Image by starrynight11/deviant art http://starrynight11.deviantart.com/art/Pterodactyl-183313531
Because I know how much so many of you ♥ unrhymed short forms, I decided that this would be a good week for it. So, please allow me to present…
Tetractys
Tetractys, a poetic form invented by Ray Stebbing, consists of at least 5 lines of 1, 2, 3, 4, 10 syllables (total of 20). Tetractys may be written with more than one verse, but must follow suit with an inverted syllable count. Tetractys may also be reversed and written 10, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Double Tetractys: 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 10, 4, 3, 2, 1
Triple Tetractys: 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 10, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 10
and so on.
“Euclid, the mathematician of classical times, considered the number series 1, 2, 3, 4 to have mystical significance because its sum is 10, so he dignified it with a name of its own – Tetractys. The tetractys could be Britain’s answer to the haiku. Its challenge is to express a complete thought, profound or comic, witty or wise, within the narrow compass of twenty syllables.” – Ray Stebbing
-from Shadow Poetry http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/tetractys.html
The reason for the picture above was simply because when I first saw the name of this form, pterodactyls jumped into my head. Your guess is as good as mine. That having been said, here’s a sample by yours truly:
Pt
P
tero
dactyls are
nifty critters.
If I lived in prehistoric times, I’d
fly on one of them to school or maybe
even to the
Ptaco
Bell.
Cool.
###
But seriously, here’s a more serious Tetractys:
Plummy
Plums
are an
autumn hue.
But plums are a
(generally considered) summer fruit.
This makes no sense to me. But this poem
has no rhyme and
it has no
season.
Plum!
###
So…are you ready to pen a few Tetractyses (Tetractysi?) of your own? Ready…set…start poeming!
MARIE ELENA’S TETRACTYS
JUDGED
Don’t
Assume
“Disabled”
Is visible.
Some disabilities hide beneath masks.
© copyright 2013, Marie Elena Good
WALT’S TRIP TETRACTYS
LOVE’S CERTAINTY
Love,
a state
of being,
seeing a heart
that is given away to be returned,
tempered in the forge of passion, not burned;
left to smolder.
Never cold,
old as
time.
Rhymes
of love
are written
by the smitten,
expressing a heart’s true nature, for sure!
© copyright 2013, Walter J. Wojtanik
Robert Lee Brewer is up to something “fishy” at Poetic Asides…
POETIC BLOOMINGS 
Responses
TETRACTIBILITY
When
Euclid
added up
one, two, three, four
and got ten, he knew he had a stacked dec.
Copyright 2013. William Preston
BRILLIANT.
ditto. Witty witty man.
Tehe…love it!
clever, as ever.
Wow! Just 1-2-3-4-wow!
Love it!
Dec-idedly clever!
: )
I was grinning already at TETRACTIBILITY. Well Done!
RJ and Walt, your poems are FABULOUS! Walt, it’s so good to see you!
Yes! Good to see you, Walt! And well done, all three of you. 🙂
All of these were wonderful. RJ’s Ptacos, Marie’s sanity (that last line was a zinger), and Walt, who builds in such beautiful rhyme and assonance even in this form. Fabulous!
Walt – what a lovely surprise seeing you here. Beautiful poem, too!
Marie – what an important reminder, penned powerfully in poem.
Hear, Hear! And how well said, just as not all handicaps are disabilities.
Loved these all, Marie, RJ, and Walt! I like the equation in this form.
Wow, this is like an extra scoop of ice cream: welcome home, Walt. Your poem is as loving as its sentiment, and has those singing sounds that I associate with your work.
Marie, your poem hits home for me, both personally and in terms of many folks I’ve known. I think it is a superb piece of work.
RJ, this form looks like fun. Thanks for introducing it, and for your ptum of a ptoem.
😀
Seeds Of Faith
Who’d
Believe
The story
Of creation,
Of your divine, fatherly, gracious gift,
Who would believe it took only six days
To create this
Paradise
Where we
Live,
If
The seeds
Of faith weren’t
Sown by Your hand?
I see, since You’ve opened my eyes, Your gift
Sown and brought up as a fruitful tree, and
I believe and
Know you’ve placed
One in
Me.
© Copyright Erin Kay Hope – 2013
Faith was the theme for our Inklets meeting last week. The other girls wrote some really good poems, and they are on my blog. 🙂
Beautiful Erin, especially in that form! You’ve made the form ‘match’ the mood of awe and wonder, somehow. Loved this.
Thanks, Damon! You are too kind. 🙂
Erin Kay – you made eloquent use of the form to express belief. Well done!
