SO HEY… WHAT’S YOUR PROMPT? – PROMPT #94

WHAT'S YOUR SIGN?
WHAT’S YOUR SIGN?

One of the cheesiest “ice breakers” ever, centered around people’s then obsession with astrology. People really didn’t care what your “sign” was, but it seemed a universal interest; a common ground to explore.

So, what IS your sign? If you’re uncertain, use the chart above. That becomes your “prompt” upon which to base your writings.

Say you’re an Aquarius (as I am), you can write about water, the Age of Aquarius, the Summer of Love… anything that you can tie to the sign is fair game. Cancer is the crab, so seafood, miserable people, the disease could all be topics. Pisces can lap over into the water aspects, or fish,… Gemini (the twins) could be literal, or about two diametrically opposed people or things, a good/bad, yin/yang… you get the idea.

Get your head out of the stars and write your poems.

Anything will be a good sign!

MARIE ELENA’S SIGN:

Uh-oh, Scorpio!

Scorpio’s my sign,
And I don’t mean to whine,
But I found just one trait
To which I can relate.
Observant? This is laughable.
Detached? No, I’m quite affable.
Front-runner?  Thanks, but that’s not me.
Ambitious? Little energy.
Power, strength, strong will, and passion?
Most of these in minor ration.
Secretive?  Mysterious?
Oh please – you can’t be serious.
But then they mentioned “loyalty,”
The only trait depicting me.
 
© Copyright Marie Elena Good – 2013
 

WALT’S RISING STAR:

A BETTER MAN

When push comes to shove

you’re a cut above the rest.

The best man for the job,

you carry the water for the

rest of us slobs. You may talk

of gin and beer, but it is very clear,

the verdict is in. By the God that made you,

you’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din!

© Copyright Walter J. Wojtanik 2013

*****

Monday will feature another installment of our MEMOIR CHAPBOOK PROJECT. The featured title will be: “I Hope I Have Learned Something” by Linda Swenski

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Responses

  1. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
    Erin Kay Hope

    Good job, guys! You have written terrific poems on what (IMHO) appears to be a difficult subject! Why does my sign have to look like the Toyota emblem? That’s all I can think of now…

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Ha, ha, ha…

    2. Sharp Little Pencil Avatar
      Sharp Little Pencil

      Walt, I had to laugh at the lines from Gunga Din, because I got sent to the principal’s office in third grade over it. Teacher asked us for a poem read aloud, and my dad was a huge Kipling fan. Never got very far into it (and I did a good Brit accent)… really wanted to recite, “So I’ll meet him later on/ In the place where he has gone/ Where there’s always double drill and no canteen,” etc. A swig in Hell, hee hee hee. Boy, was she mad!

      Marie Elena, y’all are right about the horoscope being a cheesy pickup line, but back in the 70s, it was all the rage. But back then, if you were a hippie, you also had to know your moon, etc. Thanks for a laugh! Amy

      1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
        Poetic Bloomings

        🙂 Loving it Amy!

        1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
          Poetic Bloomings

          Said Walt with a laugh in his voice!

  2. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
    Erin Kay Hope

    Taurus (a Renga)

    The bull is peaceful,
    Quietly munching away,
    Contented, happy.

    Until suddenly, something
    (Or someone) irritates it;

    No more the happy,
    Restful creature; everything’s
    Not as it was planned!

    And so it puts its horns down,
    Charging the poor offender,

    Anger in its eyes,
    Without second thought,
    Ooh what a temper!

    I’m so akin to this bull,
    It’s really embarrassing.

    I want what I want
    When I want it, things have
    To go as I planned,

    Or else my quick temper flares,
    And woe to that offender!

    It’s hard for me to
    Forgive, or even
    Repent, really hard;

    That’s why I have friends, I guess,
    That’s why I need loyal friends.

    1. Mary Mansfield Avatar
      Mary Mansfield

      Very nice, Erin! From one bull to another, I can completely relate to this 🙂

      1. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
        Erin Kay Hope

        Thank you, my fellow Taurus! I guess that’s one thing “they” got right about us Taurus’. A lot of the other ones are way off… 😉

    2. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Thanks for starting us out with this meaningful Renga, Erin!

      Marie Elena

      1. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
        Erin Kay Hope

        You’re welcome! Glad you liked it. ❤

    3. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      OM Gee… my husband was a Taurus, with HEAVY Scorpio influences… Thank you for this, Erin!

      1. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
        Erin Kay Hope

        Thank YOU for liking it!

    4. k8e314 Avatar
      k8e314

      I love the way the last two lines round it out, Erin. Nice!

    5. janeshlensky Avatar
      janeshlensky

      I just read Katie and ditto that. Nice work, Erin.

      1. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
        Erin Kay Hope

        Thank you, Kate and Jane!

    6. Michelle Hed Avatar
      Michelle Hed

      This was excellent Erin, the ending lines were great!

      1. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
        Erin Kay Hope

        Thanks, Michelle! They’re definitely very true for me.

