Poetry Game, Anyone?

[Rolling Thunder]

(Channeling Paul Simon's -The Boxer- for this one) :)
Everytime I meet them
Nothing ever feels the same
There is little to hang onto
Even leaving takes just too much time
Returning there

Next word: Opportunistic

[Cassie88]

I knew a man who was opportunistic,
taking the pain of others
to further his own cause.
He was a lawyer.

I knew a man who was opportunistic,
taking the pain of others
to further his own cause.
He was a politician.

I knew a man who was opportunistic,
taking the pain of others
to further his own cause.
He was a poet.


Next Word: further

[Paint]

On a frozen day
when the trees complained
of icy sheaths that broke them.
I stood in the wind
coat flared behind me
like a sail, beckoning.

At your graveside
I was asked to take
it one step further.
"No! I cannot!" I pleaded
to the sky of grayest rain
"My spirit is whipped asunder!"

I fell to the snow
my body would not hold me
Even then I felt the spark
the life force, saying
"you can, you will, you are,"
I arose with trepidation.

"Why must I suffer so?"
I asked this thing that held me
"Suffering is man's dream.
You forebear and be,
so others can," it said.
And reluctantly, I did.

next word: trepidation

[otterman]

Trepidation

I want you to feel something.
Edge a little closer,
But not too close.
Just reach in, that's all.

Are you afraid?
I'm here, I'm here,
Just go ahead and let it touch you.

Nothing's there.
Why did you lie?

I didn't.



Next theme word: water

[Nyna]

Marco!
Polo!

Blindly groping for each other
we grew up not-so-distant,
different

always missing
that point of contact
steering into walls and
submarines.

Dry and grown
I shut my eyes to not
watch you go
whispering

Marco

Marco

Marco





Next Word: Games

[onestepp]

G ambling

A ddicts

M eet

E very

S aturday and Sunday.

[Woof]

Sunday: A notice of change to take effect immediately

Sunday,
The day of the week
Which all wait to seek
Has just been told
That he's far too funny
And way too old.
Consequently,
Sunday must step aside
With grace,
To make way for
Rainday,
Who, from now
Willl sadly take
His place.


Next word: instinct

[HeronW]

Instinct

I breathe the color
see the wind
taste the sound
of your passing.

I walk the stars
trail by touch
and taste the way
you have gone.

I will follow
wherever you lead
we've been there before
I know the way.

fins

[ddgryphon]

a hundred fins
is the value
of a life--
or more specifically
the taking of life.

Just ask him,
everything has a price;
even if it's just
to make it
go away.

*************************
Next word: ablation

[onestepp]

Put a sign on the door,
"Genius at Work"
Don't come back, no more!

Ropes

[Teena]

Did we miss "ablation," or did I miss something?
------------------------------------------------
Ablation:
you wielded your words
and excised every feeling
ablation of love


Ropes:
lead me like a blind child
sing to me of mysteries
learn the ropes of life


next word: forfend

[onestepp]

Forfend

Do not feed the bears
All are given great care
in their rocky habitat
evev though people stare.

Tropical

[Teena]

jeweled sapphire sky a'twinkle
swaying dark palm silhouettes
tintinnabulation of surf
tropical music

-----------------------

next word: madness

[JBI]

I am in my mother's room
Or perhaps Malloy is
or Perhaps Malloy is me
Did I take the trip?
Or was it He?
one pocket
two pocket
three pocket
four
how many more for
my sucking stones to store
But I will not get up

For I am the king of France
or some suburb
of sorts
I am in my mother's room
or would be, had I known where
It may be.

Next word, shard

[Eliel Takavian]

Razor of pain
You are my brother
Dulled edge of grief
I feel you still
Grinding my heart

Jewel of my soul
Crown of my spirit
All that remains
Is your icy sliver
Your shining shard
In my heart

next word: snowbank

[Nyna]

Snowbank

Silent, silent, quiet, still.

Air burns
like sleep. Lay down,
lay down, the winter says,
Soon the cold will ease. Soon
nothing at all,
nothing at all.

Silent, still, pristine, deep:
a bed
where you can lay
your tired soul,

lay down
this cold that stings with
premonitions of
what’s worse to come,
and whispers, whispers,
sleep.



Next Word: Summer

[Angelinity]

she lies in wait again
south of the orchard
past the magnolias, sipping cherry blossoms
soothing spent working bees

knowing as i do, yet
smiling
when she glimpses fringes of me
singing to quince buds--a taste i sha'n't savor
this autumn, nor
will i thread yellow wheatfields,
lulled in cricketsong, or
pick purple clover flowers for my hair

we know each other from
Carthage and Troy and across dunes
when Alexander was great, and back
as Minoans -- she riding the wave
me drowning in its breath

she raised me
Lady Summer,
to rise again.

next word: vitriol

[onestepp]

Used dense, oily vitriol
putting out forest fires
saving god's creatures
within their own spires.

[onestepp]

used dense, oily vitriol
putting out forest fires
saving god's creatures
within their own spires.

Word: Lampost

[Appalachian Writer]

A lampost leaned
in Narnia,
fighting the snow,
lending warmth
with its tiny beam.
The lost sought it out,
held it close,
and I watched
from the unseen distance,
lost myself
seeking another light,
my own.

New word: distance

[threedogpeople]

No matter where
our hearts stand
the distance stays
the same.

No matter where
our bodies stand
the silence has
no name.

No matter where
our futures lie
my anger feeds
on pain.

Next word: silence

[Aiko]

I

Spring is our favourite season.

We travel around the bustling cities,
each one a different coloured dot on our map
that begin to cluster into a rainbow.

We talk and laugh and shout,
immersing ourselves in the noise of others
and relishing the sound of each other's voices.

Sometimes, we sit in parks to watch the clouds fall.

II

Today, you catch a hailstone in your palm
and bring it to your lips, the ice melting
with your laughter.

And then you try to put one down my back
and I grab your hand --

and there is no spring birds
and no bustling cities
and no falling clouds

Whenever we touch,
there is silence.

-----

Never tried this before, was surprisingly fast and easy o:


Next word: Space.

[Albedo of Zero]

Within a word, a meaning
without a home, afraid
when woods and road come greeting
which thoughts should be betrayed?

Home is where a heart should be
hungry and fed at once
hindsight propagates the three
humour, froth, and dunce

A space is all for nothing
and mass is Sunday short
alter the altar's standing
absolve the author's sport.

Tremendous tides wreak havoc
thunder tries a lightning crime
tornadoes till a row of brick
time subtly passes by.



next word: loyalty

[onestepp]

Watching, waiting, wondering,
moonlight bathing country lanes,
whispering east wind sends
whistles of passenger trains,
yowls gather on yonder path
upon overgrown baseball field
for a marvelous midnight wrath
of one neighborly football game
makes them feel invincible
laughter from the grid-iron
wonderous and honorable.

Word: Shoestring

[ricahardo]

In elegant two step,
a king and queen walk side by side.
He leads and she, as is her wont,
falls in.
Brusque the leader and bold,
but only that because
she keeps his shoestrings tied.

next word: Brusque

[Writer???]

No pomp or flare
(as if anyone would care)
accompanied his brusque return.

He simply showed up
as he was like to do
to drop a selected word, or few,

between the sorrows,
both his and
the ones he borrows,

as life flutters like a ribbon
dancing on Calypso's winds,
tossing aside collected friends

as easily as bits of salty spray
from a crashing wave,
driven till it gave

even its life to a rhythm
it neither created, nor understood;
there is nothing new or good.

Only endless cycles
in peaks and troughs of ribbons,
dancing gibbons

Foolishly thinking
we call the tune.


NEXT WORD: Unaware

[ricahardo]

Mercifully
Most of the time
The milling crowds are lost in
Reflection
Or constantly engaged in subjects
Of personal importance

Hence there are few whom
Have
To deal with matters
Of life and death that
May or may not determine
Their own life and death
Or the demise at any rate
Of their off-spring or fellows

Busy being busy allows
Them to be by and large
Happily unaware
Of
The impending likelihood that
The sky may be about
To fall on their heads.

Or at the very least
A different sky
To the one which
They
Are worried about


Next word: Bucolic

[Writer???]

Industry, pollution -
breach the high walls
of my valley
with an ease unknown to storm
of snow or rain -

Technology, population -
seekers of comfort
and rest
bring busy, hurry,
and stress
to a bucolic peace
they sought to find
and leave behind
their city of convenience

and I am forced to be
both rural, rustic butt
of the worldly joke
and tolerant of that which destroys
my way of life.

NEXT WORD: Change

[ricahardo]

Silhouettes at dusk -
their rhinestones ignite at night
until the sun puts out their
lacklustre light with its own bold glow.
The metropolitan chameleon -
whose changing shapes belie
the daily waylaying of history,
as lumps and bumps evolve
and die -
the neverending rise and fall
of urban, none-too-progressive, sprawl.

Next word: None

[Beyondian]

Pass me the coffee-grained
texture of love
that sweat-and-tousled smell
that lingers in the morning
and sticks to the teeth
Without it I am nothing
I exist to wash the
straggling glued-on and
baked until the morning
gunk off my own dishes
and untousle my own bed
and lie in the early morning
without any breathing to annoy me
and therefore I cannot sleep
Without it I am nothing
I am none

Next word: Empty

[Teena]

Nothing
is so empty
as a heart
devoid of love


Next word: update

[onestepp]

Fifteen more minutes please
Til the end of this movie,
a race for the checkered flag
leader's driving a green Jag,
a chimpanzee's at the wheel,
every corner it looks like he'll spill
this spinetingler reels with a thrill.

Word: radiator

[Eliel Takavian]

Snowbanks cuddle
Hard flat tire
Frost stiff limbs
Bloodied crooked fingers
Five steel nuts
The tire iron
Hand-held arctic
Burning ice radiator

Next Word: Tiger

[Teena]

night screams
cause night sweats
padded paws
pause
then creep ever onward
soft throaty purrs
and snuffle of whiskers
in my ear
dreaming of big cats
but it's just you...
Tiger

next word: supper

[ddgryphon]

how the rose
you drink
has blushed
your cheek

salt burnishes
your tresses

and i partake
of you

************************************
Next Word: obsess

[Teena]

i took you
and life
for granted
anticipating, trusting
we would go on
in our sameness

now when i forget
for rare moments
and let thought fly
to inanity
your absence screams
and i obsess on you



Next word: grieve

[P.H.Delarran]

if grief were edible
instead of something to be choked on
how much easier the days
until digestion
a simple smoothie
formulated for the need at hand

first the ice
only steel blades will crush
their chill
next the cream slips between
the cracks
coating edges, stifling the crackles
berries bleed dark
make the mouth pucker
a little sugar, yes
of course momma would add that
just enough to forget the bitterness

but the next day
when the blender is washed and put away
and your tummy aches from gluttony
momma can't sweeten your day
your gut is dark
you heart bitter
until it passes
it always passes

they say


next word:passage

[Rivana]

He found a passage
behind the lilies
to a world
so far from ours.
There he sits
and guards the flowers
as summer's lost
and turns to fall.

Next up: formula

[threedogpeople]

There is no formula for living
only a formula for life
we're born
we love
we grow
we work
we suffer
we plan
we succeed
we rejoice
we fail
we regret
we learn
we age
we die.


Next word: patience

[Eliel Takavian]

They push life’s millstone
Grinding out the diagnosis
Pain
They shudder, buck, and push on
Round and round the ancient circle

I run
I run through worlds
Across wide fields of limitless potential
I splash through rivulets of beauty
Scale spires of patience
Wallow in the mire of loss

I run because the world is full
Bursting wonder
How can I stop?
The millstone rolls
Groans
And I run


Next Word: potential

[Albedo of Zero]

~potential inferred~

Acorn alone, grounded
alongside moist movement,
looks up to where its breeze lives

Answers do not come
nor do they wither in the questions
but for the cool shaded soil

Another life to learn
with rooted desperation
or to be a slave
when nature turns hungry



next word: welcome

[kdnxdr]

welcome

come inside
to rest your feet
the road has worn,
that traveled
to destinations of regret

come inside
and take a seat,
storms a comin' is the warn;
it's a marvel
you're not dead, as yet

come inside
where we can meet,
tell the tales since you were born;
you'll sleep well
from all harm's threat


next word: ridiculous

[onestepp]

Ridiculous

To write a poem
in a pool underwater,
your own two feet
will take you farther.

Pesticides

[Teena]

pesticides
and politicians' lies
both pollute
the latter
is more dangerous



next word: devious

[Rivana]

This dimlit road is perilous,
devious paths stray far.
Distant lights make mirages -
dancing ghost or dawn,
none can say.
I tread carefully, then jump,
abandoning the worries
before I lose my way.

Next up: boredom

[Teena]

boredom
is the absence of conflict
or childish delight

boredom
is having nothing whatsoever
to anticipate


next word: anticipation

[Rivana]

How about some bittersweetness,
in your tea, for years to be?
How about yearning desperation,
anticipation, would you like to see?
Look at that flower, soon it withers,
look at the fire, soon it dies.
Happily sweetness, bitter goodbyes...
we count the cost sometimes
too often for the crime.

Next up: favorite

[Cassie88]

I have forgotten my favorites,
The fingers snatched back,
The hands, closed fists,
The eyes devoid of shadows

Waiting for light to enter,
I will make myself remember,
What I loved most
About the sound and smell of rain

It is too soon for me to make
The dark of night
My favorite time of day.


Next word: shadows

[P.H.Delarran]

Shadows

I thought I saw something slip
across her face a line drawn
her lines etched from sun and rain

a whisper slipped between dry lips
thin lines like fallen fence posts
no longer guarding secrets

again the slipping, a shadow
doubts fading with the glimmer
in her eyes, the shadow chased

the shadow slips, leaves only lines
pulled up tight around bright eyes
eyes that glimmer with hope



next word: glimmer

[kdnxdr]

through the silt of ash
'neath the death of flame
lay what hope was left
just a glimmer

buried in the rubble
entombed in mounds of earth
all to want was lost
just a glimmer

scenes of desperate people
clinging to life itself
believe there is tomorrow
just a glimmer



next word: disbelief

[Teena]

of all things under Heaven
you were my constant
my faith
until your deceit
selfish, wanton
stole my security
destroyed trust
future in ashes
now
you epitomize disbelief


next word: joy

[onestepp]

Winds, unwritten words,
music chimed yearly
outlasts ingrown fears.

hockey

[ddgryphon]

teeth fall on hard ice
blood explodes pain from fresh wound
the crowd cheers crazy


Next word: obeisance

[Rivana]

I am many things to many people.
To you I am that
which you owe obeisance.
I have done not one
thing for absolution.
To me you come for grace,
not reprieve.
I have been many things
to many strangers.
Tonight I am the darkness
that takes your pain away.

Next up: Blood

[P.H.Delarran]

two simple pricks
was all it took
yours hurt more
than mine did

the first drop
against pale skin
startling red and
oh so slow

sanitized with
spit and cider
bought with lunch
change you'd saved

funny how the color
changed when mixed
too much blue
your color then

your color now
I'll prick again
I'll drain myself
give you all my red

just let me hear
one more time
your sweet soft
whisper-sister


next: brother

[Cassie88]

I don't know
What the word "family" means anymore -
Once is was brother, sister,
Now, it's wife, husband, child.
But I didn't marry,
Who is my family now?
You keep all of yours
close to you,
Your leg jiggling under the table
When you think I may need you.
I don't want your big-screened tvs.
I'm learning to understand
And accept what it means
To be a grown-up sister
Who has a grown-up brother
With a family.
Don't worry about it,
I'll always love you.
You're the only family I've got.


Next Word: Family

[Feiss]

My father dangled me on his arm
made up stories for bed time.
My mother stayed home one day
and we watched I Love Lucy
while I coughed, and fevered
glad to be so sick.

My father and mother,
screamed at each other many nights
till dawn brought empty silence,
to my trembling window sill.

We went to Disneyland,
and pulled over by the freeway,
so they could safely fight
about who had lost our way.

It didn't feel like safety to me,
it felt like being compressed from both sides,
the walls of family,
high and forbidding,
soundproof

Lucy, and my father's stories
relegated to hazy memory.

Next word: Nostalgia.

[Billytwice]

Nostalgia?

A fear of nitrous oxide?
But it doesn't make me laugh
It's just another word
For growing old...


Next word:

Laugh.

[threedogpeople]

Laughter

what does laughter mean
when it's choked with tears

what does laughter mean
when it hides your fears

what does laughter mean
when it hides the game

what does laughter mean
when it hides your pain

what does laughter mean
when it's really a lie

what does laughter mean
when it's time to die

what does laughter mean
when it makes you cry

what does laughter mean...

...before you fly



Next word: cereal (not serial)

[Rivana]

Awake in darkness,
pain all around.
The alarm burns
a whole in my hope.
Eating cereal
that tastes like dust.
Thinking only,
with a focused mind -
Now I live the days
that pay for my dream.

Next up: bother

[Teena]

he asked why I bother
to scratch words frantically on scraps
or beat them with my fingers
until they obediently appear on the screen
in phrases and sentences
that have meaning

why bother to write? i reply
why bother to breathe?
i was born with the instinct


next word: instinct

[Cassie88]

I used to be able to bellow out words,
"To be or not to be."
An instinct I now try to paint on paper,
too often a whisper,
not the bellow inside me.


Next word: Hamlet

[Feiss]

Hamlet

My friend: Ham,
comes from a Korean hamlet.
All the pigs but one escaped the day
Ham let the latch swing open.
The remaining ham snuffed the dirt,
gazed down the winding door to freedom,
trailed a hoof in his mud puddle, wondered:
to be, or not to be
free?

Weightlessness

[ddgryphon]

I am above
in blackness
weightlessness claims
my soul
floating
drifting
and all below

**********************

Next word: adrift

[threedogpeople]

Floating
adrift
in rose colored
daydreams.

