WELCOME TO THE TWENTY-EIGHT DAYS CHALLENGE!
Brought to you by WEP (click on image for more info) and hosted by Denise Covey, L.G. Keltner , Nilanjana Bose and Olga Godim. Their directive:
“Incorporate 28 days in your entry. It can be the time limit for a task or a challenge. The quantum of growth, a journey, a change, and/or healing that happens in 28 days.
Come in with a werewolf entry. Or don’t. Tell us about some other moon phase-based folklore instead. Fashion an epistolary flash as a series of 28 diary entries or postcards.
Mainstream, fantasy, romance, travel – all wide open. A lot of things can happen in 28 days!
Quick summing of the writing rules – any genre except erotica, 1000 words or less. Come in with your take in flash fiction, non-fiction, poetry, photo essay or artwork.
The blurbs are here just to get your creative juices flowing, as an indication of the possibilities. Remember you can take any direction you like with the interpretation.”
Indulging the poetry muse for this one!
TWENTY-EIGHT DAYS
[A Poem in Envelope Quattrain style]
Audio Version:
For Patricia. Thanks for the suggestion!
Lots of people have vision problems. Hope this helps.
Twenty-eight days…
Fight or flight?
Dark or light?
Eyes ablaze!
Twenty-eight days…
She had no clue
The day she’d rue
Her wanton ways!
Twenty-eight days…
It started well
Now it’s hell!
And she obeys…
Twenty-eight days…
He roped her in
With charming grin
And flowing praise
Twenty-eight days…
His manner changed
Became deranged!
Overt displays!
Twenty-eight days…
No way out!
Strong self-doubt
Thoughts in haze…
Twenty-eight days…
Time to act!
Resolve intact
No delays!
Twenty-eight days…
The time is nigh!
Live or die!
It’s not a phase…
Twenty-eight days…
She made a plan
To kill the man
Her fear allays…
Twenty-eight days…
She lay in wait
He came home late
Steady gaze!
Twenty-eight days…
She raised the knife
To end his life!
Could only graze…
Twenty-eight days…
It came to this
How could she miss?
And now she pays!
Twenty-eight days…
He grabbed the hilt
Devoid of guilt
But oh, so crazed!
Twenty-eight days
From start to end
One can’t contend
When all decays…
Twenty-eight days
From start to end
Twenty-eight days!
Word count 171: FCA*
*Full critique acceptable. Let me have it!
There’s a school of thought that this type of poetry is no longer ‘en vogue’.
Free verse rules the day, however, the muse does what she will.
Images courtesy of: Flickr / Maxpixel / Pexels / Pixabay / Pixnio / PxHere
A lot can happen in 28 days! #WEP February Challenge #dogladysden #amwriting Click To Tweet
For some fascinating reading, click HERE to see what the other participants are offering.
There’s still time to join in, yourself if you’re feeling creative. The signup list remains open until Feb. 22, 10 pm EST
Looking forward to your comments!
#AmWriting:
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Dog Mom and (retired) Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada, known as The Doglady. Former corporate workaholic. Writer, photographer, digital creator. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller. Eternal hippie/rockchick. History, literature and cinema buff. Hockey and soccer fan. Dedicated night owl. German/Canadian binational, multilingual. Let me entertain you!
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70 thoughts on “TWENTY-EIGHT DAYS | #WEP FEBRUARY CHALLENGE”
I’m still doing the WEP rounds. Better late than never, right?
I love the way your poem unraveled! Very creative and well-paced!
To get the true effect, this MUST be read aloud.
Good job!
Thank you, Michelle! 🙂 Yes, I thought it needed audio, as well. Appreciate the comments, any time.
Entertaining read. Should be read out loud, methinks
Thank you! Yes, I too thought an audio version was in order. 🙂
Congratulations on your winning WEP entry! 🙂 Loved the kale story.
Very chilling, and with an unfortunate degree of realism. Well done!
Thank you! I tend to lean towards the dramatic. 🙂 Sadly, these things happen all too often in real life.
Scary poem of warning. Act fast or…………………..
Yup; survival of the fittest! 🙂 Thanks for coming by, Roland.
What a great take on the prompt. I like the poetry interspersed with the pictures certainly added punch to the plot.
Thank you, Sally. I’m glad you liked it! 🙂
I certainly enjoyed your piece (I guess I mostly prefer rhymes than free verse too).
I’m glad you liked it, Bernadette! 🙂 Thank you so much. I find rhymes much easier to write than free verse.