    7. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      Good one, Erin. Yep, Taurus has his moments and sometimes influences those not of his pasture.

      1. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
        Erin Kay Hope

        Very true. Thanks, Claudsy!!

        1. claudsy Avatar
          claudsy

          You’re welcome, Erin.

  3. vivinfrance Avatar
    vivinfrance

    Phew! Those were all interesting. This will take a little thought – may be back later.

  4. Linda Swenski Avatar
    Linda Swenski

    LIBRA

    The scales of justice weigh on my mind.
    I can’t see the fairness I so hoped to find.
    I’m bursting with anger
    I cry with despair
    when faced with injustice I see everywhere.

    The courts and the politics drive me insane.
    I feel the rage building inside my brain.
    I know no one’s perfect,
    I see it’s not fair,
    But certain improvements could help us get there.

    Because of the fighting, the balance is lost.
    Good people suffer to cover the cost.
    Don’t others see it?
    Don’t people care?
    The weight of injustice is too much to bear.

    I wish someone told me a long time ago
    that the rules I grew up with were only for show.
    Commandments aren’t honored,
    laws and rules made of air.
    Its just unacceptable. Life isn’t fair.

    I wish I was Gemini, Leo, or Aries,
    Cancer, or Virgo with all that it carries.
    But I am a Libra
    so the scales I wear
    insure that I’ll campaign to make things more fair.

    1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Bravo! Well written, Linda!

      Marie Elena

    2. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
      Erin Kay Hope

      Oh well done, Linda!! Keep campaigning! 😉

      1. k8e314 Avatar
        k8e314

        Yes, we’ll never make it without you Libras!

    3. janeshlensky Avatar
      janeshlensky

      Another Libra sister! A good message, Linda, that life isn’t fair, but it COULD be…

    4. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      And we so need you lovely Libras!!

    5. Michelle Hed Avatar
      Michelle Hed

      This was wonderfully written Linda. Love the rhyming. 🙂

    6. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      Wonderful work, Linda. Loved it.

  5. connielpeters Avatar
    connielpeters

    Scorpio! Me?

    O, October, beautiful October
    with sunshine
    and silky clouds
    in a pale blue sky.

    And the colors!
    The oranges, golds,
    purplish-reds
    exhilarating the soul.

    The earthy air
    The cool breeze
    The full moon at night
    The crisp mornings

    O, October, how did you ever
    get associated with a scorpion,
    one of God’s ugliest,
    most frightening creatures?

    Scorpions, they say,
    would rather kill themselves
    than be killed (like Hitler?)
    And want life on their own terms (like cats?)

    Passionate, determined and powerful!
    Or is that moody, stubborn and manipulative?
    Let me be rather associated with a deer
    Big brown eyes, gentle, graceful.

    1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Hear, hear! I’m with you, Connie, and if you are a Scorpio also, well … obviously “they” got it all wrong. 😉

      Good stuff. 😉

      Marie Elena

    2. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
      Erin Kay Hope

      Nice one, Connie!!

    3. k8e314 Avatar
      k8e314

      Another non-scorpio! We’ll have to rewrite the descriptions, eh? We’ll start with deer-like and graceful…

    4. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      That last stanza!!!

    5. Michelle Hed Avatar
      Michelle Hed

      Good one Connie! 🙂

    6. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      You have lovely lines here, Connie. Don’t you ever wonder why Deer was never cast in the form of such a sign?

  6. whimsygizmo Avatar
    whimsygizmo

    Cusp

    She is
    caught between fire
    and earth,
    arched beast and
    sea goat. Warrior
    wallflower on
    cloven-hooved feet,
    she sings,
    slings one last arrow
    into her own
    beating
    bleating
    heart.

    .

    1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      No surprise that this piece is creative, well-titled, and punchy. Luuuuv me some De!!

      Marie Elena

    2. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
      Erin Kay Hope

      This is beautiful, and well written, but which one are you?

      1. whimsygizmo Avatar
        whimsygizmo

        I am BOTH, Erin. Sagittarius on the cusp of Capricorn. 😉

        1. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
          Erin Kay Hope

          Oh…right. Haha, thanks! 😉

    3. k8e314 Avatar
      k8e314

      Oh, nice. “… into her own /beating /bleating /heart.”

      1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        Yes

    4. janeshlensky Avatar
      janeshlensky

      Man, you’re good, De. Love it.

    5. Michelle Hed Avatar
      Michelle Hed

      Nice one De. Says so much with just a few words.

    6. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      Marvelous, De. Thoroughly enjoyable. Sea goat?

  7. Cusp | Whimsygizmo's Blog Avatar
    Cusp | Whimsygizmo's Blog

    […] your sign? These are mine. Head over to Poetic Bloomings to play write […]

  8. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
    Henrietta Choplin

    Oh boy… 🙂 !!

  9. Michelle Hed Avatar
    Michelle Hed

    Artistic Aquarian

    I create
    words with a message
    and paintings with a vision
    and photographs with a memory.

