II. Deanna’s prompt guidelines

The Fibonacci Sequence is the series of numbers: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, …

This sequence gives the Golden Ratio, or divine proportion, seen in nature, art, and architecture.

• FORM: Compose a ‘Fib’ poem(created by Gregory K. Pincus), which is a six-line poem of 1,1,2,3,5,8 syllables).
  • VARIATIONS:
    1. Write as few or as many lines as you wish, as long as your syllable count is based upon the Fibonacci Sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, etc.).
    2. You may write more than one stanza, repeating the amount of lines of your first stanza.
• THEME: Write about a spiral; spiral shapes in nature or art, or perhaps a more figurative or metaphorical spiral.

Deanna’s most recent poem: https://shiftnshake.wordpress.com/2024/06/02/w3-prompt-109-unrequited-love-again/

Downward spiral by Robbie Cheadle

Down

Down

It swirls

All the hope

Of broken people

Spiralling down into drains dark

Joining grey water interspersed with freedom’s debris

Washing tunnel sides smooth, no hand or feet grips to aid escape from the ocean of lies

Where it sinks, choking on manmade plastic waste, bandied about by random currents, until it finds a discarded hermit crab shell – curls up; dies

This poem is about the recent election process in South Africa which doesn’t seem to have made anyone happy. The country is now in a state of limbo while coalition negotiations take place.

Thank you to Björn for the prompt:

Today I want you to use Onomatopoeia in your poem, to strengthen the imagery through its sound (read it aloud, and maybe even include a recording. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2024/05/30/meet-bar-soundly-with-onomatopoeia/

Sounds of African Night

African dark embraces me

So thick and black I cannot see

Predators stalking in the black night

Lurking just outside my line of sight

Trained to take care when camping in the wild

So undefiled

I keep the fire burning

***

Twin lights glow like burning coal

Sending a shudder through my soul

Outside the light I hear heavy breathing

My stomach lurches and starts heaving

Heheheherrh, heheheherrh, my ears do hear

Hyena – I fear!

Add wood, keep fire burning

***

Downwind movement rustles leaves

Calm stillness herd of buck deceives

Waterbuck rest just beyond the trees

Lead hyena leaps – calf does seize

Coppery smell of blood fills the surrounding air

It’s a nightmare

Fire crackles – it’s burning

***

Hyena pack devours its meal

Being this close quite unreal

Soon the members begin to snap and fight

A few are bitten – running off into the night

The din dies down to a soft murmur

Except some crunching on a femur

***

Lying near the fire feeling awed

My faith in nature is restored

The cycle of life so fascinating

Predator and prey quite captivating

***

One must die to enable life for another

Humanity from greed must refrain

Let the natural world remain

Or we’ll all implode in the burning

About this poem

The poem is a parody of The Sound of Silence. My favourite version of this song is by Disturbed.

I am back from my short trip to Europe. I left on Wednesday evening and arrived at the Oslo Sentralstasjon at 2.30pm on Thursday. The flight to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam was 11,5 hours and then it was another 1,5 hours to Oslo Airport.

I caught the train from the airport to Oslo Sentralstasjon:

Contrast (shadorma)

Tall column

Of writhing bodies

Contorted

Beseeching

Pitiful degradation

Contrasting with light

You can join in Thursday Doors here: https://nofacilities.com/2024/05/30/on-board-the-delta-pearl/

My In Touch With Nature post this month discusses the differences between hyenas and wild dogs. They are two entirely different species of animals. Thanks for hosting, Kaye Lynne Booth.

I am travelling to Norway tonight, so I’ll only be able to attend to later comments after 2pm tomorrow. It is a long journey from South Africa with a flight change in Amsterdam. I won’t be around much until mid-next week.

In Touch With Nature – The difference between hyenas and wild dogs #hyena #wilddogs #Intouchwithnature

This week a wrote a trio of poems for d’Verse challenges but I didn’t post any of them because I was engrossed in Dan Antion’s Thursday Doors Writing Challenge. I am posting them all together with some photographs.

