Ready for the surge
By Christ, peace on the morrow
The foe we will purge
******
This is part of Ronovanwrite’s Challenge
Morrow&Surge
Ronovan Writes #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge 321 Morrow&Surge
Month: Aug 2020
Frank Tasson’s #Haikai / #154 (8/29/20): Morning-glory (asagao) #haiku #senryu #haibun #tanka #haiga #renga
This week, Frank Tassone asks us to write the haikai poem of our choice (haiku, senryu, haibun, tanka, haiga, renga, etc.) that alludes to either the cricket (koorogi) or the morning-glory (asagao).
As always: Here’s how the challenge works:
1. write the haikai poem of your choice.
2. post the link of your post to Mister Linky.
3. pingback by posting the link to the challenge on your site.
4. read and comment on other contributors’ posts.
Whats the story morning glory, I ask as I walk out on to the veranda. The sun and the sea greet me and my spirits are lifted. The sound of dawn so different from the night before, no chirping cricket no mosquito buzz just sea lapping the shore. Then I wake to traffic, rain and another dull London day.
Bright bursts of colour
God’s welcome to the new day
Telling us a tale.
********
I chose a Haibun this week because I wanted to use the phrase , ‘what’s the story morning glory’ and it has eight syllables in the line which does not meet any of the other disaplins in the challenge. The phrase is one we use when we meet someone up bright and early. Like the flower greeting the sun.
Poppet : Westley Piddle Summer Fayre. Part Two.
Part 2. Poppet
The bright hot ball is high in the sky. Herdwick pooping park is full of hindlegs enjoying the summer fayre.
“Cockfest,Poppet,purecockfest!” Stonks sweats orange-sniffy lust. One handpaw covering her chops in a frenzy of excitement, other tightly clutching Poppet’s lead.
Stop it! Yor sh-strangling me
Stonks don’t listen. She’ surveying the lie of the land. First, she spies the large area for best of show. Second, the lavvies. Third, the beer tent. And fourth, eyeballs lock on, coordinate, and memorise all the fit looking cocksters wobbling ‘round abouts.
Sh-stop it!
“oops!sorry”
Nows her turn. Able to breathe again, Poppet lifts her snout, both snout holes twitching. First, she snifz out other fourlegs – zero immediate threats. Second, she snifz for fit males – zero immediate eightleggers.
Pff!
Third, the line of nosh stalls all sniffing right tasty: Greggs, KFC, Pizzahut, PizzaRiot, Jimmy Thai’s, the Istanbool kebab joint, Fong’s Noodles, and Best Cornish Bakery with its eyeball-popping variety of Cornish pasties.
Blimmey! Get a nosh-load of all that
As it happens, Stonks starts wobbling fast towards the hindlegs marker posts.
“needthelavvy” she scritches “needaslash”
A sniffy blue purply-sniffy mist billows out from a row of portaloos stuck close to the entrance of the park, spreading its colours everywhere. Poppet knows the portaloo marker posts is where Stonks squirtz. Wotz wrong with just squirting on the ground, against a lamppost or corner of a wall? Hindlegs got no sense.
Hurry up Stonks, noshing time
Stonks wobbles inside. A moment later Poppet can snifz today’s brekkers and yesterday’s take-out dinner.
Two grey furrylegs are chasing each other across the branches above the portaloos, heading towards the nosh stalls.
Thems want noshing, too
While Stonks does her thing Poppet snifz out all the usual muttwits attracted to the nosh.
Greedy muttwits, the load of ’ems
Over by rural crafts tent are the Jack Russell brothers, Nutz and Boltz, a right pair of muttwits. Over by the beer tent is Gitorrf!, scrounging something alcoholic for Halfleg. Closer by is Giblets, the young Boxer, all big chest and tight little rear end. Thinks he’s dog’s answer to all the females.
Ah doggit, please don’t turn round as Giblets turns round, sniffing the air and eyeballing Poppet. He starts strutting her way, pulling along his hindlegs companion.
Oi, hello darling, Snifz yu
Snifz yu too, Giblets, but nows not a good time
They bump snoutz.
As it happens ‘nows’ is always a good time
Giblets muscles his way towards her rear, his stump wagging in anticipation of Afghan eightleggers. Poppet snaps at his earflaps.
Leave off, doggy
Ouch! he squeals.
He tries for another rear-ender, both fourlegs jostling ‘round in a tight circle.
Yu ain’t my type yer squash-snouted, short-haired mutt and gives him another nip.
Giblets leaps out of range.
