Takhayyal writing prompt 107: Take Me There

Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends and Family; Welcome EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's monthly picture-prompt writing challenge Takhayyal.

Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a challenge for writers of all ages and genres; a place to spark creativity and explore new genres.

I hope you are all staying safe and taking all necessary precautions. The world is beginning to open and realize that we will have to live with this corona virus but it's important to remember that we need to take care of our health no more than ever.

As the world opens up, people, myself included, feel like Summer 2020 will be a different experience. That said, I always look at pictures I took on my phone to transport me to places.

That's why when I saw this picture posted by friend, author, and poet Erin Al Mehairi, I immediately asked for it and decided it would be the writing prompt for June.

It spoke me to and I hope you find it inspiring!

So without further ado, meet the June writing prompt… 

Picture taken at The Twinsburg Ledges in Northeast Ohio. Photography by Erin Al Mehairi

Look at the image and let the words flow. It's not important WHAT you write. What's important is that YOU WRITE!

Your post can be in English or Arabic, prose, poetry, short story, flash fiction, an imaginary situation, an artistic thought; you name it and write it.

General rules:

·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.

·  Use the image for inspiration and write your piece in the comments below or publish it on your blog and leave the link to it in the comments

·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture

·        Multiple entries allowed

·     It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.

·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets or tag me @NadanessSobhi and I'll retweet you :)

Let's IMAGINE!

Change, a poem by Nada Adel Sobhi

Change

It's all around us

From the rising and setting

Of the mighty sun

To the trees

Shedding their leaves

– to even snakes

Shedding their skins –

Each changes and grows

Even the river that flows;

There is a power

To their change

So do our emotions

And moods

We shed the cold

For the warmth of spring

And the heat of summer

Change

Is all around us

Sometimes expected

Other times not so much

And yet

We often resent it

Change

It takes us out of our shell,

Our comfort zone, our routine,

But like the trees

We grow with every change

We open our eyes

To new challenges

To a new world

With every change

We mature a little,

Become a little wiser

Change;

It can be an opportunity

We just have to learn

To embrace it

And grow

A little wiser

Along the way

Photography by Mahmoud Mansi - Takhayyal Writing Prompt 105 

Written Friday, 27 March 2020 at 01:03

(During the Corona Virus Pandemic)

I originally wanted to keep this poem till April for National Poetry Month, but someone told me it was "perfect for this time" so I decided I'm celebrating National Poetry Month a little early :)  

This poem was inspired by the March 2020 writing prompt (Image above, photography by Mahmoud Mansi)

The Mighty Thunder Roars by Nada Adel Sobhi

The thunder roars

Children run

And hide beneath the covers

Whilst others look outside,

Watching the rain pitter-patter

Against the window and pavement.

The air is cold but refreshing

Clean and pure

– for a change –

People huddle at home,

Read, watch TV, cook,

Going about their 1-day vacation

But the Thunder

Isn't satisfied

It roars and howls

Screams against the world

We look up

From our chores

And our lives

We stand still,

Contemplating

Thoughts flitting through our minds

Horror, prayer, fear, and love

The Thunder

Howls again;

The rain pours

Furiously

The streets become over-sized puddles

Streetlamps flicker and die out

Families run to remove the collecting water;

Electricity cut,

More running to find a torch or candle

All the while

The Thunder

Continues to rage…

Earlier on Thursday, 12 March 2020 in Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt

Written Thursday, 12 March 2020 – at 16:20

After a massive downpour in Cairo, Egypt (along with several other governorates).

Rain can be beautiful but it can be deadly too.

Takhayyal writing prompt 105: Winter to Spring

New month, new writing prompt!

Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends and Family; Welcome EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's MONTHLY picture-prompt writing challenge Takhayyal or Imagine.

March is the month when the world begins to shift from Winter to Spring, not bringing the woes of climate change here but it's a reminder of change, growth, and a journey to beauty. 

I took this image from a friend a while back but I felt it's destined for March. March 2020.

Look at the picture and let it inspire you! 

 

Photography by Mahmoud Mansi 

Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a challenge for writers of all ages and genres; a place to spark creativity and explore new genres.

Your post can be in English or Arabic, prose, poetry, short story, flash fiction, an imaginary situation, an artistic thought; you name it and write it.

General rules:

·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.

·  Use the image for inspiration and write your piece in the comments below or publish it on your blog and leave the link to it in the comments

·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture

·        Multiple entries allowed

·     It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.

·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets or tag me @NadanessSobhi and I'll retweet you :)

Let's IMAGINE!

