She-pride .... by Eugenia
She pride
She-pride .... by Eugenia
Lisa’s contribution to Exploration Challenge #125

Entrenched in self in harmful ways;
Consumed by lust, by fear, by doubt,
Please quench dark flames; in kindness shout!
Back to the root of things, I say.
Remember that heirs’ ripples pay
The price, do not your cruelty flout.
Set down the gender roles you ought.
Seek out the root of things, I say.
Please walk the walk, stop playing games!
Don’t train your kids to play a role!
(All parents understand just how.)
Back to the root of things, I say.
Continue them, continue shame;
Release them, let a New Age glow,
Where soul to soul our species grow.
Act from the root of things, I say!
Today’s offering is a kyrielle form poem.

Reena Saxena is the host of Reena’s Exploration Challenge. Reena says:
The image and quotes are indicative, not restrictive. You have full freedom to write anything, as long as the central concept is…
View original post 17 more words
Imprints Vs Impressions ….by Aishwarya
Videos, social media accounts,
Likes that counts,
Information at fingertips,
News about places sans planning those fun filled trips,
Life now is made easy,
Without frills and fancies, then it was breezy,
Is that now we are gripped by fear,
Living our daily lives becoming unclear?
Leaving imprints isn’t hard,
Long after we are gone, we shall remain through recordings and lovely picture cards,
Leaving lasting impression on one another would be easy or not,
Would it be a long shot?
81 words.
Acknowledgements :- Thank you Reena Saxena for running the Reena’s Exploration Challenge # 124. For rules please refer here. Thank you all for stopping by and reading.
It’s a jungle out there… by Punam
The bridge appears to be straight and smooth
but fear sloshes in my belly
turning my legs to jelly
trepidation makes my heart race
for it’s a jungle out there
hatred and violence roam free
baring their vicious fangs and growl in a stentorian roar
misplaced pride turns a snooty nose at reason
crazed look on every twisted face
blood on each hand and the smell of burning flesh
yet the call is so invidiously beguiling
I salivate at the mere thought of that power
tethering at the edge of insanity
lured by the promised bounty of righted wrongs
but I recover from the transient transgess
with sanity sharply knocking me down
Let there be storms of paranoia all around
I hope peace with its winsome ways will eventually win
human will not another human butcher
the arc of fear will not be allowed to persist
time will have to…
View original post 8 more words
Plastic Queen … by NekNeeraj
A queen of unread poetry
scribbled within the white spaces of old newspapers.
She collected plastic from garbage and tiny pieces of discarded pencils.
Her bright eyes turned yellow, reading anything
she could under kerosene-lit lamp.
A fire burning inside her heart
wasn’t enough to light-up her home between roads.
She barely got enough sleep.
Since she was fond of dreaming with open eyes
laying under the bare, vast sky,
as expensive cars zipped by,
she kept wishing on falling stars.
If given a chance, she’d study hard
and be an astronaut.
A queen of rock-solid will and bullet-proof wisdom.
She collected garbage and studied politics from old books and newspapers.
A pack of books she’s written with discarded pencils.
And is stepping into the assembly for a plastic-free city.
Her dream of becoming an astronaut,
she realized, wasn’t as important
as saving the planet.
She barely gets enough sleep.
View original post 37 more words
Familial legacy … by VJ Knutson
“…too young to notice
how fear persists, and how
the anger that causes fear persists…”
– Immortality, by Lisel Mueller
Purposeful, this fortress
permanently ungrounded
Burdened without bearing
fear underlying motivation
Reassured that life is unfair
dedicated to defying limits
Challenged by rage
bloodline ingrained
Pulled towards inevitable
complete collapse.
(Inspired by the promptings of Reena’s Exploration challenge. To see the full poem and prompt click here. Image from personal collection.)
Kind over nice .... by Violet
Sadje’s take on Exploration Challenge #124
Reenais the host of Reena’s Exploration Challenge.

Welcome back to another week!
I had a tough time getting a pesky fly out of the house today. In the process, I came to admire her incorrigible optimism.
Here’s a poem by Lisel Mueller
IMMORTALITY
In Sleeping Beauty’s castle
the clock strikes one hundred years
and the girl in the tower returns to the world.
So do the servants in the kitchen,
who don’t even rub their eyes.
The cook’s right hand, lifted
an exact century ago,
completes its downward arc
to the kitchen boy’s left ear;
the boy’s tensed vocal cords
finally let go
the trapped, enduring whimper,
and the fly, arrested mid-plunge
above the strawberry pie,
fulfills its abiding mission
and dives into the sweet, red glaze.
As a child I had a book
with a picture of that scene.
I was too young to notice
how fear persists…
View original post 287 more words
Raat purani …by hecblogger
निखरा था छत पर चाँद नूरानी
आयी है याद फ़िर रात पुरानी ।१।
बिन सुलाए मुझे खुद सो गयी है
मेरे तकिये पर रात पुरानी ।२।
है क्या कोई सौदागर इसका
किस मोल बिकेगी रात पुरानी ।३।
बढ़ता जाता है ख़ुमार उतना ही
जितनी होती है रात पुरानी ।४।
क्यों नहीं भूल जाता अमित
गयी बात हुई रात पुरानी ।५।
In response to: Reena’s Exploration Challenge # 124
A fly in the ointment ..... by Eugenia