4 - DECIDE

[The fourth entry of April 2016's A-to-Z Blogging Challenge.]

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We decide for ourselves

Each and every day

We decide how to behave

What to feel and what to say

Decide to be good

For goodness is rare

Decide to be happy

No one wants despair

Decide to be kind

In all that you do

Decide to be considerate

When you use the loo

Decide to be thoughtful

And celebrate a birthday

Decide to be adventurous

And go the wrong way

Decide to be polite

Say please and thank you

Decide to be responsible

Pay up when it's due

Decide to be pretty

It's your body anyway

Decide to be worth it

Doesn't matter what they say

Decide to be intelligent

Learn, learn and learn

Decide to provide for those you love

With the money that you earn

Decide to feel loved

For there are many who care

Decide to feel important

And don't ever compare

Decide to love yourself

Because God created you

A beautiful creature in His image

Believe it, 'cause it's true. 

3 - CALLIGRAPHY

[The third entry of April 2016's A-to-Z Blogging Challenge.]

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The sliding of a nib into its holder
The click of a brush pen uncapped
The scratches of pencil on rough paper
The excess ink drips off when the nib is tapped

The push and pull of the brush's bristles
The dipping of nib into ink
The pleasure of choosing the colours to use
Orange, black, purple or pink?

The satisfaction of adding a flourish
To complete a meaningful quote
Spending hours to admire the work
Showing off so that others can dote

Practice and practice makes permanent
And perfect practice makes perfect
Alas, the feeling of disappointment
When rushed work creates a defect

But that's alright; it's part of the process
Of honing new-found skills
Time spent on art is always worthwhile
Even if you're working on drills

Calligraphy has found a place in my life
As you may have probably seen
I have learnt much, and will continue
What a wonderful journey it has been!

Follow @cachennywrites on Instagram to have a look at my calligraphy & lettering pieces. Still an amateur, but I'm learning! :)

2 - BARTHOLOMEW

[The second entry of April 2016's A-to-Z Blogging Challenge]

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Here's a little story

I hope it interests you

It's a story of man, named

Mister Bartholomew

He loved to wear his hat

On his head slightly askew

Nobody cared enough to ask

"But why, Bartholomew?"

He was not popular

Friends he had a few

And even his "friends" spoke badly of

Our guy Bartholomew

On Sundays, he goes to church

And sits on a wooden pew

Nobody else sits next to him

Lonely Bartholomew

There was something wrong with him

And everyone quite knew

Everybody knows his flaw...

Except Bartholomew

It wasn't long before

Bart himself withdrew

From society and its standards

Sigh, sad Bartholomew

He packed his bags and left

Lifted his crooked hat, bade adieu

To the town that so cruelly shunned

Mister Bartholomew

1 - ARROGANCE

[The first entry of April 2016's A-to-Z Blogging Challenge]

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Arrogance, a puffed-up fellow

With his suave suit and tie

His hair all up in styling gel

Feeling almighty and high

He fights to hide all things flawed

He seeks to promote and boast

He thrives on shallow comparison

He loves himself the most

Everyone else is worst than he

Everyone else cannot compare

Everyone else is below par

Their success is just unfair

Apology is his worst enemy

Narcissism is his brother

Ego is his best-est friend

Birthed by Insecurity, his mother

A thin line separates him

From his better twin, Confidence

Just an additional O-V-E-R

And there you find dear Arrogance.

Brush lettering with red Artline Stix. 

A-to-Z Blogging Challenge 2016!

Hello everyone!

You could be a friend or family member who has kept up with my existing blog posts, or you could have arrived at this space through the links up on the A-to-Z Challenge website. Either way, welcome to my attempts at blogging for 26 straight days!

The A-to-Z Blogging Challenge is held in April 2016, where this community of bloggers is given 26 days (basically every single day of April, except Sundays -- thank goodness for rest!) to write in an alphabetical fashion. Basically, for each day of April, the blog posts must begin with a certain letter of the alphabet, starting with A, followed by B and so on. Check them out here!

So after countless of resuscitation attempts of my blog, I hope this challenge spurs me on to write more. I may be posting 26 days of poetry, just so that this challenge will have some kind of order on my blog. Seeing the other blogs participating in this challenge has got me all motivated (and also slightly intimidated), because they've already been blogging for the past month and scheduling those posts for the challenge!

BUT THAT'S OK, I'M JUST GONNA WING IT, and hopefully produce quality writing.

So I hope you enjoy my daily posts. Let the blogging begin!

Jess