Group W Bench

[Dunc]

Ben

Haiku - The brave, motoring into summer with a washer-low warning light! Battle-hardened by enduring without water, or at least that water. Nice complexity in your skein.

Now, what you do when you fall behind is write a couple of American Sentences. Everyone will know why you did it, because they do it too, so you can tell it works.

Regards / Dunc

[Jee Leong]

Ben, "The Prug" is really delightful. The ending is a very good wrap. "The Prug Goes to Sea" makes me, suitably and rhythmically, sea-sick. "How to flee" is one of the best pantoums I've ever read. I've never cared much for the form, but you made me want to try it. A keeper.

[Bench]

Dunc, thanks again for stopping by good idea- short is the way forward. Jee, you make me blush thank you. If I'd have thought for a moment you might pop in I wouldn't have dared do any Haiku. Instead, here's a palindrome:

Palindrome

Ton robot
detonated.
Madam Deta
noted:
to B or not.

[Bench]

The History of Writing Implements

Quill until pencil, stencil utensil.

[Donner]

Hi, Ben,

Only three more to coax out. (By the way, I'm having the same problem fluffing this year for the same reason you are - there's too much really good material by everyone that it's overwhelming me a little, too. That includes you.)

"How to Get Her Phone Number" - If you don't know the rules, you can't win, let alone play, the game. Very wry telling of the mating ritual. The X X X "tick off" observations are just right.

"Triolet" - A well-written triolet takes advantage of alternative punctuation. You've done a well-written triolet.

"How to Flee" - Perfect. You can't read that and say you weren't affected or say any longer that you didn't know. Out of all of NaPo, it will be one of the poems that will stay with me. Fiddle with it a bit if you must, but not too much.

"Haiku" -

Nail-punched bottle cap
pins cardboard to shanty post
except in winter

I've walked a few beaches in winter, lost a few hats. The last line makes this.

Donner

[Bench]

Donna thank you so much for the best fluff. I want to hug your thread and tell it nice things too. And for mentioning the haiku (shh)

[GreaterMandalaofUselessness]

Hey Ben,

I liked the political triolet (not least because I agree with sentiment). Nice late shift from "may" to "May". The straightforwardness of the NHS line was very effective. Killer last line.

The Prug was fabulous. Inspired. Loved the tour of comic poets and their spats -- including Pam Ayres late arrival -- and the consequent transformation of the Prug. Pleasing to see John Cooper Clarke in the mix too. Prug 2 was just as good.

How to Flee is a really good pantoum, and an average pantoum is hard enough to write. I like particularly that I didn't know where it was going till I got there. A keeper.

Palindrome was fun and came nicely close to making sense.

Not long now ...

-Matt

[Dunc]

Ben

Palