7 Days of Poetry: The highwayman - Alfred Noyes

We close this week of poetry off with one of my all time favourites.

The highwayman

PART ONE

I

THE wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding—
Riding—riding—
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.

II

He'd a French cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin,
A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin;
They fitted with never a wrinkle: his boots were up to the thigh!
And he rode with a jewelled twinkle,
His pistol butts a-twinkle,
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky.

7 Days of Poetry: All You Who Sleep Tonight - Vikram Seth

All you who sleep tonight

All you who sleep tonight
Far from the ones you love,
No hand to left or right
And emptiness above -

Know that you aren't alone
The whole world shares your tears,
Some for two nights or one,
And some for all their years. 

Vikram Seth

7 Days of Poetry: She walks in beauty - George Gordon Byron

She walks in beauty

She walks in beauty like the night
of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
meets in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
had half impair'd the nameless grace
which waves in every raven tress,
or softly lightens o'er her face -
where thoughts serenely sweet express
how pure, how dear their dwelling - place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
so soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
the smiles that win, the tints that glow,
but tells in days of goodness spent,
a mind at peace with all below,
a heart whose love is innocent. 

George Gordon Byron

7 Days of poetry: Synergy of love - Mark R Slaughter

We can't ignore the fact that Valentine's Day is coming up. It's everywhere you look. And although I'm not so big on the whole idea, I thought it would be a good idea to take this time to share some meaningful poetry. For the next seven days or so I'll share some poems that have struck a chord with me. Not all will be love poems but I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Synergy of love

'Were you honed from poetry? '
I asked your saddened smile.
For it seems to tell a longing tale -
One of words in oratory 
That speaks in languid metaphors
From lips of mind in deep despair
And solitude from inner wars
That over time has rendered life so frail.

Honey, Cinnamon and Coconut oil face wash

This is a DIY for a very simple face wash. I have acne prone skin, and when I say acne prone I mean white heads, black heads and even cystic pimples. I have tried different products over a considerable period of time but my skin always seems to adjust and then the product doesn't work anymore.
After the significant success of using apple cider vinegar as a toner for over a year, I thought it might be worth a try to see what other beauty products might work for me right out of the kitchen cupboard. This is one that seems to be working so far.

You'll need:

Cinnamon
Honey
Pure coconut oil
Empty container to store your concoction

All's well that ends well

I just got back my laptop after having it in repairs for a month. I'm so relieved everything seems to be working just fine now, and it's all in time for the new school year. I should really take this time to thank my friend John and acknowledge his expertise. I can't begin to imagine the work it took to fix it.

I am excited to report that I am not as addicted to my technology as I thought I was. I was pretty calm when one morning my pc wouldn't switch on. Normally I would have had a cow AND a nervous breakdown! Same thing with when my phone stopped working, I just accepted it and dealt with it. I feel all grown up now :-)

The beauty department

the beauty department

Having come across this heavenly real estate of webspace, I couldn't help but share. I found this website almost a year ago while trying to determine the perfect foundation for my skin tone.
Even though I haven't yet accomplished that arduous task [I am almost convinced finding that perfect shade is like finding the fountain of youth, mythical] I have learned a lot from their tips, hints, tutorials and occasional educational posts. I am sure whatever your beauty issues are, they have something for you.

Its definitely worth a look.

http://thebeautydepartment.com/