POETRY CHALLENGE - July 13, 2010

[mslover]

Please work on last week's as well!

Okay...let's try the following:

1) Try this: ABC - A poem that has five lines that create a mood, picture, or feeling. Lines 1 through 4 are made up of words, phrases or clauses while the first word of each line is in alphabetical order. Line 5 is one sentence long and begins with any letter. I don't really like this example but here it is:

Example:
A lthough things are not perfect
B ecause of trial or pain
C ontinue in thanksgiving
D o not begin to blame
E ven when the times are hard
F ierce winds are bound to blow

2) A poem about summertime memories... lemonade stands? kick the can? running through the sprinklers?

3) Hmmm word list or something else. I had a thought but already forgot it. So let's go with a word list for the third challenge. Use the following in whatever order you like: fly, concrete, sign, red, skip, flow, tousle

May your muse be with you!

[Mlou]

How about an example of #1??

[mslover]

better mlou???

[Mlou]

Yes, kind of. That poem has six lines, all in alphabetical order and line 5 isn't a complete sentence? But I guess I'm wondering if all the poems must start with A, B, C, and D, plus an "unalphabetical" end line; or if they can begin anywhere in the alphabet, as long as they continue in alphabetical order?

[Mlou]

Combined #2 and #3...

SUMMER AFTERNOON

I fly along
the concrete sidewalk
and skip past
the red stop sign,
reveling
in self-propelled motion,
making my own
wind-flow
to tousle my hair.
Ah, the joy
of being seven
with new birthday skates!

[Mlou]

#1

PROMISES

From now until forever
Goes the vow that lovers make.
How brief a time of joy
It seems, before hearts break...
Yet, for you, that chance I'll take.

[Mlou]

#1

Joy! Do you
Know its worth?
Lifting on wings of
Morning...
Joy renews the earth.

[mslover]

well MY take on the ABC one is that it doesn't matter where in the alpha you start but keep it alphabetical from there. again i DON'T like the example but short of writing one myself, it was the only one i found quickly.

[Mlou]

As I said, that one has too many lines for the stated rules...6 instead of 5...not that I like rules all that much anyway. But they're fun to try.
So do my two efforts above satisfy the rules? I find five lines a bit awkward, especially if one tries to rhyme.

[mae]

Challenge #2

Summers at Grandma’s

The screen door slammed
And my nostrils filled
With the scents of Bon Ami
And age.
Wiping her hands on her
Ever-present apron,
Wearing a dishtowel
Over her left shoulder,
My grandmother
Came to greet me.

Summers at Grandma’s house
Meant real lemonade,
Pie for breakfast
Snooping through closets
For ancient treasure
And listening at the floor grate
To hear snippets about us.
It meant waking to a dove’s call,
Feeding her scary chickens
And spending time with cousins.

We often heard my grandmother’s
Chuckly laugh.
We loved to get her laughing.
Her tiny body shook all over when she did.
Her silver hair
Was always tightly curled.

But that was a lifetime ago.
Now, I’m the grandma.
I don’t make real lemonade
Or serve pie for breakfast.
The kids still like to dig through my closets,
But there are no floor grates
Or scary chickens.
My hair isn’t gray
Or tightly curled,

But I hope. . .

I hope my grandchildren know
The sound of my laugh.


mae

[JB]

Please work on last week's as well!

Okay...let's try the following:

1) Try this: ABC - A poem that has five lines that create a mood, picture, or feeling. Lines 1 through 4 are made up of words, phrases or clauses while the first word of each line is in alphabetical order. Line 5 is one sentence long and begins with any letter. I don't really like this example but here it is:

Example:
A lthough things are not perfect
B ecause of trial or pain
C ontinue in thanksgiving
D o not begin to blame
E ven when the times are hard
F ierce winds are bound to blow


May your muse be with you!

i'm working on one of these. Haven't had access to internet and so been mia for longer than expected. At mom's now so i got the heck out of town. Ain't Inverness or Loch Lomond, but it's at least "away."

I may use that last line. It brings on some good memories...

[JB]

ok..first attempt. wasn't what I expected (but is anything?)

A ll is seemingly forgiven
B ut not all is forgotten
C aught in the middle of this life
D enial being the most unmistaken
E verything in life to be remembered as
F orever will always march on


*Last line I don't believe I like as much. Toyed with a few things this morning.

maybe F or forever will always march on ??

[Mlou]

Good start, JB! But remember..the rules say the last line needn't start with the next alphabetical letter. they say "a FIVE line poem, with Line FIVE being a complete sentence, and begins with ANY letter."
I think the example is probably misleading, being SIX lines long.

[Mlou]

Mae...I LOVE it! Very poignant and much of it so familiar to me as well, right down to the floor grates. lol I especially like the closing lines.

[Mlou]

Don't forget LAST week's challenges, guys. Hope we can get a few more posted and commented on.

[JB]

Please work on last week's as well!

2) A poem about summertime memories... lemonade stands? kick the can? running through the sprinklers?

3) Hmmm word list or something else. I had a thought but already forgot it. So let's go with a word list for the third challenge. Use the following in whatever order you like: fly, concrete, sign, red, skip, flow, tousle

May your muse be with you!

still trying to think about one or the other here. Seems it's hard to concentrate here at moms with all the noise ...

What about that quotella, Mlou? Still would like to see that challenge still.

[Mlou]

I posted it some days ago, JB, in the Poems Revisited thread. I didn't want to confuse this thread with other than the current challenges.

[JB]

oops. i saw it but it went "wwwwhooosh" over my head. So I guess I should try it, huh?

[mslover]

harbel lane

we bonded over
kick the can,
baseball games in the vacant lot,
and playing wonder twins
(wonder twin powers...activate!)
time has not worn these memories
only sweetened them with time.



*ugh... i really don't like this one but felt the need to write SOMETHING, so here it is as pathetic an attempt if there ever was one.

[Mlou]

Cool, ms...happy days revisited. And it's not ugh, although I'd change one of the "time"s in there. I must have missed wonder twins...or was it a purely personal game? I do remember Superman. Unfortunately, my playmates were more into Tom Mix and Hopalong Cassidy.

[pengwenn]

The opressing heat
of the scorching sun
gets washed away
as summer rains
clear the air
and breathes
new life
into backyard fun

[Mlou]

How true! We could use a gentle shower just about now. Keep going, pengy, you're on a roll! with mustard and onion please...

[pengwenn]

Two in one day might be pushing my luck. Not to mention depleting my creative reserve (not that there's much in there to begin with).

[Mlou]

heehee! Energy builds energy! Use it or lose it...