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Week 140 (October 4--October 11). Poems. Topic: What's in the cupboard
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M
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Oct 04, 2012 09:45AM
Great topic!
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Dropped back in briefly for a peek and found this week's topic alluring! Perhaps you will hear from me on this one. . .I'm still "recovering" from the car accident, so I'm doing more reading than writing these days. I' tempted! Guess I will go to the kitchen and see what's in the cupboard - maybe it will inspire me.
So I am changing my format a little from usual... This is in the point of view of a... well. See for yourself.Not my official entry... maybe.
What's in the Cupboard?
The kitchen cabinet talks to me.
Its handle-thing says my name.
I really like to play,
My special cupboard game.
What's in the cupboard?
Is it a pirate's treasure?
Sparkling with gold,
And too big to measure?
What's in the cupboard?
Is it a space ship?
Can I catch the alien,
And make it do a flip?
What's in the cupboard?
Is it loads of candy?
I want it all,
to put in my tummy.
What's in the cupboard?
Is it a time machine?
Can I see robots in the future?
Or will they be too mean?
What's in the cupboard?
I really want to know!
I guess I have to wait,
Until I don't need to grow.
Oh I really like it. I feel like a little kids again looking through my grandma's cupbard. The last line is very clever and altogether a lovely poem :D
Nice poem, Thomas! I agree with Christa, I really like the innocence which this poem invokes. Well done.
Very imaginative, Thomas, and the rhyme is really nice! My favorite lines are “Is it a pirate’s treasure? / Sparkling with gold, / And too big to measure?”
This is a poem about my three youngest sibs, always in trouble but I wouldn't trade them for anything. Cannot wait to have kids of my own.My Three Elves
The little elf in my kitchen cupboard is nearly grown
She sweeps and cleans and bakes meatloaf
She has a cherry smile and plays with dolls
This little elf knows it all
The little elf in my room is monstrously strong
He love to learn and sing new songs
He plays with guns and runs all day
This little elf was born in May
The little elf under foot is too cute for words
He is loud and nosy and tears my skirts
He is cover is chocolate but smiles to slyly
This little elf my dear darling
These three little elves make my world go round
Day in, day out but peace is found
Asleep at last the house a wreak
But my three little elves are more precious yet.
I went to an older poem of mine, because it seems to fill the bill, if not the cupboard. . .Taking leaf
- Paula Tohline Calhoun
Autumn takes leave
and takes the leaves
leaf by leaf.
I want to believe
as each leaf leaves
it holds to the belief
that it wants to leave -
it’s not copped by a thief
in search of a leaf.
On purpose each leaf
takes its leave.
Even a tea leaf
holds to the belief
that it is not thieves
who have taken its leaves.
Tea leaves believe elves
Take upon themselves
The duty no leaf
Could do by itself.
Un-leafing the tea leaves
Is something that elves
Must do to keep thieves
From taking the life of every leaf
Before it is ready to give up itself
For the sake of tea drinkers like myself
Who depend upon an elf to leave
A tin of tea leaves on my cupboard shelf.
To know each leaf has put its life
In the hands of a leaf-picking elf
Leads me to believe in the power of leaves.
Who but the mighty leaf itself
Could persuade a group of elves
To spend their lives picking leaves
And packing them in tins for my cupboard's shelves,
So a leaf would not have to take leave of itself?
To continue along the same vein (yikes!) - a comment of my own on my poem:The chief tea leaf says, as each leaf’s chief, and all leaves’ chiefs say that belief is essential for all leaves, so each leaf believes that the elves are the ones to bring in the sheaves of leaves; and we all know that no leaf can be a sheaf unto itself – it can’t join a sheaf unless elves put them there. Each elf’s wife spends her life binding sheaves. Each sheaf is their responsibility, as the elves’ wives will tell you themselves. What a busy life elves live, but what else would they spend their lives doing, if elves chose for themselves. But as it is, one elf or another puts on my cupboard's shelf, a sheaf of leaves, and I myself give them leave to do so. This is my belief, and every elf itself believes it too.
