Prompt 44: Stardust

Lirone of Words that Sing offers this week's prompt and poem, stardust. Thank you, Lirone!

children of stardust
born from the cataclysm
of the death of stars

from disaster our birthright
as children of stardust -
to create life and beauty

so from the ashes we rise
singing our phoenix songs
bright children of stardust

(Click here for photo source.)

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Prompt 43: A Winter's Day

Thanks to Geraldine of My Poetic Path for this week's prompt, a winter's day. To get us started, Geraldine offers the first stanza of a poem:

Chilled to the bone, the frosty sheer air.
Winter again, unrelenting, inevitably here.
The stillness of a new untouched morning,
Still ours alone to share....

(Click here to read the complete poem.)

Thanks to Geraldine for these photos, as well.

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Prompt 42: Distractions

This week's prompt is distractions. Since we don't have a guest post this week, I went to Etymology Online to have a look at the history of the word. This is what I found when I typed "distraction" in the search box:

ecstasy: 1382, "in a frenzy or stupor, fearful, excited," from O.Fr. extasie, from L.L. extasis, from Gk. ekstasis "trance, distraction," from existanai "displace," also "drive out of one's mind" (existanai phrenon), from ek "out" + histanai "to place, cause to stand," from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Used by 17c. mystical writers for "a state of rapture that stupefied the body while the soul contemplated divine things," which probably helped the meaning shift to "exalted state of good feeling" (1620). Slang use for the drug 3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine dates from 1985. Ecstatic "rapturously happy" is from 1664.

Ecstasy. Go figure. Have fun, friends!

Sandy

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Prompt 41: Doodles

Thanks to Teri of Teri's Mandalas for this week's prompt, doodles.

Doodles and noodles
Lines, curves and tangles galore
Ideas and fun

***

What are doodles?
The mind wandering around
While lines make the map

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Prompt 40: Welcoming

Thanks to Nancy Bea Miller of Genre Cookshop for this week's prompt of "welcoming":

don't worry spiders
I keep house
casually
~Kobayashi Issa (1763 -1827)

In Issa's haiku, "don't worry spiders...," unadorned language—without simile, metaphor, allusion, or other figurative elements—provides an amusing snapshot of some spiders and the human they live with. As in most haiku, conjunctions and connectors, such as "because," are left out and the logic is left for readers to infer. Often, two or more meanings are possible: here, for example, "keep house" can imply keeping one's house tidy, or "keeping a house" that is welcoming for all who live there, even the spiders.(from an essay by Robert Hass, U.S. poet laureate)

Also, thanks for the photo, Nancy!

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Prompt 39: Childhood Memories

Geraldine of My Poetic Path brings us this week's prompt of childhood memories. Here is her beautiful poem on this subject:

The

first of

December

Thoughts of

Christmas.

Soon to arrive.

Expectations ran high.

Snow days and blizzards.

Making a list, checking it twice.

Then Santa's letter printed and ready to mail.

Christmas baking; heady, wonderful aromas.

Pageants at school, with costumes of many colors.

The tall lush evergreen, centerpiece of the season.

We decorated so carefully; each bough lovingly adorned.

With some old, some new, every one used and none forgotten.

The long days of dark December. Homework complete.

Sitting in the darkened living room; time alone to drift away.

Marvelling at the masterpiece of lights and shining ornaments.

Gazing far beyond to the magic to follow. Hurry, hurry, hurry!

Christmas eve: midnight mass and carolling.Treats aplenty!

Then the long awaited treasures afterwards.

The secrets of shining boxes and ribbons.

Finally revealed and always worth the wait.

Then off to sleep to dream of a perfect Christmas Day.

Happy and content, still to remember these childhood memories.

On

this

winter day.

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Prompt 38: Courage

Courage is this week's prompt, thanks to Barb's Haiku. Thanks to her, too, for the photo and for these:

boldness without bounds
courage of her convictions
-children's advocate

normally reserved
and non-confrontational
-tigress for her kids

great tenacity
have mothers of special needs
-unbroken spirits

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Prompt 37: Paradox

This week's prompt is paradox, thanks to Edward Gault of Forest River Journal. Thanks for these, Edward:

I wrote half tanka
Then wrote one half the next part
Followed by next half
And continued in this way
Until I got to the en

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Her smile was friendly,
She looked directly through me
-speaking policy.

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"I am always doing that which I cannot do,
in order that I may learn how to do it."
Pablo Picasso

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Prompt 36: Disguise

This week's prompt is disguise.
My apologies for having Mr. Linky up late!

