By Scott Bailey © 2018
The river rebels
Against the rock, unaware
Its course is shifting
In response to RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #215 Rebel&Change
#amwriting, #postaday
Rebel River
Daily Prompt
Drama
By Scott Bailey © 2018
Beneath all the drama
All the bluster and the mustering of arms
The blows and the hot hot wind
The shouts and screams
The glory and the tragedy
The dreams and the hopes
Through every act and movement
Every entrance and exit grand and small
After every curtain call and echo of applause
Do not overlook the fact that
Children died
Brothers and sisters remember
In response to my daily prompt Curtain
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The Arc of the Defeated
By Scott Bailey © 2015
It looks like the arc of the defeated
The hunch of an old and tired man
Worn down by time and routine
Only
The arc is a buttress
Against the burden of life
It is bent, not broken
It serves its purpose well
If not gracefully
In response to my daily prompt Defeated
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Neglected Things
By Scott Bailey © 2018
Some words
Are neglected
Not forgotten
Still in the lists
Used when absolutely
Necessary
For example
Chimney
When did you last utter it?
Like the object itself
It’s redundant
Only used
When it’s a problem
Sometimes
I feel like a chimney
In response to my daily prompt Chimney
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
The Cur
By Scott Bailey © 2018
The cur
Concurred
That his fur was fine
The Dragon
Entwined, sublime
Around the dog
Agreed
As he preened
Sat on the mat.
The rat
Sneered as he neared
A disagreed
With the lead of the cur
While the rooster sided with the worm
His belief in showmanship firm
White he strutted
The tiger tutted
And purred,
Anticipating
Waiting
His chance
The rabbit
Twitched and hopped
Unsure who
To believe
Whether to leave
Or watch
While the snake
Curled around
The ground
Sniffing out
The way ahead
The monkey
Puzzled
And guzzled his beer
Coming near
Without seeing
While the swine
Less divine
Fed
Its stomach, not its head
And the bull
Forged on
Sure and strong
One way forward
The stallion danced
And when they glanced
Gave a show
While the goat’s
Step
Slow and sure
Kept time
And amidst them all
Nothing
That had a clue
In response to my daily prompt Rabbit
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Freedom
By Scott Bailey © 2018
Swallows fly freely
Soaring high in summer skies
Earthbound fox watches
In response to RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #203 Home&Free
#amwriting, #postaday
Dancer
By Scott Bailey © 2018
The ballet dancer
Perfecting her soul with grace
Hiding her sore heart
In response to RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #201 Body&Art
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Flaunting
By Scott Bailey © 2018
When the oppressors
Flaunt
Their power
When they laugh
Not in their sleeves
But in your face
As they take
And cut
And take some more
Chuckling
On their beds of gold
And thrones of power
When their hands are tightest
On the flow
Of information
Disinformation
And lies
They feel the safest
The strongest
That
Is
The time
To strike
In response to the daily prompt Flaunt
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Sleeves
By Scott Bailey © 2018
Sleeves
Hide mystery
Sleek and smooth inside
Be that
Skin
Or vinyl
In response to the daily prompt Sleeve
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
The Hiding
By Scott Bailey © 2018
Come the hiding of the sun
And the rising of the dust
Dark Kings will reign over the land
Seas will bleed
Come the hiding of the moon
Rivers will falter
Weeds will claim the land
Towers will fall
Come the hiding of the stars
The ice bears will rend
Thunder will rule the air
Mountains will weep
Come the dying of the fire
The turning will end
The scattered will fail
Nothing more
In response to my daily prompt Hide
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Birds Eye
By Scott Bailey © 2018
On the beating wing
Birds are party to the truth
From way up on high
In response to RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #198 Beat&Party
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
The Mallet
By Scott Bailey © 2018
The mallet
Ancient tool
Held by many hands
Down through the ages
Hands of skill and experience
Worn and hardened
By labour and care
Now
Resigned to
Tent pegs and vampires
In response to the daily prompt Mallet
I have to say – what a rubbish word today!
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Authentic
By Scott Bailey © 2018
What is
Authentic
What is
Truth
In the sea
Of information
Might we drown
Before we find the
Pearl
In response to the daily prompt Authentic
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Parallel
By Scott Bailey © 2018
The arguments go on and on
Side by side
On and on
Both sides sticking
Faithfully
To their course
The problem is
Parallel lines
Never meet
In response to the daily prompt Parallel
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Firewater
By Scott Bailey © 2018
Firewater genie
It lures you with promises
The bottle snaps shut
In response to the daily prompt Genie
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Frets
By Scott Bailey © 2018
Fingers fly on frets
Sliding, screeching, sighing
And magic emanates
Transporting us
Away
In response to the daily prompt Fret
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Crank it Up
By Scott Bailey © 2018
Come on you loons
You warrior poets
You insane ranters
Crank it up!
