Disappearing into the gloom
Undulating side to side
Alien but of this earth
Slow, cold life
In the deep deep dark
So far from the hearth we know
The strange eel like creature
Eases in the deepest cold
Leaving divers dumb
In response to the daily prompt Creature
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We sympathise
We the victims
Put up or flags
And tokens
Banners on our home pages
All sincere
But nothing changes
No actions
Behind the thought
A slightly modified version of an older poem I did that benefits from the addition I think.
In response to the daily prompt Sympathize
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Now JusJoJan has finished I need some more prompts!
I use the WordPress Daily Prompt and Ronovan Writes Haiku Challenge on a Monday. I could do with another for each day.
Anyone know of any good ones?
Words flow profusely
Anger pours freely
Action is stilted and slow
The world needs righting
In our minds, we are fighting
But to battles, we never go
Inaction just reaction
No satisfaction
This is a sign of the times
While all is disaster
We rush at it faster
Chiming protesting rhymes
In response to the daily prompt Profuse
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Try everything
Go on!
You know you want to.
And why not?
Get to the end of your life
And say proudly
I did it all!
I did it my way!
I tried it all!
No matter the cost
Ignore the cost
Such a small cost
Dripping away
Over and over
But ignore that
Don’t be square
Be cool!
Be the future
Not the past
Think of the Pleasure!
Ignore the cost
Think of the Achievement!
The dripping cost
Be cool!
Dripping into our funnel
Be a Winner
Dripping into our Hoard
In response to the daily prompt Conveyor
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I am drawn
By slightly parted lips
Swaying hips
Twinkling eyes
A smile
I am drawn
By an inkling
A slightly modified version of an older poem I did that benefits from the addition I think.
In response to the daily prompt Inkling
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There’s an advert running at present (in the UK) for pensions. It shows two of the same person working – with the tagline that having a workplace pension is like having another you working for your future.
If only. Recent history would suggest otherwise. With so many company pensions disappearing into black holes while inscrutable business owners get away with all the cash stashed away in their offshore accounts – you have to stop and question it.
Sure you have to prepare for your future – but it seems like a massive risk. When I started working we paid towards a state pension. But then the government privatised it all – handing it over to the free market. Their argument being that they would not be able to afford to pay out a pension in the future if they did not.
Which begs more questions. Why not – are the government that bad at managing finances? If it’s such a loss-making venture then why the hell would any business take it on?
They just keep inventing ways to screw us out of money. So the image of two of you working is accurate in one way. They can screw you doubly while you work.
In response to the daily prompt Inscrutable
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The trill of birdsong
Echoes down the green valley
Before the ice falls
In response to the daily prompt Trill
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One day
Tardy light
Will throw
All we know
Into darkness
And the scientists
Will begin again
With relish
In response to the daily prompt Tardy
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Can we be candid?
No
There it is
Politics
In response to the daily prompt Candid
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What a treat
What’s a treat
Stuck on the street
Tired feet
Treated like meat
Tired feet
Struck on the street
What’s a treat
What a treat
In response to the daily prompt Treat
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You are the land of the free
With your reservations
That shame us all
And teach us
If only you could learn that lesson
In response to the daily prompt Reservation
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William had a theory. It was to do with the way people learned. That was why he never told anyone The Secret. That was why he had to lead them to their own discovery.
But was that right?
Find out more. Follow four people who society could not break as they explore the very idea of rebellion – with action!
In response to the daily prompt Theory
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First-degree murder
How we like to measure things
That hurt
In response to the daily prompt Degree
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Deep
With memories
Camping with friends
Caving
Rich smell of loam
Aroma of cheese
The chill of the cave
Holidays with family
Children eyes
Reliving the wonder
Of my youth
Deep runs the gorge
In response to the daily prompt Gorge
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Through saintly blue hues
The predator emerges
Teeth all pearly white
In response to the daily prompt Saintly
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It’s all going south
So let’s all relocate there
It’s hotter at least
In response to the daily prompt Relocate
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Noble, graceful, caged
So like us yet so far apart
Our bars are our own.
In response to the daily prompt Zoo
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It’s the bite
Of anger
That reminds
How little we have travelled
Anger?
ASD?
Helplessness?
Toddler
Child
Politician
Out of their depth
Gambler
On the wrong side
The toddler
Never
Really leaves
In response to the daily prompt Bite
#DailyPrompt #iamwriting
Holding back gremlins
Behind breaking fences
Seems to be the purpose
The never-ending task
The why
Long forgotten
In response to the daily prompt Gremlins
#DailyPrompt #iamwriting
Dancing with my wife,
last week the telegraph came:
Coughs ring round the trench.
Originally published in A Spring of Dreams
In response to the daily prompt Dancing
#DailyPrompt #iamwriting
We are borrowing time
The interest is piling up
The bills are on their way
Have we enough flesh to pay
In response to the daily prompt Interest
#DailyPrompt #iamwriting
When I say today’s daily prompt ~ Elevate all I could think of was Daleks!
“Elevate! Elevate!”
I couldn’t get that episode out of my head – so I didn’t think I would end up writing anything. In a way that’s still true – I am just waffling here.
