaminate human foodstuffs

favourite snack for spiders

which keep numbers down

Colleen has shared an update on 🌻 2025 Sunflower Tanka Anthology 🌻 and the cover. You can read about it here: https://tankatuesday.com/2025/11/30/cover-reveal-the-2025-sunflower-tanka-anthology/

d’Verse

Grace’s prompt is to write a Spanish Lira poem. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2025/11/27/poetry-form-spanish-lira/

Absent Heat

usual summer heat absent

continuous rainfall order of the day

change in weather most welcome

November can be scorching

this year grey cloud is keeping hot sun at bay

CFFC and Thursday Doors

I am late with last week’s CFFC and Thursday Doors post so I’m including it here with this week’s CFFC post.

The four photographs below are of the wharf at Westminster Bridge in London. This is where tourists leave for tours of the River Thames. You can see the London Eye in the background. These are for Dan’s Travel Hubs challenge which you can join in here: https://nofacilities.com/2025/12/01/travel-hubs-cffc/