WEP December 2022

 

It's time for the final WEP Challenge of the year! Where has the time gone?

I know that December is a busy time of year for many of you, so I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to participate in this month's challenge.

This month's challenge is The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. My entry morphed and changed as I attempted to write it. This is the final result.

Seeing You

I’ll never forget the first time

I saw your face, your grace.

The world paused, your light

warped time and space.

I couldn’t look away.

You danced with all your heart,

dominating the dance floor.

I didn’t know where to start.

Again in the park,

your skin soaked in sun.

When I saw you I felt

as if my world had just begun.

From afar I watched as you

dined with your friends.

You are the foundation on which

my whole world depends.

You invaded my dreams,

you haunted my soul.

Without you in my life

I shall never be whole.

Your beauty knows no parallel

and your laugh delights.

I want you at my side

during endless days and nights.

I saw you again in holiday luster.

The lights twinkled in your eyes.

I didn’t know how to approach,

so I hid, in disguise.

You danced and swayed,

and I looked on in wonder.

Your time beneath mistletoe

tore my world asunder.

That’s when it hit me.

I must act to make you mine.

Fear could not dissuade.

My passion could not resign.

My charm was lacking,

that much was true.

Wooing you wouldn’t be easy.

Then I knew what to do.

In a room filled with suitors,

I stood no chance at all.

That knowledge has brought

me here to my downfall.

Time was all I needed,

time you surely wouldn’t give.

I simply had to take it

and find a space for us to live.

Getting you here was easy,

despite your constant screams.

They disheartened me a bit.

It wasn’t like my dreams.

The first time you saw my face,

you tried to run away.

The shackles held you down.

You’ve no choice but to stay.

And now, I see your face,

frozen with abject fear.

It’s not the reaction I wanted,

but I must persevere.

In time I’ll make you mine.

I promise you, you’ll see.

Soon you’ll love me too,

and we’ll both be free.

Word Count: 331

FCA

Tagline: The line between love and obsession is easily crossed.

WEP February 2022: All You Need is Love

 Hello everyone! Welcome to a new year of Write...Edit...Publish! Since our year of art was such a great success, we decided to seek inspiration from music in 2022. It was quite the challenge to come up with such a small list of musical inspirations, but after much good natured debate, we came up with this list.

First up is the famous All You Need is Love by the Beatles. It seemed like a good choice for February and Valentine's Day.

I decided to try something a little experimental with this piece. Using a song for inspiration made me think of poetry, and when I saw conversation hearts in the candy aisle, I felt inspired. I decided to write a poem in the form of a conversation between friends who have differing perspectives on love. Hopefully the formatting is clear for all of you. I looked at it from multiple devices to make sure this looked good on all of them, but I can't check everything.

I hope you enjoy!

      

Conversation Hearts

       I say                       to you      

    all you need             is love …

It lifts you up when things are dark

    and holds back the cold with

          its warmth and light.

                  Embrace it.

                     Seek it.

       

                               Love is              grand.

                             I won’t deny     that truth.

                         It is also messy and imperfect.

                          It can surely wound you and

                                leave you in pieces.

                                      Take caution.

                                         Take care.

           Love                       endures.

      It inspires              and nourishes.

Poets and artists draw from its beauty

       and power to fuel creation.

              It binds us together.

                  It cherishes and

                      protects.

                         Love              nourishes.

                  It must also        be nourished.

            Love may die if its flame isn't tended.

                 Please, do not test it too harshly.

                      Treat it with tenderness.

                              It won’t come

                                     easy.

          Love is         blind.

     Love is bold    and bright.

  It fulfills us with its splendor.

      It outlasts all adversity.

          It is pure and kind.

                It is eternal.

                   Blissful.

                            Love               sees.

                        It sees and      it accepts.

                 It is not without conditions, but

                      it can mend and grow with

                        care and communication.

                             Love changes over

                                       time.

          Love is                     timeless.

        It survives            beyond death

    and lives on in the hearts of those

       left behind, providing comfort.

             Memory connects us to

                  our loved ones

                          forever.

                      Love                  lives on,

               bringing both        joy and loss.

             Grief may overwhelm, making it

                    hard to bear, and memory

                        may fade if we don’t

                             appreciate its

                                  gravity.

   

            Love is              romance.

       Love is like        a deep breath.

It invigorates and makes us feel alive.

        It flows like water in a river,

              aweeps us away and

                  surrounds us in

                       perfection.

                      Love is               complex.

                  It has good       days and bad.

                  It's often patient and hopeful,

                   but not without fail, and not

                          without compromise.

                              Imperfect people

                                        can’t

                                                  love

                                                          perfectly…

Word Count: 280

FCA

Tagline: The nature of love is hard to define.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to read and leave a comment on all the entries!

WEP June Challenge-Urban Nightmare

It's time for another WEP Challenge. This month's theme is Urban Nightmare. It seems oddly fitting now. Be sure to stop by the sign up post if you want to join in!

This poem is the result of me trying to grapple with the world as we know it. Humanity has been through many times of struggle, and people have been proclaiming that it may well be the end of the world for a long time. And if not the end of the world, at least the end of life as we know it. I can see why people may be tempted to think that way, but I have to hope for something better. Giving in to despair solves nothing.

