@ColleenChesebro #TankaTuesday #poetry #challenge #specificform #kouta #prompt provided by @ReenaSaxena

Big bubbles don’t cause troubles
Not when friends are blowing them
Quick to catch they float away
Then we start again!
© M J Mallon

Champagne bubbles cause troubles
Hiccups, and trip ups
Oops. Giggles and then spill ups
Sore heads the next day!
© M J Mallon

FAST FACTS – VIA COLLEEN

The Kouta 小唄 (little or short song) is a popular Japanese verse form of the Muromachi Period, 14th thru 16th century. The lyrical song was resurrected as a geisha song in the late 1800s and is still popular today.

The form has several variations, though always short in only 4 lines, a 5th line is sometimes added.

The theme reflects ordinary life and often uses colloquialisms and onomatopoeia. The most popular are love songs.

The elements of Kouta are:

a poem in 4 lines. (an occasional 5th line may appear)
a standalone poem, but its often is accompanied by other Koutas with the same theme.
syllabic, variable odd numbered syllable lengths, the most common patterns are written in lines of alternating 7-5-7-5 syllables or 7-7-7-5 syllables.
secular, personal, themes of ordinary life.
often include onomatopoeia (defined above).

These are inspired by a day I spent with old friends and we blew bubbles in the sun!

The poem below on this theme appears in my soon to be released poetry, photography and flash fiction book, Do What you Love Fragility of Your Flame.

OLD FRIENDS PLAY WITH BUBBLES

bubbles in the sun
playing a musical dance
basking in our sweet friendship
admiring her art
we both praise
a special day for Catherine
(Excerpt Do What You Love © M J Mallon)

Blurb

Do What You Love Fragility of Your Flame Poems, Photography & Flash Fiction is a personal poetry collection celebrating how the fates may have a part in all that we do.

With special poems and short reflective moments inspired by family, flowers and nature, love, scrumptious morsels, places I’ve visited, lived and intend to live in, the friendships and hopes I have for the future.

The overarching theme is to live a life well lived… And to do what you love.

float along with me
create clouds of sweetest joy
to do what you love
hold fate’s hand as we venture
near and far on life’s journey
(Excerpt Do What You Love © M J Mallon)

Release Date: 25^{^th} November 2022, able to preorder via the following links.

Buy Links Do What You Love:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BKLC9DYY/

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/What-You-love-Fragility-Photography-ebook/dp/B0BKLC9DYY/

Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/What-You-love-Fragility-Photography-ebook/dp/B0BKLC9DYY/#

Reviews And Features:

Book Review: ‘Do What You Love – Fragility of Your Flame’ by MJ Mallon

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2022/11/05/smorgasbord-book-reviews-photography-poetry-flash-do-what-you-love-fragility-of-your-flame-poems-photography-and-flash-fiction-by-m-j-mallon/

A review of Marjorie Mallon’s new book. Do What You Love .

I am thrilled to say that two of my poetry collections, (Mr. Sagittarius and Lockdown Innit,) have been requested by prestigious libraries in the UK: The British Library, The Bodleian Library Oxford University, the Cambridge University Library, National Library of Scotland, National Library of Wales and Trinity College Dublin for Legal Deposit.

Add the book to your TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63114445-do-what-you-love

The cover of the paperback and kindle have been designed by Colleen Chesebro who has a new service for authors which I can highly recommend. Colleen also designed the interior and cover of The Hedge Witch And The Musical Poet.

https://unicorncatspubservices.wordpress.com/my-services

Portfolio:
https://unicorncatspubservices.wordpress.com/portfolio

https://wordcraftpoetry.com/unicorn-cats-publishing-services/

Media kit: https://mjmallon.com/2022/11/04/media-kit-do-what-you-love-fragility-of-your-flame-poems-photography-flashfiction-new-book-release-writingcommunity-poetrycommunity-mediakit-paperback/

Other poetry/flash fiction collections:

Kyrosmagica Publishing

The Hedge Witch And The Musical Poet

https://books2read.com/u/mv1OeV

Mr. Sagittarius Poetry and Prose

http://mybook.to/MrSagittarius

Anthology – This Is Lockdown, (poetry, diaries and flash fiction – kindle)

http://mybook.to/Thisislockdown

Poetry during Lockdown – Lockdown Innit

http://mybook.to/Lockdowninnit

Poetry also features in my highly acclaimed YA Fantasy series. Each chapter begins with a short poem. The Curse of Time Book 1 Bloodstone and Book 2 Golden Healer are published by Next Chapter Publishing.

https://www.nextchapter.pub/books/bloodstone

https://www.nextchapter.pub/books/golden-healer

https://www.nextchapter.pub/authors/mj-mallon

Sharing Options:

November 10, 2022 16

#TANKA TUESDAY WEEKLY @ColleenChesebro #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 225, #SYNONYMSONLY

“LIFE & MOVE” are the prompt words this week.

For life I chose fate, for move I opted for disturbed

I saw these trees whilst out for a walk with friends. There was something quite melancholy about their soaked roots.

