List of Unsold Poems from August 3, 2010 Poetry Fishbowl
The following poems from the August 3, 2010 Poetry fishbowl are currently available. They may be sponsored via PayPal, or you can write to me and discuss other methods.
" The Color of Faraway Mountains" -- 27 lines, $15 SOLD
Here is another poem based on a prompt from marina_bonomi involving a Chinese fortunetelling tool folded from paper. "The Color of Faraway Mountains" finds the origami mage out in the wilderness, wondering what to do. It's written in haiku verses.
" The Conscience of the King" -- complex line structure, $50 SOLD
From this I got "The Conscience of the King." The initial card made me think of the way businesses are not being very careful with resources. I spun that out into a Celtic Cross spread, using the Connolly Tarot for additional inspiration. So there are 10 verses of 5 lines each, crudely arranged in MS Word right now -- for best results, they'd need to be put online as virtual Tarot cards that could be "turned" to reveal the verse on the back. This poem was a lot of work to create, but I think the concept is really cool and I'm surprised by how neatly the pieces fit together with the theme. Because of the elaborate form and extra effort required (and the fact that the formatting does weird things to the line count) I'm bumping this to custom pricing.
"Humans with Bumpy Foreheads" -- 45 lines, $20
The phrenology prompt reminded me of a long-standing science fiction motif, which turned into the free-verse poem "Humans with Bumpy Foreheads." It turns out these aliens have a reason for looking the way they do...
"Knucklebones" -- 16 lines, $10
This prompt led to the poem "Knucklebones," which is free verse in quatrains. It takes a glimpse at history and hints why the bones are -- or were -- able to divine the future.
" Piraan" -- 14 lines, $10 SOLD
Well, my brain skipped over "hens" because I already have an example of reading the future from scratchings in the dust, and it's a desert thing. So I wound up with a Whispering Sands poem,"Piraan," that includes snippets of the language. The form is a khazal and the topic is awkward romance ... but if you read between the lines, you can figure out what the desert is trying to tell them.
" Reading the Mountains" -- 11 lines, $10 SOLD
From your prompt about "bones of the world" I got the free-verse poem "Reading the Mountains." This is science fiction about divining the nature of a planet and the future of its colony.
"Sable Portents" -- 20 lines, $10
From "ravens as portents" I got the free verse poem "Sable Portents." It explores the role and symbolism of ravens ... and why people find them disturbing.
" The Shells That Speak" -- 36 lines, $15 SOLD
Here is another poem based on a prompt from marina_bonomi, featuring African fortunetelling. "The Shells That Speak" is a description of divination using four cowrie shells.
"StumbleUpon" -- 9 lines, $5
From your second prompt I got the free-verse poem "StumbleUpon" about who's behind the use of cyberspace for divination.
" What the Statue Says" -- 18 lines, $10 SOLD
The prompt about asking Hermes for answers led to a free-verse poem written in tercets. "What the Statue Says" is an instruction ... but also a warning.
"Whethering the Storm" -- 51 lines, $20
This prompt wound up inspiring two characters, a weatherman and a weatherwitch. They don't get along at first, but it gets better from there, and they have some common ground in their concern about the climate. "Whethering the Storm" is free verse. (That's not a typo.)
"Writing in the Sky" -- 20 lines, $10 SOLD (slated for Dreams and Nightmares 91)
From this I got "Writing in the Sky," a free-verse poem with verses of five lines. It takes a look at the effect of extinction on augury.
" The Color of Faraway Mountains" -- 27 lines, $15 SOLD
Here is another poem based on a prompt from marina_bonomi involving a Chinese fortunetelling tool folded from paper. "The Color of Faraway Mountains" finds the origami mage out in the wilderness, wondering what to do. It's written in haiku verses.
" The Conscience of the King" -- complex line structure, $50 SOLD
From this I got "The Conscience of the King." The initial card made me think of the way businesses are not being very careful with resources. I spun that out into a Celtic Cross spread, using the Connolly Tarot for additional inspiration. So there are 10 verses of 5 lines each, crudely arranged in MS Word right now -- for best results, they'd need to be put online as virtual Tarot cards that could be "turned" to reveal the verse on the back. This poem was a lot of work to create, but I think the concept is really cool and I'm surprised by how neatly the pieces fit together with the theme. Because of the elaborate form and extra effort required (and the fact that the formatting does weird things to the line count) I'm bumping this to custom pricing.
"Humans with Bumpy Foreheads" -- 45 lines, $20
The phrenology prompt reminded me of a long-standing science fiction motif, which turned into the free-verse poem "Humans with Bumpy Foreheads." It turns out these aliens have a reason for looking the way they do...
"Knucklebones" -- 16 lines, $10
This prompt led to the poem "Knucklebones," which is free verse in quatrains. It takes a glimpse at history and hints why the bones are -- or were -- able to divine the future.
" Piraan" -- 14 lines, $10 SOLD
Well, my brain skipped over "hens" because I already have an example of reading the future from scratchings in the dust, and it's a desert thing. So I wound up with a Whispering Sands poem,"Piraan," that includes snippets of the language. The form is a khazal and the topic is awkward romance ... but if you read between the lines, you can figure out what the desert is trying to tell them.
" Reading the Mountains" -- 11 lines, $10 SOLD
From your prompt about "bones of the world" I got the free-verse poem "Reading the Mountains." This is science fiction about divining the nature of a planet and the future of its colony.
"Sable Portents" -- 20 lines, $10
From "ravens as portents" I got the free verse poem "Sable Portents." It explores the role and symbolism of ravens ... and why people find them disturbing.
" The Shells That Speak" -- 36 lines, $15 SOLD
Here is another poem based on a prompt from marina_bonomi, featuring African fortunetelling. "The Shells That Speak" is a description of divination using four cowrie shells.
"StumbleUpon" -- 9 lines, $5
From your second prompt I got the free-verse poem "StumbleUpon" about who's behind the use of cyberspace for divination.
" What the Statue Says" -- 18 lines, $10 SOLD
The prompt about asking Hermes for answers led to a free-verse poem written in tercets. "What the Statue Says" is an instruction ... but also a warning.
"Whethering the Storm" -- 51 lines, $20
This prompt wound up inspiring two characters, a weatherman and a weatherwitch. They don't get along at first, but it gets better from there, and they have some common ground in their concern about the climate. "Whethering the Storm" is free verse. (That's not a typo.)
"Writing in the Sky" -- 20 lines, $10 SOLD (slated for Dreams and Nightmares 91)
From this I got "Writing in the Sky," a free-verse poem with verses of five lines. It takes a look at the effect of extinction on augury.