6 SLIGHT

SLIGHT

write off

disparage

his terse retort, "lame,"

spoke volumes on how well

he'd cooperate with us

"lack of respect drives in a wedge."

---

This was an interesting write.  The middle came quite quickly using this week's Three Word Wednesday [3WW=>cooperate, lame, terse] prompt.  Normally it is a simultaneous struggle between the first and middle verse; they tend to go hand in hand.  I get a general idea for the initial word (though it is subject to change) while pulling the middle and end together with the given words.  For this one, the middle came so quickly I was at a complete loss for what the initial word and its followers should be.  The last line is basically impossible to write with out the initial word.  Maybe it is the way this poem unfolded that has me not quite content...ah...but then again, when am I ever content.

---

On a Side Note:  Recently I posted that I would be limiting my use of this blog.  I feel it has fulfilled its purpose and that it is time for me to move on.  Unfortunately, letting go is not all that easy...or maybe it is fortunate, because I will (at least for a time) be maintaining two things here: my weekly contributions to OpenLinkNight over at dVerse and my last Wednesday of the month "clarity pyramid meets 3WW" for Three Word Wednesday.    I have just recently taken up residency elsewhere in case you care to drop in.

13 Last Call: Crumbling Within

Crumbling Within

Just the thought of a hug
stirs an emotional rock slide
threatening to unravel
the carefully woven shield
surrounding the loss
yet to be dealt with.

It's a mistake
keeping it buried within
but the only remedy
that ever worked to clear
away the looming boulders
was the feel of your arms
wrapped around me.

---

I was hoping to try to escape myself for a little bit, try to find something outside of me to write about...something random like traffic lights.  But this week's Three Word Wednesday [3WW=>careful(ly), hug, mistake] seemed to have something else in mind.  Odd though, because I look at the words (even read them aloud several dozen times) and I do feel disconnected.  Maybe that is more about the emotions rolling around than the actual poem, but at the moment I'll be truthful and say I don't much care for this piece...maybe time will change that...

---

I've decided to double up this week and so ...

This is my offerings for this week's dVerse Poets Pub OpenLinkNight. If you get a chance, check out all of the talented poets who have stepped up into the spotlight.

9 Last Call: PURGE

PURGE

erase

get rid of

a pale face flickers

as naughty pictures doused

blaze--a relationship ends

"burn away lingering evils."

---

It is the last Wednesday of the month and with that comes another union of Three Word Wednesday [3WW=>douse, naughty, pale] and the clarity pyramid.  I'm not too fond of homophones.  I had something in my mind until I realized that it was pale and not pail.  I had to do some rearranging; I'm not 100% happy with the results, but...

---

I've decided to double up this week and so ...

This is my offerings for this week's dVerse Poets Pub OpenLinkNight. If you get a chance, check out all of the talented poets who have stepped up into the spotlight.

8 HEART

HEART

passion

affection

tendrils creep intent

on breaching still chambers

reviving a lost drab core

"pulsating love quickens its beat."

---

It's that time again!  The last Wednesday of the Month brings forth a marvelous combination Three Word Wednesday [3WW=drab, pulsate(s), tendril(s)] and the clarity pyramid.  I always find this day to be a treat and a half.  

14 Last Call: Full House--Multiples Increase with IVF

two of a kind = a vacant house
a pair -- no more,
but still
enough
to ante up.
After the first flop
concern stirs within
as eyes too focused on the turn
almost miss
the tiny embryos of hope
planted there
forcing an all-in praying that the river
unearths a winning hand --
three of a kind.

---

Doubling "down" again this week with Three Word Wednesday [3WW=>focused, pair, vacant] and dVerse Poets Pub ~ OpenLinkNight.

7 Last Call: Poetic Siege

nagging words pace
along idle fingertips
itching for peace to descend

blinking cursor laughs
at the empty battlefield
armed and ready to bleed black

---

An Aside: Working off my phone, so I have limited functionality. I'll add in links tomorrow when I have access to a computer with Internet.

A Form Aside: This is a take on the sedōka, an ancient Japanese form dating back to the choka and tanka; it is composed of two katauta [5/7/7]. When I first came across this form (on ShadowPoetry.com), it was mentioned that the form "may address the same subject from different perspectives." I've always liked that idea.

---

Doubling up this week with Three Word Wednesday [3WW=>idle, nagging, pace] and dVerse Poets Pub ~ OpenLinkNight.  