    I share
    what I create in hopes
    of inspiring thoughts,
    laughter, and feelings.

    I love
    what I do,
    who I have become
    and being surround by family and friends.

    I need
    nature in all her glory,
    quiet time with just me
    and my lingering memories

    I want
    to love and be loved
    to leave a better world for my children
    and chocolate cake.

    I am
    an Aquarian.

    1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      You make me want to be an Aquarian too, Michelle! 😀

      Marie Elena

    2. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
      Erin Kay Hope

      I love this, Michelle! How creative…

    3. k8e314 Avatar
      k8e314

      And chocolate cake! Perfect.

    4. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Beautiful!

      1. Michelle Hed Avatar
        Michelle Hed

        Thank you everyone! Yep, just made the chocolate cake today – my birthday is on Wednesday but my Stepfather’s is tomorrow. So I’m bringing him half my cake. 🙂

        1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
          Henrietta Choplin

          Happy Birthday!! And enjoy that Yummy cake!!! 🙂 !

    5. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      And such fantastic categories, too. You list them well, Michelle, and pull us all in. Great poem.

  10. janeshlensky Avatar
    janeshlensky

    Scales

    When I was young those scales suggested
    justice, fairness manifested,
    my mind opposing bullying hogs
    in defense of the underdogs.

    As I middle-aged into crazy busy,
    balance beckoned me, not tizzy
    of work and family and play,
    and grabbing at counter-weights held rest at bay.

    Those scales connote strict weights and measures
    on one side woes, on t’other pleasures,
    but lately when I try to balance weight
    I’m too aware of what I ate

    and how long it will take to shed it,
    pay all my debts, dispense with credit.
    And though some traits of Libra-born
    in my case are forever shorn,

    I still have dear fellows who hope I’ll defend them
    against all aggressors whose aims are to end them
    and though I am weary and long to relax
    I still feel compelled to lift weights from their backs.

    I like to think that I am helpful and fair,
    creative and easy, low-key and aware,
    a true friend, a learner, a fun-loving zebra,
    my black and white balanced, a tropical Libra.

    1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Nicely penned, Jane, as always!

      Marie Elena

    2. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
      Erin Kay Hope

      Wonderfully written!

    3. k8e314 Avatar
      k8e314

      Yes, especially that last stanza… zebra, indeed!

    4. alabamatarheel Avatar
      alabamatarheel

      Well done, my “almost birthday twin”

    5. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Wonderful, Jane!!

    6. Michelle Hed Avatar
      Michelle Hed

      Excellent Jane! Love the last stanza! 🙂

      1. janeshlensky Avatar
        janeshlensky

        Thanks, friends. These were so fun to read this week.

    7. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      Beautiful, Jane. It reads almost as a song.

  11. RJ Clarken Avatar
    RJ Clarken

    Age of Aquarius

    When one thinks of Aquarius,
    that charming water bearer sign,
    one knows we’re quite hard to define:
    ‘though like a Stradivarius,

    we’re elegant. Precarious.
    Mercurial. We’re like fine wine.
    That charming water bearer sign!
    When one thinks of Aquarius:

    hilarious/gregarious…
    just two more adjectives. Combine
    with wit and wonder. Bottom line?
    Our list goes on: it’s various
    when one thinks of Aquarius.

    ###

    1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Oh now, see? I DO want to be an Aquarian. 😉

      Marie Elena

      1. RJ Clarken Avatar
        RJ Clarken

    2. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
      Erin Kay Hope

      I would LOVE to be an Aquarian! This is a great poem, RJ!

    3. k8e314 Avatar
      k8e314

      I am in awe of a poet who can rhyme Aquarius, precarious, and gregarious, hilarious, various and… Stradivarius! AND make it all make sense. Bravo.

      1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
        Poetic Bloomings

        Yep! Get used to it, Kate … that’s our RJ!! 😀

        Marie Elena

      2. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        !! 🙂

    4. janeshlensky Avatar
      janeshlensky

      Love it, RJ. Your rhymes!

    5. Michelle Hed Avatar
      Michelle Hed

      Love this RJ! Made me smile. 🙂

    6. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      RJ, I’ve know many Aquarians and they are all of these things and more. Good work.

  12. David Avatar
    David

    Sagittarius

    By David De Jong
    February 10, 2013

    Astrology, just what it entails
    My brain can’t capture, it simply fails
    To place my stock in planets and stars
    Tis no different, than say “I’m from Mars”
    Even my dog optimistic, kind at least
    Times its odd, who’s more the beast
    As that beast, called man’s best friend
    Pray find me positive, loyal to the end

    Adventure allures and faith ensures
    Equestrian strength wholly endures
    To have the horse within my grasp
    Is finer than gold within my clasp
    Purpose from life a main bequest
    Captured within a heart beaten chest
    Arrows to the heavens a lofty goal
    In His deliverance retrieve my soul

    1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Thank you for this, David. My hardiest (and heartiest) AMEN. Well written truth here.

