One-Liner Wednesday – Love and Compassion.

© willowdot21

“Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love and loyalty. They depart to teach us about loss. A new dog never replaces an old dog; it merely expands the heart. If you have loved many dogs, your heart is very big.”

Erica Jong.

THIS IS PART OF LINDAGHILL’S ONE LINER WEDNESDAY. .

#TankaTuesday #Poetry Challenge No. 264, 3/8/22 #Create Your Own Syllabic Form.

Welcome to Colleen’s Tuesday Tanka. This week Colleen said : “Create Your Own Syllabic Poetry Form & Teach Us How to Write the Form”

I thought about this and finally settled on a poem of two stanzas . Each stanza is of seven lines, each line is made up of seven syllables. The lines in the stanza do not rhyme but the lines in the first stanza do rhyme with corresponding line in the second stanza eg. First line stanza one rhymes with line one stanza two, second line stanza one rhymes with second line stanza two and so on . I have called my poem a Septex. This poem is about all the refugees all over the world past and present.

image from Pixabay

Refugees .

Gently falls the silent snow
Covering all the traces
Of the plight of the faceless
Hidden, easy to forget.
The refugee’s plight is plain
Unseen crushed under the boot
Of those who started this strife

Ceaseless they’ve no where to go.
Fear written on their faces
Children to their sides are pressed
Some bring their beloveded pets.
They look for rest, all in vein.
The bombs fall and soldiers loot
The remains of their once life.

The Eastern Winds.

This poem is in support of all those in the Ukraine and was inspired by Jane Dougherty’s poem, On Days of Wind . Please read Jane’s poem. I have borrowed the painting Jane used which is a painting by Franz Marc, killed at Verdun in 1916.

The washing hangs abandoned
In the Ukraine, blooded and singed
Cowering not from the wind but from the bombs .
It is tethered to a line, an invisible line
Everyone has forgotten and it stays Abandoned in the cold wind and snow.

It’s a symbol of the people
Made refugee
Hanging between life and death
Bombarded by those with no conscience
Empty promises of safe passage
Hanging on the invisible line
We must not dessert them.

© willowdot21

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The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Feb. 26, 2022

It’s Saturday again and time for Linda to give us our prompt for SoCs, she says: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “rest.” Use it any way you like. Enjoy!

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As I sit here in my quiet kitchen, in my quiet house in a quiet road pondering what’s happening in Europe. I didn’t get much rest last night but at least I have my own roof over my head and there are no Russian tanks or bombs or troops out side my door. Unlike the people of Ukraine who have had no rest or quiet since Putin decided to invade.

I, like the rest of world hold my breath as we appear to be on the edge of war. Putin waited his moment, he waited until the China Winter Olympics were over to invade, his troops had been on “manoeuvres” on the Russian/Ukraine boarders.

It all came home to me the other day when our eldest son rang me, his first words were, “Hi Mum, I went to bed normally and woke up to war” I agreed with him this is a serious situation.

Personally I thought we had put the dogs of war to rest but in all honesty the ghosts of war never rest. They lie in wait for a mad, bad, evil, dictator and then they slip their leash. Sadly another, who we have known of for years finally crossed the line and crossed the boarders.

Hidden in basements, underground carpark and train stations with their children, dogs and cats, forced out of their homes…no rest for them. Quques of people walking and driving to cross the boarders of their home country no rest for them. Quques of men young and old and in-between waiting to sign up to defend their country. Many of these men have never seen or had any training for war many will holding a weapon for the first time. No rest to for them.

I cannot rest watching videos of the people of the Ukraine telling us their stories and asking why they have received no help or support, no troops from NATO or the U.S. coming to their aid. I do understand that any movement to assist the Ukraine will be the excuse Putin wants to declare war on the rest of us.

So many times throughout history this has happened not least in Europe but all over the world. ‘It only takes a few good men to do nothing for evil to prevail ‘ a slight miss quote on what Edmund Burke said but it is true.