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Prompt 35: Gift

Thanks to Janice of My Bellavia for this week's prompt of gift. Thanks, Janice, for the image and the poetry here, as well.

inside my card
"always strive to do the right thing"
- my father's words

constant through the years
his words
have guided me

more precious are
his words
than any gift of retail

and every time i use them
i dance with him
knowing he was right

- - - - - - - - - -

Sometimes, the smallest thing is the greatest gift of all. Today I remembered for the first time a day visiting my great grandfather when I was three or four years old.

unexpected memory
at the golden age of fifty
great grandfather's face

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Prompt 34: Never Ending

Gautami Tripathy of Firmly Rooted offers this week's prompt, never ending. Here is her work:

you ask to follow me-
never! ending this
unhealthy liason now

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Prompt 33: Gold

Thanks to Gemma Wiseman of "Gemma's 'Greyscale Territory' - Poetic Songlines" for this week's prompt of gold, this image, and for this contributon:

Precious earth metal
Happiness locked in a reef
Gold bars imprison
~
Precious earth flower
Free to grow and be adored
Sunbursts on Spring trees
~
Gold banks or gold dreams
Stagnant greed or Nature's child
Gold locks or gold keys

Photo by Gemma Wiseman ~ Golden spring wattle at Arthurs Seat, Mornington
Peninsula!

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Prompt 32: Serendipity

Thanks to Barb of Barb's Haiku for serendipity, this week's prompt.

serendipity
tattletales and rivalries
secrets, shared and bared
keepers of my memories
my sisters are my best friends

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Prompt 31: Fleeting

Nancy Bea Miller of Genre Cookshop offers us this week's post of fleeting along with this poem, this tender and wonderful photo, a haiku by Basho, and a thought on the nature of haiku and creativity! Thanks, friend!

The baby's warm foot,
dangling free: round, fragrant, soft-
next spring running hard.

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Old Pond
by Matsuo Basho
Furuike ya
kawazu tobikomu
mizu no oto.

Old pond
A frog leaps in
The sound of water.

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"Every moment of life should remind us, and death clearly does remind us, that the fleeting moments we seek to capture in haiku are impermanent. Yet, as Bob [Robert Spiess] also wrote, "that impermanence allows us to be creatively free: if the universe were fixed, true creativity would not be possible." (Michael Dylan Welch, Modern Haiku)

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Prompt 30: Autumn

Teri of Teri's Mandalas back for an encore with this week's prompt, autumn. Thanks to her for the poems and the images.

These beautiful leaves,
Their colors are so gorgeous.
They brighten our day

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Red and yellow leaves
This their last dance of color
Soon a memory

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I just love these leaves
So much personality
Beauty before death

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Prompt 29: Seeds

Thanks to Teri of Teri's Mandalas for this week's prompt of seeds.

It is an old bridge in North Dakota with an unused one-room school house in the background. When I saw what a survivor this sunflower was I was inpsired to paint it and write the haiku.

The sunflower bridge
Seeds were planted by the birds
To brighten our day

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Prompt 28: Defenses Down

Thanks to Nicole Nicholson of Raven's Wing Poetry for this week's prompt, defenses down and for this wonderful poem:

WALLS

I drank to soften nerves that were
cutting me like unseen knives

at that party, amidst strangers
scared of the face in the mirror

the goody two-shoes, the freak
encased in stone

the stranger

I drank to plow down walls
constructed by a suspicious
upbringing and moral lessons
pounded into a mind

that grabbed onto concepts, oughts,
and shoulds with iron teeth
and pounded them into my flesh

until metal facades were
indistinguishable from my own skin

I tried to drown my walls
in a sea of beer, peach Schnapps,
something faintly tasting like blackberries,
and whatever else I could get
my hands on that night

and my walls, oh my walls

they melted until my eyes
couldn't see straight
and I watched the party ensue
through alcoholic glasses

then she came

she charged into my garden
and stole my fruit

the gate would have stopped her

but it had been washed away
in the stinky fermented tide
of the last beer I downed
before my head began to swim

this is not how walls
should tumble down
a gate washed out to sea
can never be searched and found
in time to stop invading armies
from stealing your treasure

and I guarded mine
for years after that party
behind iron gates harder
than diamonds

and I still hesitate sometimes
to give it away
to the one who deserves it the most

Image: Deviant Art

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Update: A Couple of Schedule Changes

The list of future prompts has changed a tiny bit (our thanks to Geraldine of My Poetic Path) so that they would be more timely. The changes are for September 21, October 5, December 21, January 18, January 25 and February 22. Here is the new schedule:




Date	Prompt	Contributing Blog
September 7 - 13	Defenses Down	Raven's Wing Poetry
September 14 - 20	Seeds	Teri's Mandalas
September 21 - 27	Autumn	Teri's Mandalas
September 28 -October 4	Fleeting	Genre Cookshop
October 5 - 11	Serendipity	Barb's Haiku
October 12 - 18	Gold	Greyscale Territory
October 19 - 25	Never Ending	Rooted
October 26 -November 1	Gift	My Bellavia
November 2 - 8	Disguise	Don't Take My Wings
November 9 - 15	Paradox	Forest River Journal
November 16 - 22	Courage	Barb's Haiku
November 23 - 29	Childhood Memories	My Poetic Path
November 30 -December 6	Welcoming	Genre Cookshop
December 7 - 13	Doodles	Teri's Mandalas
December 14 - 20	Distractions	Don't Take My Wings
December 21 - 27	A Winter's Day	My Poetic Path
December 28 -January 3, 2009	Stardust	Words That Sing
January 4 - 10	Skin	Don't Take My Wings
January 11 - 17	A Summer's Day	My Poetic Path
January 18 - 24	Fading Memories	My Poetic Path
January 25 - 31	If Only I Had Time	Greyscale Territory
February 1 - 7	Slowly	Genre Cookshop
February 8 - 14	Movement	Don't Take My Wings
February 15 - 21	Spectral	Rooted
February 22 - 28	Twilight	Rooted
March 1 - 7	Circles (OSI 1st Anniversary)	Forest River Journal
March 8 - 14	Fork in the Road	My Poetic Path
March 15 - 21	Farewells	Genre Cookshop




Thank you to all of our contributors!

Prompt 27: Spectacle

Gautami Tripathy of Firmly Rooted offers this week's prompt of spectacle. Thanks, Gautami, for the inspiration and your beautiful poem:

she fell on ground
unmindful he trod on her
spectacle, he or she?

Image: Stock Exchange

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Future Prompts Are Here Again




Date	Prompt	Contributing Blog
September 7 - 13	Defenses Down	Raven's Wing Poetry
September 14 - 20	Seeds	Teri's Mandalas
September 21 - 27	Autumn	Teri's Mandalas
September 28 -October 4	Fleeting	Genre Cookshop
October 5 - 11	Serendipity	Barb's Haiku
October 12 - 18	Gold	Greyscale Territory
October 19 - 25	Never Ending	Rooted
October 26 -November 1	Gift	My Bellavia
November 2 - 8	Disguise	Don't Take My Wings
November 9 - 15	Paradox	Forest River Journal
November 16 - 22	Courage	Barb's Haiku
November 23 - 29	Childhood Memories	My Poetic Path
November 30 -December 6	Welcoming	Genre Cookshop
December 7 - 13	Doodles	Teri's Mandalas
December 14 - 20	Distractions	Don't Take My Wings
December 21 - 27	A Winter's Day	My Poetic Path
December 28 -January 3, 2009	Stardust	Words That Sing
January 4 - 10	Skin	Don't Take My Wings
January 11 - 17	A Summer's Day	My Poetic Path
January 18 - 24	Fading Memories	My Poetic Path
January 25 - 31	If Only I Had Time	Greyscale Territory
February 1 - 7	Slowly	Genre Cookshop
February 8 - 14	Movement	Don't Take My Wings
February 15 - 21	Spectral	Rooted
February 22 - 28	Circles (OSI 1st Anniversary)	Forest River Journal
March 1 - 7	Twilight	Rooted
March 8 - 14	Fork in the Road	My Poetic Path
March 15 - 21	Farewells	Genre Cookshop




Please feel free to send us a poem and/or an image to accompany your prompt so we can highlight your work here and link back to you. We will remind you during the week before your prompt will be up that you should get your work to us by the Saturday before it will run!

The calendar is updated and ready to go:
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♥ Thank you all so much!
And of course, please e-mail about any errors.

Prompt 26: Resolve

Thanks to Christine of Quiet Paths for this week's prompt, resolve, and her poems and photo.

resolutely bright
wildflowers among scrub brush
destined to survive
~~~~~
Complicated fabric
I strive to decipher you
life is a puzzle.
~~~~~

And an example from Chiyo-ni
just for now
I spread the morning's snow
over the dust.

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Prompt 25: Homecoming

Thanks to Geraldine at My Poetic Path for this week's prompt, homecoming, and for the image and short story excerpt below.

