Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! 

Blank page, blank book

First words on first page

Of a new year, new beginnings 

Exciting trepidation of what’s to come

Expectations are low

Already we know

It will be difficult 

We can let go

Of last year’s heavy burden

Early morning storm coming in 

Let’s see how it unfolds.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Good riddance

So it is the end my friend

It has been a long year

Or so it felt

Not a month of boredom

Not a week of respite

Everyday day a fight

For our survival 

No need to remind us

We’ve all been there

Relentless you were

And you kept delivering 

What a year you’ve been

But like everything

It has to end 

What a blessing to see you go

The door is  wide open

You may go, We’re so happy

To wave you goodbye 

You don’t deserve fireworks

You can tiptoe your way out

No one will miss your passing

Good riddance 2020!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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There’s no doubt

 There’s no doubt

When grass crackles

Under your feet

There’s no doubt

Scorching Summer is here

No need of a calendar.

When hot winds blow

Temperature raking up

There’s no doubt 

Fire season is open

Be prepared!

When the dam noticeably 

Loses water by the day

There’s no doubt

Drought is coming

La Niña or not! 

Seasons follow each other

A brutal summer can spring

In the footsteps of a soft spring

There’s no doubt

Nature is volatile!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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  Crossing the void of my mind

Walking the tightrope 

Of mindlessness 

Balancing above the vacuum

From one hand to the other

Anxiety is growing

There’s no net 

To catch my fall!

Lucette C. Bailliet

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Photo prompt from A poet’s Haven

Melbourne Cup 2020

 Melbourne Cup day 2020

After thirteen weeks of lockdown

I bought myself a fascinator

Had to celebrate the spring festival 

Don’t drink, don’t bet

So I might as well enjoy it!

Perched on my head 

Fluttering in the breeze

Delicate but strong enough

To make a statement

I shout “ fuck you  2020”.

Lucette. C. Bailliet

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Clickbait

Clickbait

I did wonder

I don’t any longer

Clickbait media stories:

Surfer disappears

Australia is astir

Clickbait

Old people dying 

They’re only whinging *

Clickbait 

Nurses and doctors save lives

AFL player is a hero

Clickbait 

Trump has Covid

Let’s get Hillary emails!

Clickbait

Expert in a field

A child will sell a better tale

Clickbait

Misdirection pays

Lies and scandals too

Clickbait 

Who cares?

Lucette C. Bailliet

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Senex Claudius

 Senex Claudius

The stirred muds of memory 

Rise to the surface

How murky they are

How do they stain and stick

To cover old wounds

Some discoveries made

Long time forgotten 

Or ignored 

Festering new scars

Meeting the other

Hearing her truth 

Putting a face  on a name

Was it worth it

The dedication, the love

The everyday lies to oneself?

For he is vile, 

For he is cruel,

For he is repugnant,

For he is a monster

There’s no where to hide

His love was a lie

Always been

And so was his life 

What to do?

Forgive him?

I don’t think so,

He hurt too many

I’m not that generous!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Stolen moments 2

 Stolen moments

Head bent under murky sky

And heavy thoughts

Spotted a dash of blue 

A shy Caladenia orchid 

In this drab forest

Pointing its head

And the world is better!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Stolen moments

 Stolen moments

Black clouds

Rainy day

Covid-19 lockdown

Stolen lives.

Life is not meant to work

Life is not meant to be rich

Life is meant to live!

I picked up a book

Underneath was a doodle

From her long time ago

My eyes teared up

When will we see her again?

Putting on her favourite music

Listening to it carefully 

I miss her  for I love her  so

Why, but why do cockies 

Scream when they fly 

Over the gumtrees?

Daisies filling the planter

A blast of joy

The first iris unfurling Itself 

Spring is pushy this year!

The dog playing

Running anew after the ball

Joyous to be alive.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Spring 2020

Spring in the garden 2020

The lemon trees are in bloom

The jonquils too

The buds on the peach trees

Are open attracting bees

Spring is here there’s no doubt

With a sprinkling of snow

And flurries to show

You would think the garden

Is an aromatic delight

Well, think again,

It reeks of blood and bone 

Offending the air

No bird in the flower beds

Watching weather forecast

For a rainy day 

To wash away that stench

May it come quickly!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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The year of reckoning

The year of reckoning 

The year of reckoning 

For so many souls

In these shortest days of the solstice

Winter seems infinite

So is the night she entered 

For she died today 

Cancer won on coronavirus 

To lose this battle

She was doomed

She fought to the last

For she was brave

Each breath harder to gather

Food no longer passing her lips

Her legs no longer carrying her

Lying in her bed surrounded 

By well meaning strangers

Amongst a paraphernalia

Of noisy machinery 

Prolonging her life

An IV stand stiff as a sentinel 

Stood dispensing morphine 

Preferring for her

The misty fog of the drug

Rather than the harsh reality

Of the unending cold night

May she Rest In Peace.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Hush!

TSL Pandorathon May 31 (Prompt given by Santosh Bakaya)

A conversation between a snake charmer and a circus manager . The latter's conversation  littered with  ",hush ,do you see what I see !

What a fantasy world

She must be living in

Where a snake charmer

And a circus manager

Have a conversation . 

Here the snakes have no charm

They have fangs full of poison

We have snake catchers, oh yes,

But snake charmers, oh no!

Here the circuses aren’t 

Allowed to have animals

On show performance 

Ethics or escapism 

Into the bush? 

I don’t know.

But where ever you are

You’re sure to hear

 “-hush ,do you see what I see !”

It could be a bush turkey,

A lyrebird, a platypus,

Or a mundane kangaroo 

It all just depends on where you stand

And how lucky you are really.

It is a fantasy world too

It you’re so inclined.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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The scream

TSL Pandorathon May 30 (prompt given by Santosh Bakaya)

"How dare you !!!!" His words rolled out spasmodically, eyes riveted on a tailless lizard hanging from the ceiling.  Short fiction:  Humour, satire

We had arrived at the beach resort on Bali island after a taxi had driven. us from the busy industrial airport to   entrance gardens leading us to a huge straw covered wooden pavilion among the fragrant frangipanis trees and jasmine vines. It was a  mesmerising reception hall with no walls filled with low sofas and coffee tables . The staff was welcoming and friendly , already our luggage had been taken care of while we were filling official papers. Our flight had arrived early in the morning and the staff told us our room was not ready yet, so if we didn’t mind we were to have breakfast in

the hall. And in fact three waiters were preparing us a feast on one of the hall large square tables. It was a lavish spray of fresh fruits, danish pastries and croissants, coffee , tea and fresh pressed juices. So we just enjoyed it. The curious thing was we couldn’t see any tourists. A staff was sweeping a carpet, there was no noisy vacuum cleaner to distract us, and the swish swish of her broom was kind of relaxing. Eventually we were told our room was ready and to follow the steward. 

We walked behind him on an outside pathway wandering to our hut for the hotel was in fact a series of tropical huts set amongst lovely native gardens . Already, the short walk had us sweating in the high ambient humidity. Our hut was also straw hatched on the outside, but with a plastered ceiling inside, where a large fan was moving the thick heavy air. No air conditioning was on offer. We decided to change from our townies clothes and take a shower to refresh us from our night trip before exploring the rest of the resort. I went in the bathroom, it had the expected utilities, I got in the shower turned on the taps and screamed my head off when I was suddenly faced with a somewhat monstrous scaly creature stuck to the shower wall . I had already bolted from the shower cubicle and wrapped myself in the bathrobe of the hotel when the steward came in and tried to catch the nightmarish creature. It was even made more nightmarish, when the steward having caught it by its tail, the creature just shed it , and the steward stayed with the tail in his hand. It was my turn to be stuck to the wall, I was simply terrorised while the gecko creeped to the shower ceiling. The steward apologised for the inconvenience, telling me that each hut had a resident gecko, to keep out the vermin, it was a natural pest control and that they were totally inoffensive. As he couldn’t catch the gecko on the ceiling, he left the hut wishing us a “ good day”.

For me after having calmed down, and still eying the   beast,  I spoke those words,”Pervert creature, eyeing bathing innocent tourist,  How dare you !!! “My words rolled out spasmodically, eyes riveted on a tailless gecko hanging from the ceiling while I showered. 

We later learnt that the staff kept bets rolling on how long the first scream of horror would sound after  the  hotel guest had entered their room. Games men play!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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The Beast

TSL pandorathon 

May 29 (prompt given by Sarmita Dey)

Write a horror story. (500 words)

I am the beast

I own your darkest fears

When the sun sets

My outstretched shadow

Melts itself in the obscurity 

My real self takes flight

Into the blackest sky

Guided by the stars

I hunt your souls 

Hidden as best as you can

But for me the beast

They’re as bright as a lighthouse beacon

I gather them and together

We ride the wild mares of the nightmares

In horror lands we trample without remorse

Your hope and happiness 

Extracting the pure essence 

Of your own atrocities 

For your darkness answer to mine

I am the beast and no one is innocent 

That is why you don’t pray to me

The reason why there’s no temple

Nor church built in my name

You wouldn’t dare to appeal to me

I am the beast I know you best

You tremble and shiver

Afraid you are

And yet I haven’t even started 

Still you bore me to death

I let you go you’re not worth

Of my attention 

There are so many

Return to your puny life

Miserable human

Try to make something of yourself

Before I finally come for you.

The beastly Lucette C. Bailliet 

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The interview

TSL Pandorathon May 28 (prompt given by Sarmita Dey)

Write a story in 500 words celebrating any festival that you love. Use only conversations/dialogue in your story.

Grumpy me!

• G’day, madam! Tell me what is your favourite festival?

-  I don’t like festivals, I don’t like people, full stop!

I don’t like  causes, I don’t like how the people behave : pretend they’re happy to see you when they’ve happily ignored you for a year. 

Most of them festivals are purely commercial to start with! Think about Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day. Rubbish day really! 

Some are preposterous really, the festival of the dead, well some News: they are dead! 

And nowadays a day is no longer enough,  you even have weeks or months take  October : cancer month is a good example , let’s celebrate! So you buy a daffodil and put it on your lapel, fabulous! 

I’m a cranky old sod, so be it! You don’t have to like it! 

You’re pushing a mike in my face to answer questions you’re interested in, not me! I’m wasting your time, yes , sir, as you’re are mine. Let us quit this pretend 

meeting and go on our merry way, I’ve got my shopping to do to celebrate my favourite day today!

Up yours, sir, hahaha.

-And there, ladies and gentlemen, one can see that festival time can be a  stressful time for some unfortunate persons like this old grumpy lady. 

Back to the studio, journo de facto.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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No gold, no silver

TSL Pandorathon 27  (Deepika KC Chand)

#Prompt: Use the synonyms of gold and silver to make a poem without using the word 'silver' and 'gold. Let's glitter and dazzle people...

In a far away galaxy

A planet imploded

Spreading around stardust

In a fireworks barely imagined

Of colours and hues

In this primeval maelstrom

An auriferous shard escaped 

The universal gravity pull 

For eons it travelled intraspace

Only to crash in our planet

Where it buried deep 

Inside its crust

In a splash of dust and particles

A seer saw it all in a vision

Prevailed on his followers

To go and dig deep

And bring him back

This wonder of nature

To make himself a parure

He said it was easy to find

As it was at the end of the rainbow

They followed rainbows 

And dug here and there

But could never find

The wonder there in 

For one does not capture

A sun bounty

When one has selfish wishes.

The seer continued 

To wear multicoloured feather coats

Dying of disappointment.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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Malice

TSL Pandorathon Prompt May 26 (Ampat Koshy)



Write a short story or flash fiction of 300 words on Malice in Malevolent Land and her encounter with Sane Matter, Had Matter, and Gray Matter, the three wizards of that place.



He is Malice incarnated, helped by his three stooges, the wizards. They have let him loose in Malevolent Land. He came with the will of the people, he got rid of the senior ministers, telling every one of them was corrupted. The crowd applauded, screaming “ down with corruption “. He put “Had matter” in charge of his new government, for he liked to play golf, and to govern was interfering with his ranking. He’s replaced his golf balls by the skulls of the virus victims. He finds it hardworking to go thru the daily count of fatalities despite what His second wizard , Sane Matter,  tells him, that it does not matter how many he scores in a day. He’s got a itchy finger to press that red button that would annihilate the world. It is only because Gray Matter, manages to distract him with tweeting  during the long hours of the  night.  It is obvious by now that Malice is an evil fool, but unfortunately the three stooges protect him.

Lucette C. Bailliet
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Sorry A. Koshy, I found a malicious male.

A classy lady

TSL Pandorathon 25 (Santosh Bakaya)

A conversation between a stray and a stiff-upper-lipped pomeranian.

SULP
Oh, my god, what are you? Where do you come from?

S
Oh darling, breath, don’t forget to breath! Don’t you swoon on me! The street belongs to me! I was born in the street, the street is my kingdom.
I should rather ask you, where are you from?
Because I can see you definitely do not belong here.
Oh don’t get it wrong, you smell good, enticing and alluring should I say and you’re an eye candy too! Can’t get better than that! What do you say , you and me?

SULP
Never heard such rubbish!
Vulgar and rough! Oh, no , you don’t!

(Starts barking)

S
Oh, you’re up to it, such fun. I love to play too. You play coy and  may put on those high airs, but I now your nature.
You’ll be mine by hook or by crook. You can run away, I like a good chase!

As he readies  himself to follow his new challenging love, a lasso passes around his neck, stops him in his track. All he sees next is the inside of a pound truck. That dame was a bait! And he had walked right into the trap! She was a real bitch, damn it, but what class !

SULP
She goes to the gentleman who pats her, says : “well done Lady, one less vagrant, you’re doing a good job!”
She is quiet, thinking:
He was sexy nonetheless, charming in own way that handsome stray  . King of the street, really, what imprudence, I am the queen of the street.

A whistle brings her to attention , and she hops on the back platform of the Ute and start to bark in honest, announcing to the world her rank.
“Will you stop that racket, you mongrel” her handler screams.

Lucette C. Bailliet
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Nonsense

TSL pandorathon Prompt 24 (Santosh Bakaya)

Write a twenty line nonsense verse, which makes a lot of sense.

., .., ...,

!, !!, !!!,

?,??,???

You, yes you, don’t you know,

Idiot! idiotic moron! Infra moronic idiot!

Why? Why now? Need to ask?

I, yes me, don’t I know,

Today! Not yesterday! Right now!

Here? Of course? And why not?

We, yes us, don’t we know,

Come! Go on! Let’s do it!

Say? Tell all? Don’t be shy?

TSL, the group, yes on Facebook,

Best! Simply is! It’s the best! 

I? Of course ? I Love it?

Mad, total madness, certainly it is,

Write! On prompts! One each day!

Prose? Poems? Everything goes there?

Bakaya, Santosh Bakaya, she who orders,

Smiling! Always smiling! Like the cat!

Obeyed? Not always? The proof?

Twenty-four lines of nonsense

Not making any sense

That is the proof!

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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The exorcist

TSL Pandorathon Prompt  23 ( Santosh Bakaya )

Take up the mantle of a stereotypical Excorcist and try to excorcise demons,  be they from a person, or society at large . 

Sisters and brothers 

Today pray with me 

I need your power

To rid the world of this evil

Demonic he is

One only needs to look 

At his skin colour

Orange it is

He is barely human

Today pray with me

For he preys on the vulnerable

He divides, incites violence

Spreads misinformation 

To kill people by the millions 

Believe he is the devil incarnate 

He is the destroyer of peace

Like all daemons he is self-indulgent

Lies he utters be the seconds

Rewrites history to fit his own

We need to act together

Brothers and sisters

Leave your donations 

In the passing basket

For the battle will be long.

Lucette C. Bailliet 

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The birthday celebration

TSL pandorathon Prompt 22 (by Santosh Bakaya)



A short story in 500 words where two lovers meet after a very , very long time .  The story should have a twist in the tale.



They met for his eighty-nine birthday in this time of social distancing in the Versailles gardens. He had no problems with walking despite having had in the last ten years two knees replacement surgeries, he could not longer run, but walking was alright, he said.
She had organised a picnic, baguette, pâté, ham, pickles, salad, cheese, apple pie . She had even brought a candle, a lighter and a bottle of champagne, Laurent Perrier, his favourite.
The weather was a perfect mild spring day, the royal chestnuts trees were in bloom.
They reminisced about the old time, when love was strong with them, when life had not yet separated them. They had stayed friends all those years, she had become his confident.  They had come to the present situation.
He told her his present companion has been diagnosed with stomach cancer  and unfortunately it was in its final stages. That  while his third wife was under perfusion and morphine at the hospital , she was so bored that she insisted to be allowed to return home and it was such a stressful situation to organise a medical bed and medical home treatment. He really didn’t know if it was worth it for the doctors didn’t give her more than two weeks.
She asked him what he was going to do after the passing of his third wife, he said he didn’t know, really. He hadn’t thought about it.
She suggested that maybe he would like to move in with his daughter , he simply refused . No, he didn’t want to move from Paris, France. First of all, he would be isolated speaking only French, he had forgotten he spoke English at one time. She suggested that he might move to a retired village facility. No,  he didn’t fancy that either, he wanted to do as he pleased, as he had always done. Didn’t she see?
Well, she thought, no. He was losing his grasp on reality, refusing to address his mortality. He was speaking about returning to cycling during summer time.
They were having a good time, the bubbly having its mellowing effect. He called her , my darling like in the old days. She felt loved and valued as a dear friend. Then it came from the left side, he was asking her if would she move in after his third wife had passed.
She roared with anger, threw to the contents of her glass to his face. Called him a bastard, his wife not even dead , he was already playing with the next candidate! He was trying to find someone to cook, to clean after him, that was all. She stomped away and left him to find his way home. What a birthday celebration it turned out to be, she thought, typical of him really, he had always been a selfish bastard!


Lucette C. Bailliet
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