Give us your ideas!
Give us your brains!
Break the mould
Break the world
So it can be remade
Better
In response to the daily prompt Crank
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Rockets
By Scott Bailey © 2018
Rockets fly
In the face of reason
And humanity
Again
Depleted hope
Is as dangerous
And toxic
As depleted uranium
In response to the daily prompt Deplete
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Hopebound
By Scott Bailey © 2016
A glimmer of hope
Magically holds our eye
While life passes by
In response to the daily prompt Glimmer
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Small Fish
By Scott Bailey © 2018
In the shallows
Small fish dart
Disturbing the sand
Splashing
In the deep
Sharks swim silent
Passing
Unseen
In response to the daily prompt Disrupt
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Lullaby
By Scott Bailey © 2018
The sun is just shy
Of setting in the west to
Birds’ sweet lullaby
In response to RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #196 Shy&Sweet
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Haul
By Scott Bailey © 2018
Life is a haul
Not a journey
Or a mystery
No heaven to aim for
No rules but survival
Just a haul
Knowing
Is enlightenment
Pull where you need to
Concentrate your energy
Focus
Be keen
In response to the daily prompt Haul
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Monarch
By Scott Bailey © 2018
The meadow’s monarch
Surveys his green realm with hope
Before the sun sinks
In response to RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #195 Regal&Hopeful
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Explorers (A Florette)
By Scott Bailey © 2013
We brave explorers together
Wearing imitation leather
And as silent as a feather
We toiled through the darkest weather onto our prize
Through mountains and valleys, we walked
By tigers and lions were stalked
And as brave as we always talked
There came a time when we just baulked against the size
Of the hunger in our bellies
Off with our explorer wellies
Broke out the ice cream and jellies
And retreated to the telly’s noisy comfort
In response to the daily prompt Explore
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Radiance
By Scott Bailey © 2018
Radiance
Shining across the galaxy
Shimmering
Around the darkest of places
From darkness
Light is born
To darkness
Returns
In response to the daily prompt Radiant
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Conversant
By Scott Bailey © 2018
I am conversant
In…
Um
Well, I am quite good at….
Hey
What the hell
Why does it matter?
Who am I trying to
Impress
In response to the daily prompt Conversant
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Permit
By Scott Bailey © 2018
Permit me to speak
Permit me to say
The truth of our lives
Maybe if we shared
The healing could begin
We could escape
The electronic cage
If we listened
If we did
In response to the daily prompt Permit
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Prowling Fox
By Scott Bailey © 2018
The fox prowls the woods
Hot on the scent of dinner
The body is close
In response to the daily prompt Creature
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Dominant
By Scott Bailey © 2018
The dominant theme
Of the modern movement
Is just that
To dominate
To be the best
No second place
No room for losers
Crush them
Squeeze them dry
That is the song
Of our age
We seem to sing it
With joy
In response to the daily prompt Dominant
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Sunny
By Scott Bailey © 2017
Sunny
She was
And the shadows she cast were long
We long for her
Now the winter is here
And the long long night descends
Bright was her smile
White and bright her smile
Deep and black her skin
And we wanted in
From afar
Memories of sun
In the dusk
In response to the daily prompt Sunny
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting
Slim Pickings
By Scott Bailey © 2018
A chance glance of light
Reveals the heron hunting
Slim pickings below
In response to RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #192 Slim&Chance
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
The Winding Path
By Scott Bailey © 2018
Be yourself
Be true
Be uncompromising
We are told
Be open-minded
Listen to others
Find the common ground
We are told
Find the path
Through those
And you will be sorted
Or go mad
Trying
Simple
In response to the daily prompt Uncompromising
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Bird on a Branch
By Scott Bailey © 2018
Bird on a branch
Are you resting
Are you watching
The world below
The people rushing here
And there
Along their crowded roads
With all their forks and cul de sacs
Fly on little bird
Fly on
In response to the daily prompt Branch
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Switch it Off
By Scott Bailey © 2018
Oh
For a restart button
A ctrl-alt-del
For some days
Some situations
Sometimes
For life
Must be the geek in me
I want to switch it all off
And back on again
In response to the daily prompt Restart
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Astral Light
By Scott Bailey © 2018
Astral light guides
Cold and passionless
Cargos through the ages
Wood and steel
Fruit and bread
Flesh
To be sold
Along with the souls
Of the seller
In response to the daily prompt Astral
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
The Song
By Scott Bailey © 2018
Plainsong
Rolling, chanting
Granting the air a form
Bestow shadow and light purpose
Singing
The crafting of ancient wisdom
To bear us something new
Brightly shining
Lyric
In response to my daily prompt Craft
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The King of the West
By Scott Bailey © 2018
The King of the West
With his golden crown
Encrusted with jewels and finery
Refuses to let it go
When the waters rise
So he is dragged
To the deep
In response to the daily prompt Encrusted
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Assay
By Scott Bailey © 2018
Where is the litmus test?
