perils of paradelle

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her ex’s birthday fell on halloween
her ex’s birthday fell on halloween
the road is scary place to fall in love
the road is scary place to fall in love
her halloween on road in scary fall
is place to fell the ex’s love birthday

to celebrate, they set up skeleton
to celebrate, they set up skeleton
upon front lawn with missing pumpkin head
upon front lawn with missing pumpkin head
they celebrate with pumpkin set upon
front skeleton missing lawn up to head

if truly dead, a monster will decay
if truly dead, a monster will decay
but souls may resurrect on all saints day
but souls may resurrect on all saints day
if dead souls but decay on monster day
truly a saint’s will resurrect all may

monster birthday upon ex’s dead lawn
may truly resurrect her soul’s skeleton
if missing head will celebrate all day
they set a place to saints on halloween
with in, all pumpkin love fell to decay
but fall is up front scary on the road!


NOTE: The paradelle is one of the more demanding French fixed forms, first appearing in the langue d’oc love poetry of the eleventh century. It is a poem of four six-line stanzas in which the first and second lines, as well as the third and fourth lines of the first three stanzas, must be identical. The fifth and sixth lines, which traditionally resolve these stanzas, must use all the words from the preceding lines and only those words. Similarly, the final stanza must use every word from all the preceding stanzas and only those words.

This was a spoof poetry form invented by Billy Collins and re-published on dVerse Poets by Grace.

meathead limerick trio

Hanging here at dVerse Poets Pub where Laura Bloomsbury suggests we count to three!

_______

i. meat

healthy protein in beef
may cause vegetarian grief
so by all means
do eat your beans
but for brain food, “carne” is chief!

ii. head

board at the top of your bed
or “mr. chairwoman,” it is said;
location of brain,
an ache or migraine,
if missing, you’re probably dead!

iii. meathead

favorite furry farm cat
slowly grows older and fat;
friendly neighbor,
as a big favor,
now nicknames feline that!

______________

attachment issues

 

We were dressed, ready to leave for worship when farmer husband heard bellowing. He backed pick-up to check inside shed. A new calf had arrived but mama was upset and attacking it. “You go on to church,” he told us, taking off his good coat.

She was a first-time mother; nervous and skittish post-partum. She circled stall wild-eyed. He put cow in head gate so calf could safely nurse and drink the vital colostrum. Even after hobbling cow’s back legs so she couldn’t kick and tying her head with short rope so she couldn’t box, she wasn’t bonding with calf.

I sternly lectured cow about her important role as mother. I spoke gently to baby, petting him in view of mama. We decided to try putting them together. There are moments caught between heartbeats…mama sniffed, then licked her baby.

 


Prosery is a short story (exactly 144 words). It includes a line from another author’s poem; in this case the poem, Coda, by MacNeice. Part flash fiction but based on a real experience 🙂  Kim is hosting at dVerse Poets pub today.