Concession (for now)

A few weeks ago Ed DeCaria announced that the March Madness poetry competition would be back with a new name (Madness! Poetry) and a new website (madnesspoetry.com). At that time he put out the call for poets to audition to be an authlete in the competition.

One part of the audition was to write an original poem to this setup:

Imagine winning five consecutive matchups to reach the Madness! Poetry Finals, then losing to your opponent in a close and controversial final round. Write a concession poem to be shared with your imaginary opponent upon her/his victory. It can be kind, mean, funny, defiant … whatever.

Well, I wrote the poem but then decided to keep my hat out of the ring and not enter. However, all is not wasted. Now that entries are closed, I will share my poem of concession as today’s Poetry Friday offering.

A Pun-kin Shake

I see that I am bested
and I accept my fate
but give me just another year
and I am sure I’ll rate.

Twelve months of rhythmic exercise
of jogging iambs, spondees
of breathing hyperbolic air
a year of pumping ironies.

A diet rich in meataphor
poetic pun-kin shakes
served with sides of organic rye-me
limerick and lime breaks.

spiced with sage and cinnanom
cuplets of pear-ody
joined stickily with enjambment
and stanzaic all-eggory.

On such a regimen, I’m sure
to build poetic muscle.
But now farewell—to get this done
I know I’ll have to hustle.

© 2017 by Violet Nesdoly (All Rights Reserved)

Now I wish all Poetry Friday authletes who will soon be in the heat of Madness! Poetry much agile word-ability!

Here’s the Madness! Poetry Calendar to know when all the action is happening. If this competition runs like it did other years, readers get a chance to vote for their favorite poems and poets!

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This post is linked to Poetry Friday, hosted today by Karen at Karen Edmisten*.

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Autumn Song

Market Collage (Photos © 2015 by V. Nesdoly)

Lettuce has bolted
rhubarb has plumed
cabbage grown plump
the onions have bloomed

Apples hide stars
tomatoes mandalas
green pews hold peas
mushrooms umbrellas

Beets count their rings
like old hickories
cauliflowers
are albino trees

Turnips love purple
radishes red
carrots, potatoes
won’t get out of bed

Corn’s teeth are stained
peaches and cream
gherkins escape in a
dill pickle dream

Pumpkins grow fat
like full harvest moons
goose gang flies south
honking its tunes

© 2009 by Violet Nesdoly

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Happy October! This time of year begs for a seasonal poem. I dug this one out of my binder. I believe I wrote it in 2009.  It makes me wish I had a garden to harvest. The next best thing is a Farmer’s Market. The photo is a collage from the amazing Kelowna Farmer’s Market. I took the photos when we visited in late September last year.

This post is linked to Poetry Friday, hosted today by Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe.

 

Poetry Friday – tree branch edition

Welcome to Poetry Friday. I’m delighted to host you today from the branches of the latest avian property.

Lark Listing

You don’t need a formal foyer
mudroom and a laundry too
kitchen with a granite counter
fireplaces not a few
great big master, walk-in closets
double basins in the loo

when your wallpaper’s spring blossom
floor is mossy, damp with dew
vaulted ceiling—it’s the highest
painted in the softest blue
living room is the whole meadow
open concept—what a view!

© 2014 – Violet Nesdoly (All rights reserved)

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Yep, I obviously watch too much HGTV!  It was the background of blossoms in this photo that made me think of wallpaper—and what if this bird was twittering the advantages of its little spot in the woods like one advertises a house for sale?

Now it’s your turn. Fly over to Mr. Linky to leave links to your Poetry Friday offerings and read what is on everyone elses mind this beautiful May day!

 

Homophoems (oh groan!)

On Monday Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect posted the Homophoem Poetry Stretch challenge (via J. Patrick Lewis). The task: write a two- to ten-line poem using at least one homophone. (Homophones, in case you’ve forgotten, are words that share the same pronunciation but differ in meaning.)

I’ve been writing them all week! What fun (although they do often bring on the groaning response one would get from a pun). Here are a few:

Busted

I snuck some cookies,
ate them in bed.
Mom found the crumbs—
my face was read.

– Violet Nesdoly © 2014 All rights reserved

 

Project

I’m trying out new morning food
Alpha bits, Bran and Cheerios.
Each week I buy a different box
of breakfast food in serial.

