Elephant Small

Friday, March 22, 2013

NAPOWRIMO 2013

Sunday, March 17, 2013

WORDLE #100

For Sunday Whirl:
And posted to d'verse open link night #88

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

Share this with your Facebook friends:

A guy walks on down the street
Quick march; left, right, left, right, left

Things to do, places to go
Master of all he surveys

A distant voice calls to him
"Have you got any spare change...?"
So feint, he hardly hears it

He doesn't create a fuss
But his train of thought is rocked

"It's a bad day to die hard
So I'll stretch to twenty quid...
In other words... I love you..."

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

OPEN LINK NIGHT #87

For d'verse

DECONSTRUCTING

Doesn’t always pay to turn up early

Early birds are not rewarded with coins

Cons and pros don’t justify opinions

Open hearts and minds, the accepted norm

Normal services resume one Sunday

Someday soon, if you’re all up to the task

Taxed to the hilt by the Inland Revenue

Re venue; destruction undertaken

Undertaker, last rites and cremation

Creation, demolition take their toll

Toiling for a very modest income

Incomplete wage check, short a few nicker

Nicer times to come when we quit the game

Gaining when it ends… Perhaps it doesn’t...!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

WHIRL #99

For Sunday Whirl:

...IN THE UK

Written by an outsider

...Shopping sprees are the future...

(when transfer window opens)

Use it or lose it, I say

Intimate fans 'love' their team

Away end don't leave early

Part time supporters stay home

Think it's like watching paint dry

Billion pound investment

Body blow to United

Manchester's two fearsome teams

City... and City reserves...!

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Nicola Batty 1963-2012

For d'verse Open Night Link #86

Nic often talked about visiting us in Thailand.
Unfortunately, she never got to do this.
So I decided to bring a bit of Thailand to her...

You can check out Nic's work in her Newsletter,
Raw Meat
Or on her Blog,
Without Boundaries.

Nicola , and Night Jasmine shared some unique characteristics...

THE NIGHT JASMINE ดอกราตรี (Dok Ratree)

Deep in the Isan heartland,
beyond the city limits
of Khon Kaen, Udon Thani,
across provincial borders
of Loei, Nongbualamphu,
past small outlying townships
that mark the end of the road
… or to the unaccustomed
eye of any outsider,
perhaps the ends of the earth…
lies another, hidden world,
waiting to be discovered.

Beyond banana, mango,
papaya and sugar cane,

coconut, herbs and spices,
and organic vegetables;
past hand-reared, grazing cattle,
free-range chickens, ducks and pigs,
still the edible landscape
continues, ever onwards
dominated by rice farms.

Welcome to Village Isan,

and the simple, country life…

Here, a secluded outpost,
a peaceful community
of happy, friendly people
who tend The Land of The Smile,
is playground to the children,
workplace to the artisan,
and home to men and women
who inhale the fragrant air
of the valley, veiled in mist
that falls with the setting sun
at the coolest time of year.

It’s on evenings such as this,
that the Night Jasmine awakes
to the crisp, fresh feel of dusk,
its perfume surfing the breeze
allowing spirits to lift
as imaginations drift
downwind of the Twilight Bloom,
that will never love the heat
of a summer afternoon,
preferring instead the dead
of night at these cooler times.

The intensely fragrant scent
unleashed by the Night Jasmine,
exposed by encroaching dark,
enhanced by the chill night air,
floats free to alight on those
who seek out enlightenment,
as well as on those who crave
excitement brought about by
its intoxicating taste.

Its effect, evocative
also thought provocative,

conjures up a supreme state
of physical well-being,
spiritual contentment
and temporal fulfilment,
along with that totally
overwhelming sensation
of familiarity
with all the ways of the world,
similar to déjà vu;
that feeling of ownership,
possession of all knowledge,
combined with an attitude
of absolute confidence,
bordering on arrogance;
the one that goes hand-in-hand
with the gifts of second-sight,
of safety, security,
and a feel-good frame of mind
as intense as addiction,
that lasts till the new day breaks.

Sunlight ushers it along,

uniting it with the scents

of forest and field and farm
flowing free from far upstream
of the swollen river bed,
force-fed by the flash flood falls
that form from the overfill
of underground reservoirs.

High up on the mountainside,
the evening mist hangs its hat,
so cloaking the close of day,
and pulling petticoat tails
over unsuspecting slopes,
obscuring the silhouette
on the distant underscore
till dawn, when the rising sun,
with playful grin on her face,
lays chase to the fallen shroud,
sending the interloper
back home, to the space between
her own precious golden glow
and that of our Mother, Earth,
who harboured its one night stand,
tolerated its presence,
but welcomed with open arms
its life-sustaining moisture.

Our Mother takes one last sip,

before showing it the door,

without wave, or kiss goodbye,
in order to create space
for the scent of Night Jasmine,
and scents set free from upstream
of the swollen river bed;
scents of forests, fields and farms,
that conjugate, and bear fruit
so ripe it melts in the mouth,
to leave a lingering taste
of those morning mountain slopes,
and the hopes, and fears, and dreams
of Isan men and women,
who inhale the fragrant air
of the valley, veiled in mist
that falls with the setting sun
at the coolest time of year.

It’s on evenings such as this,
that the Night Jasmine awakes
to the crisp, fresh breeze of dusk,
and imaginations drift
downwind of the Twilight Bloom,
to a secluded village,
nestling in a hidden world,
waiting to be discovered,
deep in the Isan heartland.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

WHIRL #98

For Sunday Whirl: Blessed, Snare, Wings, Unbalance, Ride Deserves, Slap, Gasps, Blue, First, Instant, Dust.

A QUICK ONE

Formerly blessed with beauty,
now caught in that snare called 'age'.

'Bingo wings' unbalance her
when she takes him for a ride,
giving him what he deserves...
A bit of slap and tickle!

She gasps... once in a blue moon.
Has to be first past the post.
It's over in an instant,
and he can't see her for dust...!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

ANNIVERSARY

For d'verse open link night #85

SHINE ON

Now appearing, at a situation
close to heart.

An endearing celebration
is about to start.

It's that time of year;
a happy birthday, hope your dreams
come true.

In the rough, or crazy,
one thing lasts forever Diamond,
You...!

Happy Birthday my babe...

Sunday, February 24, 2013

WHIRL #97

For Sunday Whirl: Prophets, Stealing, Patience, Discipline, Limits, Gazing, Tears, Fly, Sublime, Pieces, Heroic, Moment.

LOW PROFILE

In the words of the prophets...

"Stealing the limelight is wrong"
"Patience is a virtue" and
"Discipline is paramount"

But of course there are limits
Gazing into space all day
Can reduce a man to tears

Fly in the ointment follows
(Sublime to ridiculous)...
"My head is in pieces now..."

Not a heroic moment!

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

MEDIA

For d'verse open link night #84

TECHNO TECHNO LOGIC

Back in UK AV broadcast history
All we had as kids was monochrome TV
Single channel tune-in to the BBC
Later upgrade that enabled ITV

'Wireless' just meant 'radio' back in the day
AM/FM disco bopping forty-five airplay
All change with the future looming Y2K
Music volume pumped up twenty four hours every day

Years later...

We watched JVC
We had double D
Then came DVD
To our LCD

And today

We've got DAB
Also DAT
Watching VOD
We can PPV

Not to mention Terabyte Technology
Tablet, i-Pod, Mobile Phone and home PC
Image upload and download in full HD
Microchip updates facilitate 3D

Slower mode megapix
Overload of pop chart mix
Throw enough until it sticks
Sell your soul to get your kicks

Slow motion replay
No notion DJ
Do you hear what we say?
Auction it on ebaY!

Internet connection
Virus infection
Maintenance inspection
PC resurrection

Bio logic?
Geo logic?
Patho logic?
Where's the logic?

Pro logic
Psycho logic
Techno
Techno

Techno Logic

Sunday, February 17, 2013

WHIRL #96

For Sunday Whirl:

OCD

Root of the problem, it seems...
lack of life experience
Hiding behind the locked door
of your mind that made no sense...
Imaginary faces
And visions of naked flesh

Candlelight inadequate
to shed illumination
Images of giving birth
held your imagination
Now reason scurries, escapes
is swept under the carpet...

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

SEE HEAR

For d'verse poets open night #83

PERFECT SENSES

Boost Sound and Vision with minimum surgery
Make the decision with maximum urgency
Balanced perceptions are worth the expense
Makes perfect sense...

Upgrade your eyesight to Hi Definition
Download the vibe, don't disguise the transmission
Enhance your reception with Special Effects
Better than sex...

Sound all around via DTS implant
3D surround sound accessed in an instant
Forget the distraction of background distortion
It's all in proportion...

Digital features for creatures of habit
On-Demand access, just reach out and grab it
Must-have improvements, the best without doubt
Go check it out...
Check it out
Check it out

Sunday, February 10, 2013

WHIRLYWHATSIT...

For Sunday Whirl: Open, Bottle, Plume, Ball, Term,
Court, Thread, Coral, Bathe, Incident, Rare, Dry.

WHAT'S MY NAME...?

An open invitation
but have you got the bottle
to take on a nom de plume...?

You must be right on the ball
to make it last the long term
and stick in a court of law.

Call yourself Fred... with a 'Th'
'Thread' will do their heads right in...
No-one will even... coral...!?

(You know I can't say 'quarrel')

Bathe yourself in the glory
of a unique incident...
As rare as rocking horse shit

Celebrate with a glass of dry white...

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

BACKFIRE, EMBARRASS, TASTE

For Three Word Wednesday

AT BREAKFAST I'M SEB'S CARER

If your plans backfire
You could embarrass yourself
You'll taste humble pie

Sunday, February 3, 2013

SETTING AN EXAMPLE

For The Sunday Whirl: Go, Again, Fuss, Straight, Wish, Miserable, Interest, Prove, Sweet, Bust, Figure, Enough.

PARENTAL GUIDANCE

Here we go again...!
But what's all the fuss about?
I'll tell you, straight up...

You wish I'd lay off...
You're miserable as sin...
Show some in-te-rest!

Just to prove my point
I'll give you some sound advice
Got to keep things sweet!

It's not 'shit or bust'!
(to use a figure of speech)
...Have you had enough...?

Saturday, February 2, 2013

PRIDE

For Haiku Heights

BEFORE THE FALL

First round - proud as punch...
Ten rounds of 'rum punch' later
Punch drunk by proud boast

LEADERS - not followers

Books