I shall rest my case here and though I try not to mention political subjects but my conscience will not let me rest.

Badge by Shelley Krupa..

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCSS Dec. 25/26, 2021. YUM.

Badge by Shelley Krupa.

Oh by gum
Christmas has come
So much to eat
It’s all such a treat.
Christmas dinner is so yum
So wonderful to see
All our loved ones round the tree.
I am wishing everyone a lovely day
With yummy love all our blues are blown away 💜💜

© willowdot21

© willowdot21

This is part of LindaGHill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday.

Give a little piece of your love

Christmas comes but once a year but it never comes alone. Fear, pain and suffering often tag along.

We do need to spare a thought for those less better off than ourselves. The poor, the abused and the homeless, the stateless refugee.

Sadly there have been three terrible child abuse cases lately in the UK. Children abused and killed by parents and now two sets of twins aged 3 and 4 years burned to death in a house where they were home alone. These are the cases that have made the news there are many many more we will never know of.

Okay we can’t change the world over night but we must spare a thought for everyone we can help with our time, gifts or money.

Crisis at Christmas.

NSPCC.

Help the Refugees.

RSPCA.

There are many more charities you can choose from.

I truly hope you have a wonderful Christmas filled with joy, health and peace especially in these covid times.

I LOVE YOU ALL

Ronovan Writes Décima Poetry Challenge Prompt No. 87 (SIGH) in the C rhyme line.

Ronovanwrite’s

THIS IS PART OF RONOVANWRITE’S WEEKLY DÉCIMA CHALLENGE.

Image from here

HOMELESS DÉCIMA

Winter’s chill nips badly shod feet
Cold wind burns cheeks and makes them glow
That cough worsens, makes concerns grow
A gift of hot coffee, so sweet
Not often an angel you meet.
You see them on the street and sigh
Their life stories will make you cry.
Spare a thought for them just reach out.
You could really help them no doubt.
Share Christmas cheer around, please try.

Ronovan Writes Décima Poetry Challenge Prompt No. 86: (RICH) in the B rhyme line.

image from Pixabay.

Charity

Seasons greetings to one and all.
A cup of cheer and food that is rich.
It Christmastide so throw the switch.
Celebrate go on have a ball
Sod those who have nothing at all.
Homeless people on the cold street
Spare them a thought give them a treat
Charity may begin at home
They need our help out there alone.
Help them, it’s not such a great feat.

This is part of Ronovanwrite’s Weekly Décima Challenge.

Image from here

I do  not  know  who  this  man is but  I have used his  face more  than once when  writing  about  compassion. There  is  something  in his  eyes that  reach out  telling  his  story pain, grief  rejection it is  all there!

I used  his  face  last  at Christmas while I was  talking  about  Crisis at Christmas .  Crisis is  the National Charity  for single  hopeless people. They  are dedicated  to  helping  people  and  giving  them a chane  to change  their life’s for the better, to give  them hope.

The  Charity  works  all year  round of  course  but  they  also do  Crisis at Christmas.  Volunteers spend a  fortnight  cooking, providing  a  warm place  to stay  for those  lost and lonely people. They  give  them new  clothes, a  hair cut   and  also help  them  to change  their  lives if  they  want  to. They  help  with  finding somewhere  to live  or a job  interview .

They  show  real  compassion  they  help  and  they are unpaid and  they  really  make  a  difference.

Ronovan Writes Décima Poetry Challenge Prompt No. 85: (STUFF(ed)) in the A rhyme line.

I am a week late with this one .

Photo by King Cyrus Studios on Pexels.com..

We are stuffed

This world has truly had enough
There’s no coming back from the edge.
We’re gone too far out on the ledge.
The rich just take and hoard their stuff
The rest of us just take the rough.
Where is the kindness, where’s the care
Rich live off the poor, that’s not fair.
Earth is tired of us parasites
Rich or poor to her we’re just mites.
Injustice just too much to bear.