The assay
Of our leaders
Mettle
Why must I strive
To prove
My worth
When they
Enjoy
No scrutiny
In their ancient
Empty halls
With their ancient
Empty way
In response to the daily prompt Assay
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Stars Sparkle
By Scott Bailey © 2017
Stars sparkle
Planets shine
Celestial bodies far from reach
The solars tantalise
Go for the shiners
Whose light is constant
The stars will ever taunt you
In response to the daily prompt Constant
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Present
By Scott Bailey © 2018
The past is hazy but warm
The present cold, hard and discontented
The future unsure
The goal
The route
Hidden
In response to the daily prompt Present
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Hiding
By Scott Bailey © 2018
Costume
Armour
Suits
It all hides
What is really inside
In response to the daily prompt Costume
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Conversation
By Scott Bailey © 2018
The end of the conversation
Is the end of the line
The rising of the fires
Of hostility and ire
So keep talking
Keep talking
In response to the daily prompt Conversation
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
The Calling
By Scott Bailey © 2017
Hear the music
Of the spheres
Calling
Feel
The irresistible
Attraction
Of the singularities
Pulling
See the twinkle
The burst of life
Shrouded in the
Nebulous mists
Here the roar
Of the silent yaw
Of space
Here the call
The dare
Will we share
In the song
Or crack
Our own end
In response to the daily prompt Calling
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
The Scarlet Mountain
By Scott Bailey © 2016
The scarlet mountain
Hangs in the sky
The scarlet mountain
Lies
Through the blood
Of the mountain
All of us
Relate
This is the place
Dreams instantiate
Where the scarlet mountain
Dwells in the clouds
That is where
Hope flies
In response to the daily prompt Relate
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Compass
By Scott Bailey © 2017
The compass has no compassion
The waves care not
The road goes on forever
Whatever your feet yearn
Rest is not an option
For the currents will always win
Only those that fly
Will win
In response to the daily prompt Compass
#DailyPrompt, #amwriting, #postaday
Elegance
By Scott Bailey © 2017
From the unimaginable
Power
Of supermassive black holes
To the delicate
Dance of quarks
It all contains
Elegance
Beautiful and precise
In the conclusion of horror
And the breaking of joy
The shining of rain
And the sweep of the dune
From the swell of the tide
And the retreat
Elegance
Rules
In response to the daily prompt Elegance
#DailyPrompt #iamwriting, #postaday
Dancing
By Scott Bailey © 2014
Defying downing gravity
To delight in dazzling dance
Shimmering, shining sparkles
Showering tiny tears
In response to the daily prompt Sparkle
#DailyPrompt #iamwriting, #postaday
Jenga Man
By Scott Bailey © 2017
A piece of me is demanded
Every waking moment of my life
One day the critical piece
Will be withdrawn
And the inevitable
Tumble will come
The final fall
The end of the game
In response to the daily prompt Tenterhooks
#DailyPrompt #iamwriting, #postaday
Age
By Scott Bailey © 2017
Age is the revealer
It strips away the lies
And wears us down
With harsh reality
Pares us to the bone
In response to the daily prompt Age
#DailyPrompt #iamwriting, #postaday
Tenterhooks
By Scott Bailey © 2017
Waiting on tenterhooks
For the next Big Idea
The next Winner
The next Wedding
The next Divorce
The next Leader
The next Messiah
For some
Just
The Next Sale
In the meantime
We are bled
And the fruits of our labours
Snuck out of the back door
In response to the daily prompt Tenterhooks
#DailyPrompt #iamwriting, #postaday
Scott Andrew Bailey - Author 
