Tell me a story

Tell me a story

Of once upon a time

When magic ruled the earth.

Tell it short or tell it long,

Make it trivial or sublime,

Write it sad or full of mirth.

Knit a fabric of surprise,

Blend in truth and dreams or lies

But make it real somewise.

Make me laugh or make me cry,

Tell me tales that make me sigh,

Bid me always question, ‘Why?’

Create for me delicious fright

Or make me gasp in sheer delight,

And make sure wrong is never right.

Catch a child’s mind when you can,

Always make your stories fun,

Then, storytellers, you have won.

 Written for 'The Tuesday Platform' in 'imaginary garden with real toads'. 

The Regretful Ecclesiastic

'Fireblossom Friday' at 'Imaginary Garden with Real Toads' invites participants to create a title using one word from two lists  - one of adjectives, the other of nouns - and write a poem. The words were terrifying, regretful, miniscule, inebriated, envious,

reincarnated, obsessive, lovestruck, studious, unexpected and  sherpa, ecclesiastic,

 docent, incubus, Gypsy, zookeeper, CSI, zombie, stripper, prodigy. 

The Regretful Ecclesiastic

His sermons were chilling, his flock afeared

As he threatened penances drastic,

And many young folks foreswore worldly goods

And took to the life monastic.

He stood in the pulpit, raised arms and voice,

And declaimed in tones bombastic,

‘Be assured your sins will find you out,

Judgement Day will be fantastic.’

The years rolled past and his audience shrank,

He saw and waxed more sarcastic,

Then mellowed and his lessons became

Gentler and more scholastic.

At the end of his days as he looked back

On his life ecclesiastic

He wished he had smiled more as he preached

And been less enthusiastic.

Real Toads mini-challenge

Imaginary Garden with Real Toads offers a mini-challenge, to use the Waltz Wave Form in response to the prompt.

The Waltz Wave Form requires 38 syllables over 19 lines, in the following configuration:-

 1,2,1,2,3,2,1,2,3,4,3,2,1,2,3,2,1,2,1

Below is the picture prompt (by one of my favourite painters) followed by my attempt

'The Singing Butler' by Jack Vettriano

Dance

With me,

Sway

With me –

Let us whirl

And twirl,

Two

As one

Together

‘Til music ends

Forever.

We’ll dream,

Sigh

Softly,

For always

We shall

Keep

This joy

Pure.