I see a wonder

Trees disturbed in deep water

Soaking up their roots

Drinking in fate’s wilful woes

Sorrow is an endless pit

I originally wrote this before I knew the prompt synonyms! The 2nd line was: Trees submerged in deep water, which I changed to Trees disturbed in deep water. And thereafter, I made a few other adjustments – fourth line – was Drinking in life’s wilful woes, I changed to fate’s wilful woes. Colleen’s SYNONYMS made me dig deeper for a different word!

Congratulations to Colleen on her new release and on her new poetry journal. So exciting!

NEW RELEASE: Word Craft: Prose & Poetry: The Art of Crafting Syllabic Poetry by Colleen M…. https://t.co/0eSqU4z0Es via @amazon
— 🌸Word Craft: Prose & Poetry🌸 (@ColleenChesebro) May 14, 2021

Submissions are Open for the Word Weaving Syllabic #poetry Journal. Start counting your syllables! https://t.co/jZNWvcBcY6 pic.twitter.com/S0RZWM9c3l
— 🌸Word Craft: Prose & Poetry🌸 (@ColleenChesebro) May 15, 2021

#Tanka Tuesday Weekly #Poetry Challenge No. 225, #SynonymsOnly

Sharing Options:

May 16, 2021 19

2020 WEEKLY #TANKA TUESDAY #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 204, #THEMEPROMPT #Crapsey #Cinquain

This month’s theme is a wonderful evocative haiku written by Sue Vincent:

clouds cover the moon,

beyond dawn’s pale horizon

sun rises unseen

I’m going to attempt to write a crapsey cinquain – never done one of these before, so I used Colleen’s handy poetry cheat guide: https://wordcraftpoetry.com/tanka-tuesday-poetry-challenge-cheat-sheet/

The Crapsey cinquain is a five-line, non-rhyming poem featuring a syllable structure of 2/4/6/8/2. Choose words that create drama which builds into the fourth line. Remember, the turn occurs on line five, the most important line. This is where you change your focus away from the drama in some interesting way. Surprise your readers!

The World in Stardust

The moon

Caressed by hands

Fairy stardust twinkling

Kind eyes flutter open to see

The world!

I enjoyed writing this poem.

All of my books under my Kyrosmagica Publishing imprint include poetry, do check them out. I’d love it if you’d read one of my works: https://www.amazon.co.uk/M-J-Mallon/e/B074CGNK4L

Happy Sunday all,

Sharing Options:

November 29, 2020 8

WEEKLY #TANKA TUESDAY #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 203 #EKPHRASTIC #PHOTOPROMPT

WEEKLY #TANKA TUESDAY #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 203 #EKPHRASTIC #PHOTOPROMPT

How could I not take part with such an evocative image chosen by Diana?

This challenge explores Ekphrastic writing inspired by visual art (photographs). Diana Peach from last month’s challenge has provided the photo for this month’s challenge.

ETHEREE: The Etheree poem consists of ten lines of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 syllables. An Etheree can also be reversed and written 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Double Etheree

Stare

Downwards

Beyond life

A darkness grows

To infinity

Seeping into water

My long blonde hair stays behind

Exposing my poor nakedness

A child lost in a time with no kindness

Cold skin, white against teeming cruel shadows

Black heart whispering melancholy words

Stay still, forever no one will care

Who will remember you strange child?

Mother, father, sister, none.

Death is your only friend

Come! In the water

Reflect and be

Still. Death’s friend

Holding

Hands

Ooh, that was creepy!

Sharing Options:

November 22, 2020 19

#TANKA TUESDAY POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 202 SYNONYMSONLY

This week, Kat Myrman, from Like Mercury Colliding, selected the words:

Imagine & Gratitude

So, I decided to write about my recent walk in the botanical gardens in Cambridge. It was a glorious autumn day which filled my spirit full of imagination and gratitude. There is a small area which is normally for school children only but this has been opened to the public.

I took various photos. I particularly loved this lovely writers throne which I shared on my Instagram…

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Marjorie Mallon (@mjmallonauthor)

Visualise

A writers garden

Blessed with thanks

And this was so unusual, just a couple of broken branches but they looked like a crocodile’s head and tail!

My head’s tail!

Give crocodile thanks

Picture this…

These are so cute too…

The autumn colours are fabulous.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Marjorie Mallon (@mjmallonauthor)

#TANKATUESDAY #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 202, #SYNONYMSONLY

Sharing Options:

November 12, 2020 10

COLLEEN’S 2020 WEEKLY #TANKA TUESDAY #POETRY CHALLENGE NO. 196, #THEMEPROMPT

This month’s theme is:

The Night Sky

I thought I’d write a nonet to celebrate my hubby and I ‘s anniversary. We had a lovely day together yesterday. So this is for us! We’ve stood the test of time and been married for 33 years! Imagine… He isn’t one for social media, so I rarely post photos of him, so instead here is a lovely pic I found on pexels.