7 Last Call: HONE

HONE

polish

cultivate

limber fingers move

deftly 'cross wires as

time threatens to detonate

"tedious practice sharpens skills."

---

I know all of you over at Three Word Wednesday wait with bated breath for the last Wednesday of the month when I attempt to compose a clarity pyramid out of three words [3WW=detonate, limber tedious].  It took a bit of effort, but it did come together in the end.  Part of me was hoping to find a way to incorporate the explosive theme into the last line, but with just eight syllables its not such an easy task.

---

With the holiday, I've decided to double up this week and so (while not much of a holiday piece)...

This is my offerings for this week's dVerse Poets Pub OpenLinkNight. If you get a chance, check out all of the talented poets who have stepped up into the spotlight.

6 Bejewel Me

I don't need fancy jewelry
adorning my neck
nor diamond encrusted earrings
dangling from my ears.

Maybe I'm an abnormal gal,
but I'd much rather
you lavish me with your words 'til
I sparkle from within.

---

This little number is inspired by this week's Three Word Wednesday [3WW=>abnormal, dangle(-e+ing), lavish].  Once I figured out how I wanted to use lavish, dangle came naturally.  Abnormal...well, I managed to somewhat fit it in.

11 Top of the List

we wait for death
scythe in hand
the fluid drips
             d r i p s
              r
              i
              p
    d r i p s
sustaining you here
as life slowly drains from your body

will the harvest come soon enough?

we wait for death
pray
for him to finally come
to reap another's soul
knowing
your battle for life comes at a cost

we wait for death
uncertain
if he'll bring you life
or claim your last breath

---

An Aside:  when I first looked at Three Word Wednesday's selection of words [3WW=>battle, fluid, harvest], I thought about how I might use fluid in terms of "state of mind" as apposed to an actual substance. But there was something about the word harvest that drew me in.  At first I thought I might go a bit twisted, especially after my previous post involving a serial killer.  But there are several members of my family who have received kidney transplants (from live donors) over the past 17-ish years.  In a way they were lucky, no one had to die for them to live - that is obviously not always the case.  And so I deviated slightly from my original twisted thought.

5 JERK

I usually put my ramblings at the end, but....

An Aside:  So here again is what happens when Three Word Wednesday [3WW=>clench(ed), faint, prod] meets the last Wednesday of the month...a clarity pyramid.  I got stuck on the idea of using prod like a cattle prod; it took quite some effort with a lot of scribblings and extra lines with syllables that didn't fit right, and in the end while I kept some of the ideas that blossomed from this I ended up not using prod in that manner.  

---

JERK

spasm

convulsion

the smell of burnt hair

was faint as electro-

shocks coursed through his clenched body

"prod into a violent fit."

---

An(other) Aside:  This is an example where multi-syllable words take a bit away from the visual "pyramid-ness" of this form.

9 Fall Tree

Brilliant reds, oranges, yellows
cling to limbs for dear life;
not ready to lay down in defeat.

An early snowfall blankets
vibrant autumn hues
compromising the strong integrity.

Under such a burdening weight—
teetering with indecision—
finally they fall forward

allowing the house to sigh in relief
as the majestic beast brushes past
laying down its arms upon the doorstep.

---

An Aside:  Nor'easters are evil.  Last year, an early snowfall brought down many trees unable to bare the weight of the colorful leaves and the snow.  As the snow fell yesterday, again far earlier than expected, I thought of the beautiful trees and wondered did Sandy already knock out the weak so as not to add more wood to the fire.  Surprisingly, the Three Word Wednesday [3WW=>compromise(-e+ing), (in)decision, forward] prompt played quite well with these thoughts.  If you get a chance head on over and see how other's twisted these three words into their own poem, prose, or who knows.

6 PAINT

PAINT

depict

illustrate

make-up artists craft

false appearances of

sallow for Halloween fun

"every surface is a canvas."

---

So Halloween has officially been postponed to Monday, November 5th. Still I figured I couldn't let it pass without a mention. I have entwined it within...yes, you guessed it...I mean what else am I going to do on the last Wednesday of the month,but...a clarity pyramid.

I did have an alternative for the last line, while I figured it fit the form better, the above seemed to better fit the poem itself.  The alternative:  "inspiration on canvas."  Who knows...maybe I'll change my mind.
Additional inspiration cones this week from Three Word Wednesday [3WW=false, illustrate, sallow]. Check out how some of the other talented writers employ these three simple words.

8 Can I Have This Dance?: Uneven

Title:  Breakeven (Falling to Pieces)
Artist:  The Script
Album:  The Script
Genre:  Pop

Uneven

Heartstrings dangle, grazing the ground;
his chest cut wide open--
each breath a labor (of lost love),
while she walks away clean
unhindered by 
strings neatly cut close to the heart.

Notes:  I'm a little early with this CIHTD?, but the words for this week's Three Word Wednesday [3WW=>dangle, labor, neatly] spun the thought of heartstrings, this song just leapt to the forefront.  So, I went with it.

9 The Storm Within

An eerie calm settles over
my exterior like an armored shell.
Unbeknownst to those nearby
a switch has been thrown
so that only I know
how the irrational thoughts
rattle inside my head,
course throughout me,
and threaten to mar
my external presence.

---

I have, unfortunately, missed the passed two weeks of Three Word Wednesday.  Things seem to be absolutely crazy lately, but I didn't want to let another week go by....  So here is my contribution to Three Word Wednesday [3WW=>calm, know, rattle].  

6 TEMPT

TEMPT

seduce

enamor

she savors the words

meant to entice a night

of pure bliss and perchance love

"awaken strong desires within."

---

The above is what happens here on ...dodta... when Three Word Wednesday [3WW=>(per)chance, entice, savor(s)]meets the clarity pyramid.  Check out how some of the other talented writers employ these three simple words.

7 Lies Hidden in Certainty

Do not fall prey
to his quick words
spoken in a tone
of absolutes
for nestled deep
within his fast
reply lies truth-
less facts.

---

Note:  My father has--in his infinite wisdom--taught me that when someone asks a question if you answer quickly with confidence in your voice, whether it's truth or not, they will believe you.  He does not use this trick with malice and often if you wait long enough his facial expression will give it away. 


This is my Three Word Wednesday [3WW=>absolute(s), fall, nestle(d)] inspired piece for the week.  If you get a chance, check out how some other talented writers twist these words into life.

7 I Don't Do Mornings.

your voice grates on
my half-lidded state
like the rusty hinge
of a loose gate
flapping along with
a persistent
blistering wind.

my need for a lethal
injection of caffeine--
to destroy the last bit
of slumber still lingering
in my veins--awakens.

---

This is my Three Word Wednesday [3WW=>hinge, lethal, need] inspired piece for the week.  If you get a chance, check out how some other talented writers twist these words into life.

4 Synthesis--Comedic attR(e)action

Their banter
goes beyond duty. 
While an element
of their chosen profession,
one
would have to be
blind
not to see
the underlying chemistry. 

---

The moment the last line was out, I felt like I could do so much more to this.  Blast it open!  Explore the idea of a simple chemical reaction.  I have a feeling I'll be revisiting this piece in the future, but for today now it will stand as my Three Word Wednesday [3WW=>banter, duty, element] contribution.  Not sure about the title either...

9 FLING

FLING

affair

liaison

free to buzz away

once their deed is complete--

another flower opens

"coupling with no expectations."

---

It's the last Wednesday of the month--when here on ...don't open...don't throw away... Three Word Wednesday [3WW=>affair, expectation(s), free] meets the clarity pyramid.  

---

9 With a Kiss

"Do I amuse you?"  she asked with a look and tone that would wipe the smile off a hardened criminal.

He leaned back in his chair, overtly eying her carefully.  With a sparkle of laughter glistening in his eyes he replied.  "Yes."  Ever so slightly (he noticed) her jaw tighten.  Before she could speak again--chastise him for his answer--he stood, closed the small distance between them, and continued.  "I enjoy the way your jaw firms, the way your brow furrows, and the way your nose flares.  But what truly excites me, entices me, is the way your lips thin begging to be ravished back into their natural succulent state."

As the last few words exited his mouth, he raised his hand curling his fingers in and gently grazed her cheek with his knuckles.  All the laughter gone from his eyes; instead they spoke gleamed earnest and sincere.  "Tell me you don't feel it too?"

He watched the subtle dilation of her eyes, the slight droop of her shoulders, and the barely noticeable intake of breath.  That was all he needed.  He closed the last bit of distance between them and silenced the lips plea.

---

After toying with this week's Three Word Wednesday [3WW=>amuse, excite(s), sincere] as the potential for a poem, I desided it might be nice to tap into a bit of prose.  It has been a while since I last used this form of expression.  It was fun.