Juxtaposed paint chips

How to be Well-versed in Poetry

Linda Kruschke has reached the letter J in John Drury’s Poetry dictionary. There was only one entry, leaving a problem for the second time through! My go-to poetry reference book is How to be well-versed in poetry edited by E.O. Parrott.

Linda writes:

This week I’m only giving you six paint chips to work with. If you’d like, you can juxtapose each of these pairs. Or you could mix them up. Or maybe you want to pick your favorites and juxtapose them with ideas from your own imagination.

The words and phrases you have to work with, listed as I’ve paired them, are bougainvillea and fountain of youth, blue ribbon and panther, and lightning and lighthouse. You only need to use two, but extra bonus points if you use them all.

Juxtaposed paint chips and text books

Plants like bougainvillea regenerate,
Needing no fountain of youth.
Loitering youths in the park
May be shockingly uncouth.

A blue ribbon is not strong enough to hold
Back a panther on the prowl.
Better to form a rosette –
Panthers roar and hiss and growl!

On a stormy night sailors watch the lightning.
The forked flashes are quite random.
Unlike the regular light-
House beams. Strikes happen seldom.

Juxtaposition was John Drury’s J choice,
E. O. Parrott’s J’s Jingle.
Both authors agree on this –
Entry for J is single.

World Book Day, blogging and lockdown

Today 4^th March 2021 is World Book Day. I was alerted to this fact by two emails. A rather unlikely source of this information was the one from the National Trust. The National Trust website has some literary podcasts about famous British writers.

It was not at all surprising that Penguin Books also mentioned it. There are books available for just £1. If your local bookshop is able to supply books in the lockdown, please try to support it.

Blogging in lockdown has kept me motivated. I know some people have been finding it difficult to write or to be motivated in other ways. (I have to admit that some of my household tasks tend to be neglected in favour of reading and spending time online.)

It seems to me that reading blogs has also become more popular as people have more time indoors. I find blogging challenges help me to stay motivated and also provide communities of supportive bloggers. Cee Neuner, who has Midweek Madness Challenges (CMMC) for which I have been posting entries for on Sue’s words and pictures, has a list of blogging challenges for writing, music and photography.

On this blog I have been using Linda Kruschke’s paint chip poetry prompts. I am learning a lot about poetic forms this year. If you have enjoyed my occasional photos accompanying my poems, do pop across to Sue’s words and pictures to see more.

I am looking forward to the Blogging from A to Z in April Challenge, which begins later this month with the theme reveal sign up from March 8-11. My theme reveal will appear on March 11.

Some good books have been published during lockdown. S.L. Russell, whose book The Healing Knife came out in the first lockdown, has written another; I hope to read The Thorn of Truth soon after its publication date of 21 May 2021 . Joan E. Histon’s book, The Senator’s Darkest Days is likely to have a sequel. Tracy Williamson and Marilyn Baker told their story in A Beautiful Tapestry. Ruth Leigh’s debut novel, the diary of Isabella M.Smugge is being followed up with other books about this star of Instagram. Another debut novelist, Joy Margetts is going to be featured here on Sue’s Trifles in two weeks time. Her historical novel, The Healing, is already available from her website and will be in bookshops from 19 March. A new children’s book, My diary, is being launched today by Emily Owen.

Which books published in 2020 and 2021 have you read and enjoyed?

Ghazal paint chip poem

Linda Kruschke’s paint chip poetry prompt this week is to write a ghazal. The definition of a ghazal along with the paint chip colours and examples of the form including Linda’s new one may be found here.

She writes:
Today I am challenging you to write a ghazal of at least five couplets. For the refrain phrase, I would like you to select one of the paint chip words or phrases below.
The paint chip words and phrases you have to work with are sour grapes, arboretum, aura, coral, green light, blizzard, and primrose path. As mentioned above, I’d like you to choose one of these as the refrain for your ghazal. Use as many others as you choose.
If you can weave in a Valentine’s Day theme, extra bonus points for you.

A Ghazal for Valentine’s Day

Red roses are the flora
Which give the Valentine’s Day aura.

Not receiving a card might
Sour the Valentine’s Day aura.

A Valentine’s Day trip out
To an arboretum has its own aura.

A Valentine’s Day blizzard
Could thwart plans or give a new aura.

Early spring flowers line a
Primrose path with a cheerful aura.

Sour grapes turn off the green light
Spoiling the Valentine’s Day aura.

I’m called Susan not Coral
And this ghazal has its own aura.