Lost in
good days
smudging
gray skies.

Breathing
golden
wishes
for the
future.


Next word: outcast

[MariellaMoon]

Red in sea of green,
a dot ignored or noticed.
It lies there, unmoving and
undisturbed; at least it knows
itself -- alone yet thankful.

Next word: Identity

[Teena]

granny's feet
carry me in solitude
through the meadow
where mama's hands
moving to my silent command
pluck honeysuckle
they say i look like daddy
what part of me
am I?


next word: unrequited

[onestepp]

Repay - eye for eye
unrecompensed reward
unrequited, done

spondee

[Teena]

i cannot write
under anapestic restraint
dictating form
to another's
idea of perfection
rather, let the
words
fly free as they will
and i leap joyfully
to capture them
on the page
and let them show me
what they will be



next word: straightjacket

[Albedo of Zero]

the me was lost within your tone
all innocent and loving
friendships begged away and stayed
beyond your cloth that binds me

my sighs, now gasps, come readily
or not, if it's your pleasure
but let me breathe past craziness
and out the bonds of tenure


tenacious

[onestepp]

T otally

E ntranced

N ot

A ttached

C onsciously,

I f

O usted

U nder

S orry!

Next Word Endangered

[Teena]

echoes
of footsteps silenced
ghosts
of images vanished
they were many
now few --
like blurred vision
cleared
multiples coalesce
into singles
what madman will claim history
by shooting
the last polar bear?


next word: invisible

[Albedo of Zero]

you cannot see me
i cannot see why
you do not free me
i wish i could fly


next word: vanquish

[Rivana]

If I could disappear this week,
I would hide it in between,
the waning and the witching -
it would be but a dream.

If I could vanquish gloomy days
and never think on why,
I think I'd walk with lighter steps
and laughter in each sigh.

Alas we cannot change the way
life chooses to unfold,
but when the turns give us a fright
we can choose to be bold.

Next up: mishap

[Ganesha]

mister
invisible's
sublime
humor
altered
perceptions

next word: transparent

[dahmnait]

She speaks, he acts.
He listens, she reacts.
Intertwined and interchangeable
They think as one.
The phrase,
"I am your mother,
and your father."
Has never been more trans-parent.

next word: genes

[Teena]

found
in my jeans
pocket lint from a wadded tissue
old, scrunched stick of gum
and once
a $20 bill

found
in my genes
dark brown eyes
fear of heights
and always
hope

next word: lunch

[dahmnait]

“Let’s do lunch,” she says
“Ok,” I say, and think
What a silly word
Is it noun or verb?
Action or object?
Used to signify a time
It lies between the breaking of fast
And the end of the day
Occurring between the before
and the later.
So practical and yet,
Idioms abound.
For I have often wondered
If you lose one’s lunch
Is it free,
Or are you just not paying attention?

Lunch, I think,
What a silly word
Until of course, I’m hungry.

next: idiosyncrasy

[Billytwice]

Idiosyncrasy
Is an odd habit to have
(And behold)
The peculiar quirks
And tics that characterise
Mannerisms of singularity
And not uncommon amongst poets.

next word: tic
(tongue in cheek)

[Meerkat]

tic talk,
the nails that seal
abstract flaws
in coffins real.

measured words,
the world's lost art,
to tell in ways
that heal a heart.


Nest word: age

[Unique]

Just a number when the heart is involved
just a moment in time when measured
in the whirlpool of eternity.
We stand on the brink of new horizons
yet and still, age is important
when the hearts are apart in time
measured by decades.

Next word: measure

[Rivana]

You did it again -
laid your trust elsewhere.
Will seedlings taste well
ground by naiveté?
Measure out your folly,
make a paste for waste
and see mistakes repeating
in the mess you make.

Next up: misguided

[Albedo of Zero]

Turning left was never a problem
but thinking right has come at a cost
and the advice, even cold and derisive
was thought to be for the best

but missing the flowers at sunrise
and the moon-waned shadows at night
hid an attitude of misdirection
and gave a blanketed comfort of fright

secure with knowledge collective
and ignoring a heartbeat or two
celebrating in cubicle folly
seems the most anyone can/will do



blind

[Teena]

when glaucoma threatened
i despaired
of losing my vision
but have since learned
that healthy eyes
don't mean
that in many ways
i am not already blind



next word: exhale

[threedogpeople]

You must inhale
before you exhale.

Open yourself
open your lungs
fill yourself
with life.

Then e..x..h..a..l..e
enjoying the
wonder of
breath.


Next word: wonder

[Albedo of Zero]

Wonder

About those bills
laying, shuffled, unpaid
with numbers playing demon
to my generosity

Why children
unfettered, innocent, soft
with ideas
have to grow to have bills



credit

[Teena]

to the soldier who fights
the enemies of our nation
credit freedom
to the artist who paints
the landscape of our world
credit beauty
to the wo/man of God who preaches
the religions of the ages
credit faith
to the philanthropist who gives
that others may not want
credit charity
but to the poet who writes
the love, fear, pain, hope of life
credit truth


next word: restraint

[kdnxdr]

it was a letter,
several really, spelling out
a dozen reasons
goodbyes would never come

only farewell
and then the tears
rolling softly
out to sea intent on finding
you, who knew
never coming back
was reality

I never cried
but, I memorized the letters


next word: whimsy

[Ciera_]

Whimsy
Here's heaven in keychains and wonder in dishsoap
The baubles and bubbles and simplistic plastic we love
We've ribbons, dried flowers, our visited towers
Over castle lawns
Well they've no use, not now
Things fairies leave us
That somehow can cleave us
Right down our line of sensibility
And we're popping the bubbles of sheet after sheet
Of wrap
And sprinkles on cupcakes, they really just taste
Like crap
Nonsensical nonagons filled with the ribbon
From cracked-open rolls of white-out.
And copper wool's the hair on some dolls on my shelf
The list will go on with every discovery
The only exceptions negate my perception
And why bother with their recovery
When whimsy's such an easy confection?

For the next: Confection

[Teena]

sweet-tooth drives me
to cotton candy excesses
spun-sugar overload
and chocomania dreams;
but of frothy icing and
ice cream cookie treats
boston cream pie and
truffles...ahhhh truffles...
the confection most desired
is the taste
of you


next word: valentine

[P.H.Delarran]

white lace borders roses red
paper confections stir emotion
lay tucked, unsent, in a box



next word: belated

[P.H.Delarran]

there you stood
i remember it in pastel
although we all know how you hate

yet you were wearing pink
holding a somewhat orange card
under sharp florescent

'too many'
you whispered
and licked the envelope

again and again you slapped
each cover with your kiss
'no more promises!'

you yelled at the yellow lights
and put the cards back
one by one


next word: expectation

[threedogpeople]

Alpha to Omega

inspiration
initiation

solicitation
facilitation

anticipation
expectation

participation
fruition


culmination
satisfaction



Next word: synthesis

[ddgryphon]

tears
loss
sunset
an intake of breath
burns memory into present;
need fogged by desire
feebly grasps
at stars
not
seen


**********************
Next word: airy

[onestepp]

A bove

I ntake

R un

Y ards!

Airforce

[ddgryphon]

A bove

I ntake

R un

Y ards!

Airforce


Next word?

[Rivana]

I believe the next word was airforce. :-)

My lover joined the ranks
of those demons in the sky.
He said my arms were heaven,
but still he had to fly.
He joined up with the airforce
and I haven't seen him since.
Between the living and the loving,
old Sammy always wins.

Next up: trouble

[Rivana]

There is trouble a-brewing.
I can smell its haste
to waste my good fortunes.
There is a storm a-coming.

Out by castle and courtyard
old knights in rusty wear,
guard this night of folly.
Be ready and prepare!

The Lighthouse by
the end of everything
flashes oddly, like a message
to take unto the grave.

Hound and horse and hunter
grow uneasy in the night.
Soon we slip our leash and go
to frolic and to fight.

Next up: cast

[Unique]

The die was cast
the tumbling stone
to abdicate
or be overthrown

Upon his head
a tarnished crown
the howling mobs
reviled their own

Blood and fire
smoke and ash
we smell the fear
and feel the lash

It's not our fault
but is that true?
they did it to us
now they do it to you.

Next word: Tribute

[Ganesha]

I post a tribute
to Glenn Osborn
and his art of flowers
love you big guy


next word: sexy

[Rivana]

Put upon a pedestal,
served tribute, paid respect.
Solicited for good advice
and wanted for forgiveness.
It's easy to love a deity
who does not live and breathe.
Easy to make penance to,
easy to deceive.

Next up: parlor

You're welcome Unique my sweet, I'm woefully out of practice too. :-)
Former AF? Such coincidence. lol

[Rivana]

Sexy, sassy hips of oil
whip and rip, the trip and coil.
Hot pearls of salt and musk and dirt -
a man of steel, a man of earth.
The night grows long, the prize is steep,
but all is gold if you dig deep.
And if you happen to be wrong,
hear the rip and join the song.

