“Terrific!”
This word
is rather heroic.
Rooted in
TERROR,
it’s far from bucolic.
It started out
living with
FEAR and DREAD,
but chose to be
BRAVE and HAPPY
instead!
The Journey of a Word
Image from Pixabay
In the Spanish town of Buñol, La Tomatina is a festival where the biggest and messiest FOOD FIGHT takes place on the last Wednesday of August when people throw tomatoes at each other. Have you got a funny or messy story about food to share? In Australia, August is recognised as POETRY MONTH. Can you combine the two somehow? If not, we’re still delighted to receive your poems on other topics!
Send your poetic inspirations to Linda Davidson:
Date prompts include:
Picture Prompt:
Artwork: STARING AT CLOUDS by Jenni Barrand
It’s a tick-tock clocka,
or that’s the word it used to be:
Let’s play the bells on the glockenspiel.
The bells would clang
for the missionary monks,
and the word travelled ’round
with its clocka sounds.
A clock is a clanger
that hangs in the steeple.
Later, cloak comes from clock,
like a bell-coat for people.
So, the word for bells pealing,
cloaks secrets, concealing
that clock is a contranym
– its very own antonym.
Image from Pixabay
Sir Cyril Street was the first Australian
to fly round the world upside down.
So famous was he that you can see
his name on signs all over town.
He was all the talk when he reached New York,
thousands of people came out to gawk.
He landed in Delhi in such a hurry,
his propellor sank into someone’s curry.
He narrowly missed the Eiffel Tower
and set Big Ben back by an hour.
He crossed the Arctic, his wheels in the air,
where polar bears came out to stare.
What a hero was this aviator
that his fame has still persisted,
though no one knows when he died
because he never really existed.
Image from pexels
Little square shapes and fancy, round twirls;
nestled in boxes with ribbons in swirls;
joined in arrays like crossword puzzles;
sprinkled with cocoa and formed into truffles;
rolled in nuts and melted on sticks;
soft, creamy centres with crunchy bits;
shaped into rabbits, koalas and frogs;
poured into moulds and rolled into logs.
Chocolate, oh chocolate, so delicious, so sweet!
Pull off the wrapper! Come on, let’s eat!
Image from Pexels
Some of our fauna have it right
They sleep all day and rise at night
Some are shy, others proud
Some are quiet, others loud
Learn to recognise the sound
It’s nice to know who is around.
Curlews chat, some night birds cry
Cattle low, and the bats whoosh by
Green frogs drop from hiding places
To commence their nighttime hopping races
The froggy chorus by the dam
Informs all their friends, “I am around.”
Tell the dogs no need to bustle
When hearing gentle thumps and leafy rustles
That’s the macropods up near the house
And a swooping owl catching a mouse.
WAIT the chooks are cackling – that’s not right!
A snake is sneaking in this night
I‘m racing there to get him out
“Not my chooks, you hungry lout!”
But soon the sky begins to lighten
Pull the blankets right up tighter
Bird chirps start to fill the dawning
It must be time to rise for morning.
Poem inspired by July poetry prompt from artwork titled, NIGHTSOUNDS by Amanda W Johnson
THE JOURNEY OF A WORD
Choose a word and find out where it came from and what it means. Some words have changed their meaning; some have added new meanings as time has passed. Can you explain this word and its journey of uses and meanings in a poem?
The wishing well was wonderful
A place to ponder peacefully
Where many dreams were dreamt
And wishes wished willingly.
Sammy stood steadily
By the wonderful wishing well
He hung his heavy head
Wished a wish which he wouldn’t tell
He quickly quietly walked away
Happy, hopeful it would come true
A wish he’d wished with confidence
A wish he had which wasn’t new
He now wondered whether
He should make his wish again
To be absolutely sure
His wish wasn’t made in vain
So he hung his heavy head
And wished his wish once more
With even more conviction
Than he’d wished his wish before
Now Sammy had only to wait
For his wonderful wish to come true
He felt happy, hopeful, contented
And patience would see him through.
Image from Pixabay
Deadly Dinosaurs Delving
Dangerous Dinosaurs Dazzling
Decorous Dinosaurs Drawing
Dandy Dinosaurs Dancing
Dehydrated Dinosaurs Drinking
Desperate Dinosaurs Digging
Dizzy Dinosaurs Digesting
Image from Pixabay
Holding the whole world in our hands,
hiding it from those thieves and thugs,
with hopeful hearts and heavenly help,
we’re giving the Earth a happy hug!
Poem inspired by June 2026 picture prompt from artwork by Melissa Varoy
