Monday, November 21, 2016

WHISPERS’ NOVEMBER ACTIVITY—CELEBRATING THE CINQUAIN

Dear Whispers’ Family,

The November writing activity has been CELEBRATING THE CINQUAIN. Thank you to all who submitted poems. The well-crafted poems in this activity are special gifts from the heart. I hope you will take a few moments to unwrap and savor them.

Michael Escoubas, Whispers’ Activity Editor
_________

the seed…

engraved
on May’s tombstone…
love bubbling to nourish
an orphan’s empty soul with faith
and hope

Karen O’Leary, United States
_________

Light

purple
clouds edged in pink
yield to the sun’s daily
walk with brush in hand painting like
Matisse

Michael Escoubas, United States
_________

Intimidate

Whistling
Into darkness;
Sounding braver than I
Feel. Superstitions and nightmares
Haunting

David Palmer, United States
_________

Colon Cancer

Thank God
for miracles:
no cancer in lymph nodes,
no ileostomy worries,
chemo.

Charlene McCutcheon, United States 
_________

A Canine Vision

A dog
ran across a
cloud, with ears flapping and
tail wagging; he looked both happy
and proud.

Annie Jenkin, England
_________

Autumn Stroll

Dappled
Sunlight streaming
Casting dancing shadows
Leaves whispering very gently
Listen

Jan Allison, Isle of Man
_________

Blessing

Be calm
breathe deeply now
let your cares fly away
walk daily with a mighty hope
sing loud

Jim Teeters, United States
_________

Grandfather

sunset . . .
in the hospice
parched pelargoniums
thinking i'm his nurse he asks for
water

Martha Magenta, England
_________

Love

Kiss me
In the moonlight
Bathing in its essence
We'll be together forever
Us two.

David Fox, United States
_________

Sunshine 

Slowly
You light my life
As morning gently breaks
With warmth you thaw my frozen heart
Sundrenched.

Paul Callus, Malta
_________

Incipience

Autumn
pretends own death;
dormant, bursts forth with life:
underlying shoots limber up
for spring ….

Alan McAlpine Douglas, United Kingdom
_________

I Dare You

Whispers . . . .
activity:
Write a basic cinquain.
Five lines. Twenty-two syllables.
No prob.

Robert P. Hansen, United States.
_________

Persistence

One last 
orange persimmon
on black twig clung that night
temptation to the jogger’s hand
in gloves. 

Tricia Knoll, United States 
_________

Sidewalks

Chalkboards
for youthful minds
whose imagination
creates from a blank slate their life's
future

 Mary A. Couch - United States
_________

Where's Wally?

Through her
thick-rimmed glasses
in her striped hat and scarf,
she opened and then viewed her face
book page.

Ralph Stott, United Kingdom
_________

Free Gifts

To be
what we need to; 
in order to help those
less fortunate than us requires
true love. 

Langley Shazor, United States
_________

Love Song Last Night

The wind
made soulful sounds
serenading the moon
who refused to show her shy face
again.

Candace Armstrong, United States
_________

Spring

Bubbling
Cool, refreshing
Water, giver of life
In this desperate, cracked, thirsty
Parched land

Sara Kendrick, United States
_________

Rainbow

rainbow
children smiling
turn my heart upside down
catapult back to this moment’s
promise

Kelley White, United States
_________

In the Days Ahead

Be true
to who you are.
Carry your spirit like
a candle in the center of
darkness.

Mary Jo Balistreri, United States
_________

Life Sentence

Tights and
leotards were
a professional skin.
No longer a dancer, her mind
still is.

Jean Colonomos, United States
_________

Mystery

Ravens
nest in aeries
up on that mountain crest. 
Once, a raven's shadow followed
me home. 

Elizabeth Howard, United States
_________

Kindness

Hushed fog
of old Autumn
wraps her arms around brown,
brittle leaves remaining on the
sapling.

Barbara Robinette, United States
_________

Intaglio

you, earth...
as i walk your
hills and streams i touch the
ample landscape you sculpt for me
each day

Pat Geyer, United States
_________

Breakdown

The day
your words stole mine
consuming my true self
a barrier came between us
I fell

Inge Wesdijk, The Netherlands
________

Children

Children—
little people.
Laughing, running, playing.
emotional, excited things—
youngsters.

Anna-Marie Docherty, Wales, UK
________

First Frost

Years tilt
Crazing appears
Age leans into the wind
My daughter whispers, it's time to
Retire

James Marshall Goff, United States
________

Waiting

The boots
that caught my eye
in the shoe store window
have not been marked down for the sale.
Not yet...

Mary Gunn, Ireland
________

Old Friends

Friendship
will grow stronger 
with the passage of time.
Fickle cold hearts push good people
away.

Jack Horne, England
________

Your Memories

Mild breeze
of full moon, light
invites your forgotten
memories that teases me - spoiled
my night.

Dr. Satish Srivastava, India

30 comments:

  1. Thank you for helping us celebrate the Cinquain Michael. I much enjoyed the activity. Thank you for all you do to help our especially loved editor of Whispers. I loved all the poems. Great job everyone.
    Sincerly, Charlene

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Charlene,

      Thank you so much for sharing your celebration of good news regarding the cancer and for contributing to this wonderful column Michael put together. Best wishes always, my friend.