But the tenuous link is the kind of elevation that can be experienced when listening to a particularly good piece of music. Tonight a good piece has been returned to my consciousness courtesy – of all things – to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2!
Now it has many good tunes some of which are on my regular playlists already. But watching it tonight one jumped out at me – that I haven’t heard for a long, long time. It grabbed me and lifted me and I didn’t even wait for the film to finish before I was on the phone downloading it! (Og the wonder of the internet!)
Yep – My Sweet Lord by George Harrison. What a simple but beautiful song. Perfection. Elevating!
In response to the daily prompt Elevate
#DailyPrompt #iamwriting
Goodnight. Sleep tight. Love you with all my heart.
One snuggled cosy in bed.
One in the earth.
Mother and Father
Forever hurt.
In response to the daily prompt Bury
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I am drawn
By slightly parted lips
Swaying hips
Twinkling eyes
A smile
I am drawn
In response to the daily prompt Magnet
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Change is the only constant
One of my favourite quotes from one of my favourite books – Dune by Frank Herbert.
In times of stress and trouble, it helps to remember that all things pass, even the things that darken our days. So savour the moments that count, enjoy them.
My biggest problem is that while intellectually I accept that, try to live that, in my heart, I crave conformity and security. Safety and predictability.
A dangerous and seductive train of thought that I am finding harder and harder to resist. Getting old maybe?
Well, it’s time to shake things up. I will be starting a new job in a few weeks. Life is forcing changes on me whether I want it or not. Time to wake up, embrace the change and revel in the storms.
In response to the daily prompt Temporary
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Over in the US
The new boss has his eye on you
You are all apprentices now
All in the firing line
In response to the daily prompt Apprentice
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Minimal contact
Minimal support
Minimal communication
Maximum propaganda
In response to the daily prompt Minimal
#DailyPrompt
This one spookily fits today’s Daily Prompt. #DailyPrompt
A bit of guest post here – from Bailey junior – courtesy of homework duty.
By Alexander Bailey
My family and I went for an adventure in the park.
First, we went over the bridge to play pooh sticks.
Also, we went on a nature walk and rare yellow 7 spotted ladybird.
Next, we climbed a really big hill that had a windy path that led to a secret hideout. Also, the path was very steep.
We also saw more hideouts.
After that, we rolled down a grassy, muddy hill.
Then we went bird watching and saw some ducks and a dove. After that, we played pooh sticks again.
On last Thursday I went scootering with my grandad and cousin.
We also made a den at home.
If only we could translate
Emotions as we could words
Maybe wars would be less
Maybe they would be worse
In response to the daily prompt Translate
#DailyPrompt
Unlike an orange
The juicy details of life
Are deep down inside
In response to the daily prompt Juicy
#DailyPrompt
No expectation
No disappointment
One philosophy
Expecting it all
Throwing tantrums when denied
A more common one
There has to be a better way.
In response to the daily prompt Expectation
#DailyPrompt
Seriousness
Has been whittled away
Belittled and demonised
For the serious
Are not good
Consumers
Why so…
In response to the daily prompt seriousness
#DailyPrompt
So, either it has snowed in our bathroom, there has been the mother of all cocaine parties or somebody who will remain nameless (starts with an L end with an M few vowels in between) has found Mummy’s talcum powder.
I don’t know what my kids will be when they grow up – but one way or another they will make the world tremble.
In the meantime – here’s an old poem that fits in with today’s prompt.
I have seen giants
Striding over the land
Power on their shoulders
Stern and strong their hand
Never do they falter
Never seen one stumble or fall
Always do their duty
Always answer the call
Through storm and wind and rain
The carry their burden true
Though other links may burn out
The giants stride on through
So remember this and tremble
Even the giants will pass
Fall into dust and rusty ruin
Scattered in untamed grass
One day their burden will dissipate
Their purpose will disappear
And the duty they discharged so well
A memory dimmed with time
In response to the daily prompt Tremble
#DailyPrompt
When will come the time
Fascism is recognised?
When books start burning?
In response to the daily prompt Recognize
#DailyPrompt
The wind shifts its path
Bring new scents in its wake
Fresh blood lures the wolf
In response to the daily prompt Scent
#DailyPrompt
What’s inside
Distorts and shapes
The exterior
All those dreams and hopes
Hates and fears
That make up the interior
The moiling
Boiling
Packed and stacked
Stretched and tense
Earnest pretense
That inside us all
Makes us all
What we are
Rather than what
We wish
In response to the daily prompt Interior
#DailyPrompt
It was rough last year. I am not just talking about celebrity deaths.
We as a family have had it rough. We have had family members in and out of hospital, having to deal with a diagnosis of Autism for our youngest and his so far very rocky transition into school. I have had work stress and uncertainty. We have seen our social lives and our house being slowly taken apart. I have seen my writing dreams slip away.
Midlife crisis? Maybe.
I have to cling to hope. It is the only thing left.
So not really new years resolutions as such but goals I am aiming for this year.
