PCF7: Autumn Fire

As the nights grew long and colder,
Love appeared in mid-October.
Clinging to a spiced apple kiss,
I had no power to resist
The golden flame of desire
As it burst into autumn fire,
When the trees shivered down
A red carpet on the ground.
But as the days grew shorter still.
Our passion waned and chilled;
Frost was not only in the air,
But in your distant, vacant stare.
Before we shared the pumpkin pie,
You ghosted off without goodbye.
I spent the holidays alone,
Wondering why love had flown.

~*~
Welcome to my Friday afternoon paint chip prompt. There are other paint chip prompts out there, but they’re very precise in what they ask for. Mine is open ~ write a poem, a story, a memory, whatever you like. Take your inspiration this week from Valspar’s “golden flame” and/or “autumn fire.” Tag your post Paint Chip Friday, or PCF, if you wish. Prompt will continue until December 31.

Image is from Pexels. Poetry form is rhyming couplet (multiple). This counts for Eugi’s Weekly Prompt too.

©️2021 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon. Thank you.

PCF4: Lavender Moon

Lavender moon floats
Upon waves of twilight mist
Summer’s end is near

~*~

Welcome to my Friday afternoon paint chip prompt. There are other paint chip prompts out there, but they’re very precise in what they ask for. Mine is open ~ write a poem, a story, a memory, whatever you like. Take your inspiration this week from Valspar’s “lavender moon” and/or “twilight mist.” Tag your post Paint Chip Friday, or PCF, if you wish. Prompt will continue until December 31.

Image is from Pixabay. Poetry form is haiku.

©️2021 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon. Thank you.

5 Things I Love About Fall

I haven’t done one of these #5things posts since my refresh, but I can’t resist listing some fall faves, not to mention having an excuse to use this fun image in homage to the first line of “Hotel California.” Thanks, Dr. Tanya, for the prompt.

1. While I adore the summer sun and warmth, I am much more productive when there’s less daylight. Why? I dunno. I’ve already started working on another half-finished book that’s been languishing on Google Drive. This makes me happy!

2. Pumpkin everything. Bring it on, haters! Er, not the oatmeal… that was disgusting. But pumpkin spiced coffee, cookies, cupcakes, and pie? Hell yeah!

3. Wearing corduroy pants, cute boots, cozy sweaters, etc., in yummy fall colors ~ brown, gold, burnt orange, burgundy, teal. Mmhmm.

4. Traveling up to Alameda to be with my daughter and her hubby over Thanksgiving.

5. Giving adorable Chanukah gifts to my grands and spending time with them.

~*~

Image source unknown.

©️2021 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon. Thank you.

Kaleidoscope

You enter the room and everything sparkles. Dust on the table dances in anticipation of your kiss. The air warms. Your brown eyes glitter with desire. My pulse throbs with need. The sun throws a rainbow through the window in celebration. When you touch me, my skin turns into bright butterflies, orange and blue and yellow and green. They flutter in delirious joy at the movement of your mouth upon my neck. Lips, tongue, teeth. You bite my flesh and my body shakes like a kaleidoscope, reforming into a new shape of glitter lust.

Every time: the same and different.

~*~

This prose poem is from my book Going Dark. I’m posting it with permission from myself for ChelleBee53’s prompt today.

Image from Pixabay.

©️2021 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon. Thank you.

Green & Gold

You were so proud that day,
As we walked hand in hand
Through fields of green and gold;
You said you’d found new dreams,
And were going away
To fulfill your soul.
You didn’t notice my face,
Damp with tears;
Your ship would sail soon–
I had already lost you.
Do I rue not speaking up,
As I walk these fields now,
Soon to turn green again
As spring melts the ice,
A small hand clasped in mine?
No, I have the best
Of what you left behind,
This golden child.
And from what I’ve heard,
You’re still searching for something
You’ll never find.

~*~

Written for Crimson’s Creative Challenge.
Image from Crispina Kemp.

©️2021 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon. Thank you.

