Poetry 101 Rehab

about Christmas…

Image | | andy townend 
about christmas
        russian shell(s)
        ukraine hell(s)
about christmas 
        freezing cold
        forgotten old
about christmas
        homeless (not) hopeless
        clueless politician, regardless
about christmas
        behind closed doors
lie (closed) minds
about christmas
        how much, is enough
               for you
                   for them
                       for us
let's talk... about christmas

exposed

spotted

spirit (me away)

not just for christmas

not the pandemic 

do you feel lucky?

palmed off

face off

caged dreams

lack of intimacy

you looking at me?

where are all the little people?

no, on reflection

closed (for christmas)

*images made with Fujifilm X100F with fixed 23mm f/2 lens*

story

Image | | andy townend

‘whispered something in your ear
it was a perverted thing to say
but I said it anyway
made you smile and look away’
– lyrics from ‘nothing’s gonna hurt you baby’, cigarettes after sex

once upon,
a time
each story
began

in gentle tones
no broken bones

later,
gingerbread,
blood red
tales of death
and terror

stalked my,
dreams

later, still
each story
began, in torchlight
and fright

what right,
had i

and now,
each story,
ends before,
it begins

as life,
unwinds

for wordpress weekly photo challenge – story
*image shot in salamanca, españa, with fujifilm x100f with 23mm (35mm fill frame equivalent) lens at ISO500, f/4 and 1/300s with added effects applied in analog efex pro 2*

corner

Image | | andy townend

Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime
― Ernest Hemingway

it could

(perhaps)

be said, that

liberal (thinking) is in, a

corner

right now

the question

is

what will

become

of us

of them

of you

of me

For WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge – Corner

*Image made with Fujifilm X100F and 23mm  fixed lens (35mm full frame equivalent) at ISO1250 (don’t even go there), 1/800s and f/5.6 outside the Cortes, Madrid*

poetry | 101 | rehab | red

Image | | andy townend

No matter how much suffering you went through, you never wanted to let go of those memories
― Haruki Murakami

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voices, filled (the air)
have, one more
don’t despair

(warm) fingers, tracing, searching
did they (who watched) care
have, one more

more, and more
no one (really) saw
or so, it seemed

blue eyes
yes (they cared, oh how so much)
told, no lies

feelings rising
choices, stretching
(out)

don’t be scared
choose, the blue
ride, the red

you’ll soon
be

dead

red

This week, my poetry prompt is red

poetry | 101 | rehab | whisper

Image | | andy townend

There’s no need to raise your voice here. You don’t have to convince anybody of anything, and you don’t have to attract anyone’s attention
― Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

2016_08_13_26716

I hear you,

whisper

in the long grass

and in, the reeds

along, the banks.

I hear you,

whisper

in the leaves, of the

trees

and (in) the beards of those

who ride long,

and hard.

I hear you,

whisper

in the (endless) night,

when the stars,

fall,

and (yes)

I hear you, whisper

when you, are

gone.

whisper

This week, my poetry prompt is only a whisper

poetry | 101 | rehab | smile

Image | | andy townend

There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

2016_07_31_26440

blue eyes
that
hold, no
lies

sparkling smile
that
holds, no
wile
(nor guile)

words
softly, spoken
not, just
words

what lay,
inside

all
those
years

it is clear,
to me

now

smile

This week, my poetry prompt is simple, it’s smile. Why not?

poetry | 101 | rehab | misty (ambiguity)

Image | | andy townend

Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer

– Rainer Maria Rilke


so no,
or (yet) yes,

anyone’s
guess

in perpetuity
always, (ambiguity)

the clouds and, the
rain
swept, window
pane

conflated with
snow and a (bitter)sweet
scented, candle
flame
that burned

red
and (yet)
(never)
quite
dead

and
the pain
yes,
exhaled
(from)
that, place

lingering
in perpetuity,

in misty,
(ambiguity)

misty (ambiguity)

My prompt for this week’s Poetry 101 Rehab is MISTY (AMBIGUITY), just because

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More information can be found on my poetry | 101 | rehab page.