Zephyr's Gift

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

Soft and gentle,

He touched my hair 

Lifting the tendrils 

To dance with abandon.

Warm and cool,

He soothed my soul

Blowing a sweet kiss

To wipe the traces of pain.

Spring or autumn,

He never left me alone

Filling my senses 

With the fragrance of flowers and leaves.

Mist and snow,

He brought along at times

Sliding over my face

As I stare at the sky.

Tugging my skirt,

He teased me to follow

To the ends of the earth

Hoping to catch a glimpse.

Was he a spirit,

Or an invisible little boy?

Was he the God of the west wind,

Blowing to stake a claim?

Day and night,

He acted as my knight

As people asked about my secret smile

I laughed, calling it Zephyr's Gift.

*********

Note:
Zephyr is the name of the Greek God of the West Wind.
That was where the meaning of breeze got attached to the word.
And... we are done!!
I did the challenge of one poem per day for an entire month. :D
*dancing with joy* 

Yarn of the Sailors

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

The waves were still

As the ship glided

On the onyx waves

Randomly shimmering silver

In the pearly moonlight.

Cards and bottles on the desk 

They sat in a circle

Singing in hoarse voices

The songs of valor, pride, and sea

Spinning tales of mermaids and sirens. 

'Her emerald eyes, ruby lips

Soft as raspberries,

The tail shining like diamonds

She beckoned to me

Promising to show the buried treasure.'

'Fire at her fingertips,

Honey in her voice,

She swayed with the waves,

Her curves promising surprises,

Only if I brought her the head of the three-eyed monster.'

Laughter echoed in the silent night

Until, one after another 

The sailors sunk 

Into their cold beds

Tired and lonely in the middle of the sea.

Each night the yarn spun

Weaving a web of intrigue

Around the sailing ship

Unknown to the sailors

As sirens and mermaids followed them home. 

***********

Note:
Yarn also means the stories a sailor invents to pass time. So you see what I did here. :)
 Just another day to go.

Xanthophyll

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

Xanthe,

A lover of rustling autumn

Night and day counted the leaves 

Twirling among the tired trees

Hand in Hand with magic

Obsessing over the tiny stems of brown

Plucking the dead twigs with love

Hanging them in the open sky

Yellow, orange, and red, she painted the colors

Life, Xanthe knew, was no more in them

Loyal her heart was, saving them among the pages of an old favorite book. 

**********

Note:
Xanthophyll is a yellow plant pigment that causes the autumn color of leaves.
The poem is written in Acrostic style.
Xanthe is a Greek name for 'blond-haired', the color of yellow autumn leaves.

Well of Wisdom

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

Once upon a time

In the middle of a forest

Round and stout with a roof overhead

Stood a well of wisdom.

Together, the animals guarded it

Knowing about the species

Lurking around their haven 

Waiting to steal the gift of Nature.

On nights when the moon was full

Rose a tipsy faerie

Swaying and tumbling in the breeze

From deep inside the well.

One by one the animals clapped

Mesmerized by her dance

Forgetting the fights of the day 

As magic dust shimmered around.

Two drops of the elixir

Each got to taste 

Heads bowed and arms folded

They knew a blessing wasn't to be abused.

It was the water from the well

That made them sensitive 

Unlike humans 

Deprived of humanity.

Animals, they were 

With a heart and soul

Caring for their priceless gift

Hiding the well of wisdom from humans. 

***********

Note:
I attempted a fable in this poem.
Hope you like it.

Valley of Vacuum

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

Riding on a black stallion 

Donning darkness as a cape

The silver sword sheathed 

By the folds of the night

A Knight crossed the mountains.

Clouds filled the new moon sky 

Heavy and gray, ready to lash out

As the stallion skid to a halt

Allowing the thunderous echo 

To lapse into an eerie silence.

On his feet, the Knight forged ahead

Enveloped by the shadows 

One step at a time 

He entered the ominous place

Called the Valley of Vacuum.

