Get Your Golden Shovel! No. 02 Round-Up

Last Saturday I posted the second “Get Your Golden Shovel” prompt as a collaborative project for our writing community. In this round-up, I share my golden shovel poem as well as those that were contributed by the community.

What’s a golden shovel poem? It’s a poetic form originally created by Terrance Hayes. Check out the rules here.

I want to give a big thanks to each of you that were willing to give this week’s challenge a try:

T.B.C

Eric Drury (The Thoughtful Beggar)

Catherine (reflections of an unquiet mind)

Sam “Goldie” Kirk (one day at a time..)

Kathleen

Golden Shovel No. 02

“Cocoa in pods and alligator pears.”

The Tropics in New York by Claude McKay

Sun-Bleached Blond

By Monty Vern

Skin bronzed to a rich cocoa,

Hair sun-bleached blond, tied up in

Long braids hanging down past her ear pods

And

Shoulder straps, to the dancing twin alligator

Tattoos glistening beneath the dribbling juice of ripe pears.

Guests’ Poems:

I scraped the barrel and got all the cocoa,

The colour so dark I could have dived straight in,

I dropped vanilla…

By T.B.C.

“Mammals and Reptiles”

Humanity on the beach in Cocoa

driving on the outs and in

We also travel in…

By Eric Drury

I remember her skin, it looked and tasted like cocoa

In the shadows I hide to see her chest rise as she breathes in

She knows it well; me and her, we are like peas in their…

By Catherine at reflections of an unquiet mind

“Working From Home”

On my lunch break, I stand on my porch with a cup of cocoa in my hand.

Just one more look at the scenery before I have to go back in.

I think back to the days of cubicles…

by Sam “Goldie” Kirk

Delicious! Cocoa

Seduced from pods

And finding

Tongues

Of alligator

Under the shack

Where massages mysteriously happen

In

Zihua

Like sweet whispers of pears.

(Shhh!)

By Kathleen

I found this line both challenging and inspiring. I love what we all did with these colorful words. Once again the diversity is amazing, which is my favorite reason for doing creative collaborations. You all inspire me. Thank you!

Ready for Get Your Golden Shovel No. 3?

Be well,

Monty

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• Portrait in BlueJanuary 31, 2023
  Be well, Monty
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  Be well, Monty
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