Poetry isn't my strongest suit, but it felt like the best avenue for self-expression at the moment.

In the Streets

The forecasts of the world’s end

came time and time again.

The end is nigh came the cry,

“You must repent, amen.”

Those dates foretold came and went

and life continued on.

New voices rose as others faded

but people wished them gone.

Then science chimed in with its warning,

but cries fell on deafened ears.

“We don’t trust you!” many yelled.

“You’re only stoking fears.”

The warming planet, depleted resources.

Those in power waved them off.

Changing things would take effort.

So much easier to scoff.

Then the viral threat reared its head,

but it started so far away.

“It isn’t here, no need to worry.

It’s easily kept at bay.”

The spread came anyway, as history

has shown it surely could.

The illness spread like wildfire

before people finally understood.

Soon the streets were empty.

The world fell quiet and still.

Life ground to a halt,

by an act of collective will.

The urban nightmare set in,

as the emptied streets mirrored death.

The end of our lives as we knew them.

We all paused and took a breath.

As it turns out, pausing and waiting

was not as simple as it sounded.

People grew restless and bitter

and the problems compounded.

The allure of life as normal

was too precious to resist.

“The world must open once again.

Life must go on. We insist!”

And as life started to resume

old problems bubbled up.

Lives taken unjustly with no consequence.

More people did rise up.

“We want to change this now!

Listen to our pleas!”

They filled the streets and shouted

While others got down on their knees.

Most took to the streets in peace,

and still some violence reigned.

The message filtered through the chaos,

while many relationships were strained.

Disagreements did abound as talks ensued

about how to fix what was broken.

Ideas did flow through,

but many resentments were spoken.

The world’s ills weren’t visible to all

while others accepted them as fact.

“You can’t fix all of society,” they said

in the hopes of keeping it intact.

Change is painful for all,

but some have more to lose.

Livelihoods upended and lives lost.

Society needs to choose.

Illness rampant and unrest in the streets.

It all seemed too grave to bear.

How can it all be made right at last?

How will we wake from this nightmare?

As buildings burn and tempers flare,

we all forget to listen.

As lives are lost and futures changed

and the mounting tears glisten.

Sickness threatens with a new wave,

while our societal sickness festers.

While it may feel hopeless at times

we must stand up to the jesters.

Scary as the future is

we must work to make it bright.

Life and society will never improve if

good people don’t join in the fight.

Word Count: 465

FCA

WEP: The End is the Beginning

It's time for another Write . . . Edit . . . Publish challenge!  Thank you to Yolanda Renee, Denise Covey, Nilanjana Bose, and Olga Godim for making this blogging event possible.

Since we're approaching the end of 2017, we're also pausing to reflect on the nature of endings and beginnings.  This is a broad and interesting topic with a wide array of possibilities.

I decided to try something short and fun with this one.  It took several tries to get this to work, and I invite you to let me know how well it worked for you.  (Note: the different colors of letters are used for a reason, it isn't random.)

Word Count: 68

FCA

P is for Peace and Write, Edit, Publish

Today is a slightly different day.  Every other day throughout the A to Z Challenge, I've written a drabble based on a word I got using a random word generator.  Today, I'm writing a poem based on the word PEACE.  This is, of course, due to my participation in Write, Edit, Publish.  Thank you to Yolanda Renee and Denise Covey for hosting this event.

Since I've been doing drabbles, which are pieces of fiction of exactly 100 words, I set myself the additional challenge of making my poem also be 100 words in length.  Poetry isn't my strongest area, so this was tough, but I hope it works!

Peace

Joy may grow in darkened spaces

And comfort found in unlikely places

Discord and strife will persist

Yet hopelessness we shall resist

Kindness is the seed we sow

With the wish that it should grow

On and on the torch is passed

Flames of love shall always last

Through times of trouble, dark and cold

The flame is sheltered by the bold

Strength of character and conviction

Carry us on despite affliction

Hold fast to that which fosters good

As children are taught they should

Be a force for joy, never cease

For that is how we create the peace.

Word Count: 100

FCA

WEP Utopian Dreams

It's time once again for another WEP Challenge!  Thanks to Yolanda Renee and Denise Covey for making this possible!

This month we were tasked to write a little something around the theme Utopian Dreams.  As you may imagine, there's plenty of scope with this theme, and I expect to see a wide variety among this month's participants.

I ended up going the poetic route this time, and I thought adding some images would enhance it.  Enjoy!

Word Count: 300
FCA

L is for Logorrhea

Today I have another bizarre little poem for you.  I hope you enjoy it!

Today's word: LOGORRHEA

Logorrhea is defined as a pathological inability to stop talking.  Someone with this disorder may or may not sound coherent.  It occurred to me that someone with this problem might become lonely, because people may try to avoid them.  That's how this poem came about.  I also experimented with formatting a little bit.  Hopefully it works.

Logorrhea

Can’t stop talking.

Filling the air with words, flowing so freely.

It scarcely makes any sense.

I have so much to say,

yet nothing at all.

The silence is so full of noise.

My words bring me calm.

Empty chatter is my relaxation.

With noise, I find peace.

If only, if only . . .

someone would stay to listen.