Not a soul ever walked

On the lands cursed by blood

Of the ancients who ruled

Until one cold winter evening 

Nightmare arrived dressed in disguise.

Sucking away the light of the days

Never allowing a ray to pass

The shadows turned darker

Growing stronger and powerful

With the vibration of the spells.

Deep into the valley, the Knight went

The Glint of his sword  

Somehow showing him the way

As the mountains closed from the sides

Blocking the path of his return.

Turning back was not his aim

Slicing through the thick abyss

He walked to the throne of lightning 

For the Knight was a true heir 

And the Valley of Vacuum was his to claim. 

***********

Note:
Tried to weave a mystery story for the Valley of Vacuum. :)
We are almost done with the letters.

Under the Umbrella

Together on a busy street 

was the couple under the umbrella. 

Curtained by the sheets of rain 

was the couple under the umbrella. 

Dressed in earthy shades of brown 

was the couple under the umbrella. 

Immersed in a world of oblivion

was the couple under the umbrella. 

On the way to home or a house 

was the couple under the umbrella? 

Aware of their destination 

was the couple under the umbrella?

Brought closer by the showers

was the couple under the umbrella?

Bound by the questions or the answers

was the couple under the umbrella?

Walking away from my focus

was the couple under the umbrella.

Uncaring of my observations

was the couple under the umbrella. 

Not bothering to wave me a goodbye

was the couple under the umbrella.

********

Note: The painting is by Mrs. Ratna Pochiraju
Since I already wrote a poem about umbrellas, I had to write another for this event.
The poem is written in Chant style.

The Taurean Girl

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

Sass and class, she has in spades

From the womb of the earth, she was born

As Venus blessed from above, a proud godmother

Stubborn, the world branded her

When she refused to back down

As they cornered her to do as they bid

Hot tempered, they accused her 

Unable to handle the heat 

Her words hurled at them 

Her loyalty could never be bought;

The words were an oath in stone

She refused to set aside

Her trust came at a price;

If it cost the world a lifetime 

The loss wasn't hers to blame 

She was a fluttering bird

Building her dreams, twig at a time 

Yet ready to spin a whirlwind to protect her home

Fire & Ice tangled in her heart

Oceans & Volcanoes crashed in her soul 

She was a paradox; the daughter of Nature 

*********

Note:
I know this looks mighty odd, but the Taurus season has just begun and I'm damn excited.
That it coincided with the letter T was too tempting to resist.
Hope you enjoyed reading the poem.

Swan Couple

Floating on the emerald water

The swans mated with grace

Hoping to birth a darling daughter

They swam smiling, face to face 

As the rippling waves danced in joy

Adorning the lake as delicate lace

The fluttering leaves ceased to annoy

Their tiny white flowers showering a rain 

While the sparkling reeds grinned in coy 

The air of excitement was hard to contain 

When the swans waltzed in dizzy

The magic of Nature was impossible to explain 

*********

Notes:
The painting is by Mrs. Ratna Pochiraju
The poem is written in Terza Rima style with the rhyme scheme ABA BCB CDC DED

Rainbow Rules

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

Varied colors etched in the sky 

Inviting me to paint your picture

'Bring along that brush,' you winked

Glowing in the spectrum of shades

Your marvelous curves holding my gaze

Owning my senses to do as you bid

Rescuing me from the tiresome daily life.

Royal is your ruling on the universe 

Oh, my dear rainbow

You mean the world to me 

Gentle yet strong, bending yet unbreakable

Brewing magic at the ends of your bow

Into the spaces between spaces you blur away

Vanishing from sight, but totting your love in my heart. 

***********

Note:
Rainbows are my absolute favorites.
How could I not write a poem on them?
Can you guess the style of the poem?
(Hint: See the first letters of each line).

Queen's Quest

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

Ruling over the vast lands

Sitting high up on the hills

In a palace of rocks and boulders

Was a woman of beauty and valor. 

