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I so much enjoyed writing a ballad over at dVerse last week that I decided to make it the theme of this week's challenge. What is a Ballad? The ballad as a poetic form was traditionally a lyrical, narrative poem set to music, and accompanied by dance (the word derives from the Latin ballare, 'to... Continue Reading →
On the fieldin front of Traitor’s Gatethey hacked my head off. They probably stuck it on a poleso the horror of it allwould live on in people’s memory. I couldn’t care less for any of thatanymore: my head’s off, somewhere down therewhile I’m up here, observing... Shall we say detachedly?Or would that be distasteful?You can’t... Continue Reading →
In what looks set to become a regular guest slot at EIF, Don Matthews of The Flippant, Comic, and Serious has contributed a further trilogy of poems. I think they speak for themselves so this post needs very little introduction. I need only add that if you enjoy this post you should head over to... Continue Reading →
Chewits are chewier than Barrow-in-Furness bus depotMilk is what Ian Rush drinksAccrington Stanley is a club you’ve never heard ofDon’t play with a kite near overhead electric wiresDon’t ever talk to strangers, especially ifThey have a car boot full of puppies, orThey offer you sweets, butIf you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuitJoin... Continue Reading →
This week's challenge called for a quatrain, on any subject and with any rhyming scheme/metre (though it should include both). This challenge had a wonderful variety of responses on subjects ranging from comedy to tragedy. In the realm of poetry there is room for both and everything in between. I want to say a special... Continue Reading →
I walked the midnight path aloneThough moonlight lit my wayA cloud crept o’erThe moon was goneI heardA solitary sigh As in a trance, I heard that soundAs in a trance my feet moved onThe ground gave wayThe path was goneI fellDepthlessly down and down Until my fall was broke by leavesSoft autumn leavesPiled high, which... Continue Reading →
‘And my blanket of leaves won’t warm her cold breast’Said the tree to the sparrow:Just as we might sayto the refugeewho washes up on our shores, freezing,blanketless, whilewe close our doors, our heartsand look the other way. When Merril gave us the word 'blanket' to incorporate into tonight's dVerse Quadrille, I immediately thought of Simon... Continue Reading →
30 years since you walked out that doorinto another world, unknown to meand did you know, that fateful night the wounds you would be opening?Unhealed for 30 years and moreno doubtunending till eternity should close my eyesas they closed yoursand I can never know the details: where did you go in?I hope that it was high upthat your neck... Continue Reading →
Autumn or Fall:Which is more poetic?These words tell me where you come from:Where I’m from, we say ‘Autumn’Which sounds nice but doesn’t mean anything apart from a new seasonwhereas ‘Fall,’ now, there’s a loaded word:Leaves fallWe stand or fall by our words, catch cold (or worse) and thenAtishoo! Atishoo!We all fall down...Fall or Autumn?I do not... Continue Reading →
For today's Poetry Challenge, we are going to take a look at Quatrains, which simply put are 4-line stanzas. They normally follow a strict rhyming scheme, e.g.: ABAB: I went to the Garden of Love,And saw what I never had seen:A chapel was built in the midst,Where I used to play on the green. From... Continue Reading →
Experiments in Fiction 