Tag: John Law

Sounds In The Wind – A Puente Poem

Tawny Owl At Coach And Horses by John Law

Somewhere in the golden dusk a tawny owl calls
From another direction wooden wind chimes makes a dull sound
Over at the pub there’s cherry voices
Comforting homely noises
I lean against the ancient stone wall
Exhaustion pulling me to the ground
I’m just gonna rest my eyes for a minute

~I’m awakened by a trumpet~

Over the hill comes the crest of a centurions helmet
The air fills with the sound of marching feet
The rattle and clang of weapons and armour
I scramble for my bow and arrows
They fill the air like a flock of sparrows
The romans have come to another tribe uprising meet
Certain their might will make them the victors

©RedCat
Roman Soldiers by Jane Cornwell

I learned the Puente form just yesterday, and as I so often do, had to write another one as soon as possible to get a feel for the form. 

It can be both rhymed and unrhymed, both mine and rhymed, but with different rhyme schemes. This one has the following rhyme scheme: abccabd d defggef.

Inspired by all three works of art for today. To read all poems go to The Wombwell Rainbow.

The Sky Is Filled With Voices by Kerfe Roig
Jane Cornwell


likes drawing and painting children, animals, landscapes and food. She specialises in watercolour, mixed media, coloured pencil, lino cut and print, textile design. Jane can help you out with adobe indesign for your layout needs, photoshop and adobe illustrator. She graduated with a ba(hons) design from Glasgow School of art, age 20.

She has exhibited with the rsw at the national gallery of Scotland, SSA, Knock Castle Gallery, Glasgow Group, Paisley Art Institute, MacMillan Exhibition at Bonhams, Edinburgh, The House For An Art Lover, Pittenweem Arts Festival, Compass Gallery, The Revive Show, East Linton Art Exhibition and Strathkelvin Annual Art Exhibition.

Her website is: https://www.janecornwell.co.uk/
John Law

“Am 68. Live in Mexborough. Retired teacher. Artist; musician; poet. Recently included in ‘Viral Verses’ poetry volume. Married. 2 kids; 3 grandkids.”
Kerfe Roig

A resident of New York City, Kerfe Roig enjoys transforming words and images into something new.  Her poetry and art have been featured online by Right Hand Pointing, Silver Birch Press, Yellow Chair Review, The song is…, Pure Haiku, Visual Verse, The Light Ekphrastic, Scribe Base, The Zen Space, and The Wild Word, and published in Ella@100, Incandescent Mind, Pea River Journal, Fiction International: Fool, Noctua Review, The Raw Art Review, and several Nature Inspired anthologies. Follow her explorations on her blogs, https://methodtwomadness.wordpress.com/  (which she does with her friend Nina), and https://kblog.blog/, and see more of her work on her website http://kerferoig.com/

April Ekphrastic Challenge – GloPoWriMo 2021

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Word Salad – April Ekphrastic Challenge

Old lady who’s homeless who goes into spoons for a coffee every night by John Law

The lad was sad, so sad
Because vegetables was all he had
Grow on the sill to his tiny pad

He wished, oh how he wished
He had some coin for meat or fish
Something to make a filling dish

But his mind was set, firmly set
He would give something to the homeless old lady he’d met
She smiled like his nan and called him pet

So he gave her a salad to eat
Then offered his bed, so she wouldn’t sleep on the street
Don’t want to burden, she said, but thought him sweet, so sweet

©RedCat
Salad by Kerfe Roig

I really felt devoid of inspiration yesterday. Nothing came to me, so what did I do?

I started with the salad picture, listing what I imagined I saw. I mean is it a cucumber or a zucchini? Small tomatoes or radishes? I decided upon salad of some sort, cucumber, sweet peppers and radish. Then I started rearranging the letters in each word to see which words I could find. Then I let that list of words stew in my mind as I went to dance class.

On my way there I was one of the people who alerted the staff in the local traffic about a passed out homeless guy, who looked like he could use medical attention.

When I came home I wrote the poem above. Which made me quite sad to tell the truth.
I wish, oh how I wish, that solving the problems for homeless people were as easy as writing a poem.

To see all art and read all poems for today go to The Wombwell Rainbow.

