Writers cramp! © - Poem-a-day November 2016

11TH NOVEMBER 2016~POETRY CHALLENGE~DAY 11

11/11/2016

THE MIRACLE OF LIFE
by John Yeo

A tiny spark of dormancy waits for revival,
Encased in a fuzzy cloud of mundanity.
When time and the mixture of conditions allow
Growth begins from within the uncertainty.
A creation of beauty is coming slowly together.
~
The beauty and the perils that await the entity,
As a fragile life becomes stronger with time.
The magical moment when a muddle of words
Takes a solid shape in a rough draft outline.
A creation shaped slowly with poetical guidance.
~
Words encased with fine vibrancy, line by line.
Ringing through the portals of the poets mind.
The entity that grew from a shapeless design.
A thing of beauty with strength and fluidity
Produced and nurtured from a tiny seedling.
A vision; then the growth of beauty in words.

Copyright © Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved

10TH NOVEMBER 2016~POETRY CHALLENGE~DAY 10

10/11/2016

Image © Copyright John and Margaret

PATRICK WHITE R.I.P.

by John Yeo

Tragedy a situation that can be woven into verse?
Not a difficult question for the power of the pen.
Read the question closely, memorise every word.
Take whatever comes into mind and spin it.
I remember a friend I made on the internet once,
A creative poet with a magical mind.
I would wake every day and devour his work
Then we would take time, to greet each other.
~
The poetic spells he had woven overnight
Were gems of wisdom and poetic thought.
With the communication of his imagination
He became a friend, a guide and an inspiration.
Slowly his verse became darker and darker;
My friend was living on borrowed time.
A terminal evil began to darken his verse
As he described in poetry his fight for life.
~
One deep, black moment before the dawn,
I looked for my friend but his magic was gone.
Gone to new horizons to record infinity,
A comet travelling through the universe
Swamped in the starmud of eternal time.
As dawn suffocated the starlight completely
I knew my friend had breathed his last.
Leaving a brilliant legacy of poetic tragedy.

Copyright © Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved.

9TH NOVEMBER 2016 ~ POETRY CHALLENGE ~ DAY 9

9/11/2016

Image courtesy of pixabay.com

CALL ME AGAIN
by John Yeo

Call me again, just say hello. I promise to never hang up the phone;
It’s so good to have someone to talk to, I get lonely here on my own.
I spoke to someone this morning we had such a lovely long chat
He wanted to sell me something nice, I asked for more details on that.
I explained my situation clearly, so nice to have a friendly ear,
He asked for my bank details in such a nice helpful way.
I asked him if he was married and how things were with him.
He finally got exasperated and rudely slammed down the phone.

Slam!~

You say my computer needs a new service plan!
Tell me more, sounds interesting, so nice to have a chat.
What is your name and where do you live? I would love to meet.
You would like to have my bank details to start the plan?
Great to hear a friendly voice. Give me your bank details first!”

Slam!~

“Hello! Yes, Double Glazing? That sounds so interesting .
I would love to hear more about that, you have such a friendly voice.
Call me again, just say hello. I promise to never hang up the phone;
It’s so good to have someone to talk to, I get lonely here on my own.

Slam!

Copyright © Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved.

8th November 2016 ~ Poetry Challenge ~ Day 8

8/11/2016

Image © Copyright John and Margaret

UNCERTAIN CHANGE
by John Yeo

Did your physicality leave?
I never began to understand.
Everything seems the same.
I expect you to walk in anytime.
The influences we shared together
Habitual pleasures blended.
The TV's tuned to the same stations
I never liked that show.
I watch it though, just in case.
Life goes on in strange uncertainty.