Poetry Form Magic 9

Thank you to Grace for this Magic 9 poetry prompt described as follows:

The elements of the Magic 9 are:

a poem in 9 lines
*meter and line-length at discretion of poet
*rhyme, a b a c a d a b a, with c and d=unrhymed

Lone Elephant

Rainwater puddled in a shallow basin

Glistening – to the light addicted

Surrounded by luscious vegetation

It attracts a single, male elephant

Trumpeting, he delights in the sensation

Of droplets splattering his muddy back

Dissipating the heat induced irritation

Trunk dipping, he sucks up the liquid

Expelling it loudly, in joyous celebration

You can join in this prompt here: https://dversepoets.com/2024/05/16/poetry-form-magic-9/

Poems of Place

Thank you to Whimsyzigizmo for this prompt:

Pen a poem of exactly 44 words (not counting the title), including some literal form of the word place. You can join in here: https://dversepoets.com/2024/05/13/quadrille-201-poems-of-place/

My Resting Place

Beyond the city

With its decrepit buildings

Smoky hazes

And stifling negativity

There lies another world

One of open, grassy expanses

Dotted with herds

Of buck, buffalo, and zebra

Predators rest by day

Coming out at night

To demonstrate their dominance

My resting place

Left in the Lurch

Thank you to Dorahak for the challenge as follows:

Now we have arrived at your challenge, if you’re up for it. Using the above poems as examples, write your own in the voice of one who has been stood up in no uncertain terms on a meaningful occasion. You can find out more about this challenge here: https://dversepoets.com/2024/05/14/poetics-left-in-the-lurch/

Rejection

Friends

Can be

Unworthy

Their needs their first

Consideration

No compassion for me

Seen as a composed coper

We all have endurance limits

Appreciate a kind listener

Selfish choices a form of rejection

When I saw this collage of Teagan’s, it brought to mind a computer game my sons played years ago that featured old fashioned caravans. That thought led to how lovely Teagan’s collages are, so much more beautiful than what I’ve seen in the way of AI generated art. I also thought about the recent strikes in LA relating to the use of AI in the movie and animation industries. These thoughts all culminated in the song parody below.

Teagan has also written a few fantastic stories for the writing challenge. You can find her latest story here: https://teagansbooks.com/2024/05/15/whatnot-wednesday-tdwc-the-rabbit-hole/.

You can join in Dan’s challenge here: https://nofacilities.com/thursday-doors-writing-challenge-2024/

AI’s Killing the Movie Star

When I was pint-sized back in 1982

Watching animation was the best thing I could do

Moving, talking pictures so thrilling and new

Oh-a oh-a

Artificial intelligence has the industry in a stew

The work of many being replaced by just a few

Makes me wonder where our world is moving too

***

Oh-a oh-a

My sons both love it

Oh-a oh-a

Think it’s a great fit

***

AI’s killing the movie star

AI’s killing the TV star

Machine generated images holds sway

Oh-a-a-a-oh

***

And now the youth sit glued to computer screens

Parents scratch their heads and wonder what it means

From the box comes gunfire and screams

***

Oh-a oh-a

The world is upside down

Oh-a oh-a

It makes me groan and frown

***

AI’s killing the movie star

AI’s killing the TV star

It’s far too late to close that door

Impossible now to even the score

Oh-a-a-a-oh

Oh-a-a-a-oh

***
AI’s killing the movie star

AI’s killing the TV star

It’s far too late to close that door

Impossible now to even the score

The kids sit playing and begging for more

Learning how to conduct virtual war

***

No more movie star

No more TV star

AI’s killing the movie star

AI’s killing the TV star

AI’s killing the movie star

AI’s killing the TV star

AI is killing the movie star

AI’s killing the TV star

This is my last song parody for Dan Antion’s Thursday Doors Writing Challenge. It is based on Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles which you can watch here:

Hi everyone, today I am hosting a fun literary quiz over at Story Empire. I’ve featured quotes and a clue form four love stories (classified as romances on Amazon and Wikipedia). Do come over and join in the fun. I’ll add in the answers tomorrow.

literary quiz – how well do you know your classic novels: romance

Dan is holding a writing challenge this month as part of his Thursday Doors Challenge. This is my second entry and is based on two of Resa’s gorgeous contributions which you can find here: https://nofacilities.com/thursday-doors-writing-challenge-2024/

You can link up to Resa here: https://graffitiluxandmurals.com/2024/05/12/art-remembers-us/

This pipe is meant for smokin’

You keep comin’ and beggin’ me to give you

Somethin’ you think you’ll really love

You’ve heard it will give you an euphoric and relaxed feelin’

The same as drink, food, and sex

***

The smoke is intended to make you high

An’ that’s just what you want

But one of these days you’ll learn just how it muddles you right up

***

You want brighter colours and louder sounds

You want to twist your experience of time and now

But it makes you uncoordinated, driving a danger

Makes you uninhibited, a hazard to your health

***

The smoke is intended to make you high

An’ that’s just what you want

But one of these days you’ll learn just how it muddles you right up

***
The younger you use it, the more permanent its effects

You don’t want to believe what I’m atellin’ you

But I swear your focus, learnin’ and memory

will take a sad knock – your brain physically changin,

connections and links slowly but surely eroding

The smoke is intended to make you high

An’ that’s just what you want

But one of these days you’ll learn just how it muddles you right up

Are you ready, kid? Start smokin’

This poem is based on Nancy Sinatra’s rendition of These Boots are Made for Walking which you can listen to here:

Two more poems for this same picture:

Blue Woman (shadorma)

Eye catching

Blue blooded woman

So relaxed

Eyelids closed

Gently puffing on a pipe

Hallucinating

Inspiration (shadorma)

I see her

Through the open door

Skin bathed in

Soft blue tones

Of exotic backstage lights

My inspiration

Another poem inspired by a different picture contributed by Resa.

