DEFENDING THE PEN It’s all about murder . . . romance – writing it! I post flash fiction, book announcements, interviews, and the things I love. Careful . . . you may end up the victim . . . of fun!
Look at that sky
sorrow and sadness must fly
it's time to stand up
kick abuse to the curb
no more woe-is-me
no more words that disturb
God gave us a choice
He gave us a voice
I'll make my way
beginning today
and for all the tomorrows
believing in truth
forgiveness and peace
a gift from above
given in love
ours to claim
and without blame
see how easy it is
to wash away the gray.
***
Yolanda Renée ©2022
Thank you, everyone, for your kind words.
Summer Is Here
Covid be gone
summer is here
I've more important
things to do
and now, no fear
just listen
hear the winds howl,
gust and blow
hot air above one hundred
sweltering and sultry beyond
words
Covid be gone
it's too beautiful to be pallid
the waves crash
whitecaps on an evergreen
sea
so just leave me be
palm trees wave
but never sway
their trunks stand tall,
even in a squall
or hurricane come this fall
flowers are bright
as the bee's light
hear the bird song
the frogs' croak
nature, so full of hope
Covid be gone
it's time you departed
for regions unknown
health and happiness
God's promise, our own.
***
Yolanda Renee © 2022
Photo by Sarah Kilian on Unsplash
COVID IS HERE
Contemplating life
pondering death
all because
Covid is here
touching all things
I hold dear
I did my best
followed all the rules
used all the tools
vacce'd and masked
still, it pierced my defenses
now I face all the consequences
Covid is here
as it ravages and burns
I've come to terms
there will be no rest
not with this unwelcome guest
so I stumble and stagger
a human half dead
filled with disease
and plenty of dread
Covid is here
It haunts through the night
tossing and turning
my body fights
this invasive intruder
as it tests and taunts
all my weakest spots
the pain unbearable
the rest denied, unendurable
Covid is here
and I'm trying to survive
praying for reprieve
I have to believe
all my preparations
will eventually payoff
but days in
this evil is not backing off
and I've no more tools
Covid is here
It's not fair
I did everything right
but no matter the caution,
or how hard you fight
this sneaky devil
always had you in its sights
Covid is here
a parasite that
subjugates your body
befuddles your brain
I thank God
at least
the soul is free
of this unholy beast
Please understand
I don't fear death
I'd welcome the change
I just don't want
to give Covid
any more fame!
***
Yolanda Renee © 2022
STAY SAFE!
return to sender
cuts to the core
why have you discarded me
why am I spurned
it details my love
I gave to you wholly
my heart and soul
I belong to you only
you’ll see it’s all true
I didn’t betray you
lies were construed
vengeance out of the blue
my devastation runs deep
the devil has spoken
and I am broken
still, your memory I keep
please read my letter
your answer might be the cure
for the constant replaying
of love-filled nights
and memories so pure
please read my letter
nothing could be worse
unless love one-sided
was meant to be
my curse
Yolanda Renée © 2022
It
Really Does Matter
Another
Mother's Day
has
come and gone
no
word from the two I've born
no
text, no call
no
card or bouquet at all
makes
me sad
and
tears do fall
they
are better than this
they
really are
but
without a man to mentor
they've
failed the biggest test of all
The
man, my husband
once
yelled
when asked why?
"Don't
look at me. You're not my mother."
then
the tears did fall
each
year the pain does lessen
from
this sharp arrow to the heart
someday
maybe
anon
they'll
truly understand
and
be better champions
to
the little ones
and
the women that make them
men.
Yolanda Renee © 2022
It's that time again.
A new challenge was posted by the gals at the WEP. Write...Edit...Publish
Flash fiction at it's best! Are you game?
Then join the fun!
***
A Hard Rain
She gazes and sighs
at the angry clouds
the surprisingly calm ocean
and the horizon so far
A Hard Rain is Gonna Fall
she questions her motives
is she validated
or just an attention seeker
all she wants
is freedom
independence
a life less hidden
but to achieve that goal
others will suffer
many will shake their heads
and say, what’d you expect
the girl's been off balance
her entire life
never did know
when she had it good
always seeking
never satisfied
I swear
even in death
she'll look for a third option
unsatisfied with Heaven
or Hell…
Yolanda Renee © 2022
****
Your turn, just give it a try.
A poem, a short story, flash fiction, or another artistic expression!
