Author: Reena Saxena

^{Roses and shoes under the bust of Sophie Scholl: By no bias, Wikipedia Commons}

For All Who Dare

How scared they must be—and how brave-
the women who dare to bare their hair—
and all who battle not monsters, but men,
who protest, write pamphlets, drop flyers–

the Plaza Madres, the White Rose students,
those with forbidden books, those who share
their knowledge, truth, the oxygen
that inspires and fuels their desires–

the feathered hopes on wings, phoenixes
that singed still soar to sing—everywhere–
riders on a bus; a girl with a pen—
swirling spires of dragon-breathed fires

rising—beware—they dare!
Not if, but when. Then they do it again.

For dVerse, where Björn’s Meeting the Bar prompt is to write a bref double poem. You can read more here. I’ve put the unrhymed line first: xabc, xabc, xabc, ab.

Leaning too far right makes them maniacal
everything is either black or white
they are impervious to the greys
with scant regard for inclusivity.

Their brain goes through a change that is chemical
irreversible is the damage done
common sense it, for sure, waylays
replacing it with typical perversity.

Quizzical looks don’t affect their hides political
they brand others as anti-state
erratic, jumbled and bitter their ways
what do they know of diversity!

lackadaisical in work but their beliefs fanatical
with them around doomsday is neigh and everyone pays.

Written for dVerse MTB. Today’s host, Björn, has invited us to try our hand at a new poetic form bref double. The rhyme scheme can be

axbc-axbc-axbc-ab
abxc-abxc-abxc-ab

I have followed the former. Check the site for more details.

I have used words from Jane’s random word generator.

Inspired by Reena’s Exploration Challenge #255 &
Moonwashed Weekly Prompt – Transcending

they called her an evil woman
yet her transcending beauty drew me in
red, fiery locks promising danger
her spikey halo protecting her power

remember what will happen
should you cross me

slowly she lifts the box to reveal the skull
of the man who dared to lay claim to her

remember that i am stronger

Venom Sedative better known as Poison Sumac is a seductress just like her sister the genius scientist and meta-human Dr. Pamela Isley, who we all know as Poison Ivy.  If somebody refuses to do her bidding, she will give them a rash that will last as long as three weeks.  Unlike her sister, Poison Sumac was not a meta-human, she was a witch of trouble in electric blue and in her own mad mind she would be in love with you.  She had some kind of demon messing in the glue and if you don’t watch out it’ll stick to you.  She has raven hair and ruby lips; the moon is in her eyes and sparks are flying from her fingertips.  She was practiced at the art of deception; you could tell by her blood-stained hands and that box that she always carried around with the skull inside of it. …

Photo prompt.

Image credit: Noel Nichols on Unsplash

The “Crimsons” had built their civilization on a yet to be mapped chain of tropical islands and it had thrived for more than 4 centuries.
Their relative isolation from the rest of the planet produced their most striking physical trait for although their skin tones varied, their hair was universally undeniably flaming red.
As legends evolve from partial truths, they had come to recently attribute their happiness and success more or less directly to this part of their appearance and now that once infrequent explorers happened upon them and had given them their current superficial name, they were embracing it more and more.
They were, by all standards, happily and productively ‘primitive’. Their children were raised by small community ‘parental pods’ each of which shared an identical cultural pride and common ‘spirit’ but this was incrementally starting to include a subtext of…

Written in response tohttps://reinventionsreena.wordpress.com/2022/11/03/reenas-xploration-challenge-255/

Opposite me, with a haunted expression, she opened her suitcase.

All I could think of was ”poor Yorick”, I knew that person very well. It didn’t look like she caught the joke, and just stood there, silently, making my gaze drift to the skull’s evil smirk.

‘Can I help you?’ Finally, I found my voice.

‘More to the point, can I help you?’ She spoke with an edge to her tone. ‘I’m here to warn you, change your ways. Listen to your inner voice and be the better person. Your task, should you choose to ignore it, will be leaving you without purpose.’

I looked around the corner, wondering if my little brother was playing a joke on me – his pranks were getting out of hand. I wasn’t convinced by the skull, plastic, more than bone, he had some weird friends of late.

‘What do…