First Line Friday -November 24th, 2017

Below them, the dark streets
beckoned with crimson light
decorated like some treats
children playing with delight

he was there, meandering
on side streets looking for her
no one was around, that’s baffling
he left with such anger

where was the mobile when needed?
some events that couldn’t be deferred
on happiness, remorse could be blighted
some things left unanswered

perhaps they were meant not to meet
a learning experience of what wasn’t to be
and hopefully one cannot repeat
not good we all agree

(c) ladyleemanila 2017

For: First Line Friday -November 24th, 2017

First Line Friday -October 13th, 2017

The autumn chill descended over town
and with it came rot and ruin and chill
a place of gloom where people are let-down
through the night air a piercing whistle shrill
and the wolf prancing around with his kill
my heart seems to stop on this eerie night
canopy of bright stars above the hill
the howling wind, it’s time to fight or flight
and with this, am I having a meltdown?
too much stress, and I’m feeling being drown*

(c) ladyleemanila 2017

* The Decuain (pronounced deck•won), created by Shelley A. Cephas, is a short poem made up of 10 lines, which can be written on any subject. There are 10 syllables per line and the poem is written in iambic pentameter.

There are 3 set choices of rhyme scheme:

ababbcbcaa, ababbcbcbb, or ababbcbccc

For: First Line Friday -October 13th, 2017

First Line Friday -September 29th 2017

I cannot rest when the moon is full
it’s wintery presence keeps me wakeful
the moon keeps on weaving in and out
of the garlands of black clouds
sweeping across the sky
and I’m the shy audience
witnessing this playfulness
as the night moves in concordance

in the stillness of the night
the lyrics of “a lovely night”
playing over and over to my mind
thinking of how and where we’ve met
and you’ve held my hands
and we’ve danced by the light of the moon
you’ve caught my heart and soul
the mere sight of you made me swoon

stars are behind the haze of black cloud
that is strained thinly above
and the fleeting moonlight
decolourised the grey-scale world briefly
and then it was gone
such is the wonder of the night
as I look up the sky
and I’m waiting for my knight

am I a fool to dream?
that we could be together
on a night like this
the silver glow of the moon
smiled down at me with love
it warmed my soul like a fireplace
my worries burned away and
I went back to sleep with grace*

(c) ladyleemanila 2017

* The A L’Arora, a form created by Laura Lamarca, consists of 8-lined stanzas. The rhyme scheme for this form is a, b, c, d, e, f, g, f with no syllable count per line. The minimum length for the poem is 4 stanzas with no maximum length stipulation. The A L’Arora is named after Laura Lamarca as “La” is her signature. “Aurora” is Italian and means “dawn” – “Arora” is derived from this. This form is dedicated to Chad Edwards.

For: First Line Friday -September 29th 2017

The Stenham house

The Stenham house was an ancient locked thing and nothing returned there except for crows
The crows kept flying around the house making some harsh caw as the cold air blows
In this house of seclusion an eerie feeling as the willowy tree bows its leaves
There was some sense of foreboding or danger even for thieves
The fog of despair felt if one seeks the beaten track to the house
Still a scaffold was put in front of this ancient locked house
There used to be a tree full of nectarines, the crows ate them
The overgrown grasses serve as ban for the condemn
I used to live there, aware that I’m now just the spirit of an old woman
I was up all night waiting for him, he came, we argued and I was bludgeon
A terrible thing happened there and my blood was everywhere
He ran, left the country and couldn’t be found anywhere
I roam and roam until justice could be done, but to no avail
Just the crows and they’re the only ones who could hear my wail

(c) ladyleemanila 2017

(5) Words: | BLOWING | DANGER | UP | BAN | STILL |

For: First Line Friday 26.05.17, Wordle #157, Weekly Writing Prompt #91

First Line Friday 25.04.17

Three hours into the desert their engine choked and buckled
Rolling dark smoke into the pale blue sky, bamboozled
They tried to call their friend Philip who was out at that moment
They panicked but hope that someone would see them from a distant
They started arguing and blaming each other in this heat
Why have they not followed the map, trying shortcuts and offbeat?
The assessment of their situation was not good, downbeat
They tried to think what they could do, but both of them struggled
They looked at their supplies, got food, drinks and an engine coolant
Then the phone rang, it was Philip and he’s coming, such a feat!*

(c) ladyleemanila 2017

* The CinqTroisDecaLa Rhyme, a form created by Laura Lamarca, consisting of one 10-lined stanza. The rhyme scheme for this form is AABBCCCABC and a syllable count of each line is 15.

 

For: First Line Friday 25.04.17

P is for Pantoum

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

I’m going to tell you how
I lost my inheritance
Went to Las Vegas and wow
Kept on betting till I’m dunce

I lost my inheritance
Great feeling when I’ve won
Kept on betting till I’m dunce
All temptations till I’m done

Great feeling when I’ve won
I kept coming back for more
All temptations till I’m done
Won’t touch any roulette I swore

I kept coming back for more
Went to Las Vegas and wow
Won’t touch any roulette I swore
I’m going to tell you how

(c) ladyleemanila 2017

For: First Line Friday 14.04.17, #AtoZChallenge – 4-19-2017 – Letter P