The Versesmith

  They say that March comes roaring in, then sheepishly departs.   I disagree for me, you see, it’s a month of fits and starts.   March warms the bulbs who peek their heads, then hide beneath the snow.   The peas I planted hoping spring, rot in the earth below.   March is fickle. March is cruel. Eliot was wrong.   April is the kinder month, March winter does prolong. ©2023 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved

Tanka Tuesday Weekly Poetry Challenge No. 311 words: spring and green  First, a light hearted senryu. the pear trees blossom on time, regardless of me and my novice care  Then, I've written a YaDu, a Burmese form of climbing (staircase)verse.  YaDu means "seasons," so it should include a seasonal reference, which makes it ideal for the prompt.   A YaDu is usually written in three or fewer stanzas of 5 lines each.  Lines 1-4 each have 4 syllables, the last line has 5, 7, 9, or 11.   The staircase rule applies to lines 1-4 with rhymes  xxxa xxax xaxx xxbc line 5 ends with a rhyme of c xxxxxxxxc (in my poem's case of 9 syllables) (If I mistyped the rules, forgive me and point it out in the comments!) ©Steven Miller   the vernal pond  with fern frond jade so fond to me  I bring thee here to sit, to listen, our minds to clear    ©2023 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved #tankatuesday #yadu #burmesepoetry #syllabic...

 Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Challenge #453 words: fog and seek  I've formatted these four haiku differently than usual.  I wrote them in an app, I think it's just called Haiku (the icon is a blue square with a lower case h) and took screen shots of the finished poems.  It's a fun way to spend time while waiting, in the car, or for an appointment.  It is not a perfect app, as it insisted the word "city" was one syllable!  I always double check with this syllable checker,  www.traveldailylife.com/syllables Untitled, however tied together by the theme of The Fog in San Francisco.   ©2023 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved #ronovanwritesweeklyhaikuchallenge #ronovanwrites #haiku #haikupoetry #fogpoem #sanfranciscofog 

Poets and Storytellers United Friday Writings #67  “ Write love letters to wild flowers. ” I chose three of the wildflowers that grow in my yard.    Floral Friday Fotos     To the Blue Flax in My Garden Delicate blue heads Nod in the slightest breezes Darling of the beds video copyright Lisa Smith Nelson  ©Lisa Smith Nelson My Dear Wild Violet The first to flower in the herbs, whilst they are still aslumber. You brighten up my winter days. I welcome all your number .   Dandy Dandelion Some may curse your pretty head. Some may mow you down. I like to see your sunny hue all the year around. You make the lawn a tapestry of happy yellow dots. I let you stay, and never mind the scowling neighbor thoughts.     And when you’re finished blooming, a lovely clock appears, to float away with counted puffs, a game in child’s play. ©Lisa Smith Nelson ©2023 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved #...

 Friday Fictioneers  "The Challenge: Write a complete story in one hundred words or less." photo prompt ©Miles Rost 100 words Every time I see a laundromat I am transported back in time to 1981. I was pregnant, had just moved into a rented house with no laundry facilities, necessitating a trip to the local laundromat. One day, as I sat crocheting the coming-home blanket for my baby, a woman came, sat next to me, and opened a can of sardines.  There are some odors a pregnant woman cannot handle; for me it was that smell of oily fish.  She started picking them out with her fingers, tilting back her head, and slurping them into her waiting mouth. Oh, the nausea! ©2023 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights #storyprompt #fridayfictioneers #100words #100wordstory