Smile It hurts to see a face made to smile wear a frown. A knife digging and slicing arteries, spilling these guts for the flies by the doors. A sight pulling heart strings and entrails out, yanking resolve within and rendering me without.

In efforts to keep our engagement up I’m going to start posting different poetic forms to interact and practice with on a more normal basis. Feel free to comment, contribute, or continue. Can’t wait to read what you write Thrivers. -Phil Structure of a Limerick Lines 1, 2, and 5: Longer lines (usually 8 to 9 syllables) that rhyme with each other. Lines 3 and 4: Shorter lines (usually 5 to 6 syllables) that rhyme with each other. Rhythm: Anapestic meter, meaning two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable (da-da-DUM). Rhyme Sheme AABBA A man glances west in between June, With hurt in his chest in his pontoon, Underneath starlight, He gazes with fright, And questions his track and the moon.

Hi everyone, I’m Michelle, a filmmaker, photographer and poet based in West Yorkshire. I’ve spent many years working creatively across film and photography, and more recently poetry has become a really important part of my creative journey. I’m fascinated by nature, observation, healing, spirituality and the ways creativity can help us connect more deeply with ourselves and the world around us. I love experimenting with different forms and bringing together words, images, sound and moving image. I’m really looking forward to connecting with other creatives here, sharing ideas, and seeing where everyone’s creativity takes them. ✨

Poets.org defines a haiku as: A traditional Japanese three-line poem with seventeen syllables, written in a 5/7/5 syllable count. Often focusing on images from nature, haiku emphasizes simplicity, intensity, and directness of expression. Arriving like pain or a seasonal shift change, a poet creates. Comment or create below :) Maybe you disagree or agree, maybe you feel a word is out of place or would say more using a different connotation of a word or a different term or diction all together.