Unsold Poetry from the September 1, 2015 Poetry Fishbowl
The following poems from the September 1, 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.
"Crossed Stitches"
Your sewing prompt combined with several others to create the free-verse poem "Crossed Stitches." The daughter of Monster House learns how to work science and magic through needle and thread.
39 lines, Buy It Now = $15
"A Different Flavor of Hurt"
From your prompt about cutting ties, I got the free-verse poem "A Different Flavor of Hurt." Part of Shiv's recovery involves learning to let go of things that aren't good for him, and finding other ways to cope with challenges.
388 lines, Buy It Now = $194
The necessary stillness
quickly drove Shiv crazy.
He thought about moving around,
but even dragging himself to the toilet
hurt so much that he decided
to follow Dr. Bloch's advice
and just stay in bed.
"Dreams of Little Feet"
From this I got the free-verse poem "Dreams of Little Feet." Bettina asks Fiorenza for a favor that turns out to be several months in the making.
64 lines, Buy It Now = $32
When Bettina trudged up
to Fiorenza's door one day,
the wisewoman had an idea
what might be the trouble.
"Arrigo and I have been married
for a good while, and the saints know
we're trying, but we've had no good news,"
the young wife said sadly. "Is there
anything you could recommend?"
"Knitting with Light"
A backchannel prompt from technoshaman inspired the free-verse poem "Knitting with Light." A glass artist develops superpowers and learns new ways of making things.
38 lines, Buy It Now = $15
"Looming Futures"
A couple of Dreamwidth prompts inspired the free-verse poem "Looming Futures." It suggests how the Moirai used a jaquard loom to launch the computer age.
10 lines, Buy It Now = $5
"Mending Strings"
A marionette prompt on Dreamwidth inspired the free-verse poem "Mending Strings." It actually dates back decades before the current time in Terramagne, and shows the current Puppetmaster as a boy with his old master ... and a very subtle lesson in leadership.
118 lines, Buy It Now = $59
Giuseppe slipped away from the meeting
as soon as he was no longer needed
to fetch drinks or plates of antipasti
for his master Ettore and guests.
No one noticed the small boy leaving,
so he snuck up to the attic where
it was peaceful and quiet.
"The Responsibility Which Audiences Have Put on Us"
Your award prompt inspired the free-verse poem "The Responsibility Which Audiences Have Put on Us." A group of unscrupulous men have tried to rig the prestigious Eisner Prize for sequential art. The Puppetmaster and his Marionettes intervene.
444 lines, Buy It Now = $222
The Puppetmaster sat behind a folding screen
of fine paper printed with a bucolic Italian waterfront.
This scenario allowed him to speak freely without exposing
his identity to anyone outside of his innermost circle:
his first line of defense as a supervillain.
"What do you need, boss?" Pazzesco asked
from the far side of the screen.
"Severed Threads"
Your prompt about virtual string contributed to the free-verse poem "Severed Threads." Cat discovers that when the subtle strings between people get cut, it can cause a lot of trouble.
206 lines, Buy It Now = $103
Cat had been asleep when it happened,
the sudden stab of pain waking him at once.
He patted at his chest, trying to find
the sharp source of it, but there was
nothing but nightshirt and smooth skin.
"The Sweater Superstition"
A couple of DW prompts inspired the chain poem "The Sweater Superstition." A woman finds a way to make the sweater curse into a blessing.
28 lines, Buy It Now = $15
"The Thread of the Seasons"
For Hart's Farm I wrote the free-verse poem "The Thread of the Seasons" about all the work that people do with their wool.
50 lines, Buy It Now = $20