      Blessings,
      Karen

      Delete
  2. It's amazing to see how varied these cinquain are. I never would have thought that you could do so much!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Marianne,

    Thank you for your kind thoughts. I think forms are meant for writers to make them their own. This is still one of my favorite forms--it helped me so much in my early days of writing. There not much room for bloviating. Glad you enjoyed this wonderful column Michael put together for us to enjoy.

    Blessings,
    Karen

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear Charlene and Marianne,
    I echo Karen's responses and would only add my gratitude to all who sent in their cinquains. I feel a special indebtedness to my mentor, Karen; who is unbelievably patient with me.
    Blessings,
    Michael

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Michael,

      What a gift you are to this community. Having the exercises headed by you insures continuity. I really like the format you developed for the activities. Thank you for the success and growth of this column and for your kind words.

      Blessings,
      Karen

      Delete
  5. WOE what wonderful poems!So few words can say so much:-) Thanks you Michael for putting on this activity for us:-) hugs Jan xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Jan,

      Thank you for sharing your lovely poem for this column. It is people like you that make these activities possible. Michael is a great Activity Editor so we can look for more wonderful activities going forward.

      Blessings,
      Karen

      Delete
    2. Dear Jan,
      Glad you unwrapped these gifts.
      I continue to return to them even though I've already been through the poems several times!
      Blessings,
      Michael

      Delete
  6. All poets express a precise image in a clear and succinct voice. Perfect. Thank you, Michael, for this wonderful Cinquain column.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Pat,
      I feel blessings of the entire Whispers' family through the Activity column.
      Michael

      Delete
    2. Dear Pat,

      I am so glad you enjoyed this wonderful column coordinated by our talented activity editor, Michael. I hope you continue to enjoy your time spent at Whispers.

      Blessings,
      Karen

      Delete
  7. What a delightful variety of Cinquain poems! Well done to all the contributors, and a special thank you goes to Michael who hosted this activity. ~ Regards // paul

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Paul,
      I, too, continue to marvel at the variety and range of the poems.
      Blessings,
      Michael

      Delete
    2. Dear Paul,

      I second your thank you to Michael, who make this activity possible. I, too, marveled at the variety of poems shared by many talented poets. What a joy to be a part of our Whispers' journey.

      Blessings,
      Karen

      Delete
  8. What a wonderful variety of subjects . Skilfully crafted. Thanks for all your work, Michael: I am looking forward to when I can join back in. Thanks to all my Whispers friends for sharing your talents. Cheers, SuZ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Pixordia,
      I'm delighted you enjoyed the column--this is a labor of love and fun for me as I hope it is for the Whispers' family.
      Michael

      Delete
    2. Dear Suz,

      It will be great to have you back sharing in Michael's variety of activities. Until that time, I'm glad to have you share your encouraging thoughts which I always appreciate. It is people like you that make our online journal possible.

      Blessings,
      Karen

      Delete
  9. Never heard of a cinquain before and because of the patience and guidance of Michael, I wrote one. It was so much fun!
    Love to read all the other cinquans
    Kind regards, Inge Wesdijk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I couldn't agree more as cinquains were new form to me. It was fun. And Michael is patient and inspiring as our activity editor.

      Delete
    2. Dear Inge,
      I remember working with you on your poem. You were totally delightful as was your poem.
      I look forward to more of your offerings.
      Michael

      Delete
    3. Dear Inge, Barbara and Michael,

      The comments by the three of you make my heart sing. It's such joy read the kindness of your comments. Encouraging others is the heart of Whispers. Thank you all for being lights you are--here where words matter.

      Blessings,
      Karen

      Delete
  10. Every poem is a delight to read, from the cute to sage advice to spot on about who children are....thank you Michael for inspiring us all to write the cinquain and thank you, Karen, for hosting this wonderful poetry site. I can feel myself growing here by reading these good poems.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Barbara,
      I love learning new forms, and while the cinquain form was not altogether new for me,I grew simply by trying to write better poems. Appreciate your comment.
      Michael

      Delete
  11. Michael, I very much enjoyed your thoughts on my submission! great fun! my last day of full-time employment is tomorrow! and all the wonderful poems blew me away! Bravo Karen for your collaborative team! james marshall goff

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear James,
      From a happy retiree (3 years) to one who walks through that door tomorrow: congratulations!
      I look forward to experiencing more of your poems soon.
      Blessings,
      Michael

      Delete
  12. Michael and Karen,
    Not only have I enjoyed reading the cinquains, but also the conversation they have generated. Thank you for offering a form presents such a lavish selection.
    What fun you must be having too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Jo,
      This activity has been full of fun, truly a labor of love with the conversations among the Whispers' family of writers an added bonus.
      Blessings,

      Michael

      Delete
  13. Always beautiful and rich activities from you (Karen) and Michael. And what a blessing to see so many poets take part in this activity. Thank you all for sharing your gifts. Continued blessings to you all!

    -MJ (www.tgbtgpublictions.com)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Dear Maurice,
    I so appreciate your taking the time to enjoy and comment on the Cinquain activity--truly a labor of love and such fun for me working with the talented poets in the Whispers' family of artists.

    BTW: Congratulations to you on the growth of Creative Inspirations and its positive contribution to poetry.

    Continued blessings,
    Michael

    ReplyDelete