THIS IS PART OF RONOVANWRITE’S WEEKLY DÉCIMA CHALLENGE.

Song Lyric Sunday:What’s in Traffic?

Sunday is upon us again and it time Jim Adams to host Song Lyric Sunday. Today July 25 the prompt is – Automobile, Car, Jalopy, Vehicle suggested by Melanie B Cee of sparksfromacombustiblemind.

So I thought what shall I choose there are so many great tunes out there. I was taken back to 1979. We had escaped from Exmouth in Devon, we had not quite made it back home to London but we were back in the hub. Life with two out of what would end up as three boys was not so hard. I always had my music. Gary Newman , part of the new wave was right up my street. I didn’t drive in those days, I had to walk everywhere! This song was actually released on our eighth wedding anniversary!

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“Cars” is the debut solo single by English musician Gary Numan. It was released on 21 August 1979 and is from his debut studio album, The Pleasure Principle. The song reached the top of the charts in several countries, and today is considered a new wave staple.

The song was the first release credited solely to Gary Numan after he dropped the band name Tubeway Army, under which name he had released four singles and two LPs, including the number one UK hit “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?“, and its parent album, Replicas. Musically, the new song was somewhat lighter and more pop-oriented than its predecessors, Numan later conceding that he had chart success in mind: “This was the first time I had written a song with the intention of ‘maybe it could be a hit single’; I was writing this before ‘Are “Friends” Electric?’ happened.” He has since described “Cars” as “a pretty average song”.

In the UK charts, it reached number 1 in 1979, and in 1980 hit number 1 in Canada two weeks running on the RPM national singles chart  ^{(29 weeks in the top 100). It was his only single to}chart there. It rose to #4 on the US Cash Box Top 100 and #9 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Though Numan had a string of hits in the UK, “Cars” was his only song in the American Pop charts.

information from Wiki.

Here in my car
I feel safest of all
I can lock all my doors
It’s the only way to live in carsHere in my car
I can only receive
I can listen to you
It keeps me stable for days in carsHere in my car
Where the image breaks down
Will you visit me please
If I open my door in carsHere in my car
I know I’ve started to think
About leaving tonight
Although nothing seems right in carsSource: Musixmatch.

*****

Jalopy was a harder until in the back of my mind I remembered this Connie Frances song Hollywood. I was very young but I had older brothers and sisters and music was always playing in our house.

Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, former actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw. Information from Wikipedia

Whose jalopy is covered with junk
But don’t have any money for lunch?
It’s Hollywood, it’s HollywoodWho’s the local star
With the big, fine car?
It’s HollywoodWho wears the shady glasses after dark?
Who tries to talk the little girlie’s into parking?
It’s Hollywood, HollywoodWho’s the local yokel with
The horn rimmed bifocals?
It’s Hollywood
Go, go, goWho else would hold a cigarette like that?
Who else would wear a little Frenchy’s hat?
No one but Hollywood, HollywoodWho thinks he’s been around
But ain’t never been out of town?
It’s HollywoodI’ll give you just one little guess
At who old Hollywood’s trying to impress
You’re right, it’s Hollywood, HollywoodWho’s that farmer
Who think he’s a charmer?
It’s HollywoodYeah, it’s Hollywood all right
Here Hollywood, here’s a quarter
Go buy yourself some, ah, continental pants
Ascot, cigarette holder etc, etcSource: MusixmatchSongwriters: John D. Loudermilk.

*****

In the same year as the Gary Newman Track I heard Automobile by John Prime. It really could not of been any more different. The album Pink Cadillac blew my mind ..

John Edward Prine (October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American country folk singer-songwriter. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death, and was known for an often humorous style of original music that has elements of protest and social commentary.