Copyright © Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved

Image © Copyright John and Margaret

CERTAIN CHANGE
by John Yeo

I hadn't noticed the subtlety of alteration
Things moved so slowly almost invisibly
Slowly and malevolently the evil relation
Of the different aspects began to affect me.
~
Weakness, tiredness, were insidious clues
Leading to a rapid health deterioration.
After numerous tests came shocking news
My grave faced Doctor held my attention.
~
"I'm sorry to say you have contracted cancer,
An incurable tumour has grown out of control.
The growth is speedy and very advanced.
We will use every treatment to fight this evil"
~
I sat shattered, rigid with shock at the finality
Of this diagnosis, "How long have I got?"
The Doctor just shook his head in reply.
"There will always be hope, we won't give up."
~
I held my head in my hands at this bombshell
The insidious growth that was inside my brain
Would defeat the slim hope of becoming well.
My life would never be the same again.
~
Copyright © Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved

FICTION NOTICE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

7th November 2016 ~ Poetry Challenge ~ Day 7

7/11/2016

Images © Copyright John and Margaret

AUTUMN ON THE ALLOTMENT
by John Yeo

Autumn winds blowing from the north.
The day dawns, cold with thick grey cloud
Just becoming visible,
I leave the house at first light.
A solitary bird greets me as I arrive
Flying off with a cry of alarm.
I pick up my spade and begin to dig
Turning the clods of earth over.
~
I take a break to gather some crops
Leeks, Cabbage, Kale and Carrots.
A productive autumn bounty.
I continue to dig and turn the soil.
Rooks and Magpies are calling loudly.
Swirling wind scatters leaves around.
As my spade works, earthworms appear
Surfacing from the depths of the ground.
~
My mind drifts with the swirling leaves.
'How can you photograph the wind?
You can't!' I answer the question.
'You can only photograph the winds breath.
To watch a large Gull, gliding on the wind stream,
Lazily floating across the turbulent sky.
To see the distinctive plumage of a Jay
Frantically seeking cover from leafless trees.
~
This is the allotment on an autumn morn
Fresh air provided by a restless wind
Close to nature in the awakening dawn.
Exercise aplenty as I wield the spade.
Fresh organic vegetables to harvest.
Nurturing produce from the tiniest seed.
Meeting up with fellow gardeners.
A satisfactory activity to the thinking man.
~
Copyright © Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved.

6th November 2016 ~ Poetry Challenge ~ Day 6

6/11/2016

Image -- Courtesy of pixabay.com

BLOODCLOT
by John Yeo

The visage peering from the looking-glass
I couldn't recognise the expression of disgust
Yet I knew I was looking at my reflection
I laid the razor on the side of the sink.
Red water flushed through the plumbing.
With trembling hands I wiped off the lather
A tiny nick from the electric razor
Was bleeding and running with blood.
I stepped back in horror and dismay.
I screamed out loud, called for help.
I passed out on the bathroom floor
This living nightmare was getting worse.
~
I realised I had locked the bathroom door.
I was trapped here with my hated blood.
~
With a crash the door was broken down,
My wife stood there with a policeman,
The fire department, and a plumber.
A doctor stepped forward with a frown
Made a cursory examination,
"This man has a tiny cut on his face,
Obviously from shaving."
My wife then turned turned white with shock.
At the sudden realisation
"My husband suffers from Haemophobia
And is scared to death of blood."
~
My reaction had been so extreme,
I was advised to grow a beard.
~
Copyright © Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved.

"Haemophobia ~ Is the fear of blood or sight of blood.

5th November 2016 ~ Poetry Challenge ~ Day 5

5/11/2016

Image-Courtesy of pixabay.com

The Inclosure Acts (or "Enclosure Acts" in modern spelling) was a series of United Kingdom Acts of Parliament which enclosed open fields and common land in the country, creating legal property rights to land that was previously considered common.

WIRE WALLS
by John Yeo

The commons were open lands all for free
We could graze our cattle where we pleased
Grow food, wander for miles in open land
A free man or woman living self-sufficiently.

Wild hedgerows bordered the farms,
Trees on the horizon, sheep roaming free.
Then came laws that enclosed the land
Cruel wire fences appeared everywhere.

The hated wire that fenced off freedom
A blight on the landscape that hurt us.
We were locked out from our feudal right
To our natural heritage of rural England.