      Marie Elena

    2. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
      Erin Kay Hope

      I love your first four lines! I can totally relate! Well done, David.

    3. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      “… To have a horse within my grasp…” !!

    4. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      I’m with Marie on this one, David. Lovely.

  13. iaindouglaskemp Avatar
    iaindouglaskemp

    The Sign of the Rug (Taurus)

    Stubborn and sensitive
    easily hurt
    letting people walk all over me
    time after time
    after time

    Loyal and loving
    easily hurt
    watching people let me down
    time after time
    after time

    Remembering and resenting
    never forgiving
    being disappointed by friend and foe
    time after time
    after time

    Simmering and steaming
    deep down inside
    until the pressure valve blows
    time after time
    after time

    Starting and quitting
    intentions of gold
    melting into regrets of cold stone
    time after time
    after time

    Hoping and dreaming
    new dawns awake
    burgeoning with glistening promise
    time after time
    after time

    Stubborn and steadfast
    stuck in my ways
    the sleeping bull best left in peace
    time after time
    after time

    (Mixing a Taurus into a red-headed Celt is a dangerous recipe)

    Iain

    1. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
      Erin Kay Hope

      I know what you mean about being easily hurt! I’m always wishing I wasn’t so sensitive or such a crybaby. And “starting and quitting/intentions of gold…” That’s so true!!!

      1. iaindouglaskemp Avatar
        iaindouglaskemp

        Indeed 🙂

    2. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Good one, Iain! (From the 1/2 Italian – 1/2 Irish Scorpio. Be afraid. Be very afraid, lol!)

      Marie Elena

    3. alabamatarheel Avatar
      alabamatarheel

      Oh yes, Iain, I almost forgot you and my husband share a birthday. He’s missing not only the red hair, but the hair of any shade at all these days!

    4. Sharp Little Pencil Avatar
      Sharp Little Pencil

      The “rug,” the welcome mat on one’s forehead, yeah, Iain, I get that. I’m an Irish Virgo, so who the hell could figure I was a doormat for years, too?? So glad to read you again, friend. AMy

      Dive Right In

    5. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      That last stanza… Yep!!

    6. iaindouglaskemp Avatar
      iaindouglaskemp

      Thank you all 🙂

    7. Michelle Hed Avatar
      Michelle Hed

      Love it Iain.

    8. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      Iain, you’re not alone, and sometimes a sign has little to do with it. You’ve expressed the situation many face and never get shed of.

    9. Iain Douglas Kemp Avatar
      Iain Douglas Kemp

      Thanks Mik, thanks Claudsy 🙂

  14. k8e314 Avatar
    k8e314

    A Virgo in Action

    Perfectionist? Me? Surely not.
    Never satisfied? Moi? Why, that’s rot.
    Wait—shouldn’t there be
    One more syllable? Gee.
    (Too picky? I do that a lot… )

    1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      gigglegigglegiggle

      Marie Marie

    2. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
      Erin Kay Hope

      Ditto what Marie said! 🙂

    3. Sharp Little Pencil Avatar
      Sharp Little Pencil

      Spoken like a true September child. I should know. Even my psych meds are in alphabetical order, and there are a lot!! Fun. Amy

    4. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      🙂 !!

    5. Michelle Hed Avatar
      Michelle Hed

      Ha ha ha! Thank for the laugh! 🙂

    6. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      Oh, Kate, could it be, that you’re Virgo like me, but I have a difference, with Leo’s major entrance, and perfectionist, romps with projectionist.

      Love it.

  15. k8e314 Avatar
    k8e314

    Walt and Marie, yours are both delights. Marie, yeah, I do not see you as a Scorpio, all in all… and, Walt–Gunga Din the Aquarian! Ha!

  16. alabamatarheel Avatar
    alabamatarheel

    Trying again to post:

    Libra

    I was weighed
    in the balances
    and found wanting—

    wanting books
    books
    and more books

    little wonder
    my rites of passage
    began,
    not with
    a driver’s license
    but with
    a library card

    turned loose
    on Saturday afternoons,
    left alone
    to prowl the stacks,

    I agonized over
    just
    the right
    books,

    checking them out
    then walking
    down the marble steps
    out front,
    books balanced
    in my arms

    knowing what lay
    in my stars—
    other people’s stories
    becoming my own
    page
    by
    page.

    1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      It does my heart good to read your words, Nancy. Yes, it sure does.

      Marie Elena

    2. janeshlensky Avatar
      janeshlensky

      Yes, indeedy, my birthday buddy. I miss NCETA wining and dining that we can call our special parties, don’t you?

    3. Sharp Little Pencil Avatar
      Sharp Little Pencil

      Love the reference to other people’s stories, page by page. Also weighed and found wanting. Touching poem. Amy

    4. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      🙂

    5. Michelle Hed Avatar
      Michelle Hed

      Good one Nancy! I love it and I can so relate! 🙂

    6. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
      Erin Kay Hope

      Ooh, how fun! I LOVE the library!

