And gentlemen in England now-a-bed,

[prokopton]

6. Driving Down Monte Lake

The trees stood askance,
in a state of alarm,
peg-legged, lop-eared,
they had passed the night
cloaked in darkness
beneath a cover of fallen snow,
nestled in drifts.
Now, all were stark,
exposed in the light,
- diffused, gray, harsh.
Blown flakes swept
wildly along the black rock way
and down Monte Lake
frozen a metre deep.
A half-metre meringue,
flowed the burling cotton batten
of another winter storm.
Cattle hunkered in the copse,
taciturn - bovine stoics,
and conifers cowered in the ice fog.


.

[Donner]

Fofeg,

You know your kit-tuhs well. Heh.

Driving Down Monte Lake - nice sounds and atmosphere, just right. These are storm clouds, right?

A half-metre meringue,
flowed the burling cotton batten
of another winter storm.

I love the description, but coming right after the lines about the leaves sweeping over the frozen lake, I thought, How could foam be whipped up on a lake that's iced over? Until I reread it and went, Ohhhhh. Just so you know what was going through my head as I read.

Donner

[prokopton]

Fofeg,

You know your kit-tuhs well. Heh.

You know that the kitty-ditty is really about quantum physics, right?

Driving Down Monte Lake - nice sounds and atmosphere, just right. These are storm clouds, right?

A half-metre meringue,
flowed the burling cotton batten
of another winter storm.

I love the description, but coming right after the lines about the leaves sweeping over the frozen lake, I thought, How could foam be whipped up on a lake that's iced over? Until I reread it and went, Ohhhhh. Just so you know what was going through my head as I read.

Donner

blown flakes.. blown FLAKES! heh.

The edges of drifts look just like meringues my grandma used to make on lemon pies.
I'm glad you liked it. - When in doubt revert to nature pomes.

Goffé

[prokopton]

7. Devil's Halo

If looks could kill
I'd be a footnote on a gravestone.
The yellow-sickled, half-moons follow me
about the room.
The plastic cone around Heisenberg's neck
is less a halo designating holiness
than a marking device delineating a safety area
outside of which you might not be bitten,
but it won't spare you a clawing.
Ordinarily happy enough, playful even,
Heisie has to wear the collar
until the stitches come out in ten days.
We don't know how he got slashed on the side.
Raccoon perhaps?
But when I carried him in,
my hands all bloodied,
the girlfriend almost puked.
In the car his shrieks made passersby
want to call child services.
The vet fixed him up really well,
except now we have this furry demon
stiffly stalking the halls,
making sounds to raise the dead.

[Donner]

You know that the kitty-ditty is really about quantum physics, right?

I have learned that, with cats, for every foolhardy action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Heh.

blown flakes.. blown FLAKES! heh.

Whatever.

I'm glad you liked it. - When in doubt revert to nature pomes.

Or kitty ditties. Or song parodies. Or song parodies about kitties.

Donner

[Hydro]

But when I carried him in,
my hands all bloodied,
the girlfriend almost puked.
In the car his shrieks made passersby
want to call child services.
The vet fixed him up really well,
except now we have this furry demon
stiffly stalking the halls,
making sounds to raise the dead.

The best creature poems mix in a little bit of darkness, humour, and pathos. This last does so nicely. Nice attention to all the senses as well; I could get the smells, the sounds... good stuff.

[January Poet]

I'm sorry but I can't stop laughing at the sight of your poor cat in "Devils' Halo". Is that wrong. Give him a kiss for me (if you dare get that close). I can sympathize, however my experience was with a dog. I have never seen a cat in one of those halos. This was extremely witty. Look forward to reading more from you.

[prokopton]

But when I carried him in,
my hands all bloodied,
the girlfriend almost puked.
In the car his shrieks made passersby
want to call child services.
The vet fixed him up really well,
except now we have this furry demon
stiffly stalking the halls,
making sounds to raise the dead.

The best creature poems mix in a little bit of darkness, humour, and pathos. This last does so nicely. Nice attention to all the senses as well; I could get the smells, the sounds... good stuff.

Hmmmm, Dark Halo. It could be a series. Glad you liked it, Hydro.

January Poet No, it's not wrong. If you don't laugh, you;ll cry. Thx for reading.