This I believe. It is indeed my belief. (One of my many beliefs.) I don’t know who else believes this – about elves filling shelves with sheaves of leaves after the elves’ wives bind each leaf in a sheaf. The chief of all tea leaf elf-chiefs would like to know as well.
Mustard Seeds, Cloves and AlmondsMustard seeds, cloves and almonds.
The seals are still intact.
Tore open the seals last night,
inhaled in the musk. Reminded me of
our mid-summer naps and long walks
in Hyde park. The way you twisted
my muffler when I stole a glance
at that French girl. You wore
a beaded white frock. I am sorry
for spilling coffee on it. I was tired
from the previous night's musings.
After oiling up the tripod, I registered
some mugshots of the moon. Cradled
your face atop a scissor-cut crescent.
It made the cover page. Of the collage
I made for you. A visual chest of drawers.
You shrunk into my leather jacket.
Strummed me down with your whispers.
Time had rolled on. I brushed aside the
blinds of my windows, to see if it’s you.
I saw frugal sprinklings of light, which flickered
from a fractured lamp post. Not you.
Time to seal the kitchen cabinets.
-Ajay
Thanks all for commenting on my poem. I was trying to portray childhood innocence. Christa- I love your poem. I get the sense of love for each of the "elves," very well. Good work!
Paula- Excellent use of any word that sounds like leaf. It worked well in what you did! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Ajay- Your individual style in writing poetry is refreshing and a nice break in pace. I can hear a lot of 'you' in the poem instead of generic phrases.
Please forgive me if you don't like the comment I gave. I am probably too young to say anything about any of these poems.
Thank you, Thomas! Not at all, please feel free to express whatever you feel towards my writing. It's all cool.
Lovely poem, Christa! I like how you've clearly captured your love towards your siblings in this poem. Siblings are always special, aren't they?Very well done, Paula! I loved the word play and the allusion to elves picking up leaves and leaving them in one's shelf. Comes across to me as a pleasant image.
Thomas (Marimbapanda) wrote: "So I am changing my format a little from usual... This is in the point of view of a... well. See for yourself.Not my official entry... maybe.
What's in the Cupboard?
The kitchen cabinet talks t..."
Oh, Thomas - I love it! A great children's book idea. It creates opportunities for some fabulous illustrations! Do you know any illustrators, or are you one yourself? Please forgive my audacity - I don't mean to sound too presumptuous, but I'm going to send you a private message with a couple of rhythm/rhyme ideas that might fit a little better. But it's great just as it is - it's just that your imaginative poem has my own creative juices flowing!!
TTYL!
Paula
Thomas (Marimbapanda) wrote: "Thanks all for commenting on my poem. I was trying to portray childhood innocence. Christa- I love your poem. I get the sense of love for each of the "elves," very well. Good work!
Paula- Excell..."
Thank you Thomas! Your comments are always welcome!
Ajay wrote: "Mustard Seeds, Cloves and AlmondsMustard seeds, cloves and almonds.
The seals are still intact.
Tore open the seals last night,
inhaled in the musk. Reminded me of
our mid-summer naps and lo..."
Once again, Ajay - you have blown me away! This is a beautiful poem, so rich in imagery - I can see, smell and taste it all! It is abundantly clear that you have an extraordinary talent! Do you have a web site that showcases your work? If not, then set one up! :-D
Christa - Ron Paul 2012 wrote: "This is a poem about my three youngest sibs, always in trouble but I wouldn't trade them for anything. Cannot wait to have kids of my own.My Three Elves
The little elf in my kitchen cupboard is ..."
A delightful tale, Christa, and well told. As a matter of fact, you and Thomas could combine forces to make a super children's book that includes both of your concepts, blended together.
Paula wrote: "Thomas (Marimbapanda) wrote: "So I am changing my format a little from usual... This is in the point of view of a... well. See for yourself.Not my official entry... maybe.
What's in the Cupboard..."