    7. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      You came along right after me, Nancy, in your month of birth. You found the library as I did, though I got to work in one in my teens. This was how I felt each day, balancing pleasure with necessity. Good one.

  17. alabamatarheel Avatar
    alabamatarheel

    and alabamatarheel is me: Nancy P.

  18. claudsy Avatar
    claudsy

    I finally made it here and with a poem. I’ll have to come back to do comments. Here you go.

    On the Cusp

    Birthed of Earth, no longer virgin,
    Upon green and golden savannas,
    Came King Leo, wrapped in his mantle
    Of black and tan tresses to survey
    His realm of vast undulating plains,
    With chattel counted in the thousands,
    Stalked and hunted as servile prey
    By his queen, who flaunted her prowess
    To her king, to provide his preferred meals
    Placed before him beneath a shady acacia
    In a cooler spot for his dining pleasure.
    While the king dines in luxury and fame,
    Earth provides his realm, his life, and his
    Sustenance through a queen who can bring
    Home whatever bacon runs past his throne.

    1. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
      Erin Kay Hope

      Love this one, Clauds!

      1. claudsy Avatar
        claudsy

        Thanks, Erin. I’m glad you found it enjoyable.

    2. Sharp Little Pencil Avatar
      Sharp Little Pencil

      Claudsy, especially loved the “on the cusp” mention. Wow, Leo’s got it made, huh? Peace, Amy

      1. claudsy Avatar
        claudsy

        You’d think so, wouldn’t you, Amy. I’m glad you like this one.

    3. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      “…who can bring/Home whatever bacon runs past his throne.” Hilarious!! 🙂

      1. claudsy Avatar
        claudsy

        Thanks, Hen. I’m happy the humor came through.

        1. Michelle Hed Avatar
          Michelle Hed

          Yes I agree with Hen, that bacon line is hilarious! 🙂

          1. claudsy Avatar
            claudsy

            Thanks, Michelle.

        2. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
          Henrietta Choplin

          !!! 😀 !!

    4. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Nice work, M’dear!

      Marie Elena

      1. claudsy Avatar
        claudsy

        Thanks, MEG

  19. Daniel Paicopulos Avatar
    Daniel Paicopulos

    Teo Leo

    He likes Suzanne Vega rhyming and Cedar Walton timing, he drinks coffee in the morn, Café Moto, just now born; he grows hair upon his face, with a lion’s manely grace, and talks with hands upon his hips, discussing foreign trips; tips generously, he does, loves all nurses just because; sometimes happy, sometimes sad, all injustice makes him mad, goes on hikes just for the thrill, through the valley, up the hill; he eats cupcakes for the taste, thinks most diets are a waste, lives to paint and poem, now calls San Diego home; just an ordinary guy, not too boastful, seldom shy, he makes casseroles for dinner, not much caring about thinner; he’s the leader of his groups, the okra in the soups, foreign films get a look, he enjoys a good book; loves tall trees, names his birds, sings the oldies, have you heard? He likes Bob Dylan rhyming and Katy Perry miming, doesn’t care to be well-dressed, but he knows that he is blessed; that’s him, the real deal, our good friend, Teo Leo.

    1. Sharp Little Pencil Avatar
      Sharp Little Pencil

      This is a portrait of a truly free spirit. Love the freestyle write that still rhymes nicely. Prose poem at its best, and I’d love to meet this cat sometime! Amy

      1. Daniel Paicopulos Avatar
        Daniel Paicopulos

        It’s possible we’ll get down, I’m due a trip to Mad-town, and it would be so nice, but not ’til there’s no ice

      2. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
        Poetic Bloomings

        Hear, hear!! ❤

        Marie Elena

    2. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      “… lives to paint and poem…” :)!!

      1. Daniel Paicopulos Avatar
        Daniel Paicopulos

        glad to make you smile, it only took a while

        1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
          Henrietta Choplin

          🙂 🙂 !!

    3. DebiSwim Avatar
      DebiSwim

      Daniel, I like this (Teo Leo). I like it a lot!

      1. Daniel Paicopulos Avatar
        Daniel Paicopulos

        your pleasure by the plateful, for that I’m truly grateful

    4. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
      Erin Kay Hope

      This is really good! “…lives to paint and poem…” So do I!! And I also like Bob Dylan. He is one of the greatest!

      1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        All Right!!! Do you Love the Dylan song: “Catch the Wind” ……. “…ahh but I may as well… try and catch the wind…” ? I finally found it on someone’s My space post…… ~ ❤ ~

        1. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
          Erin Kay Hope

          Yes! And “…the answer is blowing in the wind…” Another good one.

          1. Daniel Paicopulos Avatar
            Daniel Paicopulos

            I have to say
            that Lay Lady Lay
            is the one to play
            on Valentine’s Day
            At some other time,
            there might be a better rhyme,
            another to be sung,
            like, say, Forever Young.
            But, to my eye,
            since Bob’s a Gemini,
            the one I’ll vote for
            is Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.