Gffoé

[prokopton]

8. Green Monster Stalking


There's nothing sinister
about my avocado plant,
though it rises triffid-like
above my 'puter screen.
I grew it from a pit,
admired its sprouting roots
and when it stood 16 inches
I gave it a bigger pot.
Six big leaves,
a couple of antenna-like feelers
and a knobby neck do not
an alien make, but Tom Cruise
would not sleep in the same room.
It turns to face the window
with the rising of the sun
then responds to
beckoning fluorescents.
I avoid eye contact
as I water it
and try to leave
when it isn't looking.


.

[Scavella]

Some fun things in this thread, Geoff, specially the Possumy cat poem and "The Ride of the Poets" with its nod to Apocalypse Now in the end. But I'm partial to "Green Monster Stalking". You have any idea how big those trees grow?

Cheers

[new leaf]

Ha! Riding of the Poets paints quite a picture of poets at the chase, and the Hive still packs a sting.

Witching of the Glen is full of dark fun - great sounds and high adventure - WOW!

Your philosophical physics kitty fills my cup. Box. Container.

Driving Down:

Blown flakes swept
wildly along the black rock way
and down Monte Lake
frozen a metre deep.
A half-metre meringue,
flowed the burling cotton batten
of another winter storm.

This does go a wee bit OTT for me, lovely as it sounds. The lake frozen a metre, the half-metre meringue - snow drift? Okay, nice, but then comes the burling cotton batten, which pushes it over. This is the falling snow, eh? (I could be wrong.) But: a) just after the meringue, it is one metaphor too many for me, and b) it is not batten (a board) but batt, or batting.
Okay. Heh. Rant over. Just a little adjusting and it'll be fine.

Poor Heisie, bet he didn't do it just to get a second ditty written!



Love your Green Monster. Audrey II? After a certain point - around 36" - they gain a certain beauty, and they look better in groups. Start more. Mwahahaha.

Back soon - M

[prokopton]

Some fun things in this thread, Geoff, specially the Possumy cat poem and "The Ride of the Poets" with its nod to Apocalypse Now in the end. But I'm partial to "Green Monster Stalking". You have any idea how big those trees grow?

Cheers

Thx for reading Scavella, and for your picks. I have picked ripe Avocadoes from a real wild tree in Hawaii. It was twenty feet high easily. I may move mine from my office before it gets too big for the door. heh.

Goffé

[Empty Chairs]

Lively and wittily observant, feoGf, as always. You have me laughing out loud, or LOLing, as I believe the young people say.

[prokopton]

Ha! Riding of the Poets paints quite a picture of poets at the chase, and the Hive still packs a sting.

Witching of the Glen is full of dark fun - great sounds and high adventure - WOW!

Your philosophical physics kitty fills my cup. Box. Container.

Driving Down:

Blown flakes swept
wildly along the black rock way
and down Monte Lake
frozen a metre deep.
A half-metre meringue,
flowed the burling cotton batten
of another winter storm.

This does go a wee bit OTT for me, lovely as it sounds. The lake frozen a metre, the half-metre meringue - snow drift? Okay, nice, but then comes the burling cotton batten, which pushes it over. This is the falling snow, eh? (I could be wrong.) But: a) just after the meringue, it is one metaphor too many for me, and b) it is not batten (a board) but batt, or batting.
Okay. Heh. Rant over. Just a little adjusting and it'll be fine.

Poor Heisie, bet he didn't do it just to get a second ditty written!


Love your Green Monster. Audrey II? After a certain point - around 36" - they gain a certain beauty, and they look better in groups. Start more. Mwahahaha.

Back soon - M

You know, M, I never questioned cotton batten when writing this. It was something I learned as a 2 or 3 year old from Grandma and I may never have written it down before now, but you made me look it up and "batting made from cotton" it is. Thank you for noticing! I enjoyed the revelation.

I'm glad you liked other things I've written this month too. Thx for reading.

Gofef

[prokopton]

Lively and wittily observant, feoGf, as always. You have me laughing out loud, or LOLing, as I believe the young people say.

Thank you for reading and commenting, Laura.
I enjoy the sound of your laughter, even reported.

Gffoé