The alarm didn’t go off this morning…I’m still curl up in my duvet, my silvery hair all tangled up. I like the feel of velvet, so soft and cosy. The light peeking through the curtain, telling me to get up and start my day. I used to be a busy lady, getting up at the crack of dawn. I even used to burn the midnight oil. Our town used to be the jealous of everyone as we have enough jobs for everyone. I could still hear the echoing of different shops and factories. Our town looks like a ghost town, no jobs, no class and no future.
time travel
time to spare
spare me a piece of your mind
spare me your mercy
mercy, mercy
mercy, my Lord
Lord, I am not worthy
Lord of the universe
universe to travel
universe and the world
world in my hands
world I can change
change if I can
change in other ways
ways to travel
ways of living
living in peace
living with you
you and I
you and I against the world
world in chaos
world to save
save me, my Knight
save the environment
environment to appreciate
environment to protect
protect the innocent
protect the poor
poor me, poor you
poor and humble
humble pie
humble abode
abode for all
abode galore
galore of wisdom
galore of faith
faith in you
faith in mankind
mankind’s problem
mankind’s fault
fault with pride
fault to a T
T-bone steak
T-rex island
island with ghosts
island paradise
paradise peace
paradise searching
searching
peace*
(c) ladyleemanila 2016
* The Blitz Poem, a poetry form created by Robert Keim.
This form of poetry is a stream of short phrases and images with repetition and rapid flow.
Begin with one short phrase, it can be a cliché. Begin the next line with another phrase that begins with the same first word as line 1. The first 48 lines should be short, but at least two words.
The third and fourth lines are phrases that begin with the last word of the 2nd phrase, the 5th and 6th lines begin with the last word of the 4th line, and so on, continuing, with each subsequent pair beginning with the last word of the line above them, which establishes a pattern of repetition.
Continue for 48 total lines with this pattern, And then the last two lines repeat the last word of line 48, then the last word of line 47.
The title must be only three words, with some sort of preposition or conjunction joining the first word from the third line to the first word from the 47th line, in that order.
There should be no punctuation. When reading a BLITZ, it is read very quickly, pausing only to breathe.
As the new day began, it was clear that things would never be the same She staggered to get up, her shadow visible on the sheet hanging on the line Embraced by the fresh morning dew, greeted by the birds proclaiming their claim Determined to make a difference and to put her pain away, firm that life is fine Dance if she has to, so as to show the world that there’s really no one to blame Ending the black and white of existence and replacing it with a fine wine and dine*
(c) ladyleemanila 2016
* Harrisham Rhyme, created by the female poet, Harrisham Minhas, belonging to the State of Punjab in India, of a six-line rhyming stanza. In this form, the last alphabet of the first word of each line is the first alphabet of the first word of next line.
There is no restriction on the starting alphabet of the first line.
Starlight, star bright, I wish I may, I wish I might
Find my own knight, he’s there to fight for my plight
I’d like to go to places far away, roving great distances
Riding buses, aeroplanes, ships, jeepneys and cruises
Over the hills, to the depths of the seas and sandy shores
Learning my lessons, writing my memoirs, being outdoors
Acquiring new things, seeing the world, adventures galore
Understanding about them, they’re all there in a brochure
Meeting you and the others, oh what fun it would be
Dancing the night away, footloose and fancy free
Away from this tumultuous and rotten world with flees
As long as I don’t transgress and make you displease
Enable to scramble over the wall to the summit ridge
I’ve got my suitcase ready, don’t care about the mileage
Swelling with smugness in this upbeat biosphere
The atmosphere has thicken from the exosphere
Having the key to your heart, be as charming as can be
I always see the world as somewhat peachy or pearly
Starlight, star bright, these are some of my wishes
Hope they come true and I’d be happy, such a buzz
Day 18 – The prompt is “a letter”. The format and length are your choice.
A Triolet is a poetic form consisting of only 8 lines. Within a Triolet, the 1st, 4th, and 7th lines repeat, and the 2nd and 8th lines do as well. The rhyme scheme is simple: ABaAabAB, capital letters representing the repeated lines.
I send you my kiss through the post
Hope it gets there to give you cheer
Quite tough being on coast to coast
I send you my kiss through the post
When we meet we will have a toast
And we just have to persevere
I send you my kiss through the post
Hope it gets there to give you cheer
Day 19 – It’s night. You’re asleep. You hear a loud crash close by. What happens next? Tell us in less than 100 words.
I woke up. Loud crash close by. Coming from parents’ room. I wonder what the matter this time. Is Dad leaving us again? Will Mum let him go? Are we going to be miserable again? The last time this scene happened, Dad left us in the morning. He hugged us and told us to be good and look after each other. That one day he would come back, he hoped. We cried, we didn’t want him to go. Mum pretended to be busy feeding Baby Ella. She told us to get ready for school, as if nothing happened. That was the most miserable three months in my life.
Day 24 – The prompt is “nightmare”. The format and length are your choice.
Pauline was looking forward to her holiday to Istanbul with her friend Janina. They seldom see each other and this holiday was planned big time. Janina booked her flight from Manchester and agreed to fly to London first so she could spend some time with Pauline before their flight to Istanbul. While they were packing their bags, Janina suggested they mix their stuff and bags in case some bags were lost or delayed, they’ve got at least some clothes from the other bag. Pauline agreed and packed their stuff.
