Tag Archives: collaboration

Nonce Poetry: Inside Out

In celebration of National Poetry Month @murisopsis from A Different Perspective is once again hosting a poetic scavenger hunt. This year’s theme is “nonce” form poetry. What is nonce form poetry? Well, it’s basically a form that was created by a poet for their own use. What’s interesting about a nonce form is that if it is adopted by other poets and used more often it will no longer be considered a nonce form, but rather become recognized as a “valid” poetical form.

The scavenger hunt features thirteen nonce form challenges all to be completed within the month of April. I highly encourage you to check out the prompts and participate here.

Ok, now onto the fourth challenge…Inside Out

Inside Out

A syllabic poem consisting of a minimum of three quatrains with the first stanza having a syllabic count of 12/8/8/12, the second having 8/12/12/8, followed by 12/8/8/12, and so on. No rhyme scheme required.

Bonus: use the theme of growth

Murisopsis

The Growth

It first appeared quite discretely about year thirteen
Overnight so magically;
I wondered what the thing could be;
Was this another random act of puberty?

Although at first it went unseen,
It started to grow into something too obscene
And the other kids began to tease me, so mean;
Time for medical inquiry

Doctor, doctor what ever could this strange thing be?
It’s weird and growing out of me;
Doctor, doctor will you help me?
“You’ve been kissing frogs he joked” insensitively.

Then began a long, long journey
To remove that ugly thing from me entirely;
From acid baths to freezing sprays and laser rays,
None of them worked permanently.

After years of pain and shame and indignity,
It disappeared quite suddenly;
Overnight I was finally free,
Of the wart on my thumb that had so haunted me.

I really wish that wasn’t based on a true story, but now I guess at least the traumatic experience resulted in a laugh and some lighthearted poetry. The form worked well. I played with some loose rhyme which added some levity. What do you think?

Be well,

Monty

Nonce Poetry: Melinda’s Whimsy

In celebration of National Poetry Month @murisopsis from A Different Perspective is once again hosting a poetic scavenger hunt. This year’s theme is “nonce” form poetry. What is nonce form poetry? Well, it’s basically a form that was created by a poet for their own use. What’s interesting about a nonce form is that if it is adopted by other poets and used more often it will no longer be considered a nonce form, but rather become recognized as a “valid” poetical form.

The scavenger hunt features thirteen nonce form challenges all to be completed within the month of April. I highly encourage you to check out the prompts and participate here.

Ok, now onto the second challenge…Melinda’s Whimsey

Melinda’s Whimsy

A poem of three quatrains with rhyme scheme A/a/a/b, a/A/a/b, a/a/A/b where “A” represents the same end word. The meter is iambic trimeter for lines 1 through 3 with line 4 having 7 syllables.

Bonus: include a whimsical creature.

saintvi

Whispering Whimsy

Upon the fern she’d play
Hanging in the cool shade
Beneath it’s dark green blades
Whispering whimsy to me.

A faerie of the glade
She’s always quick to play
Dancing all night and day
Beneath her little fern tree.

Down on my knees I prayed
For my wish true be made
To freely dance and play
To feel her whimsy in me.

Well there you have it. What are your thoughts about the form? About my execution of the form. I’d love to get your feedback.

Be well,

Monty

Nonce Poetry: The Tail

In celebration of National Poetry Month @murisopsis from A Different Perspective is once again hosting a poetic scavenger hunt. This year’s theme is “nonce” form poetry. What is nonce form poetry? Well, it’s basically a form that was created by a poet for their own use. What’s interesting about a nonce form is that if it is adopted by other poets and used more often it will no longer be considered a nonce form, but rather become recognized as a “valid” poetical form.

The scavenger hunt will feature thirteen nonce form challenges all to be completed within the month of April. I highly encourage you to check out the prompts and participate here.

I’m also very grateful that my very own “Silver Lining” nonce form has been selected for inclusion in the challenge. This is a modified Golden Shovel form (which is a great example of a nonce form created by Terrance Hayes that has since graduated to a recognized form used by many poets today). A big thanks to @murisopsis for it’s inclusion.

Now onto the first challenge…The Tail.

The Tail

The Tail is a poem of single syllable lines with loose rhyme and a “tall tale” theme.

Michael “Mouse” Murdoch


Did You Hear The One…


Did
you
hear
the
one
a
bout
the
rat
that
ate
the
cat?
When
the
rat
had
ate
it
all
it
spat
out
a
big
fur
ball
and
said
with
a
purr:
me
ow!

What do you think? Did I stay true to the intent of the form? I’d love to hear your feedback. Stay tuned for more from this series throughout the month of April!

Be well,

Monty

The Anna: Hush

This poem is my final contribution to the poetic ‘scavenger hunt’ designed by @murisopsis from A Different Perspective. This time the theme is Names, as in poetic forms that feature a name (e.g. one of the prompts is to write a poem in the form of “Amandas Pinch” — a form I’ve personally never heard of before). There are thirteen prompts in total so this is more manageable then a daily commitment challenge. Check out all the prompts and the way it works here and join in if your up for some poetic puzzling. Enjoy!

Prompt 13

Write a poem using the form The Anna or write a Dr. Stella.

A Different Perspective

The Anna poem is composed of 7 lines with syllable count 2/3/4/5/4/3/2 and unrhymed. Full rules here.

Hush

Hush. Hush.
Listen to
The rhythm of
Our hearts in tandem
Chanting quietly
A mantra
Of love.

What a wonderful learning experience this poetry scavenger hunt has been. I found a few new forms that I will experiment with. A big thanks to Murisopsis for designing and hosting it.

Be well,

Monty

Jay’s Way: For the Birds

This poem is a part of the poetic ‘scavenger hunt’ designed by @murisopsis from A Different Perspective. This time the theme is Names, as in poetic forms that feature a name (e.g. one of the prompts is to write a poem in the form of “Amandas Pinch” — a form I’ve personally never heard of before). There are thirteen prompts in total so this is more manageable then a daily commitment challenge. Check out all the prompts and the way it works here and join in if your up for some poetic puzzling. Enjoy!

Prompt 12

Write a poem using the form Jay’s Way or write a poem using a bird metaphor.

A Different Perspective

A Jay’s Way poem is composed of 12 lines with syllable count 3/7/11/9/5/3/3/5/9/11/7/3 and rhyme scheme a/b/b/c/c/d/d/e/e/f/f/a. Full rules here.

For the Birds

In fifth grade
I fell for the blue jay birds
And wrote about them in a thousand plus words
Copied verbatim from a bird book
Word for word I took
From the page
Like a sage
Full of blue jay facts
And of their natural habitats
I wrote them out neatly onto paper stock
Not a single thought ad-hoc
Ever made.

A sadly true story. I went on to write several research papers covering the Jay family until my teacher finally realized what was going on. To be fair, I’d never learned better so it was a ‘good teaching moment’.

Be well,

Monty

Joseph’s Star: A Love Story

This poem is a part of the poetic ‘scavenger hunt’ designed by @murisopsis from A Different Perspective. This time the theme is Names, as in poetic forms that feature a name (e.g. one of the prompts is to write a poem in the form of “Amandas Pinch” — a form I’ve personally never heard of before). There are thirteen prompts in total so this is more manageable then a daily commitment challenge. Check out all the prompts and the way it works here and join in if your up for some poetic puzzling. Enjoy!

Prompt 11

Write a Joseph’s Star poem or write a poem with the words: super, technicolor, coat, stars.

A Different Perspective

A Joseph’s Star poem composed of 7 non-rhyming lines with syllable count 1/3/5/7/7/5/1. Full rules here.

A Love Story

She
Sits before
Me with her heart broke,
Yearning for love’s innocence
Now shattered by the jagged
Reality of
Life.

She
Lays before
Me with her heart torn;
I try to mend it with the
Frayed thread of old promises
But love unravels
Faster than I can
Sew.

As
Our love dies
She lifts herself up
With the strength of her own wings,
And rises to catch the fresh
Currents of new life
Found.


As
She soars in
The blue sky above
Through the clouds so graceful
I can’t help but smile for her
And shed a tear for
Me.

Be well,

Monty

Golda: Woof!

This poem is a part of the poetic ‘scavenger hunt’ designed by @murisopsis from A Different Perspective. This time the theme is Names, as in poetic forms that feature a name (e.g. one of the prompts is to write a poem in the form of “Amandas Pinch” — a form I’ve personally never heard of before). There are thirteen prompts in total so this is more manageable then a daily commitment challenge. Check out all the prompts and the way it works here and join in if your up for some poetic puzzling. Enjoy!

Prompt 10

Write a Golda poem or incorporate the words related to gold into a poem.

A Different Perspective

The Golda is a poem composed of 12 lines where the 6th and 12th line rhyme and has syllable count 2/2/4/1/4/2a/2/1/2/4/4/2a. Full rules here.

Woof!

Just one
Little
Nip by a sharp
Toothed
Pup has turned me
Wherewolf

Seven
Shots
Later,
Full of rabies
Antibodies,
I woof!

Inspired by my little adventure with a homeless puppy this past weekend which sent me to the dog bite clinic (aside from feeling like a pin cushion from all the injections, I’m fine).

Be well,

Monty

Bryant: Polluted Waters

This poem is a part of the poetic ‘scavenger hunt’ designed by @murisopsis from A Different Perspective. This time the theme is Names, as in poetic forms that feature a name (e.g. one of the prompts is to write a poem in the form of “Amandas Pinch” — a form I’ve personally never heard of before). There are thirteen prompts in total so this is more manageable then a daily commitment challenge. Check out all the prompts and the way it works here and join in if your up for some poetic puzzling. Enjoy!

Prompt 9

Write a poem using the form Bryant or a poem about politics.

A Different Perspective

The Bryant is a poem composed of any number of metered quatrains (lines 1 & 4 trimeter; lines 2 and 3 pentameter) rhymed abab cdcd etc and a pastoral metaphor. Full rules here.

Polluted Waters

Red spreads across the strait
Like blossoming algae in tepid pools
Summoned by polluted thoughts out of date
From the soiled minds of fools

Cool waters are needed
To curb the blooms from continuing spread
Not more dishonest rhetoric seeded
By the Blue, White and Red.

I found this form quite daunting as it includes both structural and contextual constraints (and politics which in particular tends to be pretty depressing) but I gave it a go.

Be well,

Monty

Daisy Chain: Seeds of an Idea…

This poem is a part of the poetic ‘scavenger hunt’ designed by @murisopsis from A Different Perspective. This time the theme is Names, as in poetic forms that feature a name (e.g. one of the prompts is to write a poem in the form of “Amandas Pinch” — a form I’ve personally never heard of before). There are thirteen prompts in total so this is more manageable then a daily commitment challenge. Check out all the prompts and the way it works here and join in if your up for some poetic puzzling. Enjoy!

Prompt 7

Write a Daisy Chain poem or write a poem about flowers.

A Different Perspective

The Daisy Chain is a poem where the last word of each line is repeated as the first word of the next line thus creating a chain. To end the chain the final line repeats the very first word of the poem. Full rules here.

Seeds of an Idea While Writing in a Coffee Shop


Seeds full of vulnerability and potential
Potential for all of creation yet unimagined
Unimagined until planted and nourished
Nourished with curiosity to ripening
Ripening with fleshy deepness and vibrancy
Vibrancy ready to be harvested and roasted
Roasted bold and courageous
Courageous to see new possibilities
Possibilities born of these very seeds.

Be well,

Monty

Emmett: Code Red

This poem is a part of the poetic ‘scavenger hunt’ designed by @murisopsis from A Different Perspective. This time the theme is Names, as in poetic forms that feature a name (e.g. one of the prompts is to write a poem in the form of “Amandas Pinch” — a form I’ve personally never heard of before). There are thirteen prompts in total so this is more manageable then a daily commitment challenge. Check out all the prompts and the way it works here and join in if your up for some poetic puzzling. Enjoy!

Prompt 6

Write a poem using the form Emmett or write a poem about clowns.

A Different Perspective

The Emmett is composed of five lines rhymed abbab. There are also specific rules regarding the use of the first lines words as the starting word in the following lines. Full rules here.

Code Red


By codes scarlet red imprisoned
Codes all-knowing all-seeing
Scarlet letters controlling
Red bars digitally provisioned
Imprisoned from coming or going.

Today was supposed to be my “freedom day” from a 10-day lockdown due to Covid, but my health code is still showing up red (you can’t go anywhere in Shanghai without a green code). I’m petitioning for the code to be corrected, but I I’m feeling particularly penned in today. Thus the topic of my Emmitt.

Code Red

Be well,

Monty