John Law

“Am 68. Live in Mexborough. Retired teacher. Artist; musician; poet. Recently included in ‘Viral Verses’ poetry volume. Married. 2 kids; 3 grandkids.”
Kerfe Roig

A resident of New York City, Kerfe Roig enjoys transforming words and images into something new.  Her poetry and art have been featured online by Right Hand Pointing, Silver Birch Press, Yellow Chair Review, The song is…, Pure Haiku, Visual Verse, The Light Ekphrastic, Scribe Base, The Zen Space, and The Wild Word, and published in Ella@100, Incandescent Mind, Pea River Journal, Fiction International: Fool, Noctua Review, The Raw Art Review, and several Nature Inspired anthologies. Follow her explorations on her blogs, https://methodtwomadness.wordpress.com/  (which she does with her friend Nina), and https://kblog.blog/, and see more of her work on her website http://kerferoig.com/

April Ekphrastic Challenge – GloPoWriMo 2021

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Fairy Dust Magic – A Trio Of Ovillejo’s – April Ekphrastic Challenge

Fairy Dust by Kerfe Roig

I

To hide their land fairies enlist
Floating mist
A fine fairy dust outpouring
Obscuring
Protecting by bending light beams
Hidden dreams

Only those that freely daydreams
Can find the hidden secret way
To let light shine through the fog gray
Floating mist obscuring hidden dreams

II

Who still believes in magic dreams?
Poets it seems
Who follows silvery moonbeams?
Who still dreams?
Who let fairies sprinkle a flick
of magic?

Whenever life feels blue tragic
Write yourself unburdened and free
Proudly let the world again see
Poets it seems still dreams of magic

III

What’s got you squirming and fussing?
A mind abuzz
What have you found in your searchings?
A heart that sings
What’s hiding within your brain folds?
Stories untold

Adventure that never grows old
Finding words that makes the soul glow
As stanzas form, cascades and flow
A mind abuzz, a heart that sings stories untold

©RedCat

Yesterday I went on a search for a new interwoven poetry form. And found a Cheat Sheet of Repeating Forms wherein I found one I’d never heard of before Ovillejo. Searching for more information I found this article in Writer’s Digest which linked to a 2016 De Jackson (WhimsyGizmo) prompt at the dVerse bar.
And it felt like finding a new way home, as dVerse is where I mostly participate in the writing community.

This is by far one of the trickiest forms I’ve attempted. But fun enough that I’m sure I’ll write more of them. I would recommend heeding the advice from the cheet sheet “compose the tenth line first”

To see all art and read all poems for today go to The Wombwell Rainbow.

Hoober Stand In Mist by John Law

The Ovillejo is explained like this:

The explanation below is offered from several online sources, which seem to be attributed most often to Rhina P. Espaillat:

…the “ovillejo,” an old Spanish verse form that means “tight little bundle.” “-ejo” is one of our blessed diminutives, and “ovillo” means “tangled ball of yarn.” The last line is a “redondilla,” a “little round” that collects all three of the short lines. The rhyme scheme is established, but the meter is at the poet’s discretion, although in Spanish the longer lines tend to be octosyllabic (8 syllables).

dVerse

The ovillejo is an old Spanish form popularized by Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616). This 10-line poem is comprised of 3 rhyming couplets (or 2-line stanzas) and a quatrain (or 4-line stanza).

The first line of each couplet is 8 syllables long and presents a question to which the second line responds in 3 to 4 syllables–either as an answer or an echo.

The quatrain is also referred to as a redondilla (which is usually a quatrain written in trochaic tetrameter) with an abba rhyme pattern. The final line of the quatrain also combines lines 2, 4, and 6 together.

Writer’s Digest

There seem to be some different opinions on if the feet are trochaic or iambic.
And if the short lines are 2, 3 or 4 syllables long

The rhyme scheme is: a, A, b, B, c, C, c, d, d, A+B+C
Where A, B, C are lines that repeat verbatim. 

Or line by line:

1: a rhyme in 8 syllables

2: A rhyme in 2-4 syllables – beginning of line 10

3: b rhyme in 8 syllables

4: B rhyme in 2-4 syllables – middle of line 10

5: c rhyme in 8 syllables

6: C rhyme in 2-4 syllables – end of line 10

7: c rhyme in 8 syllables

8: d rhyme in 8 syllables

9: d rhyme in 8 syllables

10: A+B+C or Line 2 + Line 4 + Line 6

The Ovillejo has no english Wikipedia article, only one in Spanish.

Hoober Stand
Ozankk at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
John Law

“Am 68. Live in Mexborough. Retired teacher. Artist; musician; poet. Recently included in ‘Viral Verses’ poetry volume. Married. 2 kids; 3 grandkids.”
Kerfe Roig

A resident of New York City, Kerfe Roig enjoys transforming words and images into something new.  Her poetry and art have been featured online by Right Hand Pointing, Silver Birch Press, Yellow Chair Review, The song is…, Pure Haiku, Visual Verse, The Light Ekphrastic, Scribe Base, The Zen Space, and The Wild Word, and published in Ella@100, Incandescent Mind, Pea River Journal, Fiction International: Fool, Noctua Review, The Raw Art Review, and several Nature Inspired anthologies. Follow her explorations on her blogs, https://methodtwomadness.wordpress.com/  (which she does with her friend Nina), and https://kblog.blog/, and see more of her work on her website http://kerferoig.com/

April Ekphrastic Challenge – GloPoWriMo 2021

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Life Lessons – April Ekphrastic Challenge

Jane Cornwell

Beware the serpent who promises everything without demanding anything in return.
He just plays on the ego’s lazy wish to receive without having to earn or learn.

