A Selection of Poems by Christine DePetrillo

I often write poems when I'm experiencing writer's block. I'd like to share some with you today. Enjoy!

Here are two serious, nature-inspired ones:

LEAVES

Summer green

         fades,

autumn red

         flares,

to orange

yellow,

brown,

blankets the

         ground

awaiting the

         arctic veil

of

snow.

Fading sun

graying sky

frosty crispness

quiet hush

leafless trees

dark twigs

wait like soldiers

                  for the icy assault

flakes fall

frozen bullets

covering all in

         white

                  folds

                           of

                                  snow.

****

REFLECTION

Silent soldiers

standing tall in the ranks

needled arms raised

against the ambushing

sun

Autumn marches in

spraying its yellow, orange, brown

ammunition on the

vulnerable

Only the strong emerge

unscathed

true green

evergreen

Quiet river

remembers the battle

reflecting the victory

of the

pines

****

And here are two silly, food-inspired ones:

OH, THAT CRANBERRY SAUCE!

Wiggly

jiggly

red

sloppy

floppy

round

Sliding

off my

plate

headed

for  the

ground

Slipping

through

my fingers

landing

in a

mound

Grandma

steps

right in it

and it

doesn’t make

a sound

Sticky

icky

blob

three days later

when it’s

found.

****

SQUASHED

It’s orange.

It’s bumpy.

Mom’s is

Always lumpy.

It’s squash.

Serve it cold

Or serve it warm.

Either way

It’s got no form.

It’s squash.

Eat it now.

Don’t delay.

Best to get it

Out of the way.

It’s squash.

Take a drink.

Wash it down.

I’ll try my best

To hide my frown.

It’s squash.

Time for dessert.

Oh me, oh my

Cut me a slice

Of that apple pie.

Oh no…

it’s SQUASH!

Be sure to check here after Thanksgiving and into December for The Roses of Prose Annual Holiday stories! Free holiday cheer! Also, join the Facebook reader group I co-host with author Amanda Torrey at Small Town Hearts. We have a blast over there and we want you to be a part of it all!

Toodles,
Chris
www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com

What Do You Prefer and a Chance to Win! by Christine DePetrillo

A few fall this-or-that questions for you today. Answer them and I'll randomly select someone to receive one $10 Amazon gift e-card to celebrate Autumn. (If you are the winner, a valid email address will need to be provided so prize can be sent. Random winner selected by Thursday, November 8th, 11:59 PM EST.)

Do you prefer:

1. Leaf peeping or a hay ride?

2. Apple picking or a fall craft show?

3. Pumpkin pie or apple pie?

4. Cider or beer?

5. Chillin' by a firepit or bike riding?

6. Christmas music before Thanksgiving or after Thanksgiving?

7. Decorating with real pumpkins or fake ones?

8. Scare crows away or let 'em stay?

9. Hot chocolate or tea?

10. Autumn-themed books or movies?

Just post your preferences in the comments and be entered to win. Feel free to share this post with your friends so they can join in on the fun!

Be sure to check back here after Thanksgiving and into December for The Roses of Prose Annual Holiday stories! Free holiday cheer! Also join the Facebook reader group I co-host with author Amanda Torrey - Small Town Hearts. We have a blast over there!

Toodles,
Chris
www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com

October - My Favorite Month by Diane Burton

October is my favorite month. Here in the upper Midwest, the trees turn into the most gorgeous colors. The days are warm, while the nights are cool. After weeks (months?) of air conditioning, we throw open our windows and let the fresh air in. Yet, in some places, we turn off the air conditioner only to turn on the furnace without a break in between.

Besides the (mostly) gorgeous weather, the best part of October is birthdays. Mine, at the beginning of the month, was a big one. Daughter and daughter-in-law organized family pictures as my birthday gift. After nineteen years, I have a new photo, one that looks more like me.

Our twin grandsons celebrated their first birthday this past weekend. For our son and daughter-in-law, it’s been a long year, yet they say it went by so quickly. Like their cousins before them, the boys were anxious to be born, a month early. First one born weighed a little over 8 pounds, the second was almost 6 pounds. Now, they weigh in at 25 and 20. Each one is an armful.

As they grew, their personalities emerged. Boy #1 (age-wise) got his teeth first, all 6 of them. He crawled first, and now he walks. Still tentatively, arms outstretched, not too steady, but he’s so pleased when he reaches his goal. I love his ready smile, which lights up his eyes. After watching his brother crawl into my lap, he’s doing it, too. Probably the only thing he didn’t do first.

Boy #2 (five minutes younger) plays catch-up with his brother. Having four teeth hasn't slowed down his eating. LOL He’s a speed-demon crawler. Thank goodness, DIL has a kid “corral” so Hubs and I don’t have to race around the house after him. His smile is engaging as he speeds (crawls) to me as soon as I sit on the sofa. Then, using my pantlegs, he pulls himself up and launches himself into my lap. If I don’t pick him up fast enough, he grabs my shirt and pulls, too. That can be a bit risqué. 😊 Although he’s not walking alone yet, he makes it around the room by holding onto furniture.

