Unsold Poems from the May 5, 2015 Poetry Fishbowl
The following poems from the May 5, 2015 Poetry Fishbowl are currently available. Poems may be sponsored via PayPal -- there's a permanent donation button on my LiveJournal profile page -- or you can write to me and discuss other methods.
There are still verses left in the linkback poem " Silken Dreams." Linking to this page will reveal new verses of that.
"About the Wind"
From this I got the free-verse poem "About the Wind." The Analyst takes an interest in how bridges and superpowers interact, and asks Calliope for help. Then a car goes off the bridge ...
180 lines, Buy It Now = $90
When the Analyst first began to suspect
a data cluster concerning bridges and superpowers,
she put together some preliminary ideas. Bridges,
it turned out, had been designed to accommodate
vehicles, wind, water, earthquakes, ice, and
even jumpers ... but not superpowers.
"As We Grasp Them"
Continuing with Shiv in distress is the free-verse poem "As We Grasp Them." An incident at the penitentiary leads to serious repercussions, and sometimes things aren't exactly what they look like.
724 lines, Buy It Now = $362
Shiv walked to the cafeteria,
taking satisfaction in that simple act.
It took a ridiculous amount of work --
he'd let Wacker make a training schedule,
and he had endured some truly humiliating
conversations with Ambrose -- but now he
could take all of his meals in the cafeteria if he
wanted to, and even join the general population again.
"Coming Back to Your Breath"
For whales, see the free-verse poem "Coming Back to Your Breath." Steel and Moderato are upset after the whaling incident. Their human friends are worried. But then Captain Koul pulls another coping skill out of his repertoire ...
358 lines, Buy It Now = $179
"Are we going out today?" Captain Koul asked
as Aquariana strolled down the dock to the Bilimbi.
"I don't know yet," she said. "Maybe."
Ever since the Japanese whalers had
violated Maldivian waters, everything
had been in an uproar here.
"Dust Motes Rising"
From this I got the free-verse poem "Dust Motes Rising." Hannah has to deal with Nathaniel's complaints of monsters under the bed, and with Aidan being stressed.
326 lines, Buy It Now = $163
Nathaniel was whining about monsters again,
and if Hannah couldn't figure out why,
she felt pretty sure that she'd wind up
dealing with Howl again.
"Okay, show me these monsters," she said.
"Under the bed," he said, pointing.
"the nature of the season"
A DW prompt for the paper mages inspired the poem "the nature of the season." Every one of its haiku verses contains a kigu for summer. Origami Mage and Kirigami Mage save a town from fire.
42 lines, Buy It Now = $20
"Never Laid Open"
Yes, Shiv is almost always in some form of distress. Your prompt inspired the free-verse poem "Never Laid Open." Shiv fumbles with the resources available to him in the penitentiary. Things don't go quite the way he expects, which keeps him off balance.
434 lines, Buy It Now = $217
After his trial, Shiv went to the penitentiary.
He'd been in jail before, more than once,
but this was new enough that it took him
a little while to get the hang of it.
It helped when he managed to make a connection
with Ragno, who worked with some branch of the Mob
and soon became Shiv's supplier for menthol cools,
cut down into inch-long scoots that could be smoked
in a few puffs before anyone could take them away.
"Poleaxed"
So after all the angsty stuff, I went and wrote one where the 'distress' is rather well hidden. "Poleaxed" is a free-verse poem in which Cuoio takes Chiara shopping ... and tries to figure out what she likes, and whether he can afford it, and how to cope with a very long jump up the social ladder without completely freaking out about it.
248 lines, Buy It Now = $124
Cuoio asked Chiara what she
wanted to do for a second date.
"Clothes shopping, please,"
Chiara said. "I have a type.
I want to see if you like it,
and if you can spot any of it."
"That Links Your True Family"
Your prompt about Wrex inspired the free-verse poem "That Links Your True Family." Derreck and Blitz explore their growing bond, and some new modules in the quarantine unit. Wrex struggles with the unexpected changes in his life, and get some comfort from friends.
324 lines, Buy It Now = $162
By the third morning, the people
exposed to the zetetic substances
had begun to regain their energy.
Derreck clambered out of bed
and attended to morning necessities.
The dog park module had arrived,
complete with astroturf on the floor,
holographic projectors on the walls
to display urban or rural scenes, and
a water fountain. A fire hydrant
and a tree trunk provided options
suitable for scent marking.
"Under Any Other Scenario"
Your adventurer prompt inspired the free-verse poem "Under Any Other Scenario." A photographer has come to take pictures of Hercules and his family. Africa turns out to have more dangers than just its wildlife...
190 lines, Buy It Now = $95
Chikondi Kanga followed Hercules
as the young elephant ambled
through tall golden grass.
The rest of the herd milled around,
his mother keeping Hercules close to her,
the others touching trunks now and then
to reassure themselves of each other's presence.
"Who is Devoid of the Power"
Your Army of One prompt inspired the free-verse poem "Who Is Devoid of the Power." Astin meets with the Carinan trader Knox and learns about his cousin Bowie on Cascabel. But the conversation turns out to be more stressful than either of them really anticipated ...