Watch out for the seeping poison that hides behind polished images online.
They are just there to trick you into thinking polished surfaces lead to clouds nine, where everything is always fine.

Think twice before leaping into beliefs that promise salvation and explanation as long as you follow the rules and never question anything.
They just play with your ego’s fear of life’s uncertainties, anything can happen, even if you try to control everything.

Watch your step whenever someone promises a pill or drink or smoke or sniff will make everything fine.
They are only out for your hard earned dime, while you dull your shine and end up in dependency confined.

Keep your wits about you whenever you feel bedazzled and someone tries to sell you something your heart, soul and gut know sounds too good to be true.
They are most likely out trying to put your perspective askew, leaving you feeling stupid, lonely, sad and blue.

Life is never as easy as we wish, sometimes it’s full of hardship and anguish.
Mostly it’s full of hard work, with the occasional perk.
It is also full of moments of happiness and joy, of love, friendships and passions that our souls buoy.

Listen to your instincts, heart and soul, and you’ll find what for you is a worthwhile goal.

©RedCat

To see all art and read all poems for today go to The Wombwell Rainbow.

Kerfe Roig

April Ekphrastic Challenge – GloPoWriMo 2021

John Law
John Law

“Am 68. Live in Mexborough. Retired teacher. Artist; musician; poet. Recently included in ‘Viral Verses’ poetry volume. Married. 2 kids; 3 grandkids.”
Jane Cornwell


likes drawing and painting children, animals, landscapes and food. She specialises in watercolour, mixed media, coloured pencil, lino cut and print, textile design. Jane can help you out with adobe indesign for your layout needs, photoshop and adobe illustrator. She graduated with a ba(hons) design from Glasgow School of art, age 20.

She has exhibited with the rsw at the national gallery of Scotland, SSA, Knock Castle Gallery, Glasgow Group, Paisley Art Institute, MacMillan Exhibition at Bonhams, Edinburgh, The House For An Art Lover, Pittenweem Arts Festival, Compass Gallery, The Revive Show, East Linton Art Exhibition and Strathkelvin Annual Art Exhibition.

Her website is: https://www.janecornwell.co.uk/
Kerfe Roig

A resident of New York City, Kerfe Roig enjoys transforming words and images into something new.  Her poetry and art have been featured online by Right Hand Pointing, Silver Birch Press, Yellow Chair Review, The song is…, Pure Haiku, Visual Verse, The Light Ekphrastic, Scribe Base, The Zen Space, and The Wild Word, and published in Ella@100, Incandescent Mind, Pea River Journal, Fiction International: Fool, Noctua Review, The Raw Art Review, and several Nature Inspired anthologies. Follow her explorations on her blogs, https://methodtwomadness.wordpress.com/  (which she does with her friend Nina), and https://kblog.blog/, and see more of her work on her website http://kerferoig.com/
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Autumn feast – A Sonnet, April Ekphrastic Challenge

John Law

Riot of fall colours, fall sweets
Blackberries, blueberries I see
Sweet berries my love likes to eat
Chestnuts falling from the big tree

The shiny apples makes you smile
The last tomatoes makes you purr
The blackthorn we leave for awhile
Until the frost makes them sweeter

What a bountiful autumn eve
Careful love, with the rose hip stalks
The rowan-berry we best leave
To the blackbirds and the red fox

He deserves a very tart snack
We’ll not get granny wood mouse back

©RedCat

Wanted something lighter after yesterday’s shivers, so I chose this picture because of all the striking colours, even if fall harvest feels a long way off when spring has barely started.

This sonnet is in tetrameter instead of the classical pentameter, just because I wanted to give that a try. 

To read other Sonnet’s by me click here.

To see all art and read all poems for today go to The Wombwell Rainbow.

Also shared with and read on Open Link Night #300 September Live.

Photo by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash
John Law

“Am 68. Live in Mexborough. Retired teacher. Artist; musician; poet. Recently included in ‘Viral Verses’ poetry volume. Married. 2 kids; 3 grandkids.”

