Poetry 101 Rehab

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

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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

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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

You can link to your post in response to today’s prompt by leaving a comment on my post and you can also tag your post with Poetry 101 Rehab so that it shows up in the WordPress Reader.

Please feel free to copy and paste the badge across to your own post and your own site 🙂

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

poetry | 101 | rehab | road

Image | | andy townend

nunca te entregues ni te apartes
junto al camino, nunca digas
no puedo más y aquí me quedo
–  music by paco ibañez, poetry by josé augustín goytisolo

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the road
the road, is long
the road, is long, and the road, is hard
the road, is long, and the road, is hard,
and

full,
of pitfalls,
perils, and
punishment

(for,
the unwary)

and

false,
turns

the road, is long
the road, is long and the road, is hard
the road, is long and the road, is hard
and (yet) it
is

(and,
always will be)

yours,
to

take

road

My prompt for this week’s Poetry 101 Rehab is ROAD and is dedicated to all those who walk their own, road

You can link to your post in response to today’s prompt by leaving a comment on my post and you can also tag your post with Poetry 101 Rehab so that it shows up in the WordPress Reader.

Please feel free to copy and paste the badge across to your own post and your own site 🙂

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

poetry | 101 | rehab | scream

Image | | andy townend

You and I must fight for our rights
You and I must fight to survive

– Muse, Knights of Cydonia

scream
no one, will believe you

no one, cares

scream, and scream
no one, will believe you

no one, cares

scream, and scream, and scream
makes

no,
difference

until
one day

they do
care

scream

My prompt for this week’s Poetry 101 Rehab is SCREAM and is dedicated to all those who suffer, in silence

You can link to your post in response to today’s prompt by leaving a comment on my post and / or by clicking on the poetry | 101 | badge below and leaving a link.

And you can also tag your post with Poetry 101 Rehab so that it shows up in the WordPress Reader.

Please feel free to copy and paste the badge across to your own post and your own site 🙂

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

poetry | 101 | rehab | the rope

Image | | andy townend

happy,
despite

the rope,
that constrained
him

he
held on
to
hope

the rope

My prompt for this week’s Poetry 101 Rehab is THE ROPE and it was inspired by a comment left on (another) face, by LuAnne Holder, author of Wind Rush.

So, over to you.

You can link to your post in response to today’s prompt by leaving a comment on my post and / or by clicking on the poetry | 101 | badge below and leaving a link.

And you can also tag your post with Poetry 101 Rehab so that it shows up in the WordPress Reader.

Please feel free to copy and paste the badge across to your own post and your own site 🙂

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

poetry | 101 | rehab | boys

Image | | andy townend

Girls who are boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they’re girls

– Blur, Girls and Boys

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out in the midday sun | 1

Image | | andy townend

 

For the last 52 weeks, each Thursday, I’ve been publishing a chapter in a serial story which I called dark | side | thursday. Each chapter comprised exactly 500 words (and yes, I’ve checked), usually accompanied by a photograph. Well, that story reached its climax today, although actually there was little climactic about it. At various times my story was referred to as Dickensian in scale and even, to my utter delight, a brief comparison was made to the frankly incomparable, in my view at least, Stephen King. I was also variously accused of going round in endless circles and irritating my readers with too much ambiguity, and a scantily clad plot.

The reality is that when I kicked off the project I doubted that it would last a month, never mind be completed and on time to boot. And yes, it was, both. Despite, well, despite a lot.

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