A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall
has been described as the ‘most idiosyncratic protest song ever written.’ Bob Dylan, the Nobel Laureate and another 60's icon, wrote,
composed and sung it in 1962 when he was only 21. It’s been covered by many
artistes including Pete Seeger, Joan Baez and has never really stopped being
sung ever since. Dylan has sold more than 125 million records/albums
making him one of the most popular artistes of all time.
The form is
modelled on the traditional ballad in the question and answer format, the
themes being human suffering – pollution, warfare, isolation, angst. Sixty
years after Dylan presented it at a performance at Carnegie Hall, the lyrics
are striking in that how relevant they are still, how contemporary their feel
and the depth of their appeal. Read more about the song here
and here.
This one is
wide open to all kinds of interpretations. Because human suffering – it’s as
wide, deep and long as life is, of a trillion takes potential.
Use it to
zoom in on our current ‘hard rain’ of covid. Chisel out your own pandemic flash
from what’s going on around you.
Or weave a
tale of some other woe – bleeding hammers, broken tongues, dead oceans, homes
in the valley meeting damp, dirty prisons. The lyrics are epic, apocalyptic and
offer rich pickings. Set your tale around the climate issues; the refugee
crisis; the endless hardships that the hard rains of bullets and bombs,
volcanic eruptions, oil spills have brought.
Or bypass
all the bleakness and melancholy and simply spin a conversation between a
parent and a child on some deep life issue. Or a light-hearted one. A million
directions to go. The possibilities are endless.
A freehand is what we give you, you give the song a listen and see what
happens...
Copied from the WEP Challenges page
**********
Welcome, Alex J. Cavanaugh, author of a new space opera, CassaDark. He's here to discuss the elements that make his current book a fitting read for all readers even those that love a good murder mystery. Please, take it away Alex!
Murder!
Mystery! Mayhem!
Wait a minute…my book is science fiction, space opera/adventure.
Nobody is murdered. There’s no mystery to solve. Mayhem? Hmm…maybe my book does
have those elements.
All right, there isn’t an out-and-out murder. No police or
detectives are involved. But there are people being killed. In a way that is
hidden to the rest of the galaxy. Many live in a world where death lurks around
every corner. And people do die. Maybe not murder, but death happens. (Of
course, people on the planet kill one another, so that technically is murder.)
Mystery…actually, for the main character, there is a lot. Bassan
is a bit naïve. He believes even as he doubts. He begins to see things are not
as he assumed. There are mysteries to unravel—what is the truth? So, there is a
bit of mystery.
Now, mayhem. There is a lot of that! Bassan is sent across the
galaxy. He gets dumped on a strange planet. People try to kill him. And the
people he’s with. His future is completely in disarray. Dogs and cats, living
together—mass hysteria! No wait, that’s Ghostbusters. But you get the idea.
There is a lot of upheaval and peril, and Bassan is put through the wringer.
So, I guess CassaDark does have a lot of those mystery elements.
Who knew?
https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/
https://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh
By Alex
J. Cavanaugh
His world is unraveling…
Bassan’s father is stepping
down from command. His best friend almost dies when Bassan freezes. Now, he’s
being sent across the galaxy to speak at an important conference. Despite
saving the eleven races years ago, he’s paralyzed by fear and doubt. Could
things get any worse?
Once there, new acquaintance
Zendar convinces Bassan to visit his planet for a humanitarian mission.
Bassan’s special connection to ancient technology is the key to saving Zendar’s
people. One problem though—it’s a prisoner planet.
On Ugar, he discovers things
aren’t so straightforward. As each secret reveals itself, the situation grows
more desperate. If he can’t find the right answers, he might die along with
Zendar’s people. Can Bassan summon the courage to be a hero again?
Released on–April 6, 2022
$16.95, 6x9 trade paperback,
226 pages
Science fiction - Adventure
(FIC028010) / Space Opera (FIC028030) / Space Exploration (FIC028130)
Print
ISBN 9781939844842 / Ebook ISBN 9781939844859
$4.99 Ebook available in all
format
Buy Links:
iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id1574189874
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0982FL3SH
Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940164947033
Kobo – https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9781939844859
Scribed – https://www.scribd.com/search?query=9781939844859&language=0
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58461762-cassadark
*****
Thanks so much, Alex, for allowing me to share your exciting news!
Well folks, have you gotten your copy yet?