Born and raised in Maywood, Illinois, Prine learned to play the guitar at the age of 14. He attended classes at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music. After serving in West Germany with the U.S. Army, he returned to Chicago in the late 1960s, where he worked as a mailman, writing and singing songs first as a hobby, and then becoming a club performer.

A member of Chicago’s folk revival, Prine credited film critic Roger Ebert and singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson with discovering him, resulting in the production of Prine’s eponymous debut album with Atlantic Records in 1971. The acclaim earned by this LP led Prine to focus on his musical career, and he recorded three more albums for Atlantic. He then signed with Asylum Records, where he recorded an additional three albums. In 1981, he co-founded Oh Boy Records, an independent record label with which he would release most of his subsequent albums.

Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for humorous lyrics about love, life, and current events, as well as serious songs with social commentary and songs that recollect melancholy tales from his life. In 2020, he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Information from Wikipedia

February morning my car won’t start today
I turned the key at 8: 03
And the battery passed away
Inside a’ my automobileI want my automobile
I want my automobile
I want to drive it
All around this worldBride’s gettin’ married in the springtime
Widow’s gettin’ married in the fall
I got married in high school
Or I wouldn’t of got married at allI’d be drivin’ my automobile
Be drivin’ my automobile
Be drivin’ my automobile
I wanna drive it all around this worldEverybody said to the new groom
Groom, what ya gonna be
I said, I’m gonna be a symphony
Just as soon as I find a keyTo my automobile
I want my automobile
I want my automobile
All around this worldLet’s take a rideColumbus sailed the ocean
Moses parted the sea
Dolores left me yesterday
Well, I think she took the keyTo my automobile
I want my automobile
I want my automobile
Wanna drive it all around this worldNow, I held a little bitty baby
I held a woman all night
Whenever I get the hiccups
I hold my breath ’til my head gets lightThen, I drive my automobile
Yeah, I drive my automobile
I drive my automobile
I’m want to drive it all around this worldFebruary morning, my car won’t start today
Yeah, I turned the key at 8: 03
And the battery passed away
Inside a’ my automobileI’m drivin’ my automobile
Wanna my automobile
Wanna drive it all around this world
Go onIt is a beautiful day for a ride
Hey, get your head down I can’t see anything
Someone give me a cigarette
I don’t want to take my hands off the wheelWe ought to take the air filter off this sucker
So we can see what it will really do
Uh oh, it looks to me like a hospital zone
Everybody get quiet, shhDon’t wake the dead up
We’re almost out, hang on, uh, oh here we go
Well, you can just hold it until we get to the next townSource: Musixmatch.

Finally as I go here is Tracy Chapman with Fast Car for no other reason than I love it soooo much.

Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her hits “Fast Car” and “Give Me One Reason“, along with other singles “Talkin’ ’bout a Revolution“, “Baby Can I Hold You“, and “Crossroads“. She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award–winning artist.

Chapman was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she released her debut album, Tracy Chapman, which became a worldwide success. The album earned Chapman six Grammy Award nominations, including Album of the Year, three of which she won: Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her single “Fast Car”, and Best Contemporary Folk Album. Chapman released her second album, Crossroads, the following year, which garnered her an additional Grammy nomination.

Since then, Chapman has experienced further success with six more studio albums, which include her multi-platinum fourth album, New Beginning, for which she won a fourth Grammy Award, for Best Rock Song, for its lead single “Give Me One Reason”. Chapman’s most recent album is Our Bright Future, released in 2008.

According to Metro Weekly critic Chris Gerard, “Fast Car” tells a grittily realistic story of a working poor woman trying to escape the cycle of poverty, set to folk rock music.The song’s arrangement was described by Orlando Sentinel writer Thom Duffy as “subtle folk-rock”,while Billboard magazine’s Gary Trust deemed the record a “folk/pop” song.Dave Marsh said it was perhaps an “optimistic folk-rock narrative”, whose characters are in a homeless shelter. Information from Wikipedia

Happy Sunday EVERYONE.💜💜💜