For Big Tent Poetry Monday Prompt: Sept. 13, Wordle
http://bigtentpoetry.org
All twelve words from the wordle below were used and are printed in italics.
At Wordle Wharf
Half-eaten debris
litters the dock,
as though a swarm
of locusts, in midst
of feeding frenzy,
got a whiff of something
far more tasty, so lifted
off to answer call of other
hungers, leaving behind
embellished evidence
of only temporary interest.
While, through misty
gathering fog can be heard
words of a chant, sung
in high thin voice of a child,
about a skirt lacking
backbone to stand alone,
starched and pleated.
Elizabeth Crawford 9/16/10
Soul's Music 
Love the energy and mystery of this fascinating piece ElizaBeth…
…rob
rob, glad you found something here to fascinate you. I was just trying to connect all the words, and was a bit surprised myself by the outcome.
Elizabeth
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We have used the words in a similar way! Love the last three lines.
Tillybud, thank you and I actually think I know where those last lines came from. I attended parochial grade school. We didn’t have uniforms and I was always deeply grateful for that. But, we did have a dress code that was quite precise and far too ‘picky’ for my taste. Have always been a bit of a non-conformist, obviously even in my childhood. Glad you liked it,
Elizabeth
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This is a mysterious poem. You have used the words well.
V X
Hey Viv, it was a mystery to me even as I wrote it, lol. There is only one criteria for a word puzzle, as far as I’m concerned. Connect all the words and hope they create some sort of image. This one had a bit of a haunting quality about it, and I liked that, so went with it. But, it always amazes me when I come back later and find a deeper sense than I was aware of consciously creating. That’s when the sense of the thing starts to really connect and there’s a bit of a jolt in that sudden realization. One of the reasons I continue to write poetry, I’m sure. That jolt lets me know I’m still breathing. Thanks for the comments and I’ll drop by later,
Elizabeth
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Yes, Elizabeth, there is an eeriness swirling through your poem; the devastation of the swarm and the plaintive voice.
Hi Derrick, eeriness? I like that. I’m a big Dean Koontz fan. And it’s really kinda nice to think this old lady still has a bit of mystery about her, at least in word form, lol. But, I am also deeply engaged by symbolism and unraveling that, and this poem has a lot more meaning when juxtaposed against my personal life in the current moment. Just didn’t know that when I was playing with the words. Thanks for reading and commenting,
Elizabeth
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Cleverly written, Elizabath. I enjoyed the story the words wove and smiled at the ending!
Mary, actually I had a few questions about the ending. Wasn’t sure about it, but knew it was right? I’m sure that happens to everyone at some point. Coming back to it now, makes it clearer and I too have to chuckle about what I actually wrote. Starch and pleats were never my thing. Soft flannel and faded denim are far more my choices, to be sure. Thanks for the comments,
Elizabeth
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I am not going to starch my skirts!
I liked the child’s lamentation…
timeless flies search for fries
Neither am I! Heaven forbid, Gautami, I haven’t worn a skirt or a dress in almost thirty years, and that includes to my offsprings’ weddings. They knew and never expected anything different. Secret? Not only are they uncomfortable to me, my back is a bit crooked so they simply don’t hang correctly. There is a good reason for the child’s lamentation, and I’m so glad you saw it as such. Thank you.
Elizabeth
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I loved this. Nice write. Love and Light, Sender
Sender, thank you and glad you enjoyed. I had a bit of fun with this one, I do like word puzzles for the most part. I had no idea when I started where it might go, and was pleasantly surprised at the outcome.
Elizabeth
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A murky stew of poetic goodness.
It sounds wonderful when I roll the poem around my mouth…
Ahh, murky. I kinda like that Mark. Sounds a bit thick with a few unknown chunks of something within it. And I like the taste of it on my tongue as well, lol. Enjoyed your poem, even if the outcome was not so pleasant for you. Be well,
Elizabeth
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excellent application of the words.
beautiful poem!
Thank you Jingle, I like excellent and beautiful ain’t bad either, lol.
Elizabeth
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Awesome work with the Wordle! =)
-Weasel
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Hi Weasel, glad you like it, it was an adventure, an enjoyable one.
Elizabeth
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I really like the atmosphere you’ve created: the fog, the debris on the dock, the child’s voice. Such a richly painted scene.
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James thank you. Even if it’s a bit dark, I like it as well. Things that spring from the unconscious usually do have an aura of shadow about them. I also find that my unconscious mind is a much better painter than I could dream of being, thank goodness for that.
Elizabeth
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I really enjoyed the way you wove the words together for this poem. Like James’ comment, I agree this was an interestingly painted scene. Don’t you love how Wordle’s take each of us in our own directions?
Not only do I love it, I am truly amazed by how far flung these words have been. I am deeply affected by that creative energy that takes us each to our own separate destinations, and yet allows us to share its flow with one another. Thanks for stopping nan,
Elizabeth
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The words took you on a syncopated tour—loved where you went. Starched skirts—sounds absolutely frightening. I, too, haven’t worn a skirt in twenty five years.
Thank you Linda. I kinda liked where it ended up as well. And I’m so glad to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t own that particular piece of apparel, lol.
Elizabeth
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the “temporary interest” is where this one hits for me. it makes me stop and wonder about places that exists for me! you’ve captured this dynamic imaginatively!
Hi Carolee, although I am not always enamored of wordles, I do find that they take me on some wonderful little tangents at times. And the fact that those tangents also carry some bits and pieces of insight is just frosting on the cake, as far as I’m concerned.
Elizabeth
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my entry is here
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hello, i really enjoyed wandering through this wordle…. flying bugs have always given me the creeps… and so much more a swarm… alone and strong… great stuff!!!… ohh, enjoyed reading all your comments too… i am with ya on the wordle using them all and getting creative… iron, who irons these days anyway… a friend of mine does it for relaxation… scary… dorothy calling
Hi piece of pie, my Mother used to say that about ironing, and when I was younger, I thought she’d found a nice way of looking at an onerous chore. But she was still ironing at 90, long after they created wrinkle free clothing, so maybe she wasn’t telling a fib afterall. I’m with you, that does sound scary. And I do so love slinging words, even when they take me where I least want to go. It’s always a journey worth the effort. Thanks for stopping and commenting,
Elizabeth
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Intriguing piece – it has rich and textural imagery, lovely!
tumblewords, thank you for the lovely words. I often tell people that poetry is distilled moments. This is one of them, mixed in the mash of the wordle. But, I like the way it turned out.
Elizabeth
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nicely done indeed…..using all those words
Doesn’t feel complete until I can figure out how to get them all interconnected somehow. Thanks Wayne,
Elizabeth
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Elizabeth – I love poems that leave me wanting more. This one definitely did that – bravo!
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I meant that in a good way, btw. Just realized it might not be taken that way. 🙂
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Thanks Kelly, I like the sound of that. Makes my day a bit brighter.
Elizabeth
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No problem Kelly, I obviously took it in the manner it was offered. Thanks doubly for the concern.
Elizabeth
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I really liked the whole first stanza especially, the imaginative imagery used to explain the condition of the wharf… in a very realistic way.
Hi Ruth, I’m not sure of how realistic it is. I’m pretty sure that when locusts swarm and feed, they leave a lot of barren behind them, they are the true meaning of picked clean. Actually I was thinking more in metaphor form, people can be like locusts at times. Anyway, glad you liked it and thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment. I always look forward to what you have to say,
Elizabeth
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Elizabeth the starched and pleated got me as well, then I saw your response to Tillybud I understood it more. I went to Catholic school as well and there are so many associations in my experiences then and my life now, I see it lends to your creativity as well!
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Lol, Amanda, it does do that and not always in a fond manner. I went to parochial school until eighth grade and ninth grade in public school was a real culture shock. Those public school kids were so much more comfortable in their own skin then us parochial kids. We certainly stood out, and it became a contest to see how quickly we could fit in. Much later, in college at the ripe old age of forty, my former paster became acquainted with one of my philosophy profs. They decided I was, or would be, a good candidate for training in becoming a Minister. I laughed out loud and told them I didn’t think so, cause I’d get kicked out in the first two weeks for corrupting all those Colgate Kids from Kansas. Instead of being upset with me for my irreverant response, they both grinned and said that was sort of what they had in mind, lol. I thanked them for the consideration but had already fallen in love with Language, writing, and History and still had two kids at home who really needed a Mother. The whole image remains clear in my head because when they first approached me all I could think of was parochial school and how I so didn’t want to get back inside that environment.
