NaPoWriMo day 25

NaPoWriMo day 25 is ballad-day – I’ve amended the traditional abab rhyme-form slightly by putting in alternate abcc-rhyming verses – kind of half way between a ballad and an ottava rima, and back to one of my fave topics - nature…

The Ballad of Woodland Pond

Lacustrine waters gladed,
Away from public gaze,
Kingcups burst unfaded,
Into golden sunlit rays.

Tadpoles hide enshaded,
In tiny hidden bays,
Confound the heron’s stabbing beak,
They’ll all grow legs before next week.

Sylvan pool a-shimmer,
Rippled by the breeze,
Surface-world pond-skimmers,
Dart beneath the trees.

Brimstone’s yellow glimmer,
Flutters past the bumblebees,
The pollen and the nectar sweet,
From flowers bloomed in April heat.

Sticklebacks swim figure-eights,
Between the cut-stem reeds,
To claim their patches, so to mate,
Amongst the silted weed.

Manic whirligigs gyrate,
Spinning black-shine beads,
Then, briefly glimpsed splay-footed newt,
Clasping yellow-iris roots.

Jut-jawed dragon-nymph appears,
Basking in the glow,
Unexpectedly it’s speared,
By Nepa from below.

Blade-legs grip and grasp and shear,
Spike-mouthed, deceptive-slow,
Above, a mallard pair take flight,
Into the air and out of sight.

So we leave too, our day is done,
Mere watchers of undine’s domain,
Her history told, her tale fine-spun,
When will we see her realm again?

NaPoWriMo day 21

NaPoWriMo day 21. The prompt was to rewrite ‘Lines For The Fortune Cookies’ by Frank O’Hara – here’s the original. My take on this was less ‘gnomic-cookie’ style and is in the ottava rima rhyming pattern (abababcc) from NaPoWriMo day 8. The repeated line-opening is not something I've tried before.

Predictive Text

You will ignore a tall, dark stranger,
You will find ways of making us talk,
You’ll toss your hair and laugh at danger,
You’ll re-popularise the old Lambeth Walk,
You’ll put a curse on Hermione Granger,
You’ll marry Jack and inherit the beanstalk,
You’ll cross the Atlantic by paddle-steamer,
And you will skip among the lemurs.

You will stray from the path whenever you can,
You will dance with the fairies on the head of a pin,
You’ll tour playing drums for the Wu-Tang Clan,
You’ll have a brief encounter with your unknown twin,
You will sleep soundly in your Citalo-pram,
You’ll find there’s nowt original ‘bout Original Sin,
You will be seneschal of your own grand castle,
And you’ll post yourself to Bali in an airmail parcel.

You’ll read the truth writ large in the stars up in the sky,
You’ll tumble with your lover on a sunny, verdant hill,
You’ll brilliantly discover the final part of pi,
You’ll learn to move a mountain with the sheer force of your will,
You’ll listen to the essence of a newborn flower’s cry,
You’ll spend a year a-surfin’, going by the nickname ‘Chill’,
You’ll make sure all the conquerors leave their bloody flags full-furled,
And you will save the world.

NaPoWriMo day 8

NaPoWriMo day 8. A poem in ‘ottava rima’, each verse 8 lines with rhyming pattern a-b-a-b-a-b-c-c; traditionally composed in iambic pentameter (da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM) but I’ve not stuck to that here. By some margin I've found this to be the trickest one so far; I decided to construct it from signs/ads etc that I saw along the Bluestar 2 bus route (with minimal paraphrasing) and I'm not sure it works, but hey, nowt ventured nowt gained...

Signs of the Times II
(An epic tale of ads and signage spanning the 10km between Eastleigh and Southampton)

Free this, free that, a better way to fly,
Fixed fee divorce, go, reserve and we will pay,
Slow down, we’re here to help (just don’t ask why),
Cool your cravings, responsibly, low cost every day,
Use side entrance, take a break, do you dream of the sky?
Stress-relieving, police aware, just eat and look both ways,
Your product, our priority - I know he will return,
Closed, gone out, come back later, enter here to learn.

Find your voice, we love sharing, whisper ‘what is the key?’
I want sometimes gets, who says romance is dead?
Tell us what you think of us, exclusive view of the sea,
For better mental health, get luxury out of the red,
We’ll beat any price for your safety and security,
Feeling tired? It’s against the law to mind your head,
Welcome to this project, what’s your reason to run?
Laminates and roll ends, big brands and feel the fun.

2-4-1 big match action, drink and get home late,
Request stop, bullion, I didn’t know they did that,
Good story bro - tell it again, intimate,
Quality British meats, lost ginger cat,
Your future starts here, competitive rates,
Ever wondered where your money goes? Sex chat,
Urgent excavation, the new way to feel good,
Unwanted medicine disposal, now if you could.

Tastes of America, second hand to rent and buy,
Beware, cross dogs, no return, all the best,
You are entering an area where… close your eyes,
At your convenience, no stopping, no pets.
No fouling, just store it! Quit smoking advice,
Score! Goal! Phone to view, keep clear, take the test,
BOGOF, controlled zone, children must not play on site,
Buffets for all occasions, when you leave please turn out the light.