“Oi,Giblets” his hindlegs companion scritches, hauling him off.
Laters, yer nasty witch
Nevers!
Poppet shakes her head, soft blond earflaps shaking it all about. And that there’s the problem, init? Every dog-eared muttwit with plum bobs attached wants to try his chance, at every opportunity.
And none of thems are mister right!
“that’sbetterPoppet,feelhumanagain” Stonks steps out the portaloo, shaking it side to side while wobbling down the three steps to the grass.
“comeon,needtobangthepiss,beforetheshow” she makes towards the beer tent, hauling along Poppet.
▪
Inside the beer tent the wotz-a-nice-dog-like-yuz-doing-in-a-place-like-this only gets worse.
Snifz yu love-bug!
Henry leave off, mate
The slab-sided English mastiff bangs into her suggestively submit, girl, submit
Woz a time Henry had all the big gun assets. But after the vets, sadly, he’s out of ammo.
Henry, I loves yers to death really, but…
Big Knickers ‘enry, nows
Yeah, so I heard, but no thanks
SUBMIT!
Nah means nah, gettit?
“leaveit,Henry,LEAVEIT!” Franks, his companion tries hauling him off, Guinness in one handpaw, English Mastiff in the other. But Henry ain’t having any hauling off.
Only one thing for it Poppet howls an ear-splitting territory fit Get Away! Get Away! Get Away! all gnashing teeth and flying blond braids.
The beer tent flaps outwards in the pressure of fourlegs barking. Franks tugging, hauling, dragging a bewildered Henry out of the tent in a shower of Guinness.
“naughtyPoppet,wot’swrongwithyu,naughtyPoppet,embarrassingmelikethat!” Stonks tap-tap-taps each word on Poppet’s chain.
Wotz wrong with me? Me?
“andstopyapping,yernastycreature” Stonks scritches in a rising red-sniffy temper, raising her handpaw to give Poppet a right slapping. Some old hindlegs in a white smock and white trilby hatfurs is giving thems hard eyeballs over at the Pims punch table.
“oh,shite” Stonks smoothly turns slapping handpaw into waving handpaw “Armitage,thebleedin’judge,init” and starts wobbling fast towards the tent flaps “let’sgetouttaherePoppet”.
“notsofast,younglady” Armitage wobbles to block the way.
Pff! Good one, Stonks
“ha,finedisplayofcaninecontrol” Armitage scritchy slurs down his long snout, alcohol yellow-snifz pouring off him.
“erh…stagefrightbeforethebestofshow,misterArmitage” Stonks flutters.
Armitage sways on his footpaws ”bestof…wot?”
“bestofshow,misterArmitage” Stonks repeats.
“cancelled!” Armitage scritches, belching.
Erh? Poppet slips an involuntary squirtz of shock.
“cc-cancelled?” Stonks gasps.
“aye,cancelled,andreplacedwith…doggyintelligence”
“dd-doggy?”
Intelligence! Wotz that?
“so,goodluckwiththat,ha,ha,ha” Armitage gurgles on his Pims.
Poppet’s turn to be half-dragged outside the beer tent, front paws bouncing off the grass.
“thatsillyold– ” Stonks scritches under her breath.
Slow down yu ch-choking me again
“doggyintelligence!”
Ahhgaakaa…
Stonks stops, Poppet wheezing. A strong handpaw grips Poppet under the jaw and thrusts her snout level with Stonks’ own miniature hooter “listentome,Poppet” she threatens ‘yougonnawinthis…or,it’stheChinesetakeway”
Chnntkkssswy?
“beautyain’tenough” she continues “needbrains,too”
Needs wot?
“EDICATION,girl!”
?…
Poppet don’t have a hope in hell. Stonks ain’t joking about the Chinese take-away, neither. They nosh fourlegs, thems pagans.
All Poppet wants right this moment is to trot away for good. Preferably sniffing behind some handsome stud muffin!
If only she squats and squirtz on the grass.
▪
Brekkers over and Drizzle is still hungry. The clouds are working themselves up to give it a good green-sniffing rainlicking with thems endless whooshing scratchy noises. Seems lyk there’s never a time when rainlick ain’t making Drizzle wet.
Ah, leave off he accuses the clouds noshing first, yer buggas
And that leaves the next big question: wotz on the noshing menu?
Sitting on his haunches outside the High Street HSBC he weighs his noshing options on one front paw. Toe one: trot back down the High Street and hit Greggs.
Nah, been there, noshed that
Toe two: turn left into Huntsville Road and hit Chuckles chippy.