Color Therapy [socs]

I bathed myself in shades of blue
To wash away the thought of you;
Starlit dreams blazed on through
The floating dark of velvet sleep.
I woke to scarlet candy streaks:
Slivered shards of sugared dawn
Melting on the dew-dropped lawn.
I reached for misty comfort clouds
To cover love I disavowed—
Make gray the color of my shroud.

~*~
Image is mine.
Poetry form is my own concoction.

©️2021 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon. Thank you.

Coasting [repost]

The coast soothes my mind,
From the rhythmic crash of waves
To the infinite hues of blues
And greens and grays
As the water undulates,
Shimmers, foams, and sprays.
The endless reality of days
Can erase the dreamer
Within my soul,
But the mystery of the deep
Summons her out to play
And keeps her whole.
It’s only natural to be magnetized
By the pull of the ocean’s tides,
To be seduced by the primal
Scents of salt and sand,
A tangle of seaweed
In my hand.

~*~

Poetry form: free verse.

Image is mine.

©️2021 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon. Thank you.

Auroral Mist [repost]

At the edge of rock and sky,
She breathed frozen air
And was energized.
Lights glowed in benediction;
She raised her arms and prayed.
Dancers flowed and twisted,
Magnetized from pole to pole,
Swirling, streaming,
In the green auroral mist.
She had to come to the end
Of the earth to kill the pain,
But instead
Was born again.

~*~

Poetry form: free verse.

Image from Pixabay.

©️2021 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon. Thank you.

The Quiet Life [repost]

“There she is!”

“Oh, my God! She’s really alive.”

“Can you believe it? After all these years!”

The Countess waved gracefully to the crowd gathered on the lawn. She had agreed to answer a few questions and pointed to a reporter near the edge of the stone steps. Two armed guards stood at the bottom of each side of the steps, ostensibly to deter anyone from coming too close.

“Countess Greta,” the reporter said. “It’s so good to see you again. What inspired you to emerge from your solitude?”

Greta smiled and indicated the perfectly maintained grounds. “I wanted a fresh lemon for my afternoon tea.”

Everyone laughed politely. It wasn’t a real answer, for they all knew the Countess could summon a servant to fetch a lemon.

Another reporter asked, “We were used to seeing you dressed in mourning black. Does your more colorful attire signal a change in your lifestyle as well? Will you be entering society again?”

The crowd murmured. It was a bold question, to indirectly refer to the death of the Count. No one really knew what had happened, though of course there were many stories and rumors, some of them bordering on the scandalous and vile.

But Greta appeared unfazed. She touched the lace of her heather pink dress and said, “Oh, thank you for noticing my gown. It is springtime after all. But I do prefer the quiet life of reading poetry and painting watercolors in my studio.”

A few more questions followed regarding her taste in poets and such. One of the guards subtly shifted position, at which point, the Countess said, “It’s been lovely chatting with you all. We shall do it again soon.” With that, she disappeared back into the cavernous castle.

“She has so much class.”

“So ephemeral.“

“Such a great beauty, even now.”

“How old is she? Does anyone know?”

“The guards seemed more concerned with keeping her in than keeping us out.”

~*~

Written for The Daily Echo.

Image credit to Sue Vincent (RIP).

©️2021 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon. Thank you.

Lemonade Days

I miss the days of lemonade,
Passion fruit, ice, and gin…
The lazy rhythm of the waves.

Searching for a spot of shade,
Popsicle dripping down my skin,
I miss the days of lemonade.

We walk with the stars ablaze;
Midnight ocean tempts us in.
The lazy rhythm of the waves

Makes it so easy to betray…
Slow seduction summer sin…
I miss the days of lemonade.

I miss the effervescent play,
Carefree kisses, roulette spins,
The lazy rhythm of the waves.

How fast the vibrant colors fade,
Erasing places where I’ve been.
I miss the days of lemonade
And the lazy rhythm of the waves.

~*~

Image from Pixabay.
Poetry form: villanelle
Written for Tuesday Writing Prompt Challenge.

©️2021 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon. Thank you.