Oh thank you, RJ!
Really lovely
Thanks, Debi! 🙂
Erin, the way you control the movement of the words and letters in this poem, I could close my eyes and think I am seeing a conductor, up on the podium.
Wow…thank you, Ellen! What an amazing comment. You made my day. ❤
So beautiful a message, so beautifully expressed!
Thanks, Marie! ❤
These are fun! Here’s my offering.
——————————————–
Snakequation
one
plus two
with three now
added to four
makes this fifth line a long and slithering
snake on my floor whose flicks and hissing makes
sane people go
a running
thru the
door.
Wonderful!
This is great, Damon! I know what you mean. 😉
They are fun! I like those snaky lines. Love this title too, Damon.
Thisssssssss is great!
HA!! Love the comment nearly as much as the poem. 😉
You got that right!!!!!
Lol! Ditto Seven, I love this form.
Let Me Dream
Kiss
My lips
Softly, let
This moment last,
Before morning light wakes me, let me dream…
© Copyright Erin Kay Hope – 2013
Lovely; it calls to mind some black-and-white movies of the 1930s.
Isn’t that funny…I got the same impression. ❤
Thanks, you two. 🙂
a sweet one, Erin.
Thanks, Jane.
Lovely Erin.
Thank you, Ben. Good to see you back here!
Soft, soft syllables, lovely whisper. Beautiful, Erin.
Thank you, Damon. So glad you like it. 🙂
So sweet. Makes me want to go back to bed and dream…
Yes, some dreams definitely make me feel that way. Thanks, Debi. ❤
Awww … a sweet little gem!
🙂 !
TRUTH APPEARS IN STRANGE PLACES
When the miser opened his pocketbook,
the sound of birds
readily
rang out:
cheap!
copyright 2103, William Preston
He hee! Love it.
Hehe
Immediately reminded me of ‘Sing a song of six-pence, a pocket full of rye, four and twenty blackbirds, baked in a pie, when the pie was opened….” HA…now I know that the cook must have been a miser! FUN!
Exactly! 🙂
ahhaha – love it.
Ha! This is funny. Well written.
Clever you, as usual. Love this one!
Groooooooooan …. 😀
Good to see these nocturnal creatures already here. I love y’all. 😉
Reminiscence
Some
moments
open for
one another
like nesting dolls of possibility.
I trace us back, cracking time like an egg,
to locate the
instant that
changed our
lives.
Oh, the “nesting dolls” fits this form and your piece so well., and “cracking time like an egg” image fits the dolls. Everything is opening up and closing down, like the form itself. Superb.
Did those words taste used, Will? ‘Cause I went to take them out of my mouth and put them to page, and found out that you already had!
Imagery, metaphor and simile – it’s beautiful, and I just feel like I took a master class in poetry.
Precisely!
Wow. This is crafted beautifully.
Yes, crafted perfectly, I agree. To fit the images together, then stepping back to the yolk of origin…masterful.
And yes, Jane, there was some wee-hour-wording going on last night!!!
Thanks for the encouragement, friends. What good work is here with this fun little form! Thanks, RJ.
Oh yes, beautifully penned, Jane!
Some cracking good work here. I specially liked ME’s disability tetractyl, as it seems like a necessary reminder to the world.
Indeed it does, Viv.
Well said, Viv.
Road Trip
Roads
Do wind
To solemn
Peace. Barns a-
Plenty and shedding chameleon trees.
I think this is good’n’plenty good.
Lol!
🙂
Wow! This is gorgeous. I love the shedding chameleon trees.
Yes, I love the scenery on the road.
Thx
Loved it…yes, those trees.
chameleon trees – beautiful
Thx
What a lovely, peaceful image this aroused! Nicely done, Ben.
My favorite time of year, and you’ve brought the image beautifully!
Startling Morning Rose
Robed in vibrancy, enwombed in beauty;
Fashionable,
She lit up
My sky
Red.
The
Grey clouds
Fled away.
Indisposed by
By her color stealing the light of day.
Excellent!
Squared!
What a joyous morning greeting.
Indeed. It really was a “startling” color.
Oh gosh – I can feel hues with this one.
Absolutely!
Beautiful! Brings to mind some of the trees around here, redder and brighter than flames.
I truly enjoyed reading that – it tells so much beauty.
Hi Walt! Good to see your tetra-muse
Lovely work, everyone!! Adorable pic :)!!
DISAPPOINTMENT
Sometimes, in the course of human events,
the best of friends
fail to pass
human
tests.
copyright 2013, William Preston
True – and sad. Hopefully it doesn’t happen often.
