TSL, 

Prompt 30 June 30  " There is the Door to which I found no key..." Omar Khayyam.  both given by Jagari Mukherjee 

I don’t know

How I came here

At first

I thought it was home

A cosy place

Then a refuge

Against the world fracas

Nowadays tis a prison 

From which no one escapes

The walls are immaterial 

I can’t get out

There’s no window

The air is stale

There’s a door to which I found no key

Monte Cristo had the right idea

Only once dead

The portal opens

I’m condemned for life

Inside my own mind.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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TSL, Prompt 29 June 29  From A Muse to A Poet.

No, that’s it

I have enough,

I’m tired

Night after night

You’re calling me

Demanding I inspire you

Give flight to your words! 

Fire your imagination , As if! 

You can face that blank page

All alone for once

You can’t force me

I won’t help you

No more

You can sigh,

Look at the moon,

Even insult me

I won’t change my mind.

You can threaten me,

Tell me : There are others 

You can call upon

Be my guest

I’ll be watching you!

None will come

I’ve spread the word

No more muse

You will abuse.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Prompt 27 June 27 Window shopping by Sukanta Mohapatra sir

Have to pay bills

Don’t have money

Window shopping 

Is way too depressing

Leave a bitter aftertaste

Dreams are cheap

Those I can afford

When I win the lottery

Only problem 

Don’t have money

To buy winning ticket.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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TSL, 

Prompt 28 June 28 Whispering Waves by Shyamal Mukherjee sir based on the poem by JG Williams

Whispering waves come to die

On the shore in cohorts

Swift and short whispers

Exsangue and empty of energy

Barely touching the sand 

Leaving a soft foamy line

Behind them 

Defining wet and dry sand

Or stomping the ground 

Creating angry whirlpools

Screaming utter frustration 

To the sudden barrier 

Standing in their way

Crashing on top of it

Overcoming any obstacle 

Leaving for the following ones 

To make their way inland 

Their voice carried by the sea breeze 

Songs of the alluring sirens

Unseen temptresses.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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TSL, Prompt 26 June 26 Annihilation by Imran Yousuf based on his ghazal of the same name

The juggernaut wheels

Roar and scream 

Annihilation, Annihilation, Annihilation

The juggernaut wheels

Roar and scream 

Destruction, Destruction, Destruction

The juggernaut wheels

Roar and scream 

Obliteration, Obliteration, Obliteration

The juggernaut wheels

Roar and scream 

Extinction, Extinction, Extinction

The juggernaut wheels

Roar and scream 

Demolition, Demolition, Demolition

The juggernaut wheels

Roar and scream 

Eradication, Eradication, Eradication

The juggernaut wheels

Roar and scream 

The juggernaut wheels

Roar and scream 

Decimation, Decimation, Decimation

The juggernaut wheels

Roar and scream 

Extermination, Extermination, Extermination

Désintégration, Désintégration, Désintégration

The juggernaut wheels

Roar and scream 

Still someone is brave enough

To face the juggernaut 

And stop it in its track.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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TSL, 

Prompt 25 June 25 Drinking water given by Uiba Mangang

We people of the mountains 

Had voted “ no fluoride “ 

The city council against 

The popular vote 

Already the town water

Was chemically treated with chlorine 

Decided to go with fluoridation.

So we found ourselves

On water trips

Collecting containers 

Driving deep in the mountains

To get to a stone trough 

A water trough covered in moss

Fed by a natural spring

On the side of the road

Built in the earlier period 

For the bullocks to be watered 

On their trip to the next valley

Waited in line, we did,

To get get access to the water

As it was a  well known spot

To the grey nomads

And the odd hippies passing by

Water we collected 

And turned back home

To make the best cuppa

This side of the mountains

As nothing beats

Pure drinking water.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Prompt 24 June 24 Propose to your favourite actor/actress by Santosh Bakaya

Dear Gerard,

When I meet you very soon in heaven

You will still be a young swashbuckled star

I’m but an old hag

But I still remember 

The thrill of seeing you

In Fanfan, the tulip

Stayed with me to this day.

So what are we to do?

I invite you for a night 

Of heavenly conversation 

Around a table of heavenly delights

Reminiscing about theatre and films.

I have written a few plays

I’ll bring the manuscripts 

You may be interested to put them on

Eternity is such a long time.

Unfortunately it’s out of my control 

I can’t be definite about the date

It will be a case of having to confirm.

Leave a blank in your diary

Looking forward to rave all night!

See you soon 

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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* Gerard Philippe 

1922-1959

TSL, 

Prompt 23 Pebble taken from the title of the same name by Zbigniew Herbert (both prompts given by Aakriti Kuntal)

Forlorn Beach Pebble 

Tell me all about your story.

An eternity.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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TSL, Prompt 22 June 22 Stone taken from the title of the same name by Charles Simic 

Stone, it comes in all shapes and forms

Distinct and varied as mankind

Such is the nature of stone

From the reverential solstice temple

To the humble gravel piercing the sole of my shoe

From the beginning of humanity 

Stone has been linked to it

Worked into the perfect balanced weapon

To the sharp scraper to skin the prey

From the building of the pyramids

Witness of kings burial places

Grounded to dust in the concrete mix

Carved and polished marble

Both offering to gods places of worship

Stone has accompanied History 

All along dust is but a memory

Of what was and had been

It will outlast us all

S ...T ...O ...N ...E ...

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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TSL, Prompt 21

Hi,

You remember don’t you

How you always wanted to know

What you’d be in five years time?

When you’re young

It seems a long time

What you’d be doing?

Would you finish primary school?

Would you finish high school?

Would you go to uni?

Would you find a job?

Would you buy a flat?

No matter what you’d plan 

Life would get in the way

It occurred again and again

Shelter, work, family

Back to study, work 

Then retirement with a tree change

And nowadays you simply 

Don’t wish to know 

What you’ll be in five years 

For you might not be there.

Réalisation of the five years plan

Has stopped you 

To live your life to the full

So you try to catch up now

Before it’s too late

And don’t care about the future five years.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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TSL, Prompt 20 June 20 An Ode to a City 

Where others see Love

I see your ghosts

Long lost in history

Hoping to get deserved rest

Where others laud your harmony

I see your lost souls

In religious massacres

In the name of a true creed

Where others sing your beauty 

I see your dead

Fighting for freedom

Sacrificed In name of justice

Where others see your glory

I hear the shades of yesteryear 

Walking down the Champs Élysées 

Stomping  on the cobblestones.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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TSL, TSL

Prompt 18 June 18 "Grant me an old man’s frenzy, 

Myself must I remake 

Till I am Timon and Lear" from William B Yeats given by Partha Mukherjee 

Suddenly when time runs thin

Stark realisation hits

Life lived so far was not fulfilling 

Leaving sad prayers in the mind

“Grant me an old man’s frenzy, 

Myself must I remake 

Till I am Timon and Lear" 

Instead of enjoying Life’s fruits 

In deserved retirement

Frantic activity seizes each moment 

To achieve the impossible 

Becoming worthy of remembrance 

Taking revenge on mediocrity

Thus supported and entertained 

Generous indolence

Swept by mean intent

To screw from the last breath

An ounce of bitterness poison

Leaving others stunned

By that ultimate destruction.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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TSL, Prompt 19 June 19 "Raindrops keep fallin' on my head" 

-This line is taken from the song recorded by B.J. Thomas in 1969. given by Elvira Fernandez to be written of in prose/poem.

Raindrops keep falling on my head

Loaded with their own message

Refreshing isn’t ?

Time to go home!

Take shelter!

Me and me friends have formed a band

Called The drenching Ones

Hurry up! Join the party!

Landing on my hair, 

Sliding down with a joyous splash 

Taking away small worries with them

Popping up full of joy

Exploding in a wild tempo on my head

One drop at a time 

Shower it is nonetheless 

For its the mass impact that matters

From soft caress to hard needling 

Forming rivulets on my face

Merging with my own tears

All different and bitter

Rumbling from the darkened sky of my mind

Arrival of a tempestuous time

Instant liquid fury 

Nowadays a daily occurrence .

Lucette C. Bailliet

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