Next up: look

[onestepp]

To the mountains
beyond the fountains
of dreams so blue,
create another hue.

Envelopes

[Rivana]

You run and you run
and the stereo's shot.
You run and you know
your footsteps are only echoes.
So you run harder,
you run longer,
trying to escape.
Leaving empty envelopes
and half written letters
by every which way station.
You lead with your ear,
listening to music
long forgotten by an age.
Your eyes see only horizon
and hope is your only fear.

Next up: dancing

[Unique]

Why do you stare so
when you know this rose has thorns?
Why the constant pressure
just to kill before it's born?
Have you no thought?
No reason, concern nor care?
Go on try to catch me
Pursue me if you dare.

next word: rose

[ddgryphon]

slowly wilting rose
blue broken petals falling
lonely for the sun

**********************************************

Next word: petals

[Rivana]

Solemn petals wilting
by a lonely looking grave.
No one comes here anymore
so only angels gaze
upon the fallen.

Next up: pretend

[Sandyz]

Sitting with your memory, where angels often gaze,
Did you hear me crying as months replace the days?
I know your gone not seated here, I played a game pretend,
To see your face; kiss your lips, in truth your life did end.

Amongst these petals wilting, anguish found a seat,
I find it harder than I thought, a promise I can’t keep.
Goodbye my love, forgive me please, to your grave I can’t return
This game pretend has got to stop…a life alone I’ll learn.


Next up: Promise

[semilargeintestine]

Promises are what bring me back after our fights.
Promises that things will change and hurtful tones
will disappear for good.
A promise tells me that you care enough to try.
But promises mean nothing if given just to quell
an argument or fight.
If you say one thing then do another,
all you get is disappointment.
Promises over the phone or in a journal made to me
moments after the screaming has ended;
I almost wish you'd simply tell me that
nothing would ever change.
At least I would know what to expect.

Next theme: disappointment

[Rivana]

Achy, breaky, disillusioned.
Disappointment and confusion.
In the night when all pretend
burns up and fades in ashen end,
I sit and watch my glory days
laughing for what hoping pays.
This is how the world's corrupt -
I should know the lesson well.
Still I tried just one more go,
failed to flow, and went through hell.
But after all, I'll try once more,
no one but me is keeping score.

Next up: television

[KaysenParkerPlath]

Gore's Promise

The world will burn, the sky'll turn green,
the things we learn, from that machine,
The poles'll change, climb a degree,
I know because, it was on the T.V.

The Tarot

[Sandyz]

Tarot-tarot through the cards tell me what you see,
Has our world gone to crap with far too much TV?
Have we clouded up the skies, disgraced our mother earth,
Will mother’s babies have a chance one day when they give birth?

Tarot –tarot through the cards do we have a chance,
Can destruction be repaired if war becomes a dance?
Turn the clocks twist the ways open up your eyes,
The world will burn the skies will turn if we listen to the lies.

Next up, Destruction

[Rivana]

Soon the rainy days
have got to end.
I feel it in my bones,
soon the water
will change from tears
and I can cry relief.
Destruction is the essence
of the fear I have inside.
Hopelessness, devastation -
they're all just lies.
Soon the rainy days
will be summer in the sun.
The trials are nearly over,
the last song's nearly sung.

Next up: pirouette

[KaysenParkerPlath]

Weapon of Choice

Yes, a whack of a hatchet could wake me,
And set ablaze the wettest grass,
But a hatchet could not make me,
Get off my very lazy ass.

Next: Tropical

[onestepp]

T opical

R ains

O nto

P raires

I rrigate

C racked

A frican

L eeks!

Boas

[Unique]

Franz - you started a trend
left us breathless
without soul or meaning
we, your chosen subjects
are much deeper
than you ever imagined.
You parlayed our cultures
mocked our traditions
sacked our souls
for profit and study
Franz - the day has come
we will repay as you deserve
we were much more
than thine eye could ever see.
The great circle of time
revolves and then
again revolves.
No distortions this time
we speak your language now,
you see.


Next word: chosen

[threedogpeople]

If I would have chosen,
to be truly smart,
I would have chosen,
to open my heart.

By my own incapacity,
I kept my heart sealed,
never gave it chance
to be whole and healed.

I kept my life small
and avoided the chance,
of living a life
full of song, full of dance.

Next word: Sealed

[Unique]

Closed off, vacuum tight
nothing out, nothing in
not even light.

breath expelled, inhaled in a kiss
i've captured your soul
delivered your bliss

sealed in crystal, bound in stone
transaction eternal
welcome home, welcome home

Next word: navigate

[Greenify13]

Find your way through the tears
of joy, of sorrow

Find your strength from your fears
of love, of life

Proceed and worry not which path you choose,
of gains, of losses

Sail across your oceans blues
of sorrow, of pain

Pilot your course through clouds
of illusion, of delicate

Navigate your way past crowds
of today, of tomorrow

Desert the paths you already took
of yesterday, of past
Next word: choices

[birdie1120]

The choices that we make
Can forever change our fate
If the choice is hard
There is a feeling of despair
To not know what to do
Nor where to go
Yet we make choices
That can forever change our fate



next word: whisper

[Rivana]

I want to cry,
but tears do not complete me.
I wish to speak out to the heavens,
break my hand against the odds
and shatter every stone
in the wall of my damnation.
I hear the whispers
of softly creeping madness.
I rise above the shallows,
but the deep carry my grave.
The darkness is deception.
I will not cry my tears.
They give me no completion
until the day my fears
have been overcome.

Next up: subtle

[onestepp]

S ound,

U nusual

B ytes

T attles

L ong-ago,

E mulates.


Next word: Cobblestones

[Rivana]

When all that I've known
flows freely,
I walk on the cobblestones
towards another rebirth.
I wink at the rainbow,
stare straight into the sun.
Where one journey has ended,
another is begun.

Next up: dawn

[Unique]

In this house made of dawn
the world is new
In this house made of dawn
we see our world renew
to the pulse of Mother Earth
let our hearts keep time
Walk with me in beauty
for we are out of step
and out of time.



next word: time

[Sandyz]

Work is hectic day by day,
Too many hours along the way.
Marching forward time sped by,
House a mess soiled clothes piled high.

Days behind me feel a blur,
I've missed my hubby and cats soft purr.
Getting up then rush to work,
Sometimes blessings have a quirk.

Fifty-sixty hours a week,
Arms and legs have all grown weak.
Mind is scrambled eyes are sore,
I'm tired and beaten to the core.

Time will heal as hours ease up,
Home now free with coffee cup.
No more than fifty hours I pray,
Come Spring I long to swim, hike, and play

I do feel bless to have this job,
But precious time it seems to rob.
A time of balance I need to find,
Before I scream or lose my mind.


Next word...hectic

[Hoodimann]

(Using: hectic)

(This is the sequel to Did I Mention the Sun and Her Children?---not posted here yet. Yes, the internal rhyme disappears after the first stanza. Can I get a "planned"? Lol. *dodges bullets, confesses sins*)

Speak of the Moon, His Spoiled Gentry
(Lunacy Licks Left.)

Orpella believes if she merely perceives
it merits a ruling of winning.
Her grieving is ripe but her premise is tripe,
so who's to prevent her beginning?
Lunacy, lose your corona; your calling awaits.

Lunacy delegates difficult tasks;
and monitors all that are left.
He tries to decipher what Orpella asks,
knowing she's freshly bereft.
His offspring assemble and worry his knees.

Falsely beguiled, pretending to trust,
Orpella claims a fool for the ages.
Her careful compliance, and matronly bust
work best when the targets are sages.
.....What satellite shall move the tides now, Orpella?

Her mood after years becomes apoplectic;
it's when she arranges her flowers:
Her fingers and hands do a dance which is hectic,
yet her psyche grows calm after hours.
.....What Lunacy shall hang in the night sky now, Orpella?

Next word: throw

[Rivana]

Throw me in a bucket,
I will sink or swim.
Feed me to the lions,
I'll make food of you.
Try to misinterpret -
I shall lead astray.
Think I'm just a puppet?
You'll have to think again.

Next up: strings

[Sandyz]

Bars are there, although not seen.
They hold me tight, my heart won’t sing.
At times I feel my soul wants free.
I tell my soul…“please wait for me."

I’ll fly above the highest star,
or linger in a lonely bar.
This cage of love I’ll break someday
be free again and fly away.

My soul is warning me to flee,
This cage of love has chains on me.
I long to go, be free of you.
Love for you won’t allow me to.

A dancing puppet on your strings,
To show my love I do many things.
So break my heart. Bring me down,
for now, I’ll be your lonely clown.

This cage of love I’ll break some day,
Be free again.
Fly away.