I enjoyed this poem. I can’t say much about what’s in fashion or not, but this format WORKED for this story. So much build up and tension in your short phrases and rhymes. A great take on the prompt, even with its sad ending. Sad seems to be the “unofficial” theme for this challenge. Great entry.
Thank you so much, Toi! 🙂 I felt the short, abrupt lines conveyed the dire circumstances and tension. Sad endings are more dramatic and interesting, wouldn’t you say? I don’t write a lot of fiction (mostly memoirs and travelogues) so this was a fun exercise.
Very well done. It built steadily and with only well-chosen words.
Thank you so much! 🙂 I’m glad you liked it.
A very clever and intense poem. I didn’t know this type of poetry is no longer considered in fashion-it’s the type I prefer to write. The rhythm and the rhyme scheme you used help to build the tension and draw us in towards the dramatic climax. Great job!
Thank you so much! 🙂 It’s the only type of poetry I’ve ever written, but the inner circle apparently doesn’t care for it. LOL Short, abrupt lines were my way of heightening the drama. Glad you liked it!
Sorry , I hadn’t seen the comment box. I shared on Facebook and posted a comment there. Lovely, rhythmic poem. Like a video unfolding.
No problem. Thanks for the Facebook share. I’ll look for it. 🙂 Appreciate your kind words, as well. I was actually toying with the idea of making a video, but that was too time-consuming. Might still do it.
That was very clever – and the pace was wonderful. Well done 🙂
Thanks for those kind words, Jemima! 🙂 I enjoyed putting this together.
Wow, Debbie! That was so INTENSE… the build up and pace was SPOT ON! Congrats. Thanks for sharing such an emotional piece…
Thank you so much! 🙂 Intense was what I was going for and I’m glad it worked.
Of course the Muse does what she wants, lol. This was intense, and explicit. I liked the emotional content, the distraught thoughts, the guilt and resolve. The photos were intriguing also. A unique take on the prompt.
Yes, I always defer to the Muse. 😀 Thank you for coming by, Donna. It’s great to see you again. I’m so glad you liked my take on the prompt. Cheers!
Hi Debbie. This was powerful and so sad. Also. unhappily true for many. I can’t give critique since I’m not a poet. I enjoyed your story very much.
Nancy
Thank you for checking out my poem, Nancy. I’m not a “real” poet either, but this is where the muse led. 🙂 Sadly, this story does play out, all too often, in real life.
My goodness, this poem’s very good and quite climatic!
Thank you so much! I appreciate the kind words. 🙂
Interesting—I like the poetic form (I’m kind of a fan of the old school of poetry, I guess, and am impressed when someone can work within the tight constraints of rhyme and meter). You managed to convey a complete story in very few words, with that constant refrain and the continual decay of her life. The photos are the frosting on the cake.
Thank you so much for those kind words, Rebecca! ♥ I tried to tie it all together with appropriate images to heighten the drama. 🙂
Hi Debbie – I did comment yesterday – but seems to have gone awol … I’ll try again today. Loved the poem as too your reading of it – great idea … though not such a happy outcome – wonderful entry though – cheers Hilary
Hi Hilary; I did see your comment and responded to it. It’s still on the page. 🙂 Thanks for checking out the audio version of the poem. Glad you liked it, as well. Trying something new, as suggested by a subscriber. Cheers!
Hi Debbie – thanks … I had a struggle – but did see it had appeared later on … so before that added another! Thoroughly enjoyed hearing the poem and being able to follow along with your poem – a good idea – cheers Hilary
You display discipline and precision, throughout this tight rhyme poem. Is she’d had half your savvy, she would be alive today… She should have called a Mountie, you know.
Thank you, Myke! 🙂 If she had called a Mountie, the story would have been so much less interesting. I was going for dramatic effect. Besides, domestic violence arrests don’t always stick and he would have come gunning for her. At least, that’s what the muse tells me.
I like free verse too. This is short and not so sweet, but your words make a strong point. No pun intended. Better than eliminating the problem, the safer alternative would be exiting stage left.
I was going for dramatic effect, here. 🙂 Had she made a run for it, he likely would have hunted her down. In her mind, the only solution was to kill him but sadly, it backfired. Thanks for coming by.
Love your upbeat and entertaining blog, Debbie D.! I enjoy the free verse form but the haiku and other forms of poetry are more to my liking. With that said, your Twenty-eight days poem is compelling and well done. Thank you for following BrewNSpew.
