All Hallows Eve

All Hallows Eve, when all creatures abound
as witches, vampires and other costumes
trick or treating or lighting bonfires
carving pumpkins into jack o lanterns
apple bobbing and divination games
children go from house to house with their bags

sweets given by the crowd are bags and bags
witches with their cauldrons always abound
people play on each others tricks and games
Mum made them or from old siblings these costumes
paraded on the streets at night are lanterns
old furniture, papers and wood for bonfires

hotdogs and hamburgers eaten at bonfires
they’re filling up through the night their sweets bags
dimmed then gone out are flashlights and lanterns
rumours of further doom abound
some authentic, some fakes, these costumes
zombies roam in doom and gloom games

hide and seek or of no return games
burning leaves and woods bonfires
as celebrants revel and dance with costumes
dark bags under eyes or energy bags
rubbish after the festivities abound
paper with candles ready-made lanterns

of sparkling swans, stars and angels lanterns
raising to another level some games
that garden with stone carvings abound
prepare for Guy Fawkes night early bonfires
children ask for the Guy with their pennies bags
with iconographic patterns some costumes

sceneries for plays and masks costumes
tapered served as thermal chimneys lanterns
fish and chips with salt and vinegar in bags
played through the night when evil comes games
being lit for the celebration are bonfires
in the risqué humour of Hitchcock abound

all costumes were part of the games
some lanterns lit for bonfires
bags and bags of energy abound*

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

* The sestina is a strict ordered form of poetry, dating back to twelfth century French troubadours. It consists of six six-line (sestets) stanzas followed by a three-line envoy. Rather than use a rhyme scheme, the six ending words of the first stanza are repeated as the ending words of the other five stanzas in a set pattern. The envoy uses two of the ending words per line, again in a set pattern.

First stanza, ..1 ..2 ..3 ..4 ..5 ..6
Second stanza, ..6 ..1 ..5 .. 2 ..4 ..3
Third stanza, ..3 ..6 ..4 ..1 ..2 ..5
Fourth stanza, ..5 ..3 ..2 ..6 ..1 ..4
Fifth stanza, ..4 ..5 ..1 ..3 ..6 ..2
Sixth stanza, ..2 ..4 ..6 ..5 ..3 ..1

Concluding tercet:
middle of first line ..2, end of first line ..5
middle of second line ..4, end of second line..3
middle if third line ..6, end of third line ..1

For: Music Prompt #65 Michael Jackson “Thriller”. Also for: Weekly Writing Challenge – Something Wicked

Music Prompt # 63 – Daniel Powter “Bad Day”

When the food came and it wasn’t tasty
When I like that dress but it was too big
When I said something and you didn’t agree
When I love that song but you didn’t dig

When I like that dress but it was too big
I wanted to go for a walk but it rained
When I love that song but you didn’t dig
I wanted to do that but you were drained

I wanted to go for a walk but it rained
I wanted to skype you but you weren’t there
I wanted to do that but you were drained
That one day you’d leave me and I’m scared

I wanted to skype you but you weren’t there
When I said something and you didn’t agree
That one day you’d leave me and I’m scared
When the food came and it wasn’t tasty*

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

* The pantoum consists of a series of quatrains rhyming ABAB in which the second and fourth lines of a quatrain recur as the first and third lines in the succeeding quatrain; each quatrain introduces a new second rhyme as BCBC, CDCD. The first line of the series recurs as the last line of the closing quatrain, and third line of the poem recurs as the second line of the closing quatrain, rhyming ZAZA.

The design is simple:

Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4

Line 5 (repeat of line 2)
Line 6
Line 7 (repeat of line 4)
Line 8

Continue with as many stanzas as you wish, but the ending stanzathen repeats the second and fourth lines of the previous stanza (as its first and third lines), and also repeats the third line of the first stanza, as its second line, and the first line of the first stanza as its fourth. So the first line of the poem is also the last.

Last stanza:

Line 2 of previous stanza
Line 3 of first stanza
Line 4 of previous stanza
Line 1 of first stanza

For: Music Prompt # 63 – Daniel Powter “Bad Day”

Out of my reach

image: carolinejournal5.blogspot.com

Out of my reach
You’re so far away
And even when I’ve
Caught you
Not possible
I can’t have you
Out of my reach

Wish I could screech
Frustration of the day
I need my salve
When I couldn’t have you
When nothing could able
And I’m ever so blue
Wish I could screech

On another beach
Perhaps we’d have our day
When we could be halve
When we could go through
Time would let us able
That I could reach you
On another beach

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

For: Friday Night Music Prompt #62: Never Too Late for Love & Keep Me in Your Heart by Warren Zevon

Friday Night Music Prompt #58: Constant Craving by kd lang

Sailing the ship
Taking bullet trains
Taking a stand
Of what’s proper
And good for humanity
Constant craving

Travelling to distant lands
Stretching my mind and muscles
Staying with you
Through thick and thin
With trust and devotion
Constant craving

Eating fish and chips
Charging like a bull
In a porcelain shop
Burning midnight oil
Blogging and posting
Constant craving

