Unsold Poems from the May 3, 2016 Poetry Fishbowl
The following poems from the May 3, 2016 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 poems "The Tornado Blew Away," " Unfamiliar Feelings," and " Mipnei Tikkun Ha'olam." Linking to this page will reveal new verses in whichever poem you request.
"3 Rs and 1 L"
A couple of your prompts combined into "3 Rs and 1 L." It's a look at how education has changed, how it hasn't, and what it's hiding.
23 lines, Buy It Now = $10
"As My Awareness Increases"
Your prompt about Ashley inspired the free-verse poem "As My Awareness Increases." She spends some quiet time looking at worksheets and doing a science experiment.
156 lines, Buy It Now = $78
Ashley likes spending time by herself,
likes to sit alone and think deep thoughts,
but she's never been much for trying
to psychoanalyze herself.
After all, what would be the point?
She already knows she's a mess.
"The Best of All Instructors"
In "The Best of All Instructors," Hadyn and Mr. Grenade learn about camping, cooking, and Self-Detonation. They're both scared, for different reasons. They both get over it. This poem is fluff, lightly seasoned with angst.
332 lines, Buy It Now = $166
Mr. Grenade worked as a mercenary,
and he routinely took dangerous missions
in bottom-ten countries without hesitation.
Today he was terrified, and
trying not to show it.
"A Deliberate Scheme"
Your second prompt inspired the free-verse poem "A Deliberate Scheme." V and Spalling talk about trade, education, and plans for the future while processing stock for their warehouse.
184 lines, Buy It Now = $92
After the noisy shipping trucks
had come and gone, leaving
pallets of goods stacked on
the loading dock, it was quieter
in Spalling's Super Surplus Shed.
Together V and Spalling worked
to sort and shelve the new stock
that replaced what they had
sold or traded elsewhere.
"Dichroic"
Your Shiv prompt inspired the free-verse poem "Dichroic." Tolliver and Simon bring something new to the art room for Shiv to explore, and he learns more than he expected to -- or anyone else expected, either. He's finally starting to realize that his crappy past experiences are not all there is to education.
346 lines, Buy It Now = $173
Available for posting after "The Great Art of Life," "Deceit and Defiance," "Responsibility and Accountability," "To Give the Problem Back," and "To Try Making Things Right" have been sponsored and published.
Education of any kind made Shiv nervous,
owing to his miserable experiences in
every school he had attended.
Even the prison made him anxious,
because people kept pushing him
to make plans, and Shiv sucked at that.
"For the Sake of Reformation"
Your prompt about Pain's Gray inspired the free-verse poem "For the Sake of Reformation." Zhonn screws up. He has the interesting quirk of using pain as a mnemonic, but there are reasons why using a regular switch is risky for him. So Zhonn and Ricasso ask to make use of Gray's superpower as a safer alternative. Graphic physical discipline, a little angst, but they're actually taking great care of each other.
388 lines, Buy It Now = $194
Gray was stacking free weights
in the gym when his boss Ricasso
came in and said, "I'd like to see you in
my office after you finish that. I'm hoping
you'll agree to help me with something."
"Yes, boss," said Gray.
"The Love We Give Our Fragile Craft"
A DW prompt about Bexley and Falconwing inspired the free-verse poem "The Love We Give Our Fragile Craft," which relates their first meeting and how they start adapting to each other.
444 lines, Buy It Now = $222
Bexley hurries through the docking hub
of Chainstay Station, hoping that
her head start will be enough.
In the fourth quadrant she finds
what she's looking for, a ship docked
in the least-favored section where
no one will respond quickly
in case of disturbance.
"Passing Knowledge"
From Dreamwidth, an Audre Lorde quote reminded me of how I approach not just writing but also teaching. Because giving voice to the voiceless -- whether by writing about them, or teaching them to write -- is a profound act of subversion. "Passing Knowledge" is written in free verse.
49 lines, Buy It Now = $20
"Proximity and Separation"
Your special needs prompt inspired the free-verse poem "Proximity and Separation." An in-flight incident attracts Ansel's attention and he volunteers to help with a boy who can't tolerate sitting up in an airplane. But there might be more to this than meets the eye ...
398 lines, Buy It Now = $199
After the five-day training course
in how to handle cape fights,
Ansel's brain was full.
He felt grateful to climb
on board the airplane and
leave Richmond, California.
"Rise Above the Earth"
A DW prompt about learning to fly inspired the free-verse poem "Rise Above the Earth." Cassandra and Groundhog visit a favorite park, and superpowers make life a little more exciting.
654 lines, Buy It Now = $327
Cassandra enjoyed going out
for walks with Groundhog. She
liked the company, and he liked
having someone along in case
anything went wrong. So they got
to see a lot of the neighborhood.
At least once a week, they caught a bus
to Cloverleaf Park, which had started as
a nice local park and then a dispute
between developers had ended with
ceding a bunch of land to the city.
"To Acknowledge Our Interdependence"
Your mentoring prompt inspired the free-verse poem "To Acknowledge Our Interdependence." Ansel comes home grouchy and uncomfortable after a nasty encounter. Turq proves surprisingly resourceful at teaching him how to cope with it.
312 lines, Buy It Now = $156
Ansel came home grouchy
and frustrated, slamming
the car door as he got out.
Turq startled and stuck his head
out of the gazebo. "What's wrong?"
he asked. "You sound ... upset."
"Tour Guides for All of Knowledge"
A Dreamwidth prompt about secret masters inspired the free-verse poem "Tour Guides for All of Knowledge." Terramagne has a secret society of librarians carefully squirreling away books to keep them safe. Oh, so that explains why they have so many more ancient tomes than we do. \o/
60 lines, Buy It Now = $20
There are still verses left in the linkback poems "The Tornado Blew Away," " Unfamiliar Feelings," and " Mipnei Tikkun Ha'olam." Linking to this page will reveal new verses in whichever poem you request.