Can you tell how enamored I am of those two? How much we missed when the older grandkids were this age because we lived four-five hours away, 2,000 miles away for Toddler Girl. I’ve mentioned before how thrilled we are to be living close to both families. As Hubs and I grow older and slow down, we still want to be able to share special times with all five grandchildren. Thursday is Grandparents Day at Toddler Girl’s preschool. You can be sure we won’t miss it.

Halloween brings October to an end. I’m not one for dressing up, but I love watching the kids as they race down the street, running up driveways, ringing doorbells, and hollering “trick or treat!” When it's not too cold or raining, Hubs and I sit at the top of the driveway, our bowl filled with candy by our side. The last couple of years, our next door neighbor sat with us, saving the kids a few steps. LOL We chat and try to figure out whose kids are whose. The costumes are so imaginative. From store-bought to homemade, the costumes remind me of Halloweens years ago when Hubs and I made them. Or when the kids raided the dress-up trunk and made their own.

For the past twenty years, we’ve lived in communities that restrict trick or treating to certain hours. Where we used to live, the fire/tornado siren blared the beginning at 6, then blared again at 8 to signal the end. Then, it’s lights out, and it’s all over for another year.

No matter which part of October is your favorite, tomorrow is the last day for 2018. Enjoy the last bit of Fall, because winter is coming. Brrrr.

I love the Fall and Halloween by Barbara Edwards

Fall is my favorite season. I love the changing colors on the trees, the sharp crisp air, frost on the morning fields and cool nights.  Then we have Halloween to bring out some really strange yard decorations. One neighbor has a graveyard next to the road. One has ghosts hung on the porch. I have carved lighted pumpkins on my porch.

Where we live we don’t get trick-or-treaters. Its the last house at the top of a hill  and I think kids are a little lazy. We might get some this year since a neighbor rented to a family with children. We’ll see.

One fun thing is my granddaughter asking to borrow on of my Civil War dresses to wear to school for extra credit.  She was supposed to send me a photo but its not here yet. 

Check out my free stories on my blog, https://barbaraedwardscomments.wordpress.com for creepy, scary stuff.

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Fall, Stress, and Writing Variety

Laura Breck

This morning was one of those days! Hubby was scheduled for a minor outpatient surgery at – believe it or not – 6 AM! The alarm clock buzzed at five, I looked out the window to see a brand new inch of snow coating the ice-packed roads. Yay! 

It’s amazing how fast people drive at 5:35 in the morning, in the dark, on powder-glazed skating-rink streets. I, of course, am the poky person in their way, but I can brag that I’ve had only one crash in my entire life, and that was decades ago.

The surgery center waiting room held a variety of people, which kept my interest during the two-hour wait while hubby was in the OR. A German couple, two burka-clad women, a lovely Korean couple, and a second-generation, elderly Italian man who made me laugh when he tried to tell his wife how to organize her purse. She slapped his hand away, which made me laugh even more.

I love writing multicultural books, exploring the diversity of our world. As a full-time writer, I realize I don’t get out enough. I don’t mingle with people who would be great inspiration for my stories. And that has to change…but not until these darn streets are cleared off! LOL

FALL - October 17

WINTER - November 11

Happy Fall/Winter!

Laura

~Smart Women ~Sexy Men ~Seductive Romance

LauraBreck.com

~Dancing in a Hurricane is available in digital formats at Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble and in paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Createspace

~Love in the Land of Lakes is available in digital format at Smashwords, All Romance Ebooks, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon, and in paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Createspace

FALLING HEAD OVER HEELS FOR A RENOVATION by Rolynn Anderson

On Roses of Prose, our themes for October are: Fall into Danger, Fall through the Cracks, Fall Head over Heels, Fall on Deaf Ears

         I’m reminded of the line from the song: “You are so nice to come home to.”  That’s how I feel about returning from a four-month cruise on our boat…to our newly renovated California house.  You see, the paint had barely dried on our walls (in May) when we had to shut down the place and head to our trawler in Anacortes, Washington.  Weary from the hub-bub of renovation (to include tearing down a wall between the kitchen and great room!), we barely registered what we’d accomplished.  Instead, we had to put our minds to prepping our boat for our farewell tour to Alaska.

         Truly, it’s been a year of renovation.  I got new knees (the recovery was exhausting); we spiffed up our boat for sale and she had new owners within two months, AND we renovated most of the rooms of our house.

         Now, in October, boatless and with new knees, I can appreciate our hard work: planning our house redo, hiring the right people, collaborating with skilled and creative folks to manage unique touches…this was tough, stressful and demanding work!  But the results are magnificent.

         Yesterday, we hung artwork we brought from the boat.  We also installed a new chandelier, to match pendulum lights over our brand new entertainment island.  Besides little tweaks here and there and a thorough cleaning, we’re done.  We now get to enjoy the fruits of our labors after an amazing year of renovation.  And yes.  I’ve fallen head over heels for our New Home.

         How about you?  Have you chosen to renovate instead of buy another house?  Are you happy with your decision?