The Forest Of My Mind

 

Forest by Sebastian Unrau on Unsplash

Click to enlarge

the

forest

of my mind

contains terrors

lurking in shadow

to rip the life from me

with sharp fangs and shredding claws

eyes burning like fire mocking me

strangled cry as my throat is ripped open

still-beating heart torn from my broken breast

A welcoming forest bathed in sunlight

sounds of happy creatures fill the air

nature rules this magical realm

hopeful thoughts blow on the breeze

I forget my troubles

basking in the warmth

feeling blessed

on this day

in this

life

notes

https://experiencewriting.com/2023/10/27/oct-27-prompts-deep-in-the-forest/

For today’s poem you have two options, either start with a very broad view and zoom in through the poem to very specific details, OR start with very specific details and zoom out to a very broad view.

(I did both.)

This poem might be fun as an Etheree.

(I did that.)

http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/etheree.html

I applied text art and effects to the base image using Pixlr. You're welcome to share the result, but please credit Cara Hartley/Ornery Owl if you do. A link back to this blog would also be appreciated. 

Yes, this post is backdated. 

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

Image by Anja from Pixabay

Sharing with

http://myjustsostory.blogspot.com

Silent Like Spiders

 

Spiderweb by Jason Gardner on Unsplash

fear is noiseless

waiting in darkness patient

silent like spiders

notes

https://experiencewriting.com/2023/10/22/oct-22-prompts-creepy-crawlies/

Today's prompt was about spiders and invited participants to either write a response to one of the provided poems or use the Golden Shovel form. I picked up my Golden Shovel.

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/golden-shovel-poetic-form

Take a line (or lines) from a poem you admire.

Use each word in the line (or lines) as an end word in your poem.

Keep the end words in order.

Give credit to the poet who originally wrote the line (or lines).

The new poem does not have to be about the same subject as the poem that offers the end words.

I kept it simple and selected the first line of A Noiseless Patient Spider by Walt Whitman. I dropped the "a" and wrote a Senryu, which I then turned into a Haiga using Pixlr to add text art and effects to the base image. You are welcome to share said Senryu/Haiga, but if you do, please credit Cara Hartley/Ornery Owl. A link back to this blog would also be appreciated.

Yes, the post is backdated. I finally finished my contentious story for the First Coast Romance Writers winter anthology. Why not check it out and perhaps pre-order a copy? Proceeds benefit the First Coast Romance Writers, an independent non-profit organization helping writers hone their craft and expand their knowledge of the publishing industry.

https://books2read.com/b/baqw6y

~Ornery Owl Ain't Afraid Of No Steenkin' Spiders~

Image by Eva Schmidseder from Pixabay

"Dropping on my head would not be a good idea, Spider. Just sayin'."

Driving In Fog

Base image by Katie Mourn on Unsplash

driving into fog

claustrophobic, frightening

life's that way sometimes

notes

https://experiencewriting.com/2023/10/20/oct-20-prompts-in-a-thick-fog/

Write a poem about a time you’ve been lost or felt lost.

I interpreted the prompt more literally. I created a Haiga about fog and compared it to life.

I hate driving in fog. It terrifies me. I've noped out of driving in fog more than once.

I don't understand the love some poets have for spoken word prompts. There is a 99.9% likelihood that I won't do them. I think I have done exactly one spoken word poem on this blog in the ten years since I started it, and that one was at my own behest. If other people suggest such a thing, I'll dig in my heels. I really don't like the sound of my own voice.

I had a bad time with my vocal cord dysfunction last night. Most of the time the exercises to stop the laryngospasms work. Sometimes they don't. Last night was one of those nights. It was one of the rare occasions when I thought about taking the lone Valium I have left over from my dental appointment. I didn't do it, though.

I also wonder why society thinks anyone over the age of fifty should just give up on life if they haven't yet achieved what society would deem "success." What the hell are we supposed to do, curl up in front of the TV and watch game shows, infotainment, and soap operas till we croak? I'd rather keep writing even if everyone else thinks my stories are shit.

A favorite quote:

I'd rather fail with my own shit than succeed with someone else's. --Eddie Van Halen

Oh yeah, I added text and special effects to the base image using Pixlr. You're welcome to share the resulting Haiga, but please credit Cara Hartley/Ornery Owl if you do.

~Ornery Owl Has Spoken~

Image by christinecuisiniez from Pixabay

As an owlet, Ornery Owl didn't fear no steenkin' fog.

Then again, the contrary little cuss never had to drive in the soup.

https://odysee.com/@GamingAmbience:6/mass-effect-le-uncharted-world-chohe:3?r=GTwnGJ4fFBQfzuJgpHVpfKBKaC9b8B16

In the Dark

 

Image by G Lopez from Pixabay

I have never been able to sleep

In a completely darkened room

I feel surrounded by death

Like I am in a tomb

Facing my worst fear

One I can't see

Waiting here

In the

Dark

notes

Prompt used:

https://experiencewriting.com/2023/10/09/oct-9-prompts-seeing-in-the-dark/

Form:

Nonet

http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/nonet.html

Image by Kevin Sanderson from Pixabay

One of the things I love about the Ornery Owl persona is that she's fearless. 

The other is the fact that she gives no fucks about other people's opinions.