To find a new job. But not just another role. I need to get back to enjoying work again. That has been totally destroyed of late – I had thought beyond hope – but if I give up hope then all is lost. I have been thinking about a total career change and that’s the way I will try to go.
To improve our daily lives by trying new techniques for dealing with Autistic behaviours.
To reinvigorate my writing dreams. To help with this I will attempt to complete the daily prompt as well as Ronovan’s Weekly Haiku Challenge. This is purely to get my juices flowing. Behind the scenes, I will try to put together two more poetry collections for publishing as well as another short story collection and a new novel. Ambitious but I must attempt it.
I wish everyone a happy new year and hope you all attain your own dreams and goals.
In response to the daily prompt Year
#DailyPrompt
Calm my beating heart
Racing for the beauty of
My beloved wife
In response to the daily prompt Calm
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In response to the Daily prompt (from a few days ago!).
Plop, plop.
The sound echoes in the dark, reverberates around the cavern for many minutes after.
Yet, is it a sound? With no ears to hear? And are the ripples real if – in this absolute darkness no eye can see?
For this pool, this precious reservoir of pure water is deep beneath the troubled earth. The purest water known to humans – never to be known by humans.
Plop, plop.
It is far beyond their reach. In the roots of the world.
It is the last pure water in the world, the only unpolluted, uncontaminated pool.
As if drawn the last few clean drops seep down wind their way down the stalactites and…
Plop, plop.
No human ears to hear, no human eyes to see. Though every human tongue is craving, thirsting, it is beyond them.
Plop, plop.
No fish swims here. No life steals from this pool or invades its secrecy.
Plop, plop.
It is sealed away, safe.
Plop.
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Generation XYZ.”
Not quite what the prompt meant but it reminded me of this poem I wrote years ago.
It’s not fair.
He stated it, I didn’t.
He called me names.
I had to do it to stop him.
How come I get told off?
It’s not fair.
It’s a shameful waste.
What they do to our world today.
The forests they cut down, the whales they kill.
The fields they destroy, the new roads they build.
The way they leave their scars on the world.
It’s a shameful waste.
It’s a bloody liberty.
I will not stand for it!
I earned my money fairly.
I will spend it pleasantly.
I will not stand being ripped off!
It’s a bloody liberty.
It’s a downright disgrace.
The way these youngsters behave.
They will not heed my words.
They will not do as they are told.
I will leave my mark on the world.
It’s a downright disgrace.
He needs no name on his grave.
He was a model man.
He stood for what we all stand for.
He spoke the words we all speak.
He was me and you and all those to come.
He needs no name on his grave.
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “We Can Be Taught!.”
I had a few good teachers but not many. And those that tried were wading against a tide of social programming. So school was not that productive for me. I left with few qualifications and no direction.
I drifted – pushed by financial necessity into work before I could begin to dream about what I might want from life.
So who were my best teachers?
They were my friends. They didn’t sit me down and lecture me they did two vital things.
They believed in me.
They believed in themselves and acted on that belief.
Watching them follow their dreams whatever the outcome – taught me the bets lesson in my life. To take control of my life and start steering my own destiny.
The best teachers are like the best writers – they show they don’t tell
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Image Search.”
Pick a random word and do Google image search on it. Check out the eleventh picture it brings up. Write about whatever that image brings to mind.
So I picked a random word from here – a random word generator. And the eleventh picture was this.
All Change
By Scott Bailey © 2014
Here we are today
Beavering away like slaves
History forgets
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Call Me Ishmael.”
Questions
By Scott Bailey © 2014
She came out of the store just in time to see her young son playing on the sidewalk directly in the path of the gray, gaunt man who strode down the centre of the walk like a mechanical derelict.
The boy looked up at her once the man had passed, saw the fear, the hatred in her eyes.
“What’s up? What is the danger?”
She looked troubled by his questions, as if he had stirred something in her she did not wish to confront.
He seemed to be seeing this a lot lately.
“He is a leper,” she answered curtly.
“And that makes him dangerous?” the boy asked. She stared at him as if wondering where his curiosity was coming from. And well she might.
That was not important to him now, he wanted answers. The time had come for them.
“You might get it, I don’t want anything to hurt you.”
“So why is no one helping him?”
She shrugged,
“I don’t think anyone can. It’s not curable.”
“So why is he allowed to wander around?”
“I don’t know,” she snapped.
“But why do you hate him so much?”
“Because he could hurt you! You might get it!”
“Wouldn’t it be better the try to help him rather than hate him?”
“Look its too complicated for you to understand! I am not a doctor!”
“But you know doctors?” he frowned.
“Look that’s enough young man – let’s get you home and get you a bath.”
The boy frowned. She would not be drawn any further.
He was quiet on the way home. He had come to a conclusion. The mother he had chosen was not adequate – not in respect to answering his questions. Well there was nothing he could do about that now. That decision was made.
But he could direct his questions elsewhere. He was going to be forced to. If he didn’t get any better answers soon it was not going to bode well for the human race.
The first line is from my favourite book “Lord Fouls Bane” by Stephen R Donaldson, the first part of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.
Scott Andrew Bailey - Author 