The Poetry Wheel

Color Wheel by Pre-School Daze.com via Google Images

Poetry bleeds red,
surges from the womb,
trickles down the page.
Words pool at your feet.

Poetry skulks black,
struggles in dark corners,
slithers in the night.
Words labor to console.

Poetry flows blue,
springs from barren deserts,
saturates the leaves.
Words quench dying thirst.

Poetry glows gold,
gentle penetration,
fills these empty pages.
Words satiate desire.

Poetry blushes wine,
emanating spirit,
kneads the tired soul,
lifts from weariness.

Poetry sprouts green,
nourishes understanding,
words hard to digest,
unlocking limitations.

Poetry throbs orange,
explodes upon the tongue,
demands to be set free—
words forged in searing fire.

Poetry scours white,
purifies the meaning.
Freshest words that breathe,
borne upon the breeze.

I’m happy to link this to dVerse Open Link Night where talented poets from all over the globe submit their poetry of choice. We welcome newcomers, whether you simply want to browse or, hopefully, bring a poem of your own to share. The “pub” opens Tuesday at 1500 EDT.

Thunderstorm

Thunderstorm in Kansas (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This week I’m submitting a brief poem to Open Link Night because I just had my eyes dilated and can’t see diddly-squat. I will return to read and comment, most likely in the morning.

Thunderstorm

The jaundiced sky turned dark
then belched
after a flash of heartburn.

I’m also calling on you, my poet friends and support team, for your input on a title for my first volume of poetry. Could you take a moment and complete the following Poll? Your comments are welcome as well. Thank you so much.

By the way, the title choice will drive the poems I choose.

Writing in the Second Person

Some of the most effective poetry or prose that I’ve read is that written in the second person. The voice automatically becomes conversational and creates something of an intimate feeling.

Second person prose is often a challenge and tends to be confined to pieces of short fiction. Either prose or poetry can be addressed to a person, an object (ever say a few choice words to your laptop), God, a pet, or even yourself. There is no limit to span of emotions that you can express: anger, sadness, and quite often, love. The voice may be formal, informal, written in dialect. Grammar can be perfect or full of errors that will help to develop a character. Working with second person prose is a great asset for the fiction writer as he or she works to develop skills in writing dialogue

For today’s prompt, conjure up a person, place or thing–real or imaginary–and speak to it in poetry or prose. Consider the mood you wish to create and the voice in which you want to write.

To participate:

• Write your short fiction, essay or poem and post it on your blog or website;
• Access Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post and add your name and the direct URL of your post;
• Take a few minutes to visit and comment on other participants’ work and return visits to those who’ve commented on your work.

For my poem, I chose an older one that celebrates Spring as the season of love. If it looks familiar, it’s been out there before. I will also link this to Open Link Night at dVerse Poets’ Pub, with apologies for not coming up with something new. If you’ve haven’t stopped by the Pub this week, you don’t know what you are missing! Come on down..

Spring

Do you remember the cloud
that looked like a white dog bounding
across the empty gray sky?

Or the coupling dragonflies,
their wings shaved slivers of
shimmering moonstone or fire opal?

Nearby, something moldered in dank earth.
Its smell mingled with
the scent of our sweat and sex.

A chorus of crickets undulated
in an outdoor theater,
unabashed by our nakedness.

You told me to get on top because
the grass beneath our blanket scratched me.
A breeze licked my body.

Do you think that it was love?
Or maybe because tomorrow would be spring.

 

Photo credit: Wikipedia