Welcome to The Den, Eugenia! 🙂 I’m so glad you like it, as well as the poem. Thank you for coming by and for returning the follow. Cheers!
Wow! This was so good! The rhyme and flow were perfect,. The cadence and imagery drew me in immediately. While I was hoping to see her prevail, the ending felt true to the dark nature of the piece. Splendidly done!
Thank you so much for those kind words! ♥ Totally made my day, especially since I don’t consider myself a “real” poet. I just ran with it and let it set its own course.
Debbie,
Ooo, you’re right your poem is very dark! I don’t like the way things ended. Why is it so many women have such poor judgment picking out the right guy? Furtastic job even if it is sad. She should not have paused, either run away for good or finished the job. With someone like that, then things will go from bad to worse in a blink of an eye.
I agree; she should have finished the job. 🙂 Had she run away, he likely would have hunted her down. It is sad that so many people are victims of domestic violence. Not sure why this topic came to mind, but I go where the muse leads. 🙂 I’m glad you you like the poem, regardless. Thanks for coming by.
A poem that makes an excellent showcase of brevity and pace throughout its a shame it didn’t have a happier ending. Well done, Debbie.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Christopher. 🙂 A happy ending would have made it less dramatic and I was going for the full effect, here. Thanks for visiting The Den. Cheers!
Hi Debbie – I think that was brilliant – loved it … while the images didn’t detract and you had the right tone when you read it. Very clever … well done – I hope you’ll do more – cheers Hilary
Thank you so much, HIlary! 🙂 I was going for full-on dramatic effect here and I’m glad you enjoyed this.
Hi,
I have to admit that I hurt for that woman. What a way to depart from the living. I wished she had run away. I especially liked how to described the violence done to her because it drew me in because I thought she would run.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat
Hi Pat; I’m thinking, if she had run away, he would have likely hunted her down. She felt there was only one way out but sadly, it backfired. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I’m glad the poem had an effect. I was going for high drama, here. 🙂 Cheers!
Wow! That’s one sad tale in an entire poem. 🙁
Yes; I was going for dramatic effect 😀 Thanks for reading it, Shilpa.
Hi Debbie,
So great to have a poetry entry for the WEP! Thank you. Free verse rules with poetry critics, editors and the poets themselves. Ordinary folks don’t give a toss whether it’s free or rhymed, so long as it’s engaging. My two cents.
I enjoyed reading this entry, liked the beat, liked the unexpected ending. And your use of the prompt to highlight a very topical and sad issue .
Well, I never claimed to be a serious poet. 🙂 This was actually fun to do and I appreciate your kind words, especially since I know poetry is your area of expertise. That really made my day! Thank you, Nilanjana.
What a vivid poem. Great work. I was a family counselor for a time and domestic violence leaves scars that are invisible to the eye. Thanks for dropping by my own entry. ?
Thank you so much! 🙂 Sadly, domestic violence is all too common in our society. Not sure why this particular topic came to mind, but it fits the poem.
EEK! Great build up of tension throughout. Nicely done!
Thanks! I go where the muse takes me. 🙂 Appreciate the kind words.
Oh wow Debbie, I wasn’t expecting this! What a countdown to terror! My heart was in my mouth as I read this. Somehow I was dreading the ending. In Australia, one woman dies every week from domestic violence. I’m sure that figure is reflected in other countries, sadly. Hopefully your poem helps keep this scourge in the forefront. Your poetic style suited the subject matter. It added to the power.
Thanks for participating in WEP again! Loved having you!
Denise
Thank you much, Denise! 🙂 I felt the short, abrupt lines were appropriate for the tone. Domestic violence is a scourge everywhere, unfortunately. It’s been fun, doing some creative writing again and I hope to join more of your challenges in future. It’s great that you and your co-hosts are keeping this going. Cheers!
P.S. Loved your last vacation photos on Instagram!
Egads! I’m afraid I’ll have to pass this one to the horror fans… Sure wasn’t expecting that end!
Hahaha! The muse was feeling blood-thirsty. 😀 I even used classic horror movie music for background in the audio version. Thanks for checking out my poem.
Oh-oh! How unlucky for her that she missed the bastard. That is some horror poem you have here.
Yes, she certainly was unlucky. 🙂 I never know where the muse will lead. Thanks for coming by!
I really, really liked it and I liked the Quatrain form here. I don’t think that free verse rules completely. It’s good to read a variety of poetry forms.
Thank you so much for those kind words, Tyrean. 🙂 I only dabble in poetry occasionally but felt the style fit the tone.