The Umbrella (tanka poem)

I promise I’ll stay

Until the zepher catches

My blue umbrella

Gently whisking me away

Beyond the smoking chimneys

Dan is hosting a Thursday Doors Writing Challenge. You can find the pictures to inspire your creative writing here: https://nofacilities.com/thursday-doors-writing-challenge-2024/

I selected the picture below, created by the talented Teagan Riordain Geneviene, for my poem entitled Masquerade. You can find Teagan’s latest post here: https://teagansbooks.com/2024/05/09/whos-at-the-thursdaydoors-6-podcasting/

Masquerade, Phantom of Elections Past

Masquerade, peek behind the door

Masquerade, aging faces gathered round a boardroom table

Masquerade, each man trying to make his mark

Masquerade, there is deceit and self-interest on every mind

***

Lots of talk, translates to little action

Money talks, so profit margins always triumph

“Preserving the planet an important consideration”

“Does it make money?” the counter argument

***

Behind the door, the debate continues

Cost of implementation at the forefront of any change

The question is, how to evade the protesters

How to convince them, it was given due consideration

***

Faces expressionless, decision made

Global warming relegated to the backburner

Adverse weather a niggle – an irritation

Earth’s salvation, not worth the price

Of stepping on well-shod corporate toes

***

Masquerade, silken lies trip off tongues

Masquerade, empty promises that will never be fulfilled

Masquerade, plastic grins fixed in place

Masquerade, ensure you are evasive, elusive, and convincing

***

Masquerade, the majority easily won over

Masquerade, flashy cars displace thoughts of food security

Masquerade, beautiful people overwhelm righteousness

Masquerade, distraction techniques easily fool the masses

***
Exercise in voter appeasement complete

Slippery snakes slither behind the door

Another rally, another issue shelved

At this rate, transformation will never come

***

Politicians raise their glasses, clink!

Toasts drunk to further bloat egos

Ordinary people easily manipulated

Oblivious to glib evasions and half truths

***

“We’re all old so it really doesn’t matter

We won’t be here to reap our just deserts”

No consideration, no compassion

They live for today, tomorrow’s baton will be passed on

***

Their successors will be held accountable for past mistakes

Until elections swing around again

Oh, what a sad and desperate masquerade.

You may have recognised this piece as a parody of Masquerade from Phantom of the Opera💚. The original is marvellous so please enjoy.

Painting the Roses Blue

We’re painting the roses blue Note 1

Not with brushes and oils

But with genetic engineering

Rushing in, where angels fear to tread

Transgressing the laws of nature

Haldane’s Rule nonchalantly disregarded Note 2

The consequences of hybridisation ignored

With deliberate, well-thought-out steps

We’ve ‘agriculturised’ grain crops Note 3

Financial gain for few ensuring they’re seedless

While recklessly spreading our own seed

Ensuring endless hungrily waiting mouths

Perfect setting for a ‘Day of the Triffids’ reality show Note 4

Note 1 – We’re painting the roses blue is a twisting of the song from Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. Painting the roses red didn’t have a good outcome for these ‘card people’.

Note 2 – Haldane’s rule is important because it talks to the preferential sterility or inviability of hybrids of the heterogametic (XY) sex. The rule states that if one sex is ‘absent, rare or sterile’ in a hybrid population, then that sex will be heterogametic (the sex which has sex chromosomes that differ in morphology – in humans, the heterogametic sex is the male sex where the gamete’s sex chromosomes are X and Y).

Note 3 – I know that agriculturised is not a recognised word – wink! – I made it up.

Note 4 – The Day of the Triffids is a 1951 post-apocalyptic novel by John Wyndham. The novel centres around an aggressive species of plant, ‘breed’ by humans, which starts killing people following a natural disaster which leaves most of the world’s population blind. The novel is a pessimistic view of evolution and natural selection, where mankind is no longer adapted to survival, and the upper hand passes to the triffids.

This poem is for Sadje’s What do you see #237 poetry challenge. You can join in here: https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2024/05/06/what-do-you-see-237-may-6-2024/