Love this. We wouldn’t be human without failures. And we wouldn’t be wiser without tests. (sorry…guess I’m in preacher/teacher mode 🙂 )
I agree with Damon 100%. Well done, Will!
Hear, hear. Nicely expressed.
The trick is to use friends’ failure as a reminder of our own.
😦
Well said, sad but true.
😦 too true….but only a very small selection
Last
word is
much too soon –
I’m at a loss
to find the first word of this daft poem.
This is so understandable! Someone once told me, about a blank page, “Just draw a line.” Oddly enough, it worked.
I could use that idea…thanks William.
How very clever!
Oh, I like that!
Viv, delightful. Elicited a resigning sigh.
Nah – not daft. I ❤ your work!
Count me in on the love as well.
😀 !!
🙂 …but you did find it.
My Right Brain
In
My right
Brain I write
Poems, ponder
Art. I’m not sure what I do with my left.
You probably don’t need to worry about it; hardly anyone wonders about a person who’s in his left mind. Anyway, I like this little piece.
You count syllables! Ha! Great one
Yep. Definitely counting.
Thx
ha, ha, ha…
LOL! Good response, Jane! (Good one, Benjamin!)
Like Jane said. Cool.
I just know you’ll think of something…
Lol! You’re right. Can’t stop with these delectable treats.
😀
Sweet! I wouldn’t worry too much, though. Your right brain seems to be capable enough for both. 😉
My left and right seem to like to do battle.
You all are so clever! Thanks for the laughs this morning, RJ…
Two quickies from me on the way out the door…
Walls
close in
when words cease.
A poet dies
from the inside, unable to cry out.
Mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy
I gotta go
Oops – too late
Never
mind
The first one is simply superb, in my opinion. The second, if anything, speaks truth even louder than the first.
These are pretty clever too, Andrew. That first one is both thought-provoking and scary. The second one is life as we know it. Love your work.
Andrew, yes…that feared dreaded moment.
And the second…too real for an old guy like me.
Chucklechuckle … so true. Good ones, Andrew!
Thank you for the kind words!
I adore your first poem – and cracked up over the second.
Both very real and true. 😉
Yes!
🙂
Fish
Blank eyes
Kissy lips
Slippery skin
Dad and me in a rowboat casting lines
with these silly creatures and lunch in mind
Oh, I got one!
Reel it in
Laughter
Fish
Lovely piece of nostalgia, in my view.
I hear the river calling me…thanks Connie!
Sweet memory
I love nostalgic stories like this.
Very nice!
Awww! This makes me think of my own dad and me. So endearing, Connie!!
WEATHER REPORT
Clouds
are still
hovering,
loaded with rain,
armed and ready to dampen my spirits.
But the rain has no power over me
because behind
those clouds, the
sun still
shines.
© Susan Schoeffield
I love this sentiment, though it doesn’t do much good is you have wet paint on a barn wall.
Needed that this morning, Susan…is dripping drear here in southeast Arkansas.
Oh yes indeed, the sun sure does shine!
Enjoyed your spirit!
Exactly. Keep that attitude, Susan. Great little poem…
🙂 !!
Sweet one, Susan. Great attitude! 🙂
TRANSFORMATION
Hues
of gold,
rust and red
coat the trees and
paint a delicate landscape of autumn.
A gentle reminder, should we forget,
the real beauty
in this life
withstands
change.
© Susan Schoeffield
Bingo! This hits home for me because my view of autumn is full of life, not death, as some associations have it.
Me too, Bill.
Susan, this is just lovely.
Susan, this is beautiful. We should relish every season.
Beautiful,Susan
I love the painted colors of autumn. What a nice way of pointing it out.
Oh, beautiful, both images and words!!
Like looking out my window. Lovely, Susan.
Gorgeous! I love “hugs of gold, rust, and red…” What a lovely way to phrase it!
Well stated, so true
BEYOND THE CURTAIN,
blue,
bluer
than heaven,
backed by saxes.
Sing Hallelujah! C’mon get happy.
copyright 20113, William Preston
Jazz-happy! Love it. I really think we’ll have jazz in heaven.
Oh, do I ever agree!
Great piece, Bill!
Hallelujah!
Love the blue… Love the sax!!
Me too! 🙂
Oh, wonderful. I needed a song for today, Bill. (L)
THE GAME’S AFOOT
Socks,
asleep
in their bin,
wake up for fun
when flip-flops retire for the season.