The wires were placed to mark the areas
That were handed to wealthy farmers
Our common access was barred by wire
Forever to be lost to the new landowners.

Wire hated wire, everywhere to be seen,
A blight that would never be removed.
Wire to mark out, Wire to lock out.
The enclosure acts changed life forever.

Copyright © Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved.

4th November 2016 ~ Poetry Challenge ~ Day 4

4/11/2016

Image provided by pixabay.com

TOM
by John Yeo

Everyone calls him Tom, who really cares?
He stands with his hand out every day
Never says a word, just stands and stares.
On the same corner of the highway.

I always put a coin in his hand as I passed,
He never smiled, just stared straight ahead.
I often wondered about his life in the past
One day I caught his eye and I said.

"I know who you are, It was a mystery.
I think you are certainly out of place
I have weaved your life into a history
The fall must have hurt but it's no disgrace."

Tom looked shocked and angry.
For the first time ever, he actually spoke.
"I have to beg for food as I'm hungry!
I was wealthy once but now I'm broke."

The voice was nervous, and cultured
Betraying the roots of fine living.
I had guessed a good life was ruptured
Destroyed by cruel fate, unforgiving

"I have written a new turn for your story ."
I said, as I put a coin in his hand.
"You will now be covered in glory
I am a writer you understand."

Everyone called him Tom, who really cared?
He stood with his hand out every day
Never said a word, just stood and stared.
On the same corner of the highway.

The original Tom was a sad mystery.
An unhappy life confined to history.

Copyright © Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved.

2016 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 3

3/11/2016

Forget-Me-Nots Image © Copyright John and Margaret

IF I’D ONLY REMEMBERED……..
by John Yeo

Work has been stressful without a break
I’ll feel better when I get home.
The flight was late, I had a horrendous wait
It’ll be good to surprise the family.
It’s been a hard week but I’m early.
My wife will be delighted.
When she knows I’ve been successful.
I’ll be taking her out to dinner tonight.

The taxi pulled up behind a posh new car.
There's another one parked in the drive.
My children must have some visitors.
Two brand new matching luxury cars.

Mary, my wife rushed out of the house
“Welcome home! Our luck finally changed!
Isn’t the windfall exciting?
Thirteen million pounds is a massive amount..
I knew our numbers would come up in the end.
Come inside, relax, put your feet up,
Your work is now a thing of the past.
We have many plans to make.
I have rung round the family, everyone knows.
We’re having a party.to celebrate”

My face must have mirrored my confusion
When my wife grinned and continued.
“Don’t tell me you’ve been so busy
You haven’t heard the news.
Our regular lottery numbers have won,
We are now multi-millionaires.
We just need the ticket to prove it.”

My face went white in shocked surprise.
Reality took seconds to surface.
Thirteen million pounds, a huge,amount
That sadly we can never claim.
I certainly would have celebrated,
If only I’d remembered to buy the ticket.

Copyright © Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved.

2016 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 2

2/11/2016

WARNING ~ The poem that follows will make you feel uneasy. If you are upset by Nature "Red in Tooth and Claw" ~ Look away now!

Image - Courtesy of pixabay.com

REYNARD
By John Yeo

The day started clear with a very fine mist.
I left the den in the early light
Gambolling and chasing my fellow cubs.
Father came back with a rabbit
We feasted well, tearing the fur and the flesh,
I got in trouble for spilling fresh blood,
All over my bushy red brush-tail.
The rabbit's fur blew away in the wind.
~
Then came the fearful sound of a horn
With hounds snarling and yelping.
Barking fiercely in the morning mist
A fearful sound that we hated.
The vixen, my mother, led us away
Father ran into the hunters .
My fearful father ran for his life.
The hounds caught his scent and gave chase.
~
We watched the hunters on horseback,
Following the hounds to watch the kill
My exhausted father dropped to the ground
The pack tore his soul to pieces.
Tearing his fur and flesh apart
Spilling his blood all over their fur
My mother the vixen led us away.
With tears that would soon be abated.
My father's fur blew away with the wind.

Copyright © Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved