Rallentanda

Rallentanda

Thursday, May 9, 2024

What's Goin On...Night Sky

the milky way

streaked across an outback sky

nature's testament to the divine

not a grand cathedral

nor a famous work of art

not owned by anyone

but belonging to everyone

 priceless and  magnificent

the best things in life are free

 


Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Tuesday Tanka # 33

 the drizzling rain goes

on and on without respite

 never seems  to end

this year brings a very wet autumn

heralding a bleak winter



northern hemisphere

now is the month of maying

sunshine and blossoms

the king singers in pink ties

express the seasonal joy


Tuesday, April 30, 2024

What's Going On?...Silence .

 


there will be

 consequences for sure

teaming up

with our yankie mates

together

building the nuclear submarines

for our defense

 

our largest trading partner

remains sinisterly silent 

they wont be happy

wonder what they have planned for us

we wont like it

 

 that’s the trouble with inviting

 the fox into the chook house

never a good idea

 the poets know that

even blind Freddy

can see that

the pollies?

just dazzled by the trade dollars


TANKA TUESDAY NO 32

the returning chill
red leaves blowing in the wind
regret of autumn

looking forward to spring time
autumn's dark sadness  hits home



Sunday, April 21, 2024

NAPOWRIMO APRIL 24...DAYS 22 - 30


 DAY 22

 CINQUAIN

 

swiss guard

multicoloured

outfits carnival style

protecting the pope  from the foe

yeah sure


the pope

so reassured

of being protected

by rainbow clown look alike types

yeah sure !


DAY 23

TANKA TUESDAY # 31 

it's getting colder

i dont like autumn

winter's even worse

gone the years i could escape

will have to endure it now

 

 


 

 

CINQUAIN

old age

is very hard

you have to cop it sweet

the old folk complain constantly

tough time


SENRYU

if you are youngish

do everything you want to

time flies by quickly


DAY 24...HEART

 

 Cinquain 

  Sherlock 

does have a heart

 though he's rude and abrupt

 he is capable of loving

 surprise 

 

DAY 25

Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day"

 

by all means

if you desire a clip o'er thy ear hole

thou cream faced loon

no one wants to be compared

to the driest continent on earth

where summer is known for its

ferocious heat and blistering

sun burn

hot blood begets hot thoughts and

hot thoughts begets hot deeds 

hot headed?

Thou art as witty as a runcible spoon

fare thee well as i enter the dreamtime

rounded with a  sleep

Good night!





DAY 26

 


 

 

ANZAC DAY

big deal down under

we mourn our dead soldiers

this year people seem more sad than

in the past

 

maybe it's age

or maybe the times

who knows why

impending doom

 seems to be the prevailing mood

hope i've got it wrong



DAY 27...Poets and Story Tellers United....Friday Writings #124

consume heartless peculiar teeth inflamed


Better Red than Dead

Really?

I dont think so

heartless peculiar creature

consumed with self importance

inflamed by jealousy

sneers  through  flashing  white teeth

desperate for attention

 

 DAY 28....ERASURE POEM

 

 


  he wandered about

convinced he was great

and would make America grate again

Dear God

let's do a deal rid me of my problems

I promise to not dye my hair and

to read a book


CINQUAIN

i don't

 care  who you are

musical genius 

maybe but i'm not cleaning up

your mess



Beethoven


DAY 29...LATIN a DEAD LANGUAGE

latin lingua mortua est
its fragments still beautifying
the romance languages

memories of latin class
sedete in silencio
says sister celestina
the sound of chairs scraping
in preparation for translating
cicero and suetonius

angelic convent girls
fortiter et suaviter
the school motto
emblazoned on our
school hats and blazers

all the while
si verum sciatur
we would have preferred
carpe vinum
with
troy donahoe
the everly bothers
or
elvis presley

DAY 30

we'll meet again
don't know where
don't know when
but i know we'll meet again
some sunny day

shades of Vera Lyn
memories of
black and white movies
standing for god save the queen
before the start of every movie
like all good little colonialists
all nice gals kept a' glory box'
back then
a sort of treasure trove of
things you would need
when you got married

pas moi
i wanted to be brigitte bardot
and drive a sports car
ho hum must go now

 


 

it's teatime
this lil ole lady
has a date with her tea pot
until we meet again
thanks for all the great poetry
it has been fun
even though
my eyes are hanging out of my head
through lack of sleep

take care possums
say hi to your mum
and bob's your uncle

 


 



  • Tuesday, April 16, 2024

    Tanka Tuesday Challenge no 30

     

     TANKA

    she was a spring bride

    thirty nine years ago now

    my how time does fly

    she has a birthday quite soon

    forever young  and happy


    a toast to

    wonder woman colleen

    of cherry blossom time

    a breath of spring

    after a long winter

     blogging away for ten years

    encouraging poets

    to practise their craft

     

    HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY

     HAPPY BLOGGING

     



    Sunday, April 14, 2024

    NAPOWRIMO APRIL 2024...DAYS 15 - 21

     DAY 15..

    .ANAPHORA

     

     



    ANAPHORA

    because you are the  one

    who regularly contacts me

    year in year out

    because you are the  one

    who remembers my birthday

    every year

    because you seem concerned

    when things aren't going well

    for me

    because you give me your time

    because you tell me

    how contact with me

    enriches your life

    because you make me laugh

     you are my true friends and

    i have never even met you

     


     

     

    DAY 16.....WORDLE

              SUNDAY WHIRL

    unbroken memory twigs wallow divine crystal blood creation ledge cell wake ancestors


    her memory twigs

    stop wallowing

    in your unbroken ancestors' fate

    divine providence

    is not a crystal ball

    yes blood is thicker than water

     and so is chicken soup

    you've read the creation story

    no need to stand on a ledge

    waving a cell phone

    wake up to yourself

     

    DAY 17

     


    ..For Susan's prompt at What's Going On - What IS it about poetry?  

     

     

    poetry

    food and drink for me

    i would not

    have survived

    if it had not been for 

    all the gifted blog poets 

    collectively shining

    a bright light on a dark world

     

     


     


    your work 

    your kind words

    your encouragement

    your  humour

    your sadness

    your joy 

    a weekly life line thrown 

    year in year out

    thank you dear poets

    for everything

     

     

    DAY 18

     

     

    memories of my grandparents

    one ot their favourite songs

    a  smiling singing audience

     expressing  sheer joy

    beacons of light

    showing the best in us

    we  need more of it

     

    DAY 19 ...Poets and Story Tellers United

     

     


    Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine,

     et lux perpetua luceat eis

    Requiescat in Pace 

     

    Grant them eternal rest o Lord

    may the perpetual light shine upon them

    Rest In Peace


    aussie wild flowers

    amongst the roses and dahlias

    to mourn the victims

     

     

     FLOWER MEMORIAL


     WESTFIELD SHOPPING MALL BONDI JUNCTION

     

    TANKA

    it was a surprise

    they did not expect to die

    shopping in the mall

    on saturday afternoon

    they were all so very young




     DAY 20.....Cahills Restaurant Sydney

    FOR MY CHINA

     

    The Cahill’s restaurants in the inner city area of Sydney were well known not only to those 

    seeking a 

    well presented, although not too expensive, lunch or a pre-theatre dinner served in pleasant 

    surroundings but also to generations of children for whom being taken to Cahill’s for afternoon 

     tea was a “treat”.

     

     all dressed up

    in a suit and tie

    afternoon tea

    with Aunty Marge 

    who used to sing

    in the David Jones choir

    was an exciting treat

    (ice cream cake with caramel sauce )

    for a little boy

    in the 50's

     

     DAY 21.....A Simple Childhood



    post war

    money tight

    creative  playtime



    fewer backyard pools

    but sprinklers were great fun

    this old gal is still tempted

    to frolic in one

    ( when no one is looking)

     


    remember picnic baskets

    (no eskies back then)

    sitting on the ground

    or

    on the rocks at the beach

    at twilight

    a simple time

    a lovely time 

    in life

    long gone


    things are a lot different now

    not easy

    not even for santa

    we had the best of it



    the consumer world

    teaches our children well

    we will pay the price