Thanks for the comments and the memories,
Elizabeth
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Love “frenzy” and “tasty” and how those words of yours loosed the others.
I really like the way you see things Deb. I wouldn’t have seen that if you hadn’t pointed it out. I was just trying to connect all the pieces. Thank you for the insight, and as usual, for the prompt,
Elizabeth
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It reads like the opening scene of a movie, you know, describing how to set the mood to lead in to the movie itself. The voice over is the chant, the skirt that of a priest who will be found to be a child molester, why the chant is a children’s chant.
Christopher,
what an incredible imagination you have. However, someone else (you? perhaps), would have to write the screenplay. I wouldn’t give that much space on my page to a child molester, priest or not (read Counterpoint Harmony, my response to Lucille Clifton on this blog).
However, as I have read through the responses to the current prompt, I have also read your comments. And loved each one. I am often tempted to do as you do, respond in kind to whatever is written there. That is a compliment, where I come from, and a wonderful expression of inspiration shared. One of the many reasons we get involved in the prompts, and one of the biggest ones for staying. Don’t you think?
Thanks for stopping and for the movie intro,
Elizabeth
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Elizabeth excellent use of the words!
Pamela
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Thank you Pamela, but I have to admit that I have seen, read, far better over these past few hours, with far more completed thoughts and emotional involvement. Your own has far more bite than what I have done. I don’t mean to compare, I’m just aware of my own approach to the wordle as a puzzle to be completed, rather than a full-fledged poem complete within the circle of itself. Christopher points that out clearly in his response. Mine is a beginning, a freeze frame, without a middle or end. And I believe, it’s perfectly okay to critique my own poem on my own blog, lol.
But, I also think that the prompts are meant to do just such things. Allow us to try things out, see if they hang right, or maybe need a bit more backbone, some starch or pleats, yes?
Thanks for stopping and reading,
Elizabeth
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Wow…Never thought about skirt on these line…..Lovely one
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Jeeves, I only ever had one pleated skirt. One must not own a great deal of curves to have those pleats hang correctly, and yes, that meant they had to be starched lightly when pressed. I had too many curves, including the one known as ‘tom-boy’ to be at home around any such concoction. It also helps if one is at least medium height or taller. Definitely not within my short stretch at all. I was definitely batting zero because my Mother and older sister seemed to love the damned things. Thanks for stopping and commenting,
Elizabeth
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I love how you evoke the scene with such unusual and mysterious imagery. “…skirt lacking
backbone to stand alone, starched and pleated” — wonderful!
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Liz, thanks for the appreciation. I knew I had to get that skirt in there somewhere, somehow, and the starched and pleated popped into my head in relation to the lack of backbone. There used to be an old saying that an indecisive or wishy-washy person needed to put starch in his/her backbone and learn how to stand up straight or alone. I’m fairly certain that is where the words came from. At the moment, I wrote them, I wasn’t really sure but they just seemed to be right for the rest of the image, which is a bit haunting in quality as well as a bit wispy. So, I thought it best to end on a ‘stiffer’ note.
Elizabeth
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Enjoyed image of locusts, like people, swirling off to distraction of another interest to feed ‘hunger’. Reminded me of celebrity fixation. The idea of a skirt without backbone intriguing. Again, reminded me of celebrities who must (over-)dress to become solid and present. This poem spoke to me. Thank-you.
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I’m glad to know that it did, Happy Flower. Although, as I said above, it is no more than a fast freeze frame, such an image is supposed to help the viewer focus and concentrate on a few really important issues, or content. It certainly did that for me, after it was written and had some time to breathe on it’s own. And allowing time for me to take in the comments here, it has done even more of the same, in the time since it was written. I love that when it happens,
Elizabeth
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