          2. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
            Erin Kay Hope

            Yes!!! Another GREAT song by Bob Dylan! I love that one.

    5. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      Love it, Daniel. You describe a free life, made to one’s own specs. Good for you.

  20. Dive Right In « Sharp Little Pencil – Amy Barlow Liberatore Avatar
    Dive Right In « Sharp Little Pencil – Amy Barlow Liberatore

    […] Poetic Bloomings, Marie Elena and Walt wanted poems about our astrological signs. Since a whole poem about the anal […]

  21. Sharp Little Pencil Avatar
    Sharp Little Pencil

    The link for my blog: http://sharplittlepencil.com/2013/02/10/dive-right-in/

    Poem in full, but commenting at my blog is fine too. Thanks!

    DIVE RIGHT IN (from the mini-series, “Amy: The Lost Years)

    I know it’s a dive but
    I dive right in anyway
    Thigh-high boots first and
    black silk bustiered boobs
    not far behind

    A drink; I start to shine; a
    dim bulb sidles over, his
    best pick-up line the
    cobwebby question
    of the truly unhip:

    “What sign are you?”
    After all these years,
    you’d think it would
    no longer be laughable
    to answer, “Virgo”

    But sorry-ass dudes
    who think they can
    get you with a ‘lude*
    also seem to think it’s
    hilarious to say “virgin”

    Now he’s making fun
    of my birth sign
    “Hold on, Jack,” I snark,
    “who’s the one with the
    fake tan and a wink

    that tells me you watch
    WAY too much old
    Magnum, PIs? Let me
    illuminate you, buddy
    I may have been born Virgo,

    but I’ve a Gemini eye:
    I can see Taurus rising
    in your attitude, cuz
    you’re way past horny
    and full of B.S.”

    © 2013 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil

    *Back in the day, a “lude” was a Quaalude. It not only put you into a dreamlike state, it also cured constipation and shyness.

    For Poetic Bloomings, Marie Elena and Walt wanted poems about our astrological signs. Since a whole poem about the anal retentive, positively OCD nature (OK, some people call me “meticulous,” but that’s because they’re trying to avoid my hypercritical, snarky attitude) seemed like a bore, so I put it within a salacious story. I mean, how much can I say about arranging your bookshelves by age of the volumes, then rearranging by subject, then again by author…

    Also, Sunday Scribblings wanted a poem using the word “illuminate,” and I dare say this guy may have achieved some enlightenment. Man, I was caustic back then! Peace, Amy

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      … ohhh Amy, you always make me smile!! 🙂

    2. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      Way too much fun, Amy. Wonderful.

    3. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Amy I can totally see you here!

      Marie Elena

  22. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
    Henrietta Choplin

    Sagittarius on a Summer Day

    NatGeo Travel magazine, Map of the World, The Road Atlas… Driving in a jeep (with Great music) having Fun adventures with warmth and laughter… savoring each moment…. ~ ❤ ~ …

    1. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
      Erin Kay Hope

      That sounds fun! I love “…savoring each moment.” It is such a poetic phrase!

      1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        Aww, Thank you, Erin… yes, I agree… I think that we often capture a single moment in time when we write a poem… ❤ ! 🙂

    2. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      So much fun!

      Marie Elena

      1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        !! ❤ 😀 !!

        1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
          Poetic Bloomings

          Hen, please send me your e-mail address to poeticbloomings@yahoo.com. Thanks!

          meg

  23. DebiSwim Avatar
    DebiSwim

    Cancer the Crab

    Moon to rule, moon to rule,
    And calms all commotion.
    Water cools, water cools
    The tides of emotion

    Ebb and flow, ebb and flow,
    Life is ever changing.
    High and low, high and low
    My moods are far ranging.

    Safely home, safely home,
    I retreat from the throng.
    Never roam, never roam
    But that for home I long

    Family first, family first
    Its worth will not abate
    Love’s a thirst, love’s a thirst
    No other thing can sate.

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Love the repetition… and “…Safely home, safely home…” Sacred sanctuary…

      1. DebiSwim Avatar
        DebiSwim

        Thank you, Henrietta. I’m so glad to have been recommended this site by Sal Buttaci.

        1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
          Poetic Bloomings

          Welcome, Debi! Any friend of Sal’s is a friend of ours. 😉

          Great poem! Your form is interesting and adds to the meaning very nicely. We look forward to seeing more of you here!

          Marie Elena

          1. DebiSwim Avatar
            DebiSwim

            Thank you so much for the welcome. I love reading everyone’s work. To see so much variety and talent is wonderful and encouraging. I love the prompts and seem to work best when challenged.

            1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
              Poetic Bloomings

              You’re welcome, Debi! And yes, I love the variety and talent here as well. And the age range, styles, and personalities represented as well. 🙂

              Marie Elena

    2. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      Great little poem, Debi. The format has a great rhythm.