With a heart of purest gold

Smoky eyes shining with wisdom 

Words of order and command 

She cast a spell of fertility in her land.

Years passed as the crops bloomed

Laughter echoed, smiles glittered

Riches overflowed even as her heart sighed

For her deepest desire lay buried.

Knights, princes, and men of courage

Danced attendance in her court 

Yet, she felt no flutter in the folds of her heart

Yearning for the man from the sun.

The rays of his love kissed her skin 

Warming her senses in the cold dark nights

Promising to meet soon as summer beamed

For he was the Queen's quest. 

********

Note:
Q invariably stands for Queen. I found the picture when I was searching for a cover for a story. I knew I had to use it somewhere.
Here it is.

Pandora Box?

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

Some secrets were safer buried for eternity

Locked and hidden in a box from the past 

While leaving the numerous questions unanswered

Forgotten until the others gave up and moved on

Locked and hidden in a box from the past 

Away from the prying eyes of all

Forgotten until the others gave up and moved on

I opened the box for one last time 

Away from the prying eyes of all

It sat patiently waiting to be noticed

I opened the box for one last time 

Doomed and drowned by the Pandora of memories

It sat patiently waiting to be noticed

While leaving the numerous questions unanswered

Doomed and drowned by the Pandora of memories

Some secrets were safer buried for eternity

***********

Note:
The Pandora Box story was one of my favorites since childhood.
I tried to replicate the story with a different form of sadness.
The poem is written in Pantoum style.

Ode to the Owl

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

Out in the dark night, you perch on a treetop 

Awake when the rest of the world goes to sleep

Staring at me through the grills of my window

Saving me from vile.

They could chant all spells of ancient black magic

Weaving a strong web of sinister motives

Nothing can touch me as long as you are here 

Wide-eyed protector.

What is it that binds you and me together

The hidden secrets of the shadowy night

An unrevealed link from a previous life

My friend forever. 

***********

Notes:
Owls are cute looking birds (at least to me). They have this subtle sinister edge to them making them appear a little creepy at times.
The poem is written in Sapphic Ode style. The first three lines of each stanza have 11 syllables each the last lines have 5.

Narcissus

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

Yellow and white, she bloomed

Tender as a newborn's touch

Glittering in the dew on a spring morning 

She sat on the throne of grass.

Glancing at me walking by, she winked

Luring me to step closer and admire 

The curves she flaunted, twirling in the breeze

With a grin on her lovely face. 

Enticed, I gently plucked her 

Tracing my fingers over the fragile petals 

When she dropped to the ground 

My hands turning red after a kiss from her.

Seeping into my blood, the toxins spread

Making me numb from within 

Bringing forth a bitter truth I failed to perceive 

The daffodil was lovingly called a Narcissus.

********

Note:
Day N for Narcissus.
Narcissus means Numbness in Greek.
The bulbs of these flowers can cause itchiness, rashes, and nausea.
The plant has toxins that could poison a human.

Melancholic Melody

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

Her fingers danced on the keys

Black and White, they resembled her life

Full of color, yet colorless

As the silence was filled with haunting notes

Waves of the sea crashed into the rocks. 

Lost in the ups and downs of the keys

Intent on drowning in the music

Oblivious to the magic around her 

Eyes close in utter devotion

She gave birth to a bittersweet melody.

Again and again, the tune echoed 

Lulling her deep into the abyss

Where the whites merged into the blacks

As the tenor reverberated with emotion 

Stronger than ever, yet vulnerable to her music. 

It wasn't agony, for the pain was sweet

It wasn't contentment, for the wait was bitter

Somewhere between the distant ends of all

She lay with a weary smile 

Melancholy she called it; the grey of life. 

***********

Note:
Back again after another Sunday break.
M for Melancholy and M for Melody. Two words with emotions become one for my poem.

Lightning Strikes

Hands raised towards the cloudless sky 

Waves of fiery tendrils curling around her

Ancient spells of magic and energy echoed

As the robes of her dress competed

With the glittering treetops. 