Lost in Beauty - Poem by Nada Adel Sobhi

The wind in my face

The music in my ears

The waves at my feet

And the sun gazing upon us all…

My definition of summer

The tune changes

Loreena McKennit fills my ears

And I know the magic will begin

Its power passing

From my music player

To the wind and water

I close my eyes

As the pen moves of its own accord

She too speaks of the sea

The water flows at my feet                            

Keeping me cool

Against the curious sun

I drop my pen

As my senses become lost

In the beauty before and around me

By: Nada Adel Sobhi

Photography by Nada Adel Sobhi. Location: North Coast, Egypt, KM 87

Takhayyal Writing Prompt 97: Music in the Woods

Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends and Family; Welcome EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's MONTHLY picture-prompt writing challenge Takhayyal or Imagine.

Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a challenge for writers of all ages and genres; a place to spark creativity and explore new genres.

The newest image has a bit of spring and for some reason reminds me of the introduction of Nightwish's song "While Your Lips Are Still Red."

So grab your pen and paper, or an empty word document, and may be some music and let the image and the notes inspire you :) 

Your post can be in English or Arabic, prose, poetry, short story, flash fiction, an imaginary situation, an artistic thought; you name it and write it.

General rules:

·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.

·        Leave the link to your post in comments below OR post your piece as REPLY to this post

·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture

·        Multiple entries allowed

·        It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.

·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets!

Let's IMAGINE!

On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles by Sophie Schiller – Book Review

Book: On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles

Author: Sophie Schiller

Number of pages: 76

Publication date: 31 January 2019

ISBN13: 9781794456693

This review was originally meant to be published in April for National Poetry Month 2019 but better late than never. Today, I'm reviewing a poetry collection titled On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles by Sophie Schiller. The collection features poems inspired by Schiller's visit to the Caribbean.

Comprising 30 poems, On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles is a collection of mostly rhymed and absolutely picturesque verse. The poems paint pictures or tell the history of some of the Caribbean's historical figures.

Each poem is followed by a colourful illustration by Skaidra Zayas

One of the most beautiful pieces in the collection is "There Is a Wise Man in the Sea" with the "wise man" being a surprise.

He was at least three feet in length

With flippers that showed that greatest strength

This mast of his aquatic domain

Taught me that "Nature does nothing in vain."

Another picturesque piece is "I Found a Danish Skilling" which tells the story of a Danish ship buried in the sand since 1767. The image it paints is beautiful and each time I read it, takes my mind to an image of ship buried in the sea with divers surrounding it and marveling at it.

In her poems, Schiller uses her surroundings including lizards, birds, and flowers, for inspiration. Her poem "The Oyster" and "I Dive Beneath the Ocean's Waves" are examples of that and must-reads.

As I said, Schiller dedicates several pieces to historical figures in On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles including "The Land of Alexander Hamilton," "The Legend of Kong Juni," and "Queen Coziah."

"In 1733, as the legend goes

In St. John of the Caribbees

Arose a slave both brave and both

Whose name was Kong Juni

This African, a warrior chief

With each whipping he endured

Decided he would never rest

'Til his liberty he had secured."

Some poems are also dedicated to historical places like "Annaberg" and "Charlotte Amalie."

Schiller concludes her poetry collection with notes on some of the poem's topics and historical figures like Kong Juni and Queen Coziah added to Danish impressionist painter Hugo Larsen, who had lived in the Danish West Indies and painted between 1904 and 1907.

It is rare that one falls in love with an entire collection. There were may be one or two poems that weren't "amazing" for me but the collection On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles is definitely one of the best I've read. It's a must-read picturesque selection of poems. I hope Schiller visits more places and writes about them.

Overall rating for On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles by Sophie Schiller: 5 stars.

Note: I received a free copy of On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles from its author Sophie Schiller in exchange for an honest review.

Update: Check out Nadaness In Motion's exclusive interview with Sophie Schiller, where we talk more about her debut poetry collection, finding inspiration in travel, and more.

Connect with Sophie Schiller via Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Open Your Eyes to a New Day - Poem

Lightly, nimbly, let's forget

The sad dream we dreamt in the night

Like the darkness that fades in the morning rays

Let's forget…

And then let’s open our eyes

To the morning light

Let the rain fall on our skin

And wash our souls within

Let’s awaken anew

With purpose and strength

Let’s open eyes

To a new day

A friend posted the first part and it inspired my reply. I later learnt that this first part was part of a Korean song from the late 1970s. The part in green is entirely my own.

The original is in Korean, so I'm guessing "Lightly, nimbly, let's forget/The sad dream we dreamt in the night/Like the darkness that fades in the morning rays/Let's forget…" is a translation. But here's the song via YouTube: Song Çang Şig- Unutalım

Special thanks to my friend Sara Ahmed for bringing these words and this song to my attention. Thank you for the inspiration :)