Next up: Free

[Rivana]

Drums like heartbeats
from inside the Earth.
Feet marching in thousands -
an army of sound.
Lights flashing, reflections
from the witnessing sun.
I want to turn and run,
but instead I sit on the ground.
I too want to march,
but to a different drum.
There is danger in the air,
if you know how to feel it.
There is trouble brewing,
underneath the atmosphere.
Hours pass slowly,
we stay rooted to the ground,
listening to the sound
of freedom on the way.
It's a perfect summer day -
the birds fly high and free,
but I know revolution
is slowly underway.
Tonight we celebrate,
tomorrow is Judgment Day.

Next up: parade

[Unique]

Lock step marching humanity
Following one after the other
into Oblivion

or worse
a Spectator
wondering how it is
that Life passes
without being involved

Too many clowns
not enough trumpets
Barnum & Bailey
gots nothing on this

tetotalling Circus
passing on
to higher ground

next word: higher

[Angelinity]

i was a glob yearning
to divide

some of me stretched
a tentacle with a star at the end

in the light grew a shadow
they swelled
rolled into one
deaf blind and hungry
and shot off eating its tail
disappeared in a flash
of darkness

next time
i must aim higher

next word: quintessence

[Greenify13]

Based on Quintessence:

The heart of my poetry.
Purest form of me,
What would you miss,
If you look to know
And not to see?

I hold my soul just out of view,
How do you truly know?
When all I show can be untrue.

My poetry is my halo,
The purest thing,
I’ve yet to know.
Why hide my words beneath
A mask?
When all my life is still just that.

Next word: Mask

[onestepp]

M arked

A rea

S unglasses

K issed

Dixie

[Rivana]

I listen to
the Dixie Chicks,
it all seems
sort of familiar.
I'm not ready
to make nice,
and won't take advice
from someone
so clearly
beneath me.

Next up: advance

[P.H.Delarran]

you might say
we've come very far

if you watch the odometer turn

peanut bags and coffee cups

don't tell the truth
neither did you


next: roadtrip

[threedogpeople]

Life is a road trip
full of ruts
full of signs

Life is a detour
full of mystery
filled with divine

Life is a journey
full of laughter
filled with pain

Life is a trail
full of sunshine
soggy with rain

Life is a trip
without a map
without a plan

Life is a journey
I'll make mine
hand-in-hand


Next word: elevation

[Rivana]

I'm still waiting,
for my elevation.
Still doing dog-years,
still working hard.
I've built rungs
to climb on ladders,
but they've yet
to reach the stars.
I'm still staring
at each empty glass,
waiting for it to be full.
Still struggling,
still competing,
I have my pride,
and keep my ways,
but in the end
I always wait
for elevation.

Next up: top

[onestepp]

Outstretched hand
caught the bat
halfway up grey
metal shaft.

hand over hand
climbed and clamoured
for righteousness
to use the hammer.

weeds

[ddgryphon]

From inside the house
you see the garden

it peeks into the dark
room as you sit
and drink avoiding
the sunlight.

only the bright colors
of the many flowers
all green and yellow
purple and red call
to you

they cry

they know

from where you sit
you won't see--
until too late--
that they are choking

on weeds

*********************

next word: surmise

[onestepp]

W inter

E volution,

E vergreen

D reamed.


Kiwi

[Eveningsdawn]

Boy I have never met,
kiwi-cousin, tall, blond,
as unlike me, his father's
sister's oldest daughter,
short, dark, statesider,
as it's possible to get,
and yet somehow the whole
first three days we don't
stop talking, taking
any excuse just to get
into the car and drive,
and it's nonsense
because we've already
bought our Christmas
presents, we don't need
to take these rambling trips,
driving down backcountry
New Zealand roads,
but then I hardly know him,
and to him I hardly even
feel like the family I am,
and there's so little time
in which we can build
the bonds that will tie us
together across oceans,
timezones, accents, countries.
And so until my throat is sore,
I talk, with this kiwi-cousin,
tall blond boy.

next word: abroad

[mkcbunny]

Abroad.

With nowhere to go
it is close.
But reachable
only in mind.

Next up: bird

[Rivana]

Free bird,
finally soaring.
Wise child,
grown up wild.
Strong spirit,
ready and willing.
Sharp mind
taking to the sky.

Next up: confession

[Greenify13]

Skeleton in the cupboard,
My secret hidden by my bulwark,
Forever will be harbored.
None will learn of my death-mark.

This scar on my soul,
The confession I hold.
This sin is my toll,
A ticket for my personal hellhole.

I’ll carry the brunt, ‘til the day I die.
When my life is no more,
This confession I cry.
I willingly pay for my score.

Next: Deception

[onestepp]

Hidden in a secret garden
with a fence and key,
buried, baked, frostbitten
wonders roam literally.

Word: Snap Dragons

[Nyna]

it only takes a
pinch to make the dragon bite
a soft, air-soft snap

next word: pinch

[Cassie88]

I see him every so often
In the Stop & Shop parking lot.

I'd guess he was in his seventies.

How many carts can you move at one time,
I ask him.

His eyes,
Tired and pensive.

He shakes his head to show me
He doesn't understand.

How many, I ask, as I
Count the carts in front of him.

One, two, three, four ....

OH, eight, he says.

No, NINE, NINE!

NINE, I shout,
Very good!

Bye, bye, I say,
And he waves,

His eyes,
Sparkling and strong.

Just a pinch of humanity
Has made my day.

I hope it has brightened his.


Next Word: humanity

[onestepp]

H uman,

U unquiet

M an,

A nswers

N either,

I dentity

T yrant

Y earned.


Word: lucid

[kdnxdr]

catching fireflies,
like thoughts:
they glow
until
they're squashed

in the lucid
moment,
I have one,
my own,
and then another
steals
the glowing moment



next: pendulum

[TooJoyful00]

Your work is really great. Keep up the good work.










I'm taking this idea from my stint at Ancient World's Tenth Muse, where a word is given, and the next poster has to create a poem based on that word. Then taking from the theme of the poem, the poster provides the next subject word.

Example, one of the words previously given me at AW was "Animal" and I wrote the following poem (a bit of cheating, I know):


What Animals Know About Humans
Throughout the annals of history and time
they have watched, pondered, wondered and mimed
those of us who stand haughty and tall
and claim possession of everything and all.
And the watchers whisper amongst themselves -
“For all the learning on all the bookshelves,
human still will animal be…
no more better than you and me.”
And the animals smirk and wink their eyes
and smile at the humans’ self-deluding lies
that tell themselves they are masters of this Earth
yet can deny another’s worth.



Next theme word: "time"

Anyone game?

[Rivana]

The pendulum swinging -
better or worse?
Can't manage to answer,
each question a curse.
Leaving the destined
to destiny be.
Leaving the fated,
fated like she.
Pendulum swinging,
until it drops,
showing us all
where the winding road stops.
Till then it swings
and I'll let it swing free.
Deciding their destiny's
not meant for me.

Next up: tree

[kdnxdr]

the green filter
you present, eases
the tension of my world

decisions sway
following the wind;
bent low,
you hold discourse
discussing probabilities

distant, yet real,
contemplating the quiet moments,
interludes between storms



next: panorama

[Rivana]

Watching the rooftops;
a panorama of
metallic lights
and soft pastels.
Listening to softness
in a human voice,
a lingering note
of a softly strummed
guitar,
a bit of drums.
Peace tonight.
The heat envelops
in cocoons of love.
My world stops,
momentarily,
in reverent silence.

Next: midnight

[onestepp]

Midnight moonlight captured
within own embers,
with an eerie glow, wrote
upon nature's timbers.

Next Word: Corduroy

[Albedo of Zero]

my dog, it pants
in ribbed drool breath
and rubs its thighs in dreams
where jacket rabbits
with elbow pads
run from him over streams
i named the mutt
polyester blend
but he never comes when called
i think he needs a simple nick
like cotton
or roy
or cord


next word : namesake

[Lavern08]

Just like my namesake,

I'm misunderstood and underestimated.

Resentful?

Nah, not too much.

Life's short.

I'm too busy dancing, living and loving to even care any more.


NEXT: Patent-leather shoes

[kdnxdr]

in the reflected light,
my Sunday-morning
black patent-leather shoes
shone Jesus

for a four-year old,
God was shiney,
so shiney
Sunday-morning
black patent-leather shoes
hid the poverty

and, a four-year old
felt Jesus smiling
back at her,
in that reflected light,
of her Sunday-morning
black patent-leather shoes.


next word: crimson

[Rebekah7]

The night has never left
I cannot escape
Crimson shadows on the hunt
Steal me in my sleep
Tarred black sky
Catches all my pleas

Next word: Tarred

[kdnxdr]

like a rabbit
that can't let go,
i stick around
for the pain, you love me so

innocent and believing
i fell for your embrace;
but baby, oh baby,
i'm tarred by your disgrace

it's a vicious circle
like a daisy chain,
i'm bound by superstition,
crying this refrain:

loves - loves not - loves - LOVES NOT!


(inspired by Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby and the abusive relationship I was in for 16 years)



Next word: microscopic

[onestepp]

unseen without a microscope
picturesque with a telescope,
eyes aid like a camera to
capture wonderous imagery
plastered, pasteled, painted
wagons destined for great glory
designed within their own history.