178 lines, Buy It Now = $89
It was Operetta who told Astin
of another trader running a loop
from Carinan space, a fellow
by the name of Knox who
supposedly had connections
through the old military supply lines.
There are still verses left in the linkback poem " Silken Dreams." Linking to this page will reveal new verses of that.
"About the Wind"
From this I got the free-verse poem "About the Wind." The Analyst takes an interest in how bridges and superpowers interact, and asks Calliope for help. Then a car goes off the bridge ...
180 lines, Buy It Now = $90
When the Analyst first began to suspect
a data cluster concerning bridges and superpowers,
she put together some preliminary ideas. Bridges,
it turned out, had been designed to accommodate
vehicles, wind, water, earthquakes, ice, and
even jumpers ... but not superpowers.
"As We Grasp Them"
Continuing with Shiv in distress is the free-verse poem "As We Grasp Them." An incident at the penitentiary leads to serious repercussions, and sometimes things aren't exactly what they look like.
724 lines, Buy It Now = $362
Shiv walked to the cafeteria,
taking satisfaction in that simple act.
It took a ridiculous amount of work --
he'd let Wacker make a training schedule,
and he had endured some truly humiliating
conversations with Ambrose -- but now he
could take all of his meals in the cafeteria if he
wanted to, and even join the general population again.
"Coming Back to Your Breath"
For whales, see the free-verse poem "Coming Back to Your Breath." Steel and Moderato are upset after the whaling incident. Their human friends are worried. But then Captain Koul pulls another coping skill out of his repertoire ...
358 lines, Buy It Now = $179
"Are we going out today?" Captain Koul asked
as Aquariana strolled down the dock to the Bilimbi.
"I don't know yet," she said. "Maybe."
Ever since the Japanese whalers had
violated Maldivian waters, everything
had been in an uproar here.
"Dust Motes Rising"
From this I got the free-verse poem "Dust Motes Rising." Hannah has to deal with Nathaniel's complaints of monsters under the bed, and with Aidan being stressed.
326 lines, Buy It Now = $163
Nathaniel was whining about monsters again,
and if Hannah couldn't figure out why,
she felt pretty sure that she'd wind up
dealing with Howl again.
"Okay, show me these monsters," she said.
"Under the bed," he said, pointing.
"the nature of the season"
A DW prompt for the paper mages inspired the poem "the nature of the season." Every one of its haiku verses contains a kigu for summer. Origami Mage and Kirigami Mage save a town from fire.
42 lines, Buy It Now = $20
"Never Laid Open"
Yes, Shiv is almost always in some form of distress. Your prompt inspired the free-verse poem "Never Laid Open." Shiv fumbles with the resources available to him in the penitentiary. Things don't go quite the way he expects, which keeps him off balance.
434 lines, Buy It Now = $217
After his trial, Shiv went to the penitentiary.
He'd been in jail before, more than once,
but this was new enough that it took him
a little while to get the hang of it.
It helped when he managed to make a connection
with Ragno, who worked with some branch of the Mob
and soon became Shiv's supplier for menthol cools,
cut down into inch-long scoots that could be smoked
in a few puffs before anyone could take them away.
"Poleaxed"
So after all the angsty stuff, I went and wrote one where the 'distress' is rather well hidden. "Poleaxed" is a free-verse poem in which Cuoio takes Chiara shopping ... and tries to figure out what she likes, and whether he can afford it, and how to cope with a very long jump up the social ladder without completely freaking out about it.
248 lines, Buy It Now = $124
Cuoio asked Chiara what she
wanted to do for a second date.
"Clothes shopping, please,"
Chiara said. "I have a type.
I want to see if you like it,
and if you can spot any of it."
"That Links Your True Family"
Your prompt about Wrex inspired the free-verse poem "That Links Your True Family." Derreck and Blitz explore their growing bond, and some new modules in the quarantine unit. Wrex struggles with the unexpected changes in his life, and get some comfort from friends.
324 lines, Buy It Now = $162
By the third morning, the people
exposed to the zetetic substances
had begun to regain their energy.
Derreck clambered out of bed
and attended to morning necessities.
The dog park module had arrived,
complete with astroturf on the floor,
holographic projectors on the walls
to display urban or rural scenes, and
a water fountain. A fire hydrant
and a tree trunk provided options
suitable for scent marking.
"Under Any Other Scenario"
Your adventurer prompt inspired the free-verse poem "Under Any Other Scenario." A photographer has come to take pictures of Hercules and his family. Africa turns out to have more dangers than just its wildlife...
190 lines, Buy It Now = $95
Chikondi Kanga followed Hercules
as the young elephant ambled
through tall golden grass.
The rest of the herd milled around,
his mother keeping Hercules close to her,
the others touching trunks now and then
to reassure themselves of each other's presence.
"Who is Devoid of the Power"
Your Army of One prompt inspired the free-verse poem "Who Is Devoid of the Power." Astin meets with the Carinan trader Knox and learns about his cousin Bowie on Cascabel. But the conversation turns out to be more stressful than either of them really anticipated ...
178 lines, Buy It Now = $89
It was Operetta who told Astin
of another trader running a loop
from Carinan space, a fellow
by the name of Knox who
supposedly had connections
through the old military supply lines.