Poetry Please!

April 12, 2024April 12, 2024 Chris Hall52 Comments

What a lovely month for April. I was so pleased to be included – just a year ago:
‘Poetry Treasures 3: Passions‘ by Kaye Lynne Booth & Robbie Cheadle.

January guest – Robbie Cheadle
February guest – Smitha Vishwanath
March guest – Abbie Taylor
April guest – Chris Hall
May guest – Yvette M. Calliero
June guest – Willow Willers
July guest – Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
August guest – Patty Fletcher
September guest – Yvette Prior
October guest – Judy Mastrangelo
November guest – Penny Wilson
Special guest – Colleen M. Chesebro
Special guest – D. Wallace Peach

April is my guest appearance which is a big bonus since one of my poems is about Earth Day which is an important message.

What will become of us?

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Image credit: Mother Earth by gedomenas

Earth Day – Monday 22nd April 2024
The poem is a metaphor. From the start of begin of the of beautiful Mother Earth around the world. Then it moves on. The planet is smaller, more unsure and frightening, wondering how life with remain.

For a little while, during lockdown and covid, Mother Earth had a brief respite where the noise of engines fell silent and wild animals walked the streets, it seemed that nature just might have a chance, but once again, pollution spews, plastic continues to fill the oceans and the ice caps are melting even more quickly.

Today, Earth Day 2024, I find my poem is just as relevant, maybe more so.
https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2024/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day

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I am particularly pleased that Robbie Cheadle read my poems What will become of us?
You Tube – there it is.

Purchase Poetry Treasures 3: Passions from Books2Read and Amazon: Paperbook and Kindle (sadly for me, only ebook is available from South Africa, but never mind).

However, during the month of April, all poetry volumes on the WordCrafter Press backlist are on sale for only $2.99 each. Find this with Kaye Lynne Booth here.

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I first wrote my poem, ‘What will become of us?‘ back in April 2019 from the prompt ‘What do you see?‘ from the wonderful Hélène Vaillant, although sadly she’s gone to a better place.

Dispel the darkness

May 24, 2021 Chris Hall72 Comments

Darkness comes early on these winter days
colour drains from bleached frigid skies
cobalt tints bleed to shades of stone
dripping into gun-metal water
remorseless, brutal
devoid of hope.

Darkness crowds in on these winter days
warmth leaches from dwindling vistas
landscapes recede, horizons narrow
care-free life flutters out of reach
fading to remembrance
of times past.

A glimmer remains on these winter days
a single shaft of sunlight reaches out
to dispel today’s sombre skies
one ray of honeyed promise
for a golden new
tomorrow.

Written in response to Sadje‘s What do You See #83 photo prompt.

Image credit: Sadje
The image shows a wooden pier extending into a lake. The sky overhead is partly cloudy with sun trying to peep.

Be Tranquil

February 8, 2021February 8, 2021 Chris Hall62 Comments

Beauty transcends reason
Eloquence reaps her just reward.

Take a moment to tiptoe past your worries
Recall tributes, triumphs and tenderness
Augment your vessel of contentment
Negate all negative thoughts
Quelling the armies of anxiety
Under a big bright blanket of hope
Infuse yourself with inner strength
Life’s about the journey; go now, walk in peace today.

Written in response to Sadje‘s What do You See #68 photo prompt.

Richard Kesperowski @ Unsplash
The image shows a couple of water lilies growing in a pond of water.

Marking Time

February 1, 2021 Chris Hall59 Comments

Days which merge
one into another
marking time
tied down
by new normal’s rope.

tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock…

A ray of light
spills through the bars
a gap for hope
to squeeze through.

tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock…

How long before
with the tiny prick
of a needle
we widen the chink
in covid’s armour
and creep through
to emerge, blinking
in the light?

tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock…

Written in response to Sadje‘s What do You See #67 photo prompt.

Tim Hüfner @ Unsplash
The photo shows a partially open gate, which is thrown in relief by a light filtering from a doorway.

Shine a Light

December 31, 2020December 31, 2020 Chris Hall24 Comments

This year at midnight
I’m going to light a candle
as a beacon of hope
and a symbol of peace

This year at midnight
I’m going to gaze at the moon
and know that you
see that same moon

This year at midnight
I’m going to look up at the stars
and know that we
share the bond of friendship

Let us shine
in the darkness
tonight

The Message Board

August 17, 2020 Chris Hall47 Comments

The image shows a board covered with hand written messages about love.

I come each day, looking for you
one among so many people
displaced, separated
lost.

Parents from children, husbands from wives
brothers, sisters, friends and lovers,
divided in the melee
of disaster.

Each day I come looking for you
one among so, so many
hanging on to hope
searching for a sign.

Day after day, still there is nothing
but I know in my heart
you’re still out there.
And so I wait.

Written in response to Sadje’s What Do You See #43 photo prompt.
Image credit: Kyle Glenn- Unsplash

Your inner light still shines

August 10, 2020 Chris Hall54 Comments

The image shows face of a woman. It is painted with luminous glitter paint and the features are highlighted with bright yellow lines, ending in a question mark on the forehead.