It was him

April 4, 2026 Chris Hall42 Comments

It was him!

It was a sea mine
To keep our coasts safe.
World War Two was dreadful
As many lives were lost.
So victory was needed.
He was in the right place and the right time.
It was Winston Churchill,
Man, War Correspondent and Prime Minister.

~~~~

Acrostic – This form requires that the first letter of each line forms a message. It was used for messages in code between lovers, spies, and mischief-makers. Write a message to other poets.
Or possibly a writer, an artist and more much.
Thanks, Val

~~~

Crimson’s Creative Challenge #080

Looking to Scavenge the Month

The Old Rectory

March 29, 2026March 29, 2026 Chris Hall26 Comments

The two boys braked, then wheeled around and stopped.
They peered at the sign.
‘This looks interesting.’
‘Do you think there is a castle down there?’ as he read what it said.
‘Could be.’
‘Well, it doesn’t say that we are not allowed to go along that drive, does it?’

So they started to bike while looking around the long winding road. It was pretty overgrown, and there seemed no-one around.
But then, what a vista!
The two of them stopped… dead.

‘What is it?’
‘Certainly not an old castle.’

They dropped their bikes, then walked around the imposing round building.
Just then, a large door opened from the inside, and a man appeared, and smiled. ‘Do come in, you’ll like this, I’m sure.’ He pointed up.
The two of them looked up. For a moment they said nothing, but then they both said: ‘Wow, a wonderful observatory – how cool!’

~~~

150 words

Crimson’s Creative Challenge #079

Dear Mother Nature

March 21, 2026 Chris Hall45 Comments

Honeysuckle leaves – Crispina Kemp

~~~~~

dear mother nature, enjoy this place
see this lovely honeysuckle
it is a wildlife hotel
there’s bees and ladybirds
the scent is gorgeous
it’s nectar-rich
how happy
it is
ahh

she
smiles
with little
animals like
dormice and squirrels
it’s a wonderful world
and now a celebration
sun is above the equator
since twice a year it’s the equinox

~~~~~

spring and autumn equinox and thank you Willow for Mother’s Day.

Crimson’s Creative Challenge #078

#TankaTuesday Challenge No 56, A Mother’s Nonet, 3/17/26

Tractor time!

March 15, 2026 Chris Hall41 Comments

The two boys had been wandering around that farm.
‘It’s very muddy, but we’ve got our wellies on.’
‘I wonder whether there’s anyone around?

Suddenly a big tractor started to rev up.
The two boys glanced over there, then waved. It seemed that whoever was driving hadn’t seen them.
‘Come on, we’ll run past that tractor.’
‘Oh yes, and look at that trailer.’

The two of them started to run across the sticky mud, while the tractor stopped.
An arm appeared from the cabin, and waved down to the two boys.
‘Want a lift?’ as a voice shouted to them.

The two of them grinned.
‘Hop in then,’ as the voice pointed to the trailer.
The two of them jumped into the trailer, as the driver started to drive that tractor.

And how lucky they were. They were given some free spuds as they were dropped off by the village.

~~~~

150 words

Crimson’s Creative Challenge #077

He is a poet

March 8, 2026 Chris Hall56 Comments

he is a poet
and he walks outside today
and he’s pottering
as usual while he is
pondering a new poem

he is fiddling
around the garden, picking
bits and pieces, here
and there, as he drops broken
pots into the rubbish bin

an interesting thought
appears like a dart, as he
rushes inside, grabs
a pen and a notebook as
he scribbles the first stanza

~~~

#TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge No. 54, Imagist poetry, 3/3/2026

Crimson’s Creative Challenge #076

Let me look at that river

March 1, 2026 Chris Hall41 Comments

It was the first of March and a rather chilly day, but I decided to have a little walk in the fresh air. It had been wet and muddy underfoot so I put my wellies on. I trudged across a few roads before I came to the park and the smallish river.

I stopped in the middle of the bridge, and peered across and down to the river. Not much to see though. No fishes unless they were at the bottom, but that was probably true. No birds around either, as I turned to look and the other side of the bridge. This was the upside of the river, the right place to play Pooh Sticks, as I grinned to myself, although it’s not much fun to play on one’s own.

It was time to head back. And time to think about some hot coffee and a couple of Hobnobs!

~~~~~~~~
150 words

Crimson’s Creative Challenge #075

Back to those two boys!

February 21, 2026 Chris Hall45 Comments

‘Come on, another race?’
‘I’m game, let’s go further into the woods.’
The two of them pedalled as fast as they could until both of them stopped… dead.

‘What a fantastic tree. It must have been chopped down.’
‘But that’s a shame.’
‘I guess so… but, well…’ as he trailed off with a thought.

The two of them dropped their bikes. They walked around that huge broken down tree. They climbed up for a while, until both of them dropped down again. They stood together just a few metres away, and they stared and stared again at that upside down tree. For a while, they seemed to be mesmerised, but then they started to giggle.

And who can draw something as good as they did?
Now that end of the tree has a proper face, a big nose, a sad mouth, and two tiny eyes.

‘Cute,’ as they grinned together.

~~~~~~~~
150 words