Unsold Poems from the June 2, 2015 Poetry Fishbowl
The following poems from the June 2, 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 "Learning to See." Linking to this page will reveal new verses of that.
"Always Something Beautiful"
A DW prompt about Valentina inspired the free-verse poem "Always Something Beautiful." She volunteers to help the veterans prepare for a dance, and they come up with other possible uses for her superpower.
128 lines, Buy It Now = $64
On Friday evening, Valentina went
to Laguardia Residence Hall.
A dance was scheduled for later
that night, for any veterans who
wished to participate along with
volunteers from student clubs.
"An Eye Toward the Future"
This inspired the free-verse poem "An Eye Toward the Future." It is basically a celebration of the evolution of the eyeball.
30 lines, Buy It Now = $15
"Hacking Perceptions"
I wove in a lot of this to make the free-verse poem "Hacking Perceptions." Astin travels to Cascabel, making observations about xyr own identity and the aftermath of the war and the importance of making changes if any peace is to be had whatsoever.
196 lines, Buy It Now = $98
(Available for posting after "Who Is Devoid of the Power" has been sponsored and published.)
Astin's trip to Cascabel held hope and dread
in equal proportions: hope of establishing
a new portal planet for the trade network that
xe was weaving throughout the Lacuna,
and dread of leaving the shelter of
a culture that respected xyr identity.
"Jarred"
A backchannel prompt from DW user Lynnoconnacht about Shiv inspired the free-verse poem "Jarred." Getting out of prison shakes him up more than he wants to admit, but he has a few coping skills now -- and an unexpected source of support.
180 lines, Buy It Now = $90
(Available for posting after "Never Laid Open," "As We Grasp Them," and "When We Stay in Our Chambers" have been sponsored and published.)
When Shiv got out of prison,
the first thing he did was
to look for a gas station.
He didn't need gas;
he could get home on a bus.
He needed comfort food.
"Rebound Relations"
This inspired the free-verse poem "Rebound Relations." Shaeth is not pleased to find one of his evil cultists draped over the temple threshold. But sometimes, once you've picked people up, they really don't want you to put them down again ...
86 lines, Buy It Now = $43
Shaeth thought that his old life
was over and done with, except that
bits of it kept washing up in his new life
when he least expected it.
He stared at the evil cultist
passed out on the temple threshold
and wondered what to do.
"Some Ancient Urge"
Your prompt contributed to the free-verse poem "Some Ancient Urge." Cuoio and Chiara enjoy a trip to the beach, further discussion about professional and cultural dynamics, some lovely Sicilian scenery ... and the next step forward.
450 lines, Buy It Now = $225
(Available for posting after "Poleaxed" and "Reveal Everything Mysterious" have been sponsored and published.)
"Want to do a couples exercise
for our third date?" Chiara said,
her breath tickling warm
over Cuoio's ear.
"Okay," he said.
He had no idea what
she was talking about,
but he was eager to find out.
"To Keep Growing"
A DW prompt inspired the free-verse poem "To Keep Growing." It follows Cassandra when she first starts staying with Groundhog, particularly once she regains enough energy to explore the Skylark Apartment Building. A little angst given their respective challenges, but mostly fluff about the lovely little community there.
536 lines, Buy It Now = $268
It was a struggle for Cassandra
to let Aidan help her, but the choices
were either that or live with the wreck
that the clipper had left of her superpower
and the rest of herself around it.
"When We Stay in Our Chambers"
A backchannel prompt about Shiv and seclusion inspired the free-verse poem "When We Stay in Our Chambers." It's a look at what he values when he's alone, and what kinds of things entice him to venture out of his solitary cell. Not exactly fluff, but as Shiv poems go, his head is less complete of a mess in this one, so maybe that sort of counts?
420 lines, Buy It Now = $210
(Available for posting after "Never Laid Open" and "As We Grasp Them" have been sponsored and published.)
The first day that Dr. Bloch
allowed him out of bed for more
than the minimum necessities, Shiv
asked for and got a set of free weights.
Wacker sent lighter ones than Shiv
had been using, some kind of dense plastic
that he could barely get his gift into, and they came
with a set of candy-ass exercise suggestions from
Dr. Bloch, but at least Shiv had something more to do.