Walking on a path
Sometimes crooked lines
Enjoying my freedom
And being with you
Searching for truths
Constant craving

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

For: Friday Night Music Prompt #58: Constant Craving by kd lang and Wordle 261 Aug 14 by Brenda Warren

Friday Night Music Prompt # 56: The Mary Ellen Carter by Stan Rogers

The ground beneath my feet begins to crumble
I’m left with nothing to hold on to, null
The reality that I’ve created has vanished
I have to admit, I have lost the battle

The world is against me, my fight is extinguished
They have abandoned me, all the ones I cherished
I’ve learned my lessons, time to rise again
I’ve got to prove my worth, finish the unfinished

And all around me, mountains, moor and glen
Rainbows and sunshine, all beyond my ken
Time to rise again, the world is waiting for me
There’s still hope, I’ve got to carry on then

Forget the pain and live life wholeheartedly
Remember to count the blessings gratifyingly
Enjoy the simple things with a nice cup of tea
I have to remember all these, that’s the key*

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

*Quatrain

For: Friday Night Music Prompt # 56: The Mary Ellen Carter by Stan Rogers

Send in The Clowns

THIS WEEK’S WORDS come from “To the Student Who Asked Why He Earned a ‘C’ on an Essay about Love” by Clint Margrave: grammar, sentences, fragments, tenses, redundant, repetition, style, voice, draft, conclusion, lingering, topic

Life is like a grammar class

Full of sentences and fragments

In every class, there’s a jackass

Therefore, we need our patience

Send in the clowns

 

Got to know our voice and style

Full of repetitions and practices

Don’t have tears like a crocodile

And we’ve got to take our chances

Send in the clowns

 

Committing a lot of mistakes

Mostly redundant, still a lesson

Got to know what’s on stake

Like a lottery, wish we’ve won

Send in the clowns

 

It’s never complete, always a draft

Lingering topics, all about endurance

Got to be tough, don’t be daft

Demonstrate a great valiance

Send in the clowns

 

For: Friday Music Prompt #50: Send in the Clowns and Whirligig 66 by Magical Mystical Teacher

Poetry challenge #36: Drowning leaves

the light is gone and so are you
autumn leaves drowning down the stream
dragonflies hover on water

no air to breathe and days are blue
no pleasant dreams, only nightmares
why can’t we remain as we were?

I know time will help, I’ll get through
but for now let me just scream
and of course, it will get better

time to whisper a fond adieu
in the end it was all a dream
just accept, no need to alter

no regrets, our story that was
no anger, no whys and because

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

For: Poetry challenge #36: Drowning leaves by Jane Dougherty. Also for: Friday Music Prompt 48: Fields of June

Rattle That Lock

THIS WEEK’S WORDS come from “Untitled” by James Baldwin: send, rain, think, sound, light, marvelous, beneath, force, blinds, falling, water, little

Rattle that lock and lose those chains

Don’t let them take over the reins

Force your way into the light

Don’t give up the fight

Beneath the waterfalls such force

And within us we’ve got resource

Marvellous sound the falling water

We won’t know until we’ve entered

Think a little and send us the rain

We’ve got the power to reign

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

For: Music Prompt #42: “Rattle that Lock” by David Gilmour, Photo Challenge #112 and Whirligig 58 by Magical Mystical Teacher

What Have You Done To Me?

The siren call of desire
Wrecking my whole existence
Scorching me like a fire
Satiating me in every instance

Every fragment of my being
Still longing to be with you
The ecstasy that you bring
When you’re away I’m blue

What have you done to me?
My yearning swelled to a roar
To all my being here’s the key
You hit me right to the core

Your wild ways and salty language
Make me foolish with craving
You’re my complete package
To you I absolutely cling

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

For: Music Prompt #40 “I Like You So Much Better..” by Ida Maria and Six for Wednesday ~ 4 Apr 27 by Brenda Warren

Wade in the Water – Taal Experience

Taal Volcano is the second most active volcano in the Philippines, with 33 historical eruptions. It is in the middle of Taal Lake which partially fills Taal Caldera. Taal Volcano and Lake presents one of the most picturesque and attractive views in the Philippines. I’ve always wanted to swim in the middle of the lake, where the crater was. So one of the things I’ve done when I was on holiday in the Philippines was to plan this trip. The boat ride was quite rough, we’ve been soaked to the bones! Heaving, roaring, whisking, jolting up and down, but we’ve made it! Then to go up the crater, we’ve ridden a horse, a small horse but it can work hard. What a marvellous view when we’ve reached the top of the crater. The water looked really inviting! I wanted to wade in it, to feel refreshed. So, with my horse, we went down the lake. Ah, wonderful! To be able to swim in the lake surrounded by the cliffs and hills around us, it’s pure heaven! There were some “sulfur” bubbling near. This is the volcano, after all. The others didn’t join me swimming and waddling in the lake, they were more interested in taking photos and “selfies”. So I’ve got the whole lake to myself! What an experience!

For: Music Prompt #33 “Wade in the Water” performed by Ella Jenkins