“Anyone could see that the wind was a special wind
this night, and the darkness took on a special feel because it was All Hallows’
Eve.”~ Ray Bradbury
I love Halloween: the colors, the food, the
traditions, the mood… Many people think of Halloween as the season for scary
things; for me, it’s always been a time for closeness—a coming together to
remember those we’ve lost to death, to celebrate the good and battle the bad, to ready ourselves for worse.
Some of my favorite stories happen on or around Halloween Day (Something Wicked this Way Comes, Practical Magic...). So, of course, my dear poets and storytellers,
for our optional prompt on October 31st, it only makes sense
to invite you to write poetry or prose set on Halloween, All Hallows’ Eve, Dia
de Muertos… or whatever this day is called in your bit of our world.
As always,
please add the direct link to your response to Mister Linky. One post per participant.
369 words maximum. You may share old or new pieces of poetry or prose, write to
the prompt or to a topic of your choosing. Visit other writers. Read their
words… and share your thoughts.
next week,
we’ll invite you to find inspiration in what you like about the dark.
Hello, dear Word Weavers. Can you believe we’ve already reached late October? The 10th month of the year! Where did the days and weeks all go?
Various quotations and common sayings reveal the significance we attach to the number 10: Ten green bottles hanging on the wall … (nursery rhyme / counting rhyme)
To me — old age is always ten years older than I am. Bernard Baruch.
A perfect ten; not touch with a ten-foot pole; ten a penny; ten to one; hang ten; ten-four ... And some adages:
When angry count to ten before you speak.
Success is falling nine times and getting up ten.
If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees.
We think of 10 as a number of completion, marking the end of a phase or sequence. But really it’s 9 which is the number of ending. 10 is a new beginning, the start of the next sequence or phase. For your optional prompt this week, I invite you to write something about, or including, the number 10. And/or write a 10-line poem. (Read on.)
Extra: If you’d like to play with form, there are a number of 10-line poems you could choose, ranging from the simple decastitch, which just means a 10-line poem (no other specifications), through the pirouette poem and the etheree to the complex Sacred Signia. (Just a few of the possibilities. By all means find others if you wish. The Sacred Signia link will lead you to some more of them.) Or you could try the tetractys, based on a 10-syllable rather than 10-line count. My own favourite 10-liner, which I return to often, is the dizain.
Guidelines: One post per person, 369 words maximum (excluding title and notes), poetry or prose, old or new, on prompt or not. We welcome comments or questions (below) and encourage you to read and respond to each others’ posts.
Next week: We will invite you to write poetry or prose set on Halloween.