From the tips of her fingers struck a flash 

A stark line connecting the earth to heaven

Spreading a tangled web of bright roots

Across the rumbling dark sky 

Igniting the powers of Nature.

One after another, lightning struck 

Sparkling flames all around her

Red, orange, gold, and silver danced

Higher and higher to touch the void

And she smiled as the fire cleansed the sins of the humans. 

********

Note: Day 13 for L
Lightning is my most favorite part of the rainy season.
I wasn't sure which of the pictures I liked more so used both. Why don't you tell me which one suits the poem?
*Both the images are taken from Pixabay. 

Kaleidoscope

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

Keen as the curious kitten

About the secrets to a successful life

Loaded with questions to decode the mysteries

Engaged in the battle of do's and don'ts

I failed to notice the smiling flowers

Dedicated to my quest for knowledge

Obsessed about the puzzles of the universe 

Scintillating shades of the sky slipped through the dark

Confused, I halted between the choices of careless and carefree

Oppressed by the burden of doubts I refused to let go

Painfully painless was the path to a peaceful existence 

Ecstatic, I became realizing happiness was found in the kaleidoscope of life.  

**********

Note:
Day 12 for K
Acrostic poem of 12 lines.

Jumbled Emotions

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

Oh, darling, all my life was a joke

Filled with piercing jeers

Of the elite judges

Making me jumpy

Turning me into a mass of jitters

Afraid to laugh at the fear of jinxing

Terrified at the hint of jazziness
Until one day, a juvenile

Pointed out the reason for their jealousy 

Was my ability to be joyful
Despite the fatigue of life's journey.

**********

Note:
Day 11 for J
An eleven lines poem where each line ends with a J word.

Intoxicating Incense

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

The burning embers puffed

Curtaining me from the world

With the haze of its scent.

Breathing in the fragrance

I surrendered to the power of mystic

As the smoke enveloped me to its soul.

In the vapors of its perfume

I felt my senses fully bloom
Filling me with words of truth

The magic of life was Love. 

**********

Note: Day 10 for I
10 lines poem for the tenth day. I am running out of ideas already. :(

Hell, Heaven, Home or Heart?

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

Was I in a cell or a shell?

When the cry of a raven 

Echoed inside the confines of the dome

Urging me, it was time to restart.

Louder and louder it began to yell

Forcing me to step out of the haven

Was this some kind of a syndrome 

Tearing my senses apart?

Trying to escape the horrors of self-imposed Hell

I stumbled into an illusion of Heaven

When my life began to call it a Home

I realized it was always in my Heart. 

**********

Note:
Day 9 for H
Tried to rhyme the title words in stanzas with the rhyme scheme of abcd abcd abcd. 
The tone was left vague for the readers to interpret the poem as they chose.

Ghost From the Gothic

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

It wasn't a full moon night 

Nor was it a stormy fight

When lightning struck 

Across the cloudless sky 

Bringing back to life

A Majestic Queen

Who lay buried among the castle raze

Her eyes flashing rubies of rage 

Her ebony hair tangling with the dead roots

She rose onto her feet

With an eerie twist of her scarlet lips 

As the robes of her rags

Floated around her like the foam of the sea

Rising to drown the world into the abyss

Vengeance flowed in her dried up veins

Fueling her senses with gruesome power

To destroy all that was the cause of her ruin;

Time flew backward, carrying the Queen 

Into the chamber of her lover

Whose betrayal turned her a corpse 

Buried in the shadows of the night.

A ghost, the Queen still was

Alive yet dead, Powerful yet vulnerable 

With a jeweled dagger in her hand 

Stabbing the blackened heart of her sallow lover;

The history remained unchanged 

Yet the Queen was avenged 

For she was a ghost from the gothic. 

************

Note:
After a Sunday break, we are back again with Day 8 for G.
I tried a horror poem with seven lines per stanza.