April Ekphrastic Challenge – GloPoWriMo 2021

8

The Aurora Butterfly – A Sonnet, April Ekphrastic Challenge

John Law

The Aurora male, wingtips like golden dawn
Peek out from the shadowy forest edge
Letting his wings flutter awake and yawn
Hoping he his chances enough has hedged

Is there enough big flower heads nearby
So far devoid of other females eggs
Is the soil deep, rich and suitably dry
Are there any quick hunters with eight legs

Wondering if it’s a warm enough day
If he’s chosen a path with enough light
For a female to at last fly his way
To him the meadow is luminous bright

The male awaits being picked by a queen
Dreams of a female in gold speckled green

©RedCat
Photo by Tunafish on Unsplash

Writing another Sonnet has been on my list for April, and finally a topic seemed to fit the form.
Read other Sonnet’s by me here.

The orange tip is called Aurora butterfly in Swedish.

To see all art and read all poems for today go to The Wombwell Rainbow.

Photo by Zbynek Burival on Unsplash
John Law

“Am 68. Live in Mexborough. Retired teacher. Artist; musician; poet. Recently included in ‘Viral Verses’ poetry volume. Married. 2 kids; 3 grandkids.”

April Ekphrastic Challenge – GloPoWriMo 2021

3

It’s Springtime Again – A Folk Song (with Audio), April Ekphrastic Challenge

Green Man – John Law

Seasons they come, and seasons they go
There’s no need to shed tears for summer
She’ll come come back again, when the flower moon glow
And we’ll dance to magic midsummer

It’s springtime again
It’s springtime again
The green man has brought it back to us
Trees budding again
Grass growing again
Time to plant seeds and be joyous

Seasons they go, and come back again
Though we might forget during winter
But soon there once more be sun in the glen
And we’ll fill the forest with laughter

It’s springtime again
It’s springtime again
The green man has brought it back to us
Trees budding again
Grass growing again
Time to plant seeds and be joyous

©RedCat
It’s Spring Time Again sung acapella by RedCat

For some reason after reading up on the Green Man I started to think about folk songs and ballads. And one in particular started playing in my head – In folk song tone (I Folkviseton) by Nils Ferlin, a poet who I sang long before I read. It’s a well known love song.

So, I ended up writing a poem that is set to the same tune as Ferlin’s poem. And then making an acapella recording of it. :-)

I’ve had similar ideas befor, but this is the first time I actually managed to pull it together. Which makes me very happy and proud indeed. Maybe someday I will actually reach that elusive song writer place.
To see all art and read all poetry for today go to The Wombwell Rainbow.

Also shared with Open Link Night at dVerse.

Photo by Dmytro Tolokonov on Unsplash
John Law

“Am 68. Live in Mexborough. Retired teacher. Artist; musician; poet. Recently included in ‘Viral Verses’ poetry volume. Married. 2 kids; 3 grandkids.”

April Ekphrastic Challenge – GloPoWriMo 2021

31

A Dirge For The Drowned – April Ekphrastic Challenge

Jane Cornwell

In the gray dawn light
A floating sound
Coming from the fishermen’s bight
A dirge for the drowned

A floating sound
Washing over the seashore
A dirge for the drowned
For love lost forevermore

Washing over the seashore
Like swashes of tears
For love lost forevermore
Grief echoing over the pier

Like swashes of tears
Coming from the fishermen’s bight
Grief echoing over the pier
In the gray dawn light

©RedCat
Boats by John Law

As so often happens with the forms I know well, I didn’t set out to write a Pantoum it just happened after I’d written the first stanza and sat wondering where to go next. Grief is a thing that changes over time, but still comes back to us again and again when reminded.

Searching for rhyming words I also learned two new ones.

Swash – the rush of seawater up the beach after the breaking of a wave.

Bight – a curve or recess in a coastline, river, or other geographical feature.

See all art and read all poems for today at The Wombwell Rainbow.

John Law

“Am 68. Live in Mexborough. Retired teacher. Artist; musician; poet. Recently included in ‘Viral Verses’ poetry volume. Married. 2 kids; 3 grandkids.”
Jane Cornwell


likes drawing and painting children, animals, landscapes and food. She specialises in watercolour, mixed media, coloured pencil, lino cut and print, textile design. Jane can help you out with adobe indesign for your layout needs, photoshop and adobe illustrator. She graduated with a ba(hons) design from Glasgow School of art, age 20.

She has exhibited with the rsw at the national gallery of Scotland, SSA, Knock Castle Gallery, Glasgow Group, Paisley Art Institute, MacMillan Exhibition at Bonhams, Edinburgh, The House For An Art Lover, Pittenweem Arts Festival, Compass Gallery, The Revive Show, East Linton Art Exhibition and Strathkelvin Annual Art Exhibition.

Her website is: https://www.janecornwell.co.uk/

April Ekphrastic Challenge – GloPoWriMo 2021

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