These mischievous creatures take great delight
in dryer games
when they play
hide and
seek.
© Susan Schoeffield
This certainly strikes home; I’ve lost so many socks in that cavern.
Except at least one from many pair tend to continue playing hide and seek.
So I see that I am not the only one with a sock-eating dryer. With all the latest technology out these, days, how come no one has ever ‘dressed this one?
Fun! However, I have known someone near (nameless) who HAS worn socks with her flipflops.
Hee, hee… I think the socks might float up over the side of the washing basket and hide in between there… 🙂 !!
Fun title … fun poem!
Yes, fun all round! 😀
Never by more that one color of socks. 🙂
Root
Must
Money
Spend us, send
Us running ‘round
Frantic that worth is measured in dollars?
Bingo! Again I say, Bingo!
… another!
Thanks so much, Bingo Bill. Those bingos make me giggle every time. Thanks to Marie, RJ, and poetryshack as well.
And sad, too.
Sweetness. So true.
So true… Well penned, Jane!
Cat Atrophy
I
hear the
chitty-chat
of fat chipmunks
as my old cat eyes them and sees a meal.
Imagination manufactures zeal
in house cats, born
of instinct
boredom
sloth.
Sounds like this cat was looking backwards. Wonderful line, “imagination manufactures zeal.” Your poem and Earl’s are like bookends.
This was a fun one to say out loud.
Jane, your title says it all, your poem made
this old cat grin.
My whiskers
even
twitched.
ha, ha, ha…
Teeheeheee!
Purrrrr.
Too cute!
What a fun show to watch.
Life
Life
A gift
God given
With plan attached
All we have to do is choose the right path
Nevertheless, God allows us to choose
His way or ours
I choose His
Perfect
Way
=======================
Death
We
All will
Suffer death
One of these days
If we believe there is an afterlife
It is what we choose while we are alive
That determines
Where we go
After
Death
© 2013 Earl Parsons
Your second poem drew me up short: I was expecting the last word to be “life,” recalling the fifth line. I think it’s a fine poem in any case.
I like it just as it is. It just sort sort of follows. We know that death ends it here. The question is whether you think where you go after that death.
Amen, both!
COURAGE
(a Double Tetractys)
Hearts
Tremble
Fearlessly
Love can do that
See the leaves flutter in early springtime
Who argues they tremble, fearing winter
Hearts are like that
Love beckons
And they
Beat
#
I love this. Wonderfui.
Well, did it again. The word is “wonderful”, despite the fooey.
Love this!
This is just beautiful!
Love isn’t love without risk or fear….love this, Salvatore.
“…Fearlessly/Love can do that…” Perfect description!!
I especially loved that the poem so beautifully speaking of loving despite everything is called Courage. What a wonderful definition, Sal.
“Hearts beat” (first and last lines) … brilliant!
Beautiful, Sal!
Cats
Fur balls
Companions
Lazy and spoiled
Love to lick your face once they clean their butt
Couldn’t care less as long as they get fed
Nevertheless
They’re the best
I love
Cats
© 2013 Earl Parsons
I love them too, no ifs or ands, but I draw the line at butts. Thanks for posting this.
I kinda got the idea that you like the kitties! 😃
Yes, and Yes!
Feline superiority…nicely pictured, Earl.
A great tribute to the feline, Earl. I love ’em too.
Lick … ick! 😀
Tehe…very nice, Earl!
🙂
DayBreak
Soft
The dawn
Lights the day.
Bird song erupts.
Silently night slips out, day swaggers in.
Wow, that last little phrase changed the whole feel of the poem. I think it’s great.
Yes, that one word!
Very nice Volta in the last line – it ended the poem so well.
day swaggers in
perfect.
‘Swaggers’ painted the scene perfectly. Loved it, Debi.
Thanks you all.
Debi, such wonderful images, verbs! Slips and swaggers grabbed me.
Absolutely! And this is why I need a thesaurus. 🙂
Oh Debi…this is stunning!
….day swaggers in….
What a fun way to watch the day approach.
Assured
I
Love you
Only you
And no other
You’re the reason for everything I do
You’re my life, my breath, my forever
You can always
Be assured
Of my
Love
© 2013 Earl Parsons
What a sweet love poem!
Yes, indeed!
Very sweet.
Certain devotion, sweetly said Earl.
Precious!!
Awww! So very sweet!
Oh so sweet!
Sounds like you are speaking of/to your Lord.
We are our Stories
Tales,
passing
between you
and another,
these marks made against others memories
building connections to the memories,
past and present,
of others.
Create
you.
