dVerse — Prosery (2nd one) — Brimmed

where can we find light in this never-ending shade? –From Amanda Gorman, “The Hill We Climb” Brimmed The kris glitters under fluorescence in the green room. “I’ll cut you if you take one step closer,” she hisses. Heaving a resigned sigh jiggles his ponderous belly. “You promised. Just for today.” he says. “And you promised…

dVerse — Prosery — Answered

where can we find light in this never-ending shade?–From Amanda Gorman, “The Hill We Climb” Answered Curled up in blankets, layered against cold and wet, I read Clarke, Heinlein, or Atwood by candlelight; books whose pages haven’t disintegrated yet in the cave’s humidity. “X’s” on its wall say it’s mid-January. Deep underground it’s a constant…

dVerse — Q215 — Return

Return How you lift in arctic winds, feathers reached, flit from limb, then furl in compact chassis. A-rested cling, bob and peck silky blacks; bill-mashed oil fires your engines. Bright chirps sound against bleached, drab winter canvas, promises from forebears, carrying on, returning through seasons. My mom always believed that cardinals sighted were those who…

FFF 56 (was dVerse — Q189 — Rouse Simmons) repost, update, synchronicity

November 23 in 1912, she, a schoonerbearing 5500 Christmas trees, was boundwest, across Lake Michigan for Chicago.Blizzard said no but lumber skipper said go.She foundered at Two Rivers; all sailors lost. November nights, when moon is bright, her ghost yet sails. [44 words] top image link Learn more about Rouse Simmons here. De Jackson (aka…

dVerse — Tuesday Poetics — art in nature (tanka)

Meadow Argus / Photographed in Solomon Islands / Michael Sammut furry mandala starry eyes of universe rest on tattered leaf transformation’s mystery an answer without question Melissa Lemay is today’s host for dVerse’ Tuesday Poetics. Melissa says: write an ekphrastic poem to one of the given photographs taken by Michael Sammut.

dVerse — Haibun Monday — Hold Tight

photo taken Dec 2023 Hold TightA struggle in 2024, a struggle since 1993, when I stopped smoking cigarettes and stopped starving myself. Letting go of a pack a day and fasting left a vacuum that filled with food. Hikes and bike rides, step aerobics and Lake Michigan body surfing, couldn’t – and can’t – keep…

dVerse Poetics — still fight

still fight despitea world of tearsstill fightinvest in lightdetach from fearsdespitehuman tends to frightof looking into mirrorsstill fightsoul’s blightagainst vampyrsdespitedearth of brightheart bruised by cavalierstill fightwith grace-infused mightwith faith in mercy’s seerdespitestill fight I loosely modeled this after Henley’s poem, “Invictus.” Also Maya Angelou’s, “Still I Rise.” Villanelle form Dora is today’s host of dVerse’…