Oh! Don't worry at all about offending me. It's hard to offend me! Thanks for the comments. No, I am not an illustrator and don't know any. The reason I can write childishly is because I am only 16 years old. I have yet to mature into an adult.
Martha Draws Monsters“There’s a monster in the cupboard!”
Martha shrieked, and ran to hide,
and seized her mother’s hand and blubbered,
her beseeching blue eyes wide.
Her mother kissed her. “I’ll go see.”
The little girl, pale, crouched and, shaking,
heard brisk steps pass the hall tree,
then muffled screams, and dishes breaking.
She stared all day at ash leaves falling
on the patio, the well,
and seemed to hear her mother calling
far away when shadows fell.
Home late, Burt felt a vague unease.
His house dark, he rushed in the door.
The light switch dropped him to his knees.
His lunch spattered the kitchen floor.
Excellent poem, M! The ending unsettled me. Especially loved the third stanza and the image of the ash leaves falling on the patio.
Thank you, Ajay! I’ve been very slow getting around to these, and the one I posted needs patching badly.
:) Thank you, Paula! I really appreciate your encouragement. I did have a blog once, but took it down due to my laziness and my struggle with writer's block. Fortunately, the weekly poetry stuffage keeps me going. Thanks again!
I was wondering when a darker poem was going to come along. So well told M, I am a little hazy on what happened but I assume the mother and the daughter died? The language is enchanting.
I like it exactly the way it is now, M. The first two stanzas reminded me of yesteryear horror movies.
Thank you, Alex! I am really glad that you liked this one. I was a bit skeptical about this.
Christa’s “My Three Elves” is a playful portrait! Colorful, and very enjoyable to read.I’ve been trying to figure out if there’s a formula to Paula’s “Taking Leaf.” This is an ingenious poem that plays with the f (unvocalized) and the v (vocalized) and in the rhyming belief/believe(s), leaf/leave (s), thief/thieve (s), elf, elves, and there’s a constant interplay of words used sometimes as nouns, sometimes as verbs. I’ve never read anything else like this! The commentary is wonderful, as well.
I’ve read the lonely and almost photographic poem of Ajay’s several times now! A poem shouldn’t simply relate an experience, but be the experience, and it’s hard to know what to say about “Mustard Seeds, Cloves and Almonds” because it’s one of those kinds of poems. To me, these are the passages that glow most vividly: “The way you twisted / my muffler when I stole a glance / at that French girl,” “You shrunk into my leather jacket. / Strummed me down with your whispers,” and “frugal sprinklings of light, which flickered / from a fractured lamp post . . .”
Thank you, M! I am really glad you liked this poem!
Thank M, Paula, Thomas, Alax and Ajay. I love to get feedback and I am glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you, Alex! :) I am pretty happy today, coz of all the wonderful feedback that I received from all of you!
M wrote: "Christa’s “My Three Elves” is a playful portrait! Colorful, and very enjoyable to read.I’ve been trying to figure out if there’s a formula to Paula’s “Taking Leaf.” This is an ingenious poem that..."
I am glad you like it, M! I could have extended that poem ad infinitum, but decided when I wrote it that enough is enough. There is no particular form involved. It is very much a stream of consciousness sort of thing with just a bit of tweaking. I had fun, though. Be glad I didn't go on. But if you give me a word/words prompt (with similar commonality), I'll come up with another bit of trivia along the same lines. . .
Are we voting yet? Where? I'm looking forward to my 5th place finish! :-D
The polls for the Week 140 Poetry Stuffage are up. Vote, ye pirates! There’s plenty of strong coffee for those who partied late.http://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/73...
Poll results!In the Week 140 poetry contest, Ajay’s “Mustard Seeds, Cloves and Almonds” won by a landslide! Paula’s “Taking Leaf,” Thomas’s “What’s in the Cupboard?” and M’s “Martha Draws Monsters” all tied for a dust-eating second place. Christa’s “My Three Elves” came in third.
Thank you for participating!