This one was definitely a read-again poem. I love how you ended it especially.
That’s an insightful line, “marks made against others memories.” Like RJ says, this calls for lots of readings.
Jerry, so suited for me…we just had a weekend family reunion with families from four states, and the reminiscing that went on re-defined us all….wish I’d had your poem to share. Thanks.
I Love thinking about this!!
And so do I! Very well penned, Jerry.
Jerry, this is simply profound. When my mother’s memory began to fade, she asked me,
What will become of me when I don’t have a story? Not knowing what else to say, I told her, Lie. Tale tellers have to love this poem.
Wow. Thank you so much for sharing your story, Jane. It means a lot to me.
Chev, I think you already know how much it warms my heart and tickles my muse to see you here. Wonderful!
ROAD CLOSED
Life
will take
sudden turns
in direction
when we are complacent with where we are.
© Susan Schoeffield
This is kind of like that John Lennon quote about life happening while you’re busy planning it. Well done!
Now that you mention it …
Ooohh. Quite lovely. I’m a procrastinator by nature!
Susan, so true…this form suits this thought so well.
Absolutely!
Oh gosh how true!
Your title takes on new meaning after reading this poem. It also puts a new sense on Frost’s “road not taken,” though I imagine you weren’t thinking of that when you wrote this. Excellent.
AGAINST THE WAVES
Love
that holds
our two hearts
in the same place
will outlast each wave that might roll our way.
© Susan Schoeffield
Very very nice!
Amen.
Beautiful, I like the two hearts being held in the same place.
Yes! So sweet, Susan!
Love this, Susan.
Oh, beautifully stated!!
Susan, you are on a roll here!
Grinding Gears
Don’t
Grind your
Gears lookin’
For inspira
-tion. Let off the clutch, breath, and hit the gas.
This poem just accelerates, doesn’t it? 😃
Absolutely! Perfectly penned, Benjamin!
Wonderful. The break between lines 4 and 5 feels like popping a clutch.
The last line releases the lunge forward.
!! 😀
Perfection! Love it!
Natural Wonder
It’s
Funny
How the rain
Comes in droves, waits…
Hunkers…until nature puts on a show
And what a show!
Your rain feels like a pride of lions, or so it seems to me.
A picture of teasing swashes with a big surprise behind the next cloud….well written.
Indeed!
Love this!!
Lovely!
On
On
the beach
I can hear
the temptation—
unfamiliar waters calling me.
But with faith and hope, I believe that my
new adventures
will one day
bring me
home.
This
allows
me to stretch
the boundaries
of my imagination, to go on.
Ellen Knight 10.16.13
write a “tetractys” poem for PB
And you have a marvelous imagination, too!
I don’t know if you intended it, but ending on the long part of the form lends impetus to
going on,” in my view.
I’m glad you picked that up. It was definitely part of the plan.
Brilliant!
Ellen, I could feel your surf-side meditation in this, then the quiet windswept resolution. Beautiful.
Yes… Beautiful!!
Very beautiful, Ellen! And such wonderful words… 🙂
Leaving Home
The
leaves
tremor, their
teardrops glisten
as they gently wave goodbye to mother.
Wow – how sad!
Oh, yes.
Yes, I love this. It’s that time if year ( if a fall poem).
🙂
… yes… sadly lovely, this time of year…
Oh Hen, just heart melting…loved it.
My sentiments exactly. So very tender and touching, Hen. ❤
Meg, Thank you…
7, you must be witness to this quite often in your lovely, peaceful living space…
Yes…particularly now. Just beginning.
Thank you, friends; the leaves do so much for us… then they die and flutter to the ground… 😦 !!
Yes, and you have touched on that sweet sadness so perfectly. Well done, my friend! ❤
Thank you, so much, friend!!
Yes, you have describe the fall so well. 🙂
If
I knew
then what I
have learned today
I never would have let them in the door
Because they are not the sisters Ma left
behind when she
ran off with
dear old
Dad
Holy moly – I didn’t see that one coming!
Me, neither. This is what I call sneaky fast.
Exactly!
Wow, that says a lot! Nice.
Yes, this should be the first lines of a good story. Enticing, Marian.
Bam, Marian! Great twisty work.
Whoa.
Whoa, and
Wow.
Thanks everyone. I am a long-time fan of “Soaps”
Putrid Memory
When
I smell
her perfume
there is no joy,
like a rotting fish can spoil a sea breeze.
That is really intense, you know, fierce. I’m not even sure how to respond, except to say, “Sorry.”
But it is a great (if stinky) metaphor.