The hot, stifling air. A far-reaching, almost eerie silence.

Sky, brilliantly blue; generously dotted with billowy "mashed potato" clouds. Replicas and visions from younger, happier days.

All of these had remained.

Helping to sustain him through the long, lost days. He had known only to well, the many faces of hunger and thirst. The nights, hardest of all to bear.

Read the entire short story at: The Homecoming

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How to Participate in One Single Impression

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Call for Prompts

We again invite our participants to suggest poetry prompts so we can post them to our calendar. We like to highlight each of you and your work, so please write a poem and submit an image before the week your prompt will appear so we can post them here. You can send your work at any time. There is no need to wait until the week your prompt is scheduled.

It's a pleasure to read the work of so many good and creative people, to learn from each other, and to try new ways of writing and of looking at life itself. Thank you.

Please leave your prompt suggestions as a comment on this post.

Prompt 24: Stairways

Thanks to Deb Godin of The Cloud Messenger for providing the image and poem to accompany Christine's prompt, stairways. Deb writes:

When Christine asked me to pinch hit for her, I said "Yes!" and immediately began to mentally look around this very flat area where I live for some suitable stairs. Then I remembered the viewing platform at the wetlands at Point Pelee National Park (just a few minutes from my house, lucky me!) So here is the photo. As I walked around shooting it, I wondered how many steps it took to get to the top (never counted them) and that speculation reminded me of one of my favorite Buddhist practices - Three Steps One Bow - a beautiful thing to see, and that inspired the haiku. Hope this works for "Stairways."

look down from on high
as one prayer becomes the next
take three steps, one bow

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How to Participate in One Single Impression

• Post your poetry on your blog. This does not need to be today. You can post any time during the week.
  
• Come here and enter your link into Mr. Linky. Other participants can easily find you by clicking your name in Mr. Linky.
• Enjoy the beautiful poems of the other bloggers.
  
• There is a new Mr. Linky each week so you always have to sign up on the current one. Please do not sign your name on Mr. Linky unless you are participating in One Single Impression.
  
• Mr. Linky will remain here forever. A list of past themes is on the sidebar. You can check back at any time for information on a past theme.

Thank you and enjoy!

Prompt 23: Folly

Thanks to Edward S. Gault of Forest River Journal for this week's prompt of folly, these poems, and the image.

He was the town fool
Then he went on a journey
returned a hero.
***
Other kids teased her,
She was always the last picked
later, got Nobel.
***
He stole millions,
Bankrupted the company
got "Man of the Year"
***
On Stage he told truth
As people split sides laughing
many words bleeped out!
(for George Carlin R.I.P)
***
Once upon a time,
A kingdom lacked wisdom-O!
made the fool their king.
***
The Professor said:
"Foolish Civilizations
live like kings, die fast".

(Edward S. Gault, 2008)

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How to Participate in One Single Impression

• Post your poetry on your blog. This does not need to be today. You can post any time during the week.
  
• Come here and enter your link into Mr. Linky. Other participants can easily find you by clicking your name in Mr. Linky.
• Enjoy the beautiful poems of the other bloggers.
  
• There is a new Mr. Linky each week so you always have to sign up on the current one. Please do not sign your name on Mr. Linky unless you are participating in One Single Impression.
  
• Mr. Linky will remain here forever. A list of past themes is on the sidebar. You can check back at any time for information on a past theme.

Thank you and enjoy!

Prompt 22: Faces

Thanks to Lissa at Just Writing Words for this week's prompt of faces. Thanks also for sharing your poem and for providing the artwork.

Faces

they stare but they don't look at you
their faces crimson with lonely joy
their bodies pressed against the wall
happiness escape their lips
as their eyes looks downward
hoping for you to notice them
hoping they would be caught
before they fall
downcast into despair
hoping every day
to be taken home

Photo Credit

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How to Participate in One Single Impression

• Post your poetry on your blog. This does not need to be today. You can post any time during the week.
  
• Come here and enter your link into Mr. Linky. Other participants can easily find you by clicking your name in Mr. Linky.
• Enjoy the beautiful poems of the other bloggers.
  
• There is a new Mr. Linky each week so you always have to sign up on the current one. Please do not sign your name on Mr. Linky unless you are participating in One Single Impression.
  
• Mr. Linky will remain here forever. A list of past themes is on the sidebar. You can check back at any time for information on a past theme.

Thank you and enjoy!

Prompt 21: Rest

Thanks to the Manic Gardener, who recommended this week's prompt of rest.

