9 Sevenling (To my angel) & Last Call (At the Sidewalk Cafe)

Sevenling (To my angel)

To my angel (you know who you are),

Silence is golden, liberating & lonely;  

the latter is the most haunting.  

  

To my angel (for whom silence seems a new word),  

I was (am) content, satisfied, & appreciative  

to hide in the rarity of reciprocal visits.  

My dear sweet angel, thank you for carrying my voice through the doors.



Last Call (At the Sidewalk Cafe)

anxiety spikes
(unusually so as of late)
each time Mr. Linky
steps up to introduce me.

he looks at the note card in hand
announcing the next performer
and knowingly looks stage left.

the last time these spells arose
I disappeared – left – went into hiding.
scarcely a word escaped
leaving only silence in my wake.

upon return I waited for last call –
closing time, when most had come & gone.
leaving only a few stragglers to see my frays.  

how brazen I got
as time passed and words flowed;
it's like a roller coaster though – ups & downs –
but those drops lift me out of my seat.

so here I sit now at the sidewalk cafe
listening to the voices spill out the doors & 
tip my hat as they leave for the night.

& I scribble away in my notebook
for no one else but me
and the occasional passerby
who sits down with a smile to share.

---

another silent contribution....

they'll be opening up the doors over at the dVerse Poets Pub at 3:00 pm (EST), so if you get a chance to stop in, check out some wonderful talents showcasing their voices today and tomorrow.

1 befuddled

i really like that word...befuddled...anyway...

i don't know how i managed to get myself sucked back into writing sevenlings.  my first attempts left me so uncertain...did they really fit the rules?  i blame the whole 'power of three'.  that is was i have affectionately deemed the rule for the to two tercets...

"the first three lines should contain an element of three. It could be three connected or contrasting statements, a list of three details or names, or something else along these lines. The three things can take up all three lines or be contained anywhere within the stanza."  (Poetic Asides, 2009)

i can live with the whole list of three details or names, that is pretty straight forward, but 'three connected or contrasting statements...or something along these lines'.  really?  i mean why would someone write three lines that weren't connected.  as for the whole contrasting statement part...if two or more things are contrasting, then there has to be a connection between them right?  and what about the 'or something along those lines'?  At least the list of details or names is an obvious thing that can be pick out of the tercets, but then, there is the whole part where they can appear anywhere in the stanza.  if they can be anywhere and not a list of things but statements, how are you suppose to identify the three things?  it seems to me the whole rule thing is about the seven lines in two tercets and a single line that has a mysterious, offbeat, and/or disturbing feel.

in short the whole 'power of three' feels to ambiguous, but maybe i'm missing something.  so befuddled with it all, that i refused to name my first two attempts appropriately.  the first definitely fit the whole offbeat feel.  i suppose if i had to classify the 'power of three' it would be as connected statements.  my second attempt was...i'm not really sure...you could check it out for yourself and decide.  as for the 'power of three' well, the first tercet was connected with body parts (her back, her eyes, and trembling lips).  the second tercet was connected by feelings (fear, calm, and love).

anyway, i decided to give it one final go.  my last for awhile...

---

Sevenling (Your laugh sounds like)

Your laugh sounds like nails
scratching on a chalkboard, tires
screeching, and jackhammers on a busy street.

I grew up on country music and reading
Stephen King.  Have you ever heard of
Carrie, Misery, or how about Firestarter?

You have way more to worry about than your car being keyed.

---

0 Sevenling (I remember)

I remember the smell of fresh popped popcorn,
frogs flipping onto lily pads but mostly into water,
and the evil looking clowns drinking from water guns.

I wish to forget the sound of the organ grinder,
the sound of coins clinking against metal, and
the feel of being shot.  But not the lesson learned.

Never trust a monkey wearing a top hat carrying a pocketbook.

---

yet again i toy with the sevenling and the elusive 'power of three'.  i truly thought i had left this form behind.  i realize i own this form much thanks; it is the form that got me started in the exploration of different forms.  but still have my reservations about the rules.  anyway here is my attempt at a more 'mysterious, offbeat, disturbing effort.  inspiration for toying with this form again came from Poetic Asides' challenge.  inspiration for the content came from a time long ago when i was a teen creating my first profile.  it asked for a quote and while i'd guessed they were looking for something well-known, i came up with my own.  it follows me to this day and can be found at the footer of this blog.

0 Sevenling (I came across)

I came across a receipt in the hamper,
change rattling about in the washing machine,
and a twenty dollar bill in the lint trap.

I turned myself around searching
for my lost marbles, my misplaced lip balm,
and my elusive car keys.  "Where else can I look?"

Aside from the keys in the fridge, I really should check my pockets.

---

keys in the fridge?  i had thought to leave them in the door, but that was too obvious...the fridge is a trick my dad uses when he needs to remember to take something from the fridge to work with him...i know for a fact they're sitting in there right now next to the lamb.

so this is my third attempt at constructing a sevenling.  this is the first attempt that feels somewhat successful.  the whole "power of three" has be a bit befuddled (i really wanted to use that word...it's on my list with gobbledygook and bamboozled as fun words to say...anyway as i was saying...a bit befuddled), but that is a rambling for another day.  this particular post was inspired by Poetic Asides' Wednesday Prompt, as well as it's challenge.  

0 Powerless to Help

She stood there in the corner--her back to me
tears ran like wild fire from her eyes
with trembling lips she refused to turn to me

Fear bubbled up within me--holding me still
the desire to calm overwhelmed
with trembling arms I reached out to her with love

I curse the stupid chair and kiss her finger