Psychologists do say that the sense of smell evokes stronger memories than any other…
This poem elicits a stronger feeling than most any other, too.
I believe that. A scent can conjure an extraordinarily complete memory in a heartbeat for me.
Mark, this packs a punch. WOW.
… and so very good to see you here…
Elicited a cringe in the middle of me…powerful, Mark.
And in me as well. Very powerful…
Law And Gospel
Some-
Where deep
In everyone’s
Innermost soul,
God has written His holy, perfect law:
Relentless voice, driving us to wit’s end;
There’s no escape
From the voice
Except
Death;
Death
That brings
New life: a
Drowning of old
And resurrecting of the New Creature;
Somewhere Christ will meet you, and then you will
Finally know
The meaning
Of true
Peace…
© Copyright Erin Kay Hope – 2013
From slavery to rescue…true, true, true.
Yes… Thank you for reading, Damon. 🙂
Ohh, Beautiful!!
Thank you, friend! 🙂
🙂 !!
A hearty amen for this beautiful truth!
Oh thank you, Marie! Always good to see your amens. 🙂
Muse Forensics
Ride
The flames
Feel the burn
Of embers up-
ended and discern the source from whence they came
How very philosophical.
Yes!
Yes, I’ve felt that questioning dissection, that ‘where did this come from?’ feeling after a rhyme rose up from who knows where.
Yep, been there too!!
Hmmmm… sounds like an all-consuming muse.
up-
ended
is particularly effective in this piece, I believe. Well done.
😉
[…] IN-FORM POET WITH RJ CLARKEN – TETRACTYS […]
By-Stander
~
I overheard the bugler’s cry today.
Sanctuary
palpable-
grief-filled.
Spill
down
curtain;
a life ends.
Friends, family…
Mourn the emotive call of taps today.
~
Copyright © Hannah Gosselin 2013
~
I happened to be at the church today tallying the tithes and helping stuff some envelopes when there was a funeral occurring…there was a bugle being played at the end…it brings such a flood of emotion, beautiful. My prayers are with those families today.
I posted a great youtube short-y on the background behind taps…in case anyone’s interested. 🙂
hmm it occurs to me that I wrote a reversed double Tetractys…is that “allowed?” 😉
Thank you for the form Rj and the examples, gracious hosts…kudos to those that have responded. A common theme for me lately…lacking time to read. 😦 Season will cycle round again I’m sure. Happy writing and smiles to everyone.
Hannah – first of all, this was a beautiful poem. Thanks for sharing the backstory – it made for a slightly different understanding of the writing. As for reversing and other playful reworking of forms – why not? Rules are made to be broken (just so long as you know the rules ;D) and besides – poetic license goes a very long way!
It is a beautiful ceremony…a gentle tendering of loss with purpose and reason.
This is a touching poem, and I think the form acts as an envelope for it; sort of a beginning and ending, very fitting for “Taps.”
Oh, Hannah… so tender and touching!!
Yes. Tender, touching, beautiful, poignant … thank you for this, Sweet Hannah. And thank you for taking time to help at your church, and to notice the heart-images of your surroundings. ❤
Very poignant… I was at a funeral recently as well, and the hymns that were sung were so powerful. Nicely penned, sweet Hannah. ❤
I had heard the story of “Taps” sometime ago and now each time I hear it, it holds a special meaning. Thanks for your poem,
Torqued
Don’t
Get your
Pinions all
Torqued in a bunch.
Maybe you just need to get an oil change.
Brrrrrm…brrrrrrmmmmmmm…..
Lol, I’m picturing you in a sports car!
Ha! Loved it.
That’s certainly a new twist on the practice. I never would’ve connected Pennzoil with poetry.
Great title for this piece! Fun one, for sure!
It was fun.
Thx
Very fun!
Mother And Daughter
Mom/
daughter–
difficult
relationship
if mom holds unfulfilled dreams in her heart.
She tries to live them vicariously
through her daughter
whose own dreams
defy
mom’s.
Sad situation, sadly I've seen it true.Yes, me too.
This captures something all too common, and it applies to fathers and sons, too. Well done.
Thanks, William!
This made me think of ‘Gypsy.’ Mama Rose probably wouldn’t have gotten your poem, but I think it’s brilliant.
Thanks so much, RJ!
So true.
Brilliant, Sarah.
😦 !!
Thanks for reading, Erin.
Yes, have seen it…..
Forget-Me-Not
Snow
White and
Baby blue,
Forget-me-nots
Cluster around the side of the building,
Looking up imploringly, pitifully,
Admonishing
Me to ne-
Ver for-
Get;
How
Could I
Possibly
Forget you, though?