  24. Salvatore Buttaci Avatar
    Salvatore Buttaci

    GEMINI

    They say that I’m mercurial,
    My moods swing to and fro.
    Like Janus did I wear two masks.
    I’m one who’s hard to know.

    I read once in a horoscope
    Geminis are flighty.
    We play love like a game.
    We take life oh too lightly.

    Well, let me take a stand on this:
    Astrology’s a fake.
    Though born June 12 I’m off the wheel.
    Oh, Geminis, awake!

    #

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Hee, hee…

    2. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Hear, hear! 😉 Love it, Sal!

      Marie Elena

    3. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      Good one, Sal. So you’re off the wheel, are you? And what transport do you take now? Love it.

  25. Marian Veverka Avatar
    Marian Veverka

    LEO

    “The lion sleeps tonight”

    Let him rest. Our ears still ache
    from the vibrations of his mighty roar
    King of the jungle and we who dwell
    in this kingdom will learn our lessons well.
    Walk carefully while the powerful one sleeps
    for this is the only chance we have to keep
    our bodies and souls together, gather food
    store up enough for his awakening, rude
    his majesty proclaims his solitary reign
    and woe to any who would dare complain…

    To any Leo of power, I would advise
    Turn not your back and do not close your eyes!

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Ha, ha, ha…

    2. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      With each poem, I’m awed by the creativity. As usual, Marian, yours does not disappoint. Nice work!

      Marie Elena

    3. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      Marian, this is wonderful. You took it from the “prey’s” POV. Good one and more accurate than one would like to see.

  26. Mary Mansfield Avatar
    Mary Mansfield

    Chasing Copernicus

    He charts a course through my stars,
    Seeking to find a glimmer of me
    In tandem transit with the sun in Taurus,
    Dancing with Venus through my eighth house,
    Lingering traces as Leo rises above my horizon.
    Gravity keeps me in his orbit
    With only the occasional period of retrograde…
    At least until the day he discovers
    That the center of my universe
    Looks nothing like him.

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      “… 8th house Venus…” !!

    2. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Oooh … terrific surprise punch. Wonderful work, Mary!

      Marie Elena

    3. Mary Mansfield Avatar
      Mary Mansfield

      Aw, thank you both so much! 🙂

    4. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      Yay, Mary! Terrific poem. So suggestive and conceptually pleasing.

      1. Mary Mansfield Avatar
        Mary Mansfield

        Thanks so much! 😀

        1. claudsy Avatar
          claudsy

          You’re welcome, Mary.

  27. purplepeninportland Avatar
    purplepeninportland

    No Ram, I

    I am not a ram
    though anger
    quickly. Words
    flow, seldom searched beforehand.
    Challenges, leader-

    ship? Not I, who tend
    to remain
    in my head
    of dreams, imagination,
    untranslatable.

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Love that last stanza!!

      1. purplepeninportland Avatar
        purplepeninportland

        Thanks, Hen!

      2. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
        Poetic Bloomings

        Me too. This is truly beautiful, Sara. I wish I could be so poetic in my true-to-life statements.

        Marie Elena

    2. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      Lovely, Sara.

      1. purplepeninportland Avatar
        purplepeninportland

        Thanks, Claudsy!

        1. claudsy Avatar
          claudsy

          You’re welcome, Sara.

  28. Rallentanda Avatar
    Rallentanda

    Gemini

    like a moth
    to the libran flame
    you ignite it
    with one face
    douse it in torrents
    with the other

    1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Yep!!

    2. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Perfectly poetic. Nice work, Rallentanda! Good to see you here!

      Marie Elena

    3. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      Excellent work.

  29. Andrew Kreider Avatar
    Andrew Kreider

    This is a great prompt! I’m playing around with Sagittarius…

    Archers

    The Secretarybird skates open skies
    as a hundred bows on horseback
    rake the Persian soil
    their feathered steel now crimson
    in the morning glare

    We, too, are archers here,
    of soul, of passion, of desire unbridled
    scavengers of hope bent low
    upon the hard-baked ground,
    patient for death and unafraid.

    1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Very cool. Your second stanza especially strikes me, Andrew.

      Marie Elena

    2. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      Really enjoyed this one, Andrew; history wound in syllables the speak to who you are now and how we proceed.

    3. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      !!! “… of soul, of passion, of desire unbridled…” !!!!!

  30. Pamela Smyk Cleary (PSC) Avatar
    Pamela Smyk Cleary (PSC)

    The Lion

    Sufficiently endowed
    with brains, heart
    and plenty of pride
    (on occasion),
    still sorely lacking
    the courage
    to brave
    but a single
    step
    along that
    golden path,
    minus the
    company
    of his most loyal
    (and courageous)
    companions…

    Hmmm… On my own blog site, I attempted to format this poem as a winding path… with some limited success. :-]

    1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Oh, I love your take on this, PSC! Nice!