Fish? Nah, need nosh with legs
Toe three: wander down Nelson Ave and hit KFC. Chicken strips. Chicken wings. Or chicken anything really, in thems bins ‘round back.
Sounds lyk a plan
He quickly follows his snout, rainlick dripping from earflaps.
As it happens, KFC is close to Herdwick pooping park. Gob loads of sniffy colours are wafting out the park. Overriding thems blue-purply hindlegs portaloos is the chop-slobbery orange-snifz of nosh. Lots of nosh.
Worth a butcher’s hook he quickens his pace.
His snout don’t lie. Plenty’s going on in Herdwick pooping park. It points him through the front gate into a wonderful world of meaty-leg colours.
Right noshfest, this!
But nosh is not always enough. Eyeballing thems two Jack Russell brothers playing with some hindlegs pups invades his good humour. He recalls the colourful memories of his own hindlegs pups – lyk a sharp, confusing snifz in both snout holes.
Ah… memory snifz, only.
Shakes earflaps. Shakes off the fugue.
In the heres and nows, what he really needs is a right tasty noshing followed by a bit of sporty eightleggers. He stops and poops on the grass. Yes indeedy! Contemplating a sporting mood is actually putting him into a hot-bloodied sporting mood.
Get ready juicy butts, I’m a’coming he licks his whiskers and shakes his way into the park.
▪
”Going,goingtoChicago”
Sorry but I can’t take yuz…
Snifz of fresh fourlegs poop whacks Sparky up the snout. A foreign snifz he don’t recognise. Some fourlegs in Westley Piddle he ain’t bumped snoutz with! Worrisome. He starts tingling all over.
“goingdown,goingdownnow” KevLegs scritches before noticing Sparky, trembly all over “wot’s upmate?” squatting down, snout to snout “Sparkymate?youalright?”
KevLegs suddenly points with one handpaw “StarWarsdisplay,let’sgocheckitout”
There’s a stranger in the camp! Sparky raises muzzle and barks snifz yuz…Snifz yuz?
“maybe,I’llmeetPrincessLeia,haha”
Sparky looks up with big eyeballs, twitching his snout at an awful sniffy loneliness suddenly rising off KevLegs. He hopes KevLegs can snifz up his own female. Guaranteed to make packmommy happy. And a happy packmommy means plenty of happy food treats dropping under the table. Happily, guaranteed, forever!
The star Wars exhibition is crap, corss. Local toy store displaying some naff spin-off cac, not even original 70s trilogy stuff.
“complete,shite!” KevLegs dismisses it and wobbles away.
“pissoffthen,HarrisonFord” the hindlegs vendor scritches after him “gostickyerlightsaberup– ”
Shut it, yer sniffy git! Sparky tugs at his lead and growls, still tingling from that worrisome stranger and in no mood for additional ag.
“harrisonforddon’tusealightsaber,yerknob” KevLegs shakes his head, disbelievingly.
Some hindlegs got no culture Sparky agrees.
Trotting on.
Snifz yuz, Poppet
Snifz yuz, Sparky they bump snoutz.
Sparky stares at her with eyeballs of pure worship. All silver braids, sharp snout and glittery eyeballs. The fittest shield maiden in West Pid, no argument.
Getta load of that nosh she pants.
Yu in that dog intellectuals show, then? he asks, tingling more than ever.
Cors. All dog, all intellectuals, that’s me shaking her pretty earflaps.
Well…all dog, anyways Sparky wags his tail in a big smile.
Yor so funny Sparky, I just wish..
..I was bigger, stronger, furrier, and not a whippet?
Well, yeah
“that’sanEDS1275,init?” Stonks scritches in amazement, staring at KevLegs belly
“wot?” KevLegs mumbles, surprised that a female hindlegs has actually noticed his existence, ‘part from his mom.
“coolT-shirt”
Wotz she scritching about? Sparky looks up, equally surprised.
Forget it sighs Poppet she’ll eyeball any hindlegs with tackle
Tackle?
“comealongPoppet,” Stonks pulls Poppet away “wegotashowtowin”
Nice seeing yu Sparky
Me too – oh, and careful of that stranger?
Wot stranger?
Both fourlegs prod at the air.
That stranger.
Urh? Poppet lifts her snout higher and snifz harder hmm!
KevLegs can’t stop eyeballing his own belly. The first hindlegs female that’s ever talked to him without a shop counter in between.
Try not to fart, Kev
“Oh,youmeanthe…?” he starts to reply, recognition dawning, but she’s walking away, already history.