They don’t seem to realize how much you were
A part of me, of my life; baby blue
And white implore
Me never
To for-
Get.
© Copyright Erin Kay Hope – 2013
To my eyes, your use of the form, joined together in quadruplicate, so to speak, looks much like those flowers on the side of the building. You paint a lovely picture here.
Thank you, William. It does sort of look like them; I didn’t see that till you pointed it out.
Baby blue seems like such a gentle color. Paired powerfully with emotions which are not. Poignant and achingly written, but beautiful.
Absolutely.
Thank you, RJ and Marie. Forget-me-nots, though sweet, always make me tear up…
This is gorgeously painted, my friend!!
Aww thank you, friend!
!! 🙂
BROGANS
Dogs
can hurt
if old soles
can scrape and pinch.
When they do, I must visit the shoe store.
Shoe shopping!!!!!!
TRAVAILS OF A TENDERFOOT
Shoe
shopping
with quopping
feet means hopping
from store to store to stop all that clopping.
Clop clop.
Enjoy the poem …. LOVE the interaction with RJ. 😉
Very funny, Will! 😀
[…] day yesterday! Five poems written for the 10/16/13 Poetic Bloomings “In-Form Poet with RJ Clarken” prompt. This week’s form is the Tetractys which consists of at least 5 lines of 1, 2, 3, 4, 10 […]
[…] Another Tetractys for the 10/16/13 Poetic Bloomings “In-Form Poet with RJ Clarken”. […]
REST
A
golden
harvest moon
lights wearied fields,
where wheat, corn, peas flurished ‘beath summer sun,
then were marshaled to feed man before fields
sleep beneath a
blanketing
winter’s
snow.
I simply love this. It calls to mind a Gasoline Alley Sunday comic from the 1920s, wherein Walt Wallet and little Skeezix survey the same field through the seasons. I wish I could find a link for it; it and your poem go well together. I can give you another link that this poem also reminds me of:
http://www.rosebudarchives.com/wp/products/the-colors-john-t-mccutcheon/
Humm, read the link, yes they do have a connection.
Photograph in words. Lovely, Marjory!
Thank You, Marie – what a nice comment.
Beautiful, M!!
Thank you, Erin.
Beautiful title, beautiful poem, friend– I can see that moon :)!!
On my way home from a friends house, I was admirering the full moon that seemed to fill the sky. When I read the prompt … It seemed “right” Glad it worked for you,
This poem, for some reason, makes me think of an Andrew Wyeth painting. Lovely.
‘Paint a picture in words’ is a good goal, and nice a complement, Thank you.
Blending the Past with the Present
Once
there were
dinosaurs
roaming the earth,
perhaps even, right here in my backyard.
Looking out the window I imagine
the kids playing
between legs
the size
of
tree
trunks, and
I wonder
how my house would
stay in one piece and how many dishes
would break from the vibrations of walking
earthquakes, and I’m
glad the past
is not
now.
What an imaginative piece, Michele! Well penned!
Wowsers! She’s a beauty!
Very well written, Michelle!
“Walking earthquakes”…. wonderful image there. As one who once lived in California, that image is mightily powerful.
Oh! I want to share this with my Grandkids — they all have such Great imaginations!!
Oh gosh – what a powerful poem! Wow.
Is He a Keeper?
One
tear streaks
down her cheek
and he freezes
in place. Unsure how to handle this, this
situation, for they have only been
dating a few
days. To flee
or stay?
Stay.
So much spilled forth here!
Sweet… 🙂
For me, this up-and-down feeling fits well with your use of the form, or the pair of them. Also, I;m not sure to which person the “stay” applies; could be both.
I wholly concur with William about this. ♥
…it takes such courage…
Short and Sweet (and Being Silly)
I
find it
extremely
impossible
to keep poetic thoughts within five lines.
(I
did it!
No, you failed.
For you forgot
to invert and you also wrote more lines.
Damn! I guess I will have to go back to
the start and start
all over
again.
Damn.)
Lol!!
Michelle, this is so hilarious!
Amen to
that
😀 !!
This is hysterical! Nicely done, Michelle! 😀
Hee, hee
lol!
Fish Alert
Aerial disturbance, aisle number three.
Stark pugency
detected.
Break for
it!
Ruh roh ….
Well, them’s the breaks….
Oh dear…
Yikes!
Thanks so much to you all for your kind words!
Sky Rise
The
Sky is
The limit.
How high can you jump? Take a leap of faith.
