Friday, March 4, 2011

Ruses Galore

The March Challenge prompt for today is all about politics and government.  Big Tent Poetry's prompt is a Wordle, using the words flame, typical, boyish, question, tangle, parade, smile, slip, thigh, defy, gasp, wake plus if possible, inserting one of these phrases into the poem too: “Say more,” “There is also the matter of ____” and “He started by _____.”)  
 
The first poem is a Limerick.  The second is a new form I'm trying for the first time.  It's called a Trijan Refrain.

Image courtesy of Freewebs
Politics As Usual

Each spin doctor runs analytical
to keep critics from being too critical
on officials elected -
(they must be protected.)
It’s S.O.P.* for the political.

*Standard Operating Procedure

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Image courtesy of ksuperiordad

There is Also the Matter of Keepsakes…

In typical fashion, he’d sigh.
Flipping his boyish hair,
he’d give a smile and wink an eye
as if saying, “You dare?”
That’s the question she knew he meant,
just as she knew she’d give consent.
That’s the question.
That’s the question.
“Yes,” she said, knowing his intent.

In typical fashion, he’d sigh.
How he kindled the flame!
Then…a gasp. She couldn’t deny
he must have thought, fair game.
What happens next?  She looked for clues
just as she knew this was his ruse.
What happens next?
What happens next?
In the end, she knew what she’d choose.

In typical fashion, he’d sigh.
He slipped a hand on hers;
The other he placed on her thigh.
The rest?  It was all blurs.
In a tangle of sheets, she’d wake.
She wondered, was it a mistake?
In a tangle.
In a tangle...
a parade for the next keepsake.

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18 comments:

  1. Love the limerick! And I think the other entanglement is so reflective of young adulthood, unfortunately. Very well done.

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  2. Enjoyed that Trijan Refrain! Great job on getting all those words in!

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  3. Excellent responses to the two prompts. May I dare to make a suggestion? If you drop 'the' in the last line of the limerick, the rhythm is smoother.

    As for your sexy one! Terrific.
    The appropriate word verification for this comment is "bless"!

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  4. Fun stuff, here, RJ! have a great weekend.

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  5. Boy, RJ, you sure did sex it up for
    the wordle. Well done!

    Pamela
    btw I learned a new form, which some
    year I may try:)

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  6. Teenage angst defined. Well done.

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  7. Great style - love the currency of the limerick and the nostalgia embedded in the second one.

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  8. Wow..a great response to the prompt. This would stand-alone as a very good poem, but as a response to a difficult prompt...it is truly remarkable. Vb

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  9. Funny limerick, and I love the reptition and rhythm of the second one. You always make it look so easy, Rj... like you're having lots of fun. I always enjoy your work.

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  10. Ooooh, the sexy one was HOT! And nice use of the Wordle as well. Who says you can't have it all? ;)
    Amy, and here's mine:
    http://sharplittlepencil.wordpress.com/2011/03/05/parade-of-smiles-big-tent-poetry/

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  11. I like both!

    rivulets of space

    Due to Census work for the past one month, I have not been able to visit and comment. I will be back with a vengeance after a day or two!

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  12. Two great poems. It's nice to see the limerick get an airing. I thought the second was sensual and a little sad. Nicely done.

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  13. CM - thank you so much for your kind words!

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  14. Elizabeth J - thank you so much!

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  15. Viv - Thank you - and thanks for the suggestion. I am playing around with that (as opposed to the original version.)

    Word verification? Wow.

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  16. I enjoyed your poems. It's always fun to read poems in forms new to me (the Trijan Refrain). Very nicely done.

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  17. love both forms... painful politics... there is nothing new... and the spin on keepsakes... the form gives more power to the story... reiterating fair game... sigh

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