Next Word: Rodeo

[slowlaneromance]

The pounding reins
Of yesterday’s tears
Lead me down
The dreary road of today

The joy I once found
Gazing into your eyes
Is hobbled by distance
And my faltering gate

Unbridled rides at dawn
a beautiful, insipid memory
Breakneck sprints in the dark
an aching need in the final stretch

The rhythmic rhyme
of our ride in time
We won the race
but lost our place

Your crop too willing
my flanks too tender
Your mount is running,
full out, yet you ask for more

(unfinished) rlm

Next Word: Bareback

[Albedo of Zero]

In haltered top I rode
away in sunset's falling mellows
my horse it pranced and danced around
the rodent holes and shadows
the night it lulled and byed us long
till dawn brought in the morning
the dry of day took us both down
to rest without much warning
my back went red
my horse spent froth
and cool was not forthcoming
but in the weeds and on our backs
we managed to get comfy


next word: sweat

[kdnxdr]

through drudge of day
beneath a torrid sun,
dreams are dreamt to find a way,
plans are made to run

an aching back cries
beneath the master's sack
and all the whys,
deferred to keep the slack

miles from pain and free to roam
the memories are never far;
now I sweat to make a home,
the tears, kept in a jar.


next word: ravishing

[Albedo of Zero]

The sun, it comes a ravishing
over quartered shaded boundary
through leafy roofs and other trees,
throughout the garden sundry
it ripens the tomatoes
till the flesh of which a sunders
till dew fresh earth becomes a cake
and toads wake up and bounder
And this, just noon in full clothed heat,
six hours or more it's bound
yet on its course you never hear
the sizzle of its sound


next: ripen

[P.H.Delarran]

ripen

you palm my heart
in earth flecked flesh
and gently pat me down

a gentle rain
a kiss of sun
each day your patient gaze

the pests are plucked
to sing-song voice
praise for each leaf and stem

I swell with life
your joy enticed
you sniff at me and grin

this makes me blush
my best mistake
your kiss is my demise


next:riddle

[kdnxdr]

thinking hard
to trick your brain
i'll build a little trap

a word, a shard,
a simple refrain
spoken just so apt

a trick's the card
layed out plain
your thoughts my wit will sap

composed by bard
love was slain
drowning in the pap



next word: contagious

[onestepp]

Its contagious and outrageous
the greatest show on earth the greatest
elephants trumpeteer the ringmaster
while the tiger's eye are on the fires,
wires, and fancy barebackriders.

Next Word: Periwinkle

[Albedo of Zero]

Periwinkle is the blue among the green
in deepest shadow
like a heart that wants to love beyond the heartbreak



next: anticipation

[kdnxdr]

sitting still with breath
abated, silent as the dust

the long for your kiss
holds me; I keep your trust

and though you never come,
anticipated, wait I must


next word: jinx

[onestepp]

The jinx cannot be my pup
shes a real pick-me-up
and collects a thumbs-up,
So, it must be the Sphinx in my cup!

Next Word: Blanket Stitches

[P.H.Delarran]

knit one, pearl two
my comfort had holes in it

you taught me blanket stitches
now my toes are warm




next: sufficient

[kdnxdr]

sufficient lunches
crammed together
in little metal boxes
flirting iconic heroes
told me
you loved me;
I remember now
tearing cellophone
from neatly isolated
tuna salad
gulped in corridors
of sterile cubicles,
fearfull of the clock.



next word: paisley

[onestepp]

Purpled paislied flowers painted on rocks,
desks, tables, easy-chairs, and alarm clocks.
musically upturned the magical world
especially when an ancient witch whirled
away the hours with a painter's brush.

Next word: Sunscreen




Next word:

[Rivana]

Oh game, how I missed
your radiant glow
of happiness and
talent so shiny that I -
might just
have to wear sunscreen,
to bask in the light
a bit longer.

Next up: return

[kdnxdr]

return to me
my vagrant heart
who's given up
on love

do your bid
but build for me
a castle
in my dreams


next word: uncanny

[Rivana]

Tumbler tumbling
over hardwood floor.
The uncanny resemblance
to something real.
Together with
the cream colored sofa,
the half open jar
of cookies and crumbs
it almost looks like someone
used to live here
after all.

Next up: advance

[onestepp]

Before the caw
of another crow
follow the warm
western's wind flow
to where gale
begins to slow,
look further toward
the mountain low
doorway will find
at passing of doe.

Next word: clutch

[Rivana]

Run boy, off the beaten track.
Sprint for the distance,
where the rainbows shine.
Clutch your heart in your hands
while you travel the badlands.
Don't stumble, don't fall,
don't do anything at all.
Just run until the bricks below
have turned to rubble, to dust.
Run and clutch that heart in hand,
the yellow sand, will not demand
surrendering to lust.

Next up: forgetful

[K_The_Poet]

Wondering through fields,
Climbing the trees tall,
as my mind explores it loses sense of time,
My thoughts are suspended in space,
Basking in the light of stars,
But as the sun eclispes I realize the seconds are ticking by,
As I return to reality I leave a thought behind,
What i am trying to remember is floating through the universe.

Next: Car crash

[Rivana]

It's a car crash,
a mad dash
towards something so sublime.
Sometimes following the blind
takes you to a time
where dreams must crash to flame.
This is not then,
this is the now -
where you can aim
and reach the sky.

Next up: missing

[Colin Fiat]

Missing Crown

May I Start Searching In Nobleman Garden?
I stand by waiting your leave and your pardon,
Signal when ready and we’ll get under way,
Search of the entry - it may take us all day.

It is frustrating how you dawdle along,
Now we are waiting for your shoes to put on.
Gone is the baring taught to you at the school,
Crowns are for wearing not a toy or a tool!

Run with us lady, it is nearly lunch time,
Out to the shady park where we may find
Where you were playing and the last sighting since;
No I’m not blaming either you or the prince.

Next word: perfume

Colin Fiat.

[Rivana]

That heady scent
of freedom and of fall
makes the spirit call
for taking chances.
Unexpected glances,
from disenchanted stars
heals over the scars
with spiderweb and moss.
Do not count the cost,
before the world has spun
a ten thousand and one
times around the sun.
Just breathe that sweet perfume,
like tanning skin in June,
like dewdrops in July,
an August lullaby.
September passes soon,
and with the crescent moon,
your dreams will be fulfilled.

Next up: coral

[SirOtter]

The Great Barrier Reef surrounding Oz
Is not someplace you want to stick your snozz
Unless your snozz is under a mask that fits snugly.
And bring along an air tank, or things could get ugly.
Thus fully equipped feel free to explore
The wonders of nature found close to the shore.
Like the cute little octopus, so pretty and blue,
Whose slightest of bites makes a corpse out of you.
Or the shark who patrols his aquatic domain;
If he spies you prepare yourself for considerable pain.
And those beautiful jelly fish, their tendrils dangling under -
Don't get too close; that would be a terrible blunder.
I guess you could say that this tale has a moral -
If you want to go skin diving, stay away from the coral.

Next: Apostrophe

[Rivana]

It's a lie of omission,
nothing more.
Things would get complicated,
more than before.
If you knew the pointy fact,
and unkind thought,
I omit for kindness,
for troubles wrought.

It's a sign of possession,
the way you look at me.
I know you think I don't notice,
but I do see.
The little things persuade the world
that you're possessing me,
but things are not always
what they appear to be.

We used to be plurals,
you and I.
Now I'm thinking in singles
and forget to lie.
Our love is like an apostrophe
and our grammar's shot.
Let's leave, and take the pain -
it's all we've got.

Next up: timber

[SirOtter]

Timber's a tough one
From which to construct a rhyme.
I'll leave it to someone
With more talent and more time.

[Lavern08]

Time


"Time to make the donuts," the jolly baker said
But when he looked in the kitchen
All of his assistants were dead.

[SirOtter]

Apparently we have a slight diversion from the established rules. ;D

DEAD

With apologies to George Romero

Dead and gone, dead and buried,
Lay him next to the girl he married.
She preceded him to the grave;
If she hadn't than maybe he might have behaved.
No matter now, he's six feet under.
What's that noise? Could it be thunder?

Dead and gone, but now unburied.
Charon hasn't 'cross the Styx him ferried.
He staggers around in search of nourishment.
He'd like to chew upon your fundament.
"He's coming to get you, Barbara," your brother said.
He met the unburied, and he, too, is dead.

[poeticLicense]

Introducing myself takes too long, so I'm just going to jump in with both feet. Since the above ended with dead, I'll use that, but then I'm switching words!

Three goldfish later, none have overcome
The awful state of care I give to them.
The embodiment of aquatic martyrdom,
The last took his final trip--a tiny gem
Of orange against the big white potty sky,
To go wherever they go when goldfish die.
Three minutes later, my daughter sighed and said:
"Well Mom, now I'm pretty sure he's dead."

New word: Envelope

[Rivana]

He opened the envelope
and closed up his heart.
To write such a letter
is really quite the art.
He left the candles burning
as he ran out of the flat.
After everything that happened,
I'm not faulting him for that.
Outside in fog and grayness
the bells began to chime.
And somewhere by the water
he gave his final sigh.

Next up: guest

[poeticLicense]

I'd love to be invited to a real Medieval feast,
Or sit beside a campfire around some roasted beast.
How quaint and sweet to be invited to a tea--
Truthfully, the guest is what I really like to be.

[onestepp]

I'll be a guest and use a word in your four lines.


Q uickly

U nderstated

A im

I ntense,

N ever

T iny!


Next Word: Fanned

[poeticLicense]

Ah, darn, I can't believe I forgot to give you a new word! Quaint was a good choice, though.

Pale, white fingers, soft with youth
Holding wickedness (and truth)
Curled around a piece of lace
As the lady fanned her face.

New word: domino

[SirOtter]

Never mind. I misremembered a name.

[Rivana]

I want to say forgive.
I want to say forget.
I want to say that everything will be
much better now.
It's just a lie,
we're out of time.
A single domino
left standing now.
And soon we'll fall,
for after all -
it was a really nice beginning,
but a bitter end
and the middle tends
to be rosy only when I shut down
and dream at night.

Next up: reminded

[JMBlackman]

I haven't written any poetry in a long time.

Apparently, there’s a sea inside me.
I’ve got conch shell skin, and the soul of a mermaid:
completely immersed in water and lacking oxygen
but needing neither. But this sea—roaring inside of me,
it washes back and forth inside my head, inside my ribs
and at high tide, I cry. It’s never ending and hopeless
until I'm reminded of you and somehow, the sea dries up
as if you were the biggest, brightest star in existence,
reaching my every bank and bathing me in heat.


Next word: rust.

[SirOtter]

Next word: rust.

With apologies to Don Marquis

hey boss you might want to oil this old remington
its getting harder every night to force the keys
down with my little cockroachy head and
ive an awful crick in my neck from the effort
mehitabel just laughs her purry laugh but you know her
not a care in the world toujour gai toujour gai
one of the keys has stopped working altogether
but its not one i use very much e cept occasionally
its hard enuff for the transmigrated soul of a
vers libre poet to e cercise his craft as it is without
putting up with all the rust youve allowed to accumulate
on this ancient machine sure wish youd do something about it

love
archy

Next Word: Vigilance

[Rivana]

It's important
to stay on guard,
to hold your place,
to keep your grace.
Vigilance,
is not about end games,
it's about not being too late.

Next up: trumpet

[onestepp]

Purple petunias
raise their indigo,
toward heavenly sun
ablazed, and bound
by skies of blue.


Next word: Hallows

[onestepp]

The ground is hallow
to the given flag
which cannot allow
a slip or sag.

camels - Next word

[SirOtter]

camels - Next word

Ogden Nash has already covered the topic better than anyone else possibly could, but I'll give it a go in honor of his memory:

Of all the animals adept at spitting,
Atop the heap the camel is sitting.
His great distaste for aggravation
Is oft expressed in expectoration.
Perhaps his artistry with saliva
Is what he does to make himself feel aliva.
Painters use paint, writers use words;
A camel just cannot be satisfied with turds.
His soul isn't found at his nether extreme -
He summons his spittle to embroider his theme.
And so, with a loogie, the camel rebukes us.
Who's to say there's no art in projecting one's mucus?

Next: Avalanche

[SirOtter]

Did I kill the thread?
Time will tell.
I hope it's not dead,
It was going so well.

[ddgryphon]

you fell
on me in tumbled
confusion
until at last
i lay buried
beneath the
avalanche
of you
*************

Next word: Betrayal

[P.H.Delarran]

it should have been
a simple thing
a simple gift

taking was the norm

purity and truth
those sacred beings of light
why did they scare us so?

why did we drive the nails,
then fall on our knees?


next word: timorous

[SirOtter]

next word: timorous

First thing I thought of was the Buoys' 1971 song Timothy, as in it was either Tim or us. But then, I'm sort of twisted that way.

Someone else go for it. I'm drawing a blank so far.

[P.H.Delarran]

ok darn..let me change the next word... ummm, Knees.

(and I'll work on timorous-just because)

[SirOtter]

ok darn..let me change the next word... ummm, Knees.

(and I'll work on timorous-just because)

It is hard to win or even run a race
If you need to have both of your knees replaced.
If your hip goes out and you wind up in traction,
It is harder still to run - just ask Bo Jackson.

Next Word - Artificial

[ddgryphon]

Artificial

calm
words
smooth tones
lies that are
buried beneath truths
turn upon themselves obscuring
truth in confusion
greedily
I drink
your
lies

***************************
Next word: fantasy

[onestepp]

Fantisies of a chronic writer
does or does not make life brighter,
Stop, start, have lost the instrument
cant find even one to implement
an accomplishment or given task,
I'll go look for the flask!

[Rivana]

Sometimes he thinks
he can love the pain away.
Just make it go the way
of any childhood scare.
But they're not children here.
Not even close to innocent.
Sometimes he thinks
he can care the carelessness away.
Thoughts like that only stay
till they start the dance again.

Next up: rules

[Slushie]

I'm not too good at this, but here goes:

Rules
Broken shattered left in tatters
After which we're left adrift,
lawless clueless Why'd we do this
to ourselves and to each other
Give us freedom Give us structure
Give us rules to cage our brothers

Next: Isolation

[Colin Fiat]

Isolated

Her nomophobia hit home
When she misplaced her mobile phone
And lost all contact with her friends
On which her social life depends

When isolated from the news
Of where to go and what to choose
She panicked as she tried to find
A way to guess what’s on their mind

Since nothing helped to ease the pain
That there was no one else to blame
She wore her plastic smiling mask
Because she could not go and ask

next: anticipation

Colin Fiat.

[Rivana]

Right before the wind
shifts and turns to northern,
I look into the sky
and search for feather clouds.
Before the ice descends upon
the water and the earth,
I throw a fist of dirt
towards the setting sun.
In tunnel vision of the fair,
I see all the beauty that is there
before the snow begins to fall.
I can still recall
how it tasted year to last.
The future's not the past
but I can't help to feel
the sweet anticipation
to hear the winter's call.

Next up: trouble

[onestepp]

memorable childhood game
raced around, square board
home, start, all-aboard.


Next Word: Petrified Wood

[Colin Fiat]

I’m petrified of touching wood
But don’t know why and think I should
Seek treatment for my brain

The doctors door was made of glass
With handle more like tarnished brass
And trimming made of gold

The marbled floor I crossed with ease
Until I saw a sight to freeze
And stop me in mid stride

The front reception, made of wood
The one exception meant I could
Not stay there any more

I turned to flee the way I came
But then I see the doors wood frame
And faint with anguished scream

Colin Fiat.

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss325/fm9fytmf7q/misc/insainitywood.jpg

Next: illusion

[Eveningsdawn]

The house seems
eminently peaceful, me
editing poetry in a blanket
in the uncomfortable chair (I
didn't have much sleep and
can't afford to doze off in
the middle of a stanza)
and Caroline at her computer,
humming softly to herself, but
it's only an illusion, complete
with smoke and mirrors
and misdirection; this morning
I woke up and rolled over to find
a boy curled up in Caro's bed;
and I hate not knowing who
is in my room, and when
I fell asleep I was alone.

next prompt: stressed

[onestepp]

S ilky

T resses

R einvented,

E mbellished

S atin

S ilky

E vening

D resses!


Next Word: Cornfields

[Teena]

Fecund youths
with touseled silky hair
stand tall,
toes buried in the loam,
breeze-dancing
nod at
birds winging overhead;
a sorority
communes
in the cornfield

Next: laziness

[Albedo of Zero]

Winter winds whip lazy
for a man inside his home
by fire and hearth and cat and beer
and dog and that dog's bone
A shutter flaps in anger
at the cold and airborne foul
the man tilts his head and listens
and swears and sighs and shrugs
and looks down toward the ground
The sound is a deterrent
of a well sought laziness
and the dog did bark and the cat meowed
and the man drank all his beer
and the winter winds went silent
or south or west for its own sought laziness

frigid

[onestepp]

Frigid, frigid, frigidare
It's midnight and what a dare
to keep company competely
with preparations done so sweetly
cookies, candies, cakes all decorated
filled, iced, and french braided,
ready and waiting for tomorrow's charade
and to be put out like a big parade,
one wouldn't even be missed!


Next Word: crystals

[amityyankee]

As I descend upon this empty quarry
The mouth of a cave opens itself up to me.
I can see it's shy
And I ponder why
This ancient beast would give me a peek inside.

From inside twinkling teeth shone out
And I give a deafening shout
At the beauty that's been hidden for such a time
I changed that last word for the easy rhyme.

Next work: cave

[onestepp]

C arnivores

A dvance,

V isciously

E ndowed!

Next Word: Ice Age

[SirOtter]

The drunkard bellowed thickly,
His voice a-tinge with rage -
'Hey, pour that liquor quickly!
It's a shame to let the ice age!'

Next Word: cosmos

[Albedo of Zero]

The stars they twinkle timorous
near black hole darkened sky
a universe that way does bang
a comet tail goes fly
they pattern to a science
this cosmos most ethereal
but lost is bang and sky and fly
in man's most godly zeal


next woid..... belief

[SirOtter]

Believing in something doesn't make it so,
Nor does disbelieving make it untrue.
Facts aren't like that fabled tree
That falls unheard, and therefore silently.
Reality isn't up for review.
What is, is yes; what's not is no.

Nächste Wort - Plurality

[kdnxdr]

thinking i was all alone
i began to see no other

until i washed my face
and spied my twin brother

turning 'round to call his name
something was the matter

reflected in my voice
my lonliness was sadder

searching every little nook
i know myself much better

even in my lonliness
me, myself and i, live together


next word :

faint

[Albedo of Zero]

Faint of heart of hart apart
and twixt the tethered vine
or fruit or ale or bubbly mix
I so become resigned
to sit and saw and slumber fast
until the sheets come knots
whilst in a dream the deer's a dear
but hart is not a heart
but rather shot a feint then feint
a painted leafy blur
I hate to hunt but in a dream
I foe I fie I hurl
so, faint of hart or is it heart
does it behoove a doe
a deer a female dear
how can I ramble so
it must have been the venison
and the v..v..v..v..verve
of snore and mind come melted to
illusional grandeur



next word: camouflage

[kdnxdr]

discerning this from that
I thought I saw a big wild cat
when all along the game went on
and I demurely sat

it's been so long, a snake was spied
"it's in the tree!", I cried
and all along the game went on
no one knew one died

creeping in the darkened wood
creatures survived, if they could
and all along the game went on
killing all, man thought he should

visible yet barely seen
the story's moral's keen -
though all along the game's gone on,
the motive has never been


next word: safe

[Stacemaker]

Safe or not?

Are our kids safe when they go to school?
Are our friends and family safe when they are home alone?
Shouldn't we feel safe anywhere we are?
Why do we have to turn our head and look both ways to make sure we can walk down the street and make it safely to the place we want to go?
Are we safe? Will be every be comletly safe from the bad things in life and in this world?

I'm new everyone so I dont know how good my work is but I have not taken any classes or anything. Just typing a few things that are on my mind. I will accept any and all comments good or bad!! Please message me and let me know what you think! I want to know if im good or not dont think twice before sening a reply!!!! Thanks!

Next word: friends

[CDSinex]

Something brought me to a full stop.
No sense of danger, or concern.
Not the glitter of shop windows
on once-familiar streets.
An aroma.
There it was.
The smell of poplar trees
on a hot Philadelphia night.
The smell of summer,
of childhood summers.
The smell of family and friends
in the back yard.
Mosquito coils.
Children with our lemonades,
Adults with mixed gin.
The summer smell of poplar trees.
God, I still hate that smell.



Next word: path

I don’t know if I’m doing this right. If not, sorry.

[Albedo of Zero]

I don’t know if I’m doing this right. If not, sorry.

Yes you are and what a great start!


path


graveled, pebbled, stoned
I wend my way windily
not path, but bourbon



next word: pebbles

[kdnxdr]

the water blinked
it's rippled eye
wondering why
when wished into the stillness
wounded words belie
a bleeding heart's cry



next word:

sonata

[CDSinex]

From somewhere farther up the hill
a cello and a viola plumb for low notes
practicing the, Damn! What’s-the-name-of-that sonata?
On Friday, at the Grange,
they’ll open the monthly Contra dance.
I’ll find out then.
Beer and single women, all for some good cause.
Warm, alluring.
The music oozes through an open window,
Then gravity slowly brings it down to us.
Dense, moist. Like the air.


Next word: Fable

[kdnxdr]

"cinderella, dressed in yellow"
we sang, innocent
the truth yet known
"went upstairs to kiss a fellow"
young desire, honest and natural
exploited by the lust
others displayed
"made a mistake and kissed a snake"
so many snakes; men
who were snakes
"how many doctors did it take?"
every friend, every shoulder
we cried to vent



next word: sly

[Teena]

hungry footpad fox
raiding predator tables
left-over dining




next: anxious

[Albedo of Zero]

A twitter-twit, a seed, a crumb
a feathered flit and eyes roll round
a breeze, a leaf that shudders cat
a feline angst, a bird in flight
a swoosh, a bound and empty paws
a jay-like laugh floats to the ground.

A twitch of tail, twitch, pop, twitch, curl
a ruffled mrow in a language clear
a retraction clawed and purrfect stance
a whiskered wait, awhile, a chance
a new bird drops and looks too late
a fat cat now, a twist of fate



next word: surrender

[CDSinex]

Spring now stands on the throat
of a once fierce winter.
The wind blown out.
The snow and cold all spent.
Now feeble, a witch doused with water
Crying, screaming, lamenting,
I’m melting.

Next word: Lament

[kdnxdr]

last year's lament

it was but last year
that dreamt of the next

fraught with failure
discouragement
loss

it was but last year
that dreamt of the next

tugged like a cur
sat and wept
dross

it was but last year
that dreamt of the next

out with a smirk
so slowly crept
toss

it was but last year
that dreamt of the next




Next word: flamingo

[P.H.Delarran]

I knew a girl
with raven hair
and icy stare

who only spoke
on Mondays

'because,'
she said
'less fuss is made,
when nobody is listening'

not comprehending
nor pretending
that I held no interest,

I visited her house
on Wednesday once
and brought some purple flowers

surprised to find
me standing there
amongst her garden gnomes,


she let me in
and made me tea
and showed me her Flamingoes

it made no sense
I told her this,
she showed me the back yard

a pond I found,
and swimming there
were many shiny salmon

'Flamingoes get their pigment
when they dine on these fat fish'

that's all she said
and showed me out-
I left a bit confused

I turned to wave
but saw her then
feeding the flamingoes

my gift of purple flowers
their petals swallowed down
inside pink throats
to digest with the salmon


next word: nonsense

[Albedo of Zero]

A twinkle on the water
winked a flirt my way
a flashy fish took care of it
and swam the flirt away
I threw in hook and sinker
to bait and hitch my flirt
but marriage wasn't hungry then
and all I got was dirt.



next word: drift

[CDSinex]

Lumber Log Sonnet

Logs in the river will float to the mill.
Once tall proud timbers adrift to their fate.
The sawyers are sleeping; their saws are all still.
At the morns first light, they’ll open the gate.

Saws will be screaming, the logs won’t fight back.
Their bark will be stripped; they’ll sit naked, cold.
All halved and quartered and left in a stack.
Transformed to something, and never grow old.

Off to be houses, that sit on some moor.
So far from the woods, so far from their own.
To be fitted with windows, and holes closed by doors.
Give warmth and shelter, be body and bones.

As Children play safe, so snug in new homes
They’re sometimes startled by creaks and by moans.


Schooner

[kdnxdr]

a sea-worthy schooner
and a pint of ale
won't bring me home sooner
or fetch me from jail

with my back to the wind
and my maids all goodbye
the wheel is my friend
and my colors I'll fly

from island to island
and coast to coast
i'm a wandering man
who's more happy than most


next word: slinky

[CDSinex]

Once soft and slinky.
Caterpillars wrapped in silk—
Soon to fly away


Next Word: Notion

[kdnxdr]

once I had a little thought
that soon began to grow

anxiously, I was so fraught
thinking, how to make a go?

Learn To Write, a book I bought
and learned, to write is often slow.



Next word: shore

[CDSinex]

Shoreline Tanka

Waves dampen the sand.--
Scampering to keep feet dry
plovers feed on clams.
Do they care that I’m watching
more than I care who’s watching?


Next word: moon

[kdnxdr]

indigo moon
rarely, I contemplate
the ebb and flow,
the ocean nudging the earth
hinting at the relationship
one desires of the other

the ring
forever symbolizes
the event -
probably rain or snow

and when the harvest comes?
night becomes like day
extending time
and we work at it longer
and harder

believing
effort pays off



next word: simply

[CDSinex]

Put it quite simply
Be concise and so succinct--
Never allow more.
But sad to say, from time to time, the lines they number four.



Silly

[kdnxdr]

when you blink and pass the place
where once you thought to go,
you know you're moving in a frenzied pace,
switch your gears, go slow.

stop and smell the daffodils and roses,
even though you get ran down;
you've picked yourself sweet posies
and smashed the nose of some clown.




next word: pen

[CDSinex]

Pen on blank paper
reflecting my empty thoughts--
When will the ink flow?


Next word: arbitrary

[SirOtter]

Next word: arbitrary

Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
She was the gal I wanted to marry.
But then she went and married Harry -
Why is love so arbitrary?

Next word: Serpentine

[Albedo of Zero]

Speed sublime on Serpintine Hill,
all slick and brick and esssed to kill
To grill the curve, oh what a skill
the thrill, the thrill of Serpentine Hill



new one: race