“comeonSparkymate,I’mhungry” he sullenly scritches.
That’s the spirit, mate! hauling KevLegs towards the nosh stalls kicking off with tandoori kebabs this end and noshing ‘it all the way down to Cornish pasties that end. Ripe plan?
Kev lets off a whooooosh of breaking news in agreement.
▪
Marriage Unarranged : Big Bargain
Hi Everyone it Ritu of butismileanyway’s Birthday on Thursday and she says the best thing you can do for her birthday is to give her book-baby sales a big boost!
The book, Marriage Unarranged, is on sale from now, until Thursday evening, on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
99c/99p.
A bargain!
Ritu says
It would be amazing if you could download your copy, and/or share this offer, so my book baby could get out into the world, even further!
That would be the best birthday present ever, to see my book rankings going up, even for a few days.
So get to it folks, I have already got mine, paperback and Kindle 💜💜
Song Lyric Sunday.August 30, 2020 – Cruel/Evil/Horrible/Monster/Wicked
This week Jim Adams our host for Song Lyric Sunday has given us what I think is a very hard prompt. August 30, 2020 – Cruel/Evil/Horrible/Monster/Wicked
My thoughts went to the song James Blunt wrote for his Dad. Monsters, this songs brings me to tears everytime I hear it.
James Blunt’s father Charles, himself a kidney donor, was diagnosed with stage four chronic kidney disease. Blunt wrote “Monsters” to “express his feelings about his father and his illness, almost as if it’s a touching farewell to his father”.In an interview with Good Morning Britain Blunt said,
Really that has been an amazing moment. Because when you realise your father’s mortality it’s a great opportunity to say the things I’d like to say to him. So I have written a song called Monsters for him.
In the same interview he made a plea for type O kidney donors to step forward. In January 2020 MSN reported Blunt’s father had been scheduled for a transplant.
The music video was filmed in Oxfordshire, UK, and it was directed by Vaughan Arnell.The music video features James Blunt, and his father Charles Blount.The vast majority part of the video focuses on James Blunt’s face as he sings the song and it later shows James sitting in a kitchen with his father.
James Hillier Blount (born 22 February 1974), better known as James Blunt, is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. A former reconnaissance officer in the Life Guards regiment of the British Army, he served under NATO during the 1999 Kosovo War. After separating from the military, he rose to fame in 2004 with the release of his debut album Back to Bedlam, achieving worldwide fame with the singles “You’re Beautiful” and “Goodbye My Lover“. Read more here.
I think illness, fear of losing loved ones is Cruel/Evil/Horrible/Monster/Wicked, so I picked Monsters by James Blunt. His dad did survive.
“Monsters”
Oh, before they turn off all the lights
I won’t read you your wrongs or your rights
The time has gone
I’ll tell you goodnight, close the door
Tell you I love you once more
The time has gone
So here it is
I’m not your son, you’re not my father
We’re just two grown men saying goodbye
No need to forgive, no need to forget
I know your mistakes and you know mine
And while you’re sleeping I’ll try to make you proud
So, Daddy, won’t you just close your eyes?
Don’t be afraid, it’s my turn
To chase the monsters away
Oh, well I’ll read a story to you
Only difference is this one is true
The time has gone
I folded your clothes on the chair
I hope you sleep well, don’t be scared
The time has gone
So here it is
I’m not your son, you’re not my father
We’re just two grown men saying goodbye
No need to forgive, no need to forget
I know your mistakes and you know mine
And while you’re sleeping I’ll try to make you proud
So, Daddy, won’t you just close your eyes?
Don’t be afraid, it’s my turn
To chase the monsters away
Sleep a lifetime
Yes, and breathe a last word
You can feel my hand on your arm
I will be the last one
So I’ll leave a light on
Let there be no darkness in your heart
But I’m not your son, you’re not my father
We’re just two grown men saying goodbye
No need to forgive, no need to forget
I know your mistakes and you know mine
And while you’re sleeping I’ll try to make you proud
So, Daddy, won’t you just close your eyes?
Don’t be afraid, it’s my turn
To chase the monsters away
*******
This year I have seen my hubby first be brave and visit his Mum in a Covid19 ward, help her Celebrate her 100th birthday and then a few weeks later, see him say goodbye to his Mum on a Zoom call that a kind young Dr facilitated on his own phone. I have been in and out of hospital since just after Mother in law died. I have had a cholecystectomy drain and bag. I am waiting for an operation to remove the drain, and my gall bladder. I know lot of people out there are in a worse state than I am but it’s not easy.