“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” (Ovid)

“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.” (Etty Hillesum)

Photo: Stock Exchange

How to Participate in One Single Impression

• Post your poetry on your blog. This does not need to be today. You can post any time during the week.
  
• Come here and enter your link into Mr. Linky. Other participants can easily find you by clicking your name in Mr. Linky.
• Enjoy the beautiful poems of the other bloggers.
  
• There is a new Mr. Linky each week so you always have to sign up on the current one. Please do not sign your name on Mr. Linky unless you are participating in One Single Impression.
  
• Mr. Linky will remain here forever. A list of past themes is on the sidebar. You can check back at any time for information on a past theme.

Thank you and enjoy!

Prompt 20: Myth

Thanks to Mary at Answers to the Questions for this week's prompt, myth. Thanks also for the image, background information, and poem, Mary.

In Shinto, the Japanese Kappa are a type of water imp and are considered to be one of many suijin (literally "water-deity"). From Wikipedia.

My story is a sacred one
about how the world began --
a mythos full of gods,
near-gods, those wrathful beings,
who explain beginnings to fools.
(Mary T)

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How to Participate in One Single Impression

• Post your poetry on your blog. This does not need to be today. You can post any time during the week.
  
• Come here and enter your link into Mr. Linky. Other participants can easily find you by clicking your name in Mr. Linky.
• Enjoy the beautiful poems of the other bloggers.
  
• There is a new Mr. Linky each week so you always have to sign up on the current one. Please do not sign your name on Mr. Linky unless you are participating in One Single Impression.
  
• Mr. Linky will remain here forever. A list of past themes is on the sidebar. You can check back at any time for information on a past theme.

Thank you and enjoy!

Prompt 19: Through a Window

Thanks to Over Good Ground for this week's prompt of "through a window." Here are examples from three writers to get things started.

A window to see the outside.
A window to see the inside.

kitchen window--
three butterflies wade
one after another
(Narayanan Raghunathan)

inter-city train journey -
a rattling window top
shuts itself
(Alan Summers)

every window
a mirror
on the cold walk home
(Kathleen Wilson)

Photo: Stock Exchange

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How to Participate in One Single Impression

• Post your poetry on your blog. This does not need to be today. You can post any time during the week.
  
• Come here and enter your link into Mr. Linky. Other participants can easily find you by clicking your name in Mr. Linky.
• Enjoy the beautiful poems of the other bloggers.
  
• There is a new Mr. Linky each week so you always have to sign up on the current one. Please do not sign your name on Mr. Linky unless you are participating in One Single Impression.
  
• Mr. Linky will remain here forever. A list of past themes is on the sidebar. You can check back at any time for information on a past theme.

Thank you and enjoy!

Haiku Resources

OSI participants have been asking about resources on haiku poetry. If you can suggest a text or a link, please leave us a comment.

New Blog: The Sunflower, on the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness

A few weeks ago, David's weekend wandering question, "Do you believe in forgive and forget?", kicked off a blogger conversation that led to the creation of another blog, The Sunflower, on the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness. Andree mentioned Simon Wiesenthal's book The Sunflower in her comment on my post responding to David's question, and that encouraged me to read it. Andree and I agreed forgiveness could make a good discussion topic among bloggers, and we thought we'd give it a try.

Andree has created the blog itself, and we've got a few posts up, including my synopsis and review of The Sunflower and some thoughts from Mary Stebbins Tait. We hope you'll have a look at the blog and consider participating in the conversations. We've tentatively planned to begin next week.

Andree has added a Feedburner subscription link to keep you up-to-date. Please add your email address.

Prompt 18: Doorway

Thanks to Pam Olson of Amputated Moon for this week's prompt, doorway and for this image.

the doorway lies before us
we wait at the threshold of silence
between past and future

to dwell in this threshold
holding silence close and dear
neither here nor there

wait as the seconds become minutes
moving on to months and years
silence surrounds silence

take it in and wait
until the time comes
then– just breathe and take a step

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How to Participate in One Single Impression

• Post your poetry on your blog. This does not need to be today. You can post any time during the week.
  
• Come here and enter your link into Mr. Linky. Other participants can easily find you by clicking your name in Mr. Linky.
• Enjoy the beautiful poems of the other bloggers.
  
• There is a new Mr. Linky each week so you always have to sign up on the current one. Please do not sign your name on Mr. Linky unless you are participating in One Single Impression.
  
• Mr. Linky will remain here forever. A list of past themes is on the sidebar. You can check back at any time for information on a past theme.

Thank you and enjoy!