– Violet Nesdoly © 2014 All rights reserved

 

Rabbit Boutique

Luxe de lapin has most unique
accessories for rabbits:
lettuce truffles, thumper pads
baubles of many carrots.

– Violet Nesdoly © 2014 All rights reserved

 

Lover’s promise

I’ll come for you by morning
or noon or dim twilight
and if the day has got away
I’ll come to you by knight.

– Violet Nesdoly © 2014 All rights reserved

 

Lovesick

The animals cannot be blamed
for feeling a bit confused
by old ram bleating everywhere:
“I love ewe!”

– Violet Nesdoly © 2014 All rights reserved

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Are you up for the Homophoem challenge? I’d love to read yours. Add them to the comments here.

This post is part of Poetry Friday, hosted today by Michelle Barnes (greeting card poet extraordinaire!) at Today’s Little Ditty.

P.S. For those who have subscribed to get these posts via Feedburner, I’ve decided to turn off emails after getting the same email (with multiple posts) for three or four days in a row (I subscribe myself so I know what’s happening.)  How annoying! Sorry!! The subscribe button on the right sidebar will now take you to subscription options through WordPress.

 

 

Circus Scandal

CIRCUS SCANDAL

Emails, flyers, posters, letters
and a lot more bumf
advertised circus parade
real elephant’s galumph.
But the beast was clumsy, shy
a masked and costumed humf.
Cheated crowd wants money back
not ringmaster’s “Harrumph.”

© 2013 – Violet Nesdoly

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David Harrison’s Word of the Month challenge for June is “Harrumph.” The poem above is the result of trying to fit  into one poem all the words with the end rhyme ‘umf’ contained in my little rhyming dictionary.

(And yes, bumf and humf are real words.)

Why don’t you write a “harrumph” poem? Mr. Harrison welcomes submissions of harrumph poems to the W.O.M. page of his blog (post in comments) till the end of June.

Now for some real poetry, check out Poetry Friday, hosted this week by the always surprising Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference.

 

Speed Prey

Author David Harrison’s Adult Word of the Month (W.O.P.) Poems feature snake poems this month. Here’s my take on SNAKE.

 

Fiscal crisis

Photo – Microsoft Clipart

This American Sentence is a poem bribe
for a guilt-free evening.
Yesterday’s two-hour walk was payment
for day-before-yesterday’s pan of brownies.
That crocheted afghan is rent
for time in front of the Food Network.
These last two hours
liking all your updates and pages
are paying forward the success
of my current work-in-progress
which isn’t in progress
and so can’t realistically be called a work
because I’m so busy
paying interest on the past
and borrowing from the future.

© 2013 – Violet Nesdoly

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This poem is one of my November poem-a-day efforts. It began with the November 16th Poetic Asides prompt:“Use the last line of yesterday’s poem for the first line of today’s poem.”  Thus the first two lines (I broke my American Sentence into two lines) is a repetition of the ‘bribe or trade-off’ poem I had written the day before.
Obviously I had been listening to too much news in November and I see, judging by current headlines, that a fiscal poem is as timely today as it was two months ago.

This poem is submitted to Poetry Friday, hosted this week by the very versatile Matt at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme.

 

Duck Pond Primary

A solitary heron is the pond’s pundit

Crows are campaigning
for the abolition of eagles and hawks.
Starlings are a pollster’s nightmare
can’t make up their minds about anything.
Ducks hang around the path
in true socialist fashion:
Why get ambitious when most walkers
carry birdseed or bags of bread?
A solitary heron is the pond’s pundit
but he doesn’t look optimistic.
Chickadees with their happy-go-lucky
pine-branch somersaults and games of tag
are surely too frivolous to vote.
But most of the forest
from robins and waxwings to flickers and jays
go about their business giving nothing away.
Expect a surprise or two come election day.

© 2011 by Violet Nesdoly

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Even though I live in Canada, I have been following the run-up to the U.S. election with great interest. With it being only days away, I thought of “Duck Pond Primary” which I wrote last May around the time of the Canadian federal election when, after being subjected to interviews, campaign ads, signs, predictions, debates, polls and more polls, even the world of birds began to look political!

I submit this poem to Poetry Friday, hosted today by Donna at Mainely Write.