      Marie Elena

    2. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
      Erin Kay Hope

      Very nice!

    3. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      Excellent one, Pamela. I felt this one from the inside.

    4. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      … wee’rre… OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD… :D!!!

  31. seingraham Avatar
    seingraham

    Born Under the Sign of the Fishes

    Not too surprisingly, they are in conflict
    One fish is forever trying to swim up
    Towards the surface, to where Sol reigns
    The other, swirls around hard tugging
    Downwards to the depths, to the darkness
    Where no sunlight ever reaches …
    And these fish are equally strong so they
    Are usually balanced and hold each other
    Level in an embrace that keeps either
    From tipping – except, except – for those
    Times when the planets become misaligned
    The stars fall out of form, then unholy hell
    Breaks loose and those born beneath
    This sign are as doomed as death.

    1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Ouch. Very powerful. Well written, Sharon.

      Marie Elena

      1. Erin Kay Hope Avatar
        Erin Kay Hope

        Yes, VERY well written! Thank you for this one, Sharon.

    2. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      Living with a Pisces out of balance isn’t easy, Sharon, I know. It’s a bit like trying to survive a tsunami sometimes. This is powerful, telling as it does how things work and don’t work for this sign.

      1. seingraham Avatar
        seingraham

        Thanks Marie Elena, Erin and Claudsy – I have a love-hate relationship with my fish … they are also representative of an amazing amount of creativity and some other positive traits so I try to remember that … plus the love of my life is a Leo and we raised two Virgos (none of whom are supposed to be able to get along with my finny self but we seem to have managed for the most part – maybe coupled with our Chinese astrological signs, it all works – who knows?)

        1. claudsy Avatar
          claudsy

          LOL, I understand, Sharon. Our family was Aries (2), Cusp baby (me) of Leo/Virgo, and one Gemini. You could say we hat lots of opportunity for clashes, but generally kept the peace.

    3. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Gorgeous insight!!! My wishes to you to keep that creative focus, especially when the waters start swirling (I have Mars in Pisces)!!

  32. Iris D Avatar
    Iris D

    Aries Goes First
    Tough, creative, energetic,
    I play as hard as I work.
    My ram stubbornness
    Can make me a real jerk.
    People are drawn to me
    For a project that needs begun
    But before it is finished
    You will find me on the run
    To the next idea that needs a jump start
    I give and give, and am full of heart.
    The sign to which I really adhere
    Is the star the magi saw appear
    The Bright and Morning Star is my guide
    With His hands He fashioned me
    I am a result of His creation you see.

    1. claudsy Avatar
      claudsy

      Lovely, Iris. I had two parents of the Aries persuasion. Each stubborn. but in different ways, each an artists, but with different life mediums, and each called on for others’ projects.

      I understand this one so well. Thank you for sharing this one.

    2. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      Appreciate the honesty, creativity, and truth of this piece, Iris. Thank you!

      Marie Elena

    3. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
      Henrietta Choplin

      Beautiful strength… !!

  33. Misky Avatar
    Misky

    THE PRACTICALITIES OF BEING A VIRGO

    Virgo.
    Prudish. Pah.
    That’s mistaken.

    Discriminating is more apt.
    Focused but too focused
    for some perhaps.

    Seeing clear what’s
    useful and what’s not,
    what’s needed
    and what’s not,

    discriminating, as I said,
    separating good from bad.
    Perfectionist,
    oh yes.

    Perfection’s never perfect enough.
    Organised to distraction.
    A place for this,

    a place for that, a place
    to put her
    feet on elemental earth.

    Grounded, focused,
    thoughtful, quick,
    precise and choosy –

    I might be organised,
    but a maelstrom of a mess
    is hidden
    under my bed.

    1. Poetic Bloomings Avatar
      Poetic Bloomings

      … and oh, can I relate! Love it, Misk.

      Marie Elena

  34. Aries | Metaphors and Smiles Avatar
    Aries | Metaphors and Smiles

    […] Poetic Bloomings-What’s Your Prompt (About our horoscope signs) […]

    1. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
      Hannah Gosselin

      I sort of missed last week…a haiku that I never posted and this week I’m SUPER late. My street made the news this week and it’s been kind of stressful. xo

      1. Henrietta Choplin Avatar
        Henrietta Choplin

        Oh, Hannah, I had been wondering how you and yours were doing!! I hope all is well! Hugs, Hen

        1. Hannah Gosselin Avatar
          Hannah Gosselin

          Thank you, Hen…I appreciate your thoughts…it has been trying but I count my blessings. ♥

  35. Who, Me? | echoes from the silence Avatar
    Who, Me? | echoes from the silence

    […] for Poetic Bloomings Prompt #94:  So Hey…What’s Your Prompt? (We were to use our astrological sign as our […]

  36. pmwanken Avatar
    pmwanken

    WHO, ME?

    Vigilant
    Independent
    Reserved
    Giving
    Objective

    2013-03-22
    P. Wanken