"3 Rs and 1 L"
A couple of your prompts combined into "3 Rs and 1 L." It's a look at how education has changed, how it hasn't, and what it's hiding.
23 lines, Buy It Now = $10
"As My Awareness Increases"
Your prompt about Ashley inspired the free-verse poem "As My Awareness Increases." She spends some quiet time looking at worksheets and doing a science experiment.
156 lines, Buy It Now = $78
Ashley likes spending time by herself,
likes to sit alone and think deep thoughts,
but she's never been much for trying
to psychoanalyze herself.
After all, what would be the point?
She already knows she's a mess.
"The Best of All Instructors"
In "The Best of All Instructors," Hadyn and Mr. Grenade learn about camping, cooking, and Self-Detonation. They're both scared, for different reasons. They both get over it. This poem is fluff, lightly seasoned with angst.
332 lines, Buy It Now = $166
Mr. Grenade worked as a mercenary,
and he routinely took dangerous missions
in bottom-ten countries without hesitation.
Today he was terrified, and
trying not to show it.
"A Deliberate Scheme"
Your second prompt inspired the free-verse poem "A Deliberate Scheme." V and Spalling talk about trade, education, and plans for the future while processing stock for their warehouse.
184 lines, Buy It Now = $92
After the noisy shipping trucks
had come and gone, leaving
pallets of goods stacked on
the loading dock, it was quieter
in Spalling's Super Surplus Shed.
Together V and Spalling worked
to sort and shelve the new stock
that replaced what they had
sold or traded elsewhere.
"Dichroic"
Your Shiv prompt inspired the free-verse poem "Dichroic." Tolliver and Simon bring something new to the art room for Shiv to explore, and he learns more than he expected to -- or anyone else expected, either. He's finally starting to realize that his crappy past experiences are not all there is to education.
346 lines, Buy It Now = $173
Available for posting after "The Great Art of Life," "Deceit and Defiance," "Responsibility and Accountability," "To Give the Problem Back," and "To Try Making Things Right" have been sponsored and published.
Education of any kind made Shiv nervous,
owing to his miserable experiences in
every school he had attended.
Even the prison made him anxious,
because people kept pushing him
to make plans, and Shiv sucked at that.
"For the Sake of Reformation"
Your prompt about Pain's Gray inspired the free-verse poem "For the Sake of Reformation." Zhonn screws up. He has the interesting quirk of using pain as a mnemonic, but there are reasons why using a regular switch is risky for him. So Zhonn and Ricasso ask to make use of Gray's superpower as a safer alternative. Graphic physical discipline, a little angst, but they're actually taking great care of each other.
388 lines, Buy It Now = $194
Gray was stacking free weights
in the gym when his boss Ricasso
came in and said, "I'd like to see you in
my office after you finish that. I'm hoping
you'll agree to help me with something."
"Yes, boss," said Gray.
"The Love We Give Our Fragile Craft"
A DW prompt about Bexley and Falconwing inspired the free-verse poem "The Love We Give Our Fragile Craft," which relates their first meeting and how they start adapting to each other.
444 lines, Buy It Now = $222
Bexley hurries through the docking hub
of Chainstay Station, hoping that
her head start will be enough.
In the fourth quadrant she finds
what she's looking for, a ship docked
in the least-favored section where
no one will respond quickly
in case of disturbance.
"Passing Knowledge"
From Dreamwidth, an Audre Lorde quote reminded me of how I approach not just writing but also teaching. Because giving voice to the voiceless -- whether by writing about them, or teaching them to write -- is a profound act of subversion. "Passing Knowledge" is written in free verse.
49 lines, Buy It Now = $20
"Proximity and Separation"
Your special needs prompt inspired the free-verse poem "Proximity and Separation." An in-flight incident attracts Ansel's attention and he volunteers to help with a boy who can't tolerate sitting up in an airplane. But there might be more to this than meets the eye ...
398 lines, Buy It Now = $199
After the five-day training course
in how to handle cape fights,
Ansel's brain was full.
He felt grateful to climb
on board the airplane and
leave Richmond, California.
"Rise Above the Earth"
A DW prompt about learning to fly inspired the free-verse poem "Rise Above the Earth." Cassandra and Groundhog visit a favorite park, and superpowers make life a little more exciting.
654 lines, Buy It Now = $327
Cassandra enjoyed going out
for walks with Groundhog. She
liked the company, and he liked
having someone along in case
anything went wrong. So they got
to see a lot of the neighborhood.
At least once a week, they caught a bus
to Cloverleaf Park, which had started as
a nice local park and then a dispute
between developers had ended with
ceding a bunch of land to the city.
"To Acknowledge Our Interdependence"
Your mentoring prompt inspired the free-verse poem "To Acknowledge Our Interdependence." Ansel comes home grouchy and uncomfortable after a nasty encounter. Turq proves surprisingly resourceful at teaching him how to cope with it.
312 lines, Buy It Now = $156
Ansel came home grouchy
and frustrated, slamming
the car door as he got out.
Turq startled and stuck his head
out of the gazebo. "What's wrong?"
he asked. "You sound ... upset."
"Tour Guides for All of Knowledge"
A Dreamwidth prompt about secret masters inspired the free-verse poem "Tour Guides for All of Knowledge." Terramagne has a secret society of librarians carefully squirreling away books to keep them safe. Oh, so that explains why they have so many more ancient tomes than we do. \o/
60 lines, Buy It Now = $20