My dears, I am back since about an hour from our trip to Wales (about 250 miles (400 Km) one way) and it was exciting but also very exhausting. I was not driving, the best husband in the world (Jeremy Clarkson voice) did, but I was his human satnav and even though we were incredibly lucky (no congestion anywhere even though it is bank holiday weekend and we went along Birmingham) it is a long, long journey. Therefore just a translation of the prompt but I will skip this one. There is not much brain left to create a pantoum tonight. I hope you forgive me and allow me to write something shorter and less rhymed about a great children’s author.

But here today’s prompt from @FrauPaulchen:

(you can find the original German post here)

after so many journey impressions i got the urge to pack my suitcases. maybe it is an inner journey though first. that’s always possible…! thank you for your wonderful texts about the last coupled prompt in this #frapalymo in may.

the prompt for may 24th is: “Write a pantoum”. the repeatfrapalymoists know this prompt already and the others might know it too. a pantoum is, as I believe, a wonderful and very powerful poetric form and has great potential through the repetition of certain lines. at the beginning it feels a little brain heavy but somewhere along the line you get into the “flow” and the beauty of the language mirrors in the lines. sigh. but before i start rhapsodising too much: and for all those who need a reminder of the form here is the Shadow Poetry explanation. (the german post leads to Wikipedia instead) 

 and the small print: please let me know via email or Twitter, if you take part. then i can post the link to your blog/poem on Twitter. or post the link in the comments under the daily prompt post on my blog. hashtag for Twitter is #frapalymo and I am @FrauPaulchen.

As I said above, my brain is dead from all the travelling and all the impressions but I want to write a poem of course and this is dedicated to one of the greatest children’s authors today: Jacqueline Wilson. We had the honour to see her this morning and it was just amazing to see how this little 70-year-old lady can fascinate an audience of about 1500 children and adults for nearly an hour that the whole TATA tent was quiet, just listening. Just plainly amazing. I will write more about our short trip to the Hay Festival, my impressions and of course about Jacqueline Wilson but that will have to wait until June. So please stay tuned and now a poem. Yes, a little poem…

Acrostic in honour of Dame Jacqueline Wilson

Jade and Opal not only gems
And jewels but
Characters with
Questions about
Life and how to stand up for yourself
In a society that prefers bullies and
Not the gentle
Energies.

Where they seem lost at first there
Is so much power hidden in those
Long eyelashes and bright brains
Sincere characters who show
Our girls that
Nothing is lost even when life is hard!

Thanks Jacqueline Wilson for giving girls that different kind of example!

PS: This is a Stream of Consciousness post (mainly 🙂 ) and I apologize for any grammar or punctuation mistakes. Thanks for your understanding!!!!!