Please don’t tell me Covid19 dosen’t exist, that it’s not as bad as all that or that you don’t need a mask, it is and you do!
I can’t end this crying, I can’t be upset or upset anyone else, so just remember live kindly, love generously don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. This next James Blunt video explains this perfectly.
“Halfway”
Nobody drives to the middle of nowhere
Just to turn around, to turn around (Hey)
Nobody sleeps in the middle of the bed
When they got someone else, someone else (Hey)
And nobody walks up the stairway to heaven
Just to walk back down
‘Cause it’s there or it’s not, it’s heartbreak or it’s love
There’s no such thing as halfway
You’re in or outta luck, we made it or we lost
There’s no such thing as halfway (Hey)
Nobody’s searching for the middle of the rainbow
To find the gold, to find the gold (Hey)
Nobody sails to the middle of the ocean and calls it home
And calls it home (Hey)
And nobody stands in the middle of the dance floor
To dance alone
‘Cause it’s there or it’s not, it’s heartbreak of it’s love
There’s no such thing as halfway
You’re in or outta luck, we made it or we lost
There’s no such thing as halfway
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
Hey, yeah
(Hey)
So here we are in this halfway house
There’s no way in and there’s no way out
If you stay or if you go
I don’t care, just let me know
If you feel it, do you feel it?
‘Cause it’s there or it’s not, it’s heartbreak or it’s love
There’s no such thing as halfway
You’re in or outta luck, we made it or we lost
There’s no such thing as halfway
(Hey, yeah)
There’s no such thing as halfway
(Hey, yeah)
There’s no such thing as halfway
(Hey) lyrics from AtoZ
Happy Sunday to you I love you all because you have all helped me 💜💜💜😊
The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Aug. 29/2020
It’s Saturday and time for LindaGHill’s Stream of consciousness Saturday.
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “more than a hundred.” Write your post inspired by something you have more than a hundred of in your home right now. Enjoy!
There is a wardrobe in the spare room and the bottom of it is filled with photos. Weddings, holidays, parties, funerals, days out, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, friends, families , funerals, happy days and desparate days 💜
All life is here. An Acrostic Poem
Pleasing memories linger
Hopefully they multiply and evolve
One triggers this another that.
Time is caught in a feathered cap.
Onwards they march waking feelings as they
Go, swelling with captured love.
Repeating what has gone before
A silly face here a false smile
Placating hidden fears
Hoping against hope for better years
Sound not needed, silent pictures
USUAL MUTTWITS DONUTS – PART 5.
I knew it, and didn’t I say I knew it beforenows…and didn’t I say, beforenows, I told yuz so?
Mister Park is sitting before his shiny stainless-steel drinking bowl – ‘cept it ain’t so shiny no more. Puke-coloured scratch furs are everywhere. He eyeballs the hard evidence, eyeballs Profit&Loss and eyeballs Sherbet, wot sitting on the stairs, head deliberately turned away.
The bowl is whipped away, washed in the sink, and replaced brimming with cold clean water. Mister Park immediately slurps fast before any other nasty surprises.
“notsofast,Jindywindy” Loss scolds him “you’llmakeamess”
Me? slurp slurp slurp Mess?
Sherbet swivels its head and observes him between the bannisters. Waiting.
Stare, why don’t yu he barks yu guilty party, yu!
Continue Reading over at Usual Muttwits.
Ronovan Writes Décima Poetry Challenge Prompt No. 20 (SMILE) This week, it’s the C rhyme line.
A Decima
As sure as night follows the day.
Man is never infallible
Nature made sure he’s gullible
Humans will always go astray
There’ll be foibles and flaws at play
The Demons in hades all smile
As men make mistakes all the while.
The devil tallying his toll
Delighting in his crop of soul.
He’ll have them all, soon to defile.
For today’s Décima Ronovanwrite’s has asked us to rhyme the C lines with SMILE. I have also linked this week’s Haiku Challenge words DAY AND FLAW, to the décima.
What Zozo and Jools Say About International Dog Day.
Today is International Dog Day. If you love muttwits, why not do the following:
– Go for a long walk in a new place. Most dogs love exploring
new and interesting places with their best friend. …
– Bake a dog friendly treat. …
– Donate to your local animal shelter. …
– Tell your muttwit you love them.
And… if you haven’t got a muttwit then maybe it’s time to think about it seriously. Ain’t nothing better 
Love from all the muttwits in Westley Piddle! Go and Visit Them.
willowdot21 