At Istanbul airport, Pauline was surprised when the Customs asked her to open her suitcase. They checked the luggage and took out Janina’s jewellery box. They asked her a lot of questions and she said the box wasn’t hers, her friend’s. They found some drugs hidden in the box. By that time, Janina was nowhere to be found. And Pauline was arrested because of a crime she didn’t commit. How could she ended up in Istanbul prison? What kind of a friend was Janina? How could she ever get out of this nightmare?
Day 26 – Write a story in less than 100 words that begins with: “Once upon a time…”
Once upon a time
In a land of sunny Bavaria
There lives a happy couple
Who have a house and a garden
Full of flowers, herbs and a vine
Two apple trees and three tortoises
They used to be three in that house
At 18, the son decided to leave
And he was gone to another land
To college and pursue his dreams
They had to let him go, empty the nest
It was sad at first
Now they’re used to it, back to being two
Making music together, having their own plans
Following their dreams, seeing the world
Going to places they haven’t been
The End
Day 27 – Write a poem inspired by the theme of “home” in less than 10 lines.
home is happy
home is cosy
home is warm
home doesn’t regret
home doesn’t mind sharing
home grows with love
I love our home!
Day 28 – Pick the title of a favourite song. That’s your inspiration. Now write a story inspired by it in 30 words.
When we were young, life seemed so magical, that we could always follow our dreams. The world was our oyster, we could be anywhere and everywhere and we could do anything.
Day 30 – Write a spooky story in 13 words for Halloween.
Horror movie scene with a girl dressed in white in a desolated house; Shutterstock ID 149780201; PO: 1259; Job: ghosts
Ghost wore a flowing wedding gown, barefoot, long hair cascaded and she disappeared.
Day 9 – Write a haiku inspired by the theme “night”.
Soft whisper of wind
Light of the silvery moon
Children fast asleep
Crickets chirp, owls hoot
Angels sing halleluiah
Total darkness
Day 11 – Write a story set in a forest in 100 words or less.
Adventurous as she was, she walked further and further from her friends.
Looking at all the exotic plants and trees, she didn’t noticed she’s getting lost.
And that she’s moving around going back and forth and the paths crisscrossed.
By the time it was getting dark, she didn’t know what to do, how to get help.
She bumped into something mossy and spooky, that’s when she uttered a yelp.
Only silence in that eerie place, she’s imagining a lot of different scenario.
She waits; such tight corner she has entered and she doesn’t seem to get out.
Day 13 – The prompt is “space”. The format and length are your choice.
Leave me alone, I need my space
I don’t want to hear any gossip
As I walk around the room with grace
Don’t want to be the cause of any breakup
Especially sour grapes and anything bad
Keep your secret to yourself or write a poem
Don’t want to add anything to my keypad
I’m sure your poem will be awesome
In a fiction of course, no one knows it’s you
Alarming as it sounds, I’m not thirsty for it
It’s tough how those words could be construed
Let alone if they’re written in Sanskrit
I’m having a long bath, with loofah and razors
To contemplate on what I really like in my life
Hoping some of my questions will have answers
Like about the universe and is there an afterlife?
Storm comes and goes, then calmness will come
Peace at last, I say and speak to myself in sigh
Now I can do anything like wriggle my thumb
Give me my space, I want my life to simplify
Day 16 – Write a poem on the theme of “reflections”. Any length.
golden pond
water lilies, frogs, turtles
living happily
living happily
water lily in my hair
see my reflection
see my reflection
enjoying the gorgeous day
sitting by the pond
moonrise
holding their hands by their knees
evening at a house
peaceful evening and some wine
reminiscing bygone days
candlelite dinner
hold hands under the table
her eyes are sparkling
crickets chirping by the trees
soft breeze whistling in the night
full moon reflection
lovers walk by the sea
man gave her his coat
they promise to love each one
kiss by the light of the moon
grandad telling jokes
everyone’s eager to hear
laughing our hearts out
granny’s apple cake all gone
now having nice cups of tea
I always pass by this door when I walk
On my way to work or when I amble
Always looks inviting so I can knock
Its white so pure and looks so blissful
What could be behind this door on the block?
Where its owners are, I began to mull
Lots of trees giving shade, can’t see the house
Hang on a minute, did I just see a grouse?
(c) ladyleemanila 2016
* Ottava Rima
The sun was shining, clear blue skies. As I amble through the forest, I pass by this white door. Quite intrigue, I wanted to knock and see what’s behind the door. Its white colour looks so pure and inviting. Lots of trees behind that give a lot of shade, looks so blissful. Does it belong to a family or some old couple, where’s the house in this big place, surrounded by trees and other questions come to my mind as I mull? Hang on a minute, I could hear something. Some noise coming on that part. Was that a grouse or a pheasant?
The breeze made me shiver. With the open window, he approached me. Eyes shining, glossing over, he kissed me. I was in paradise! His scents comparable to an allspice. And I thought, wow, that was so nice. Short and sweet, but so intense, like being in a pyre. God knows why, but I think I even purred like a cat. A fast pulse and heightened senses, I was transformed to a different world.
Oh my personal samurai, my anchor and he’s kissing me. Kept me alive, kept saying my name. I hold onto his arms and I was still aflame. Hundreds of fish in the sea, he chose me. I could fly, feeling ever so light and high, like a kite in the sky. Felt weak on my knees and at the same time bouncy. What has he done to me? Was it all a dream? If it was, I don’t want to wake up.
I just hope it wasn’t just a game. I promise to be good and won’t kick him out my door. I love that kiss and I hope there’s a forevermore. There’s a feeling of connection and our hearts feel complete. I shivered inwardly, so blissful.
ladyleemanila 