Nice!
You’ve got me wondering…. a line is omitted, according to the form. Is that the “leap”?
Whoops! Wrote this one late. Must have been kinda sleepy.
Yes, good catch. Must’ve been half sleep. Here’s the edit.
Sky Rise
The
Sky is
The limit.
How high can you
Jump? Take a leap of faith. Don’t hit the head.
A tetractys form
:)!!
Cool! (Jumping!)
Basic Math
One
Inch born.
Becomes two…
Miles of land sown
Fruitful fields, plentiful yields fill our bowls.
This is very imaginative, Ben. Good one!
I second that.
Me three!
Lovely…
Dust to Heaven
One
Ripe cell.
Illegally
Tells his colleagues
To take their own lives…immediately.
This
Poem
Is about
Cancer that killed
My Father March twentieth last year.
May
You rest
In peace now.
Valiantly,
Returned to dust yet spirit in heaven.
A
Piece of
You remains
With all of us.
In shaded memories, friends, family.
Oh how I hate cancer! I am so sorry for your loss, Ben. This is such a well written tribute. Your last stanza touches me especially…I know the feeling.
I agree,and join in the sentiment, especially regarding the last stanza. The first is compelling too, especially as regards the early mutations that precede invasion and metastases.
Yes…
I’m so sorry for your loss. Your final stanza is magnificent, however.
Music Reaches Places No Hand Can Touch
A
Snatch of
Song drifts past
With the fall wind,
Stirs a memory…sigh…tears can fall now…
© Copyright Erin Kay Hope – 2013
Oboyoboy… this captures the charms of music so well.
Thank you, William! So glad you think so. 🙂
Oh yes… Love, Love, Love my music…
So do I! I don’t think I could live without music… 🙂
Music affects me like that too, sometimes. Hope you have some sweet memories, too.
I do, plenty. But I mostly like sad songs. I think one of my favorite pieces is Chopin’s “Tristesse”. Thank you, RJ! ❤
Unconscious
Light-
Headed,
And then black…
What is your mind
Actually doing when you’re unconscious?
© Copyright Erin Kay Hope – 2013
I never really thought about this before, but I fainted the other day (still not sure why) and it was a really scary experience. It’s like your brain is just shut down for however long you’re out…weird.
Gasping for air, I’d think. Hope all is well now.
Probably. 🙂 Yes, all is well now. I was shaky and dizzy for a couple days, but I’m completely recovered now. Thank you for your concern.
Oh, Erin, I hope that it’s not something serious!!
No it’s not. I think taking my vitamins on an empty stomach had something to do with it. As soon as I took them my stomach was in horrible pain, and I was doubled up. Then I fainted. But I really didn’t mean to scare anyone! Sorry, things like that just sort of occupy your mind for a while, I guess… 🙂
Hope you’re okay. In your case, I somehow have the sneaking suspicion that your brain went to some wildly imaginative place then, and what you saw will come to you in a dream at some future time.
Tehe…you’re too sweet. Thanks! I am fine now. 🙂
Yikes. Hope you’re ok Erin 🙂
Yes, I am, thank you. 🙂
Morning Exercise
Lead
Head so
Heavy to
Crane off this bed.
Got to drag myself off to work somehow.
…ohh…
Ah…..mornings…..
Fugitives
Two
green peas
in a pot
mumbling red
hot as to whose fault they’re in hot water
Aaahahaha… Thanks for this funny!! :D!!
Hahahahahahaha!
Peas pottage hot.
Three In One
God
Jesus
Holy Ghost
The Trinity
Three in One from the beginning of time
© 2013 Earl Parsons
Amen
Sent For All
My
Spirit
Cries aloud
To spread the truth
Of forgiveness and grace and salvation
The truth of the One and Only Savior
The King of Kings
Lord of Lords
Jesus
Christ
Sent
To seek
And to save
A sinful world
From eternal separation from God
© 2013 Earl Parsons
The Fret of Man
Man
Mandate
Mandated
Mandatory
Manufactured mandates that manage man
Frequently frustrating fresh freethinkers
Freezing free will
Fragmenting
Freedom
Fret
© 2013 Earl Parsons
The machine-gun sounds here reflect deep passion, I think.
Human Life
Life
Is quite
Mundane…Not!
Its Navy Seal
Boots on the ground, sometimes get away car.
Chemistry
We’ve
Bonded
Our souls for
Ever sharing
Electrons orbiting from you to me.
Thanks RJ and PB for an awesome prompt. Its been a nice ride!
Let the fun continue!