Forgotten Memories

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

Fresh as the morning dew

Fiery as the summer sun

The memories danced forth

Their presence a foolish reminder 

Of the past, that flew by

As I fancied the world was mine to conquer. 

Free as the mindless breeze

Funny as the chirping birds

The memories floated around

Trying to fill my senses with warmth;

The fervent attempts brought tears to my eyes,

I knew there was filth hidden in the empty spaces. 

Fierce as the strike of lightning 

Furious as the rumbling thunder 

The memories lashed, forcing my heart and soul

To embrace the finicky reminders 

And forgive the daunting echoes;

Yet, I pushed them away, for forgotten memories were best, buried forever. 

***********

Note:
Day 6 for F
A stanza with six lines is called a sestet (though it is usually used in sonnets).
Each line has a word with F in it.
Maybe, I should patent these new poetry forms.

Enamored by Her Waltz

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

Love 

Struck me

As you twirled

In abandon

Swaying in the breeze

On a sweet summer night

Your intoxicating scent

Filled my senses, luring my soul

To become a part of your presence

By letting go of the strings that bind me

In this world where our love had no place left

Among the choking fumes of venom

Seeping through vents of chimneys

Scattered all around our homes.

Let us waltz far away

Where flowers like you

Are worshiped by

Delicate

Souls like

Mine. 

*********

Note:
Day 5 for E
The style is Double Etheree where the syllables in each line increase from 1-10 and decrease from 10-1.

Dangerously Dainty Darlings

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

Dainty little flowers bloomed along the path 

Dazzling me with their coy smiles

Darker than blood, the tangled weeds crept all over

Demanding me to snatch a bloom to save my soul

Dazzling me with their coy smiles

Dreams of a land far away beckoned to me 

Demanding me to snatch a bloom to save my soul

Delusions of a happy ever after enveloped me

Dreams of a land far away beckoned to me 

Desperate to grab the bounty of love with both hands 

Delusions of a happy ever after enveloped me
Destroying the bitter truth with the taste of poppies

Desperate to grab the bounty of love with both hands
Darker than blood, the tangled weeds crept all over
Destroying the bitter truth with the taste of poppies
Dainty little flowers bloomed along the path 

*********

Note:

• Day 4 with D. 
• The style is called Pantoum in which 8 lines are repeated to form a 16 lines poem. 
• So that's 4*2 words with D, for 4*4 lines of 4 stanzas for day 4. :) 

Crown the Clouds

Far away, beyond my reach, you float

Fluffy as whipped cream, or 

Scary as the shadowy ghost

Where do you travel from here

Leaving me to stare at your silhouette

as I wonder if you carry the rain or the sun.

Too fast you swim through the azure sky 

Changing from a dragon to a cat to a flower

Even as the sinking sun paints you golden

What's so entrancing about a puff of dust

They ask me again and again 

Little do they know, the dust is magic.

********

Note:

• Day 3 for C 
• Clouds have been my favorites since I was a child. I have hundreds of pictures of just clouds (yup, no joke). 
• The poetry form is Double Cherita (I invented it, lol). 
• Cherita is a small poem with 1, 2, and 3 line stanzas. The stanzas can be altered to a few combinations such as 1 2 3, 3 2 1, 2 1 3, etc. 
• And, viola you see what I did here. 

Black and White

The image is taken from Pixabay. 

Black and white, are they just colors

Looming in the vast sky

And

Creeping along the rocky shores

Knowing they have surrounded you from all sides?

Abandoned by the shades of the rainbow

Nudged to the corners of the universe

Doomed or dazzled are the colors of life?

What if the white merged with the black;

Have you ever wondered? 

Imagine! If the world was only gray

Terrible or tantalizing, twisted or timid would it be?

Eerily endless is the quest to drown in the spaces between the black and white. 

*********

Note:
The letter for today is B.
We are having a small poetry weekly fun contest in a FB writers' group. The contest had the theme of B&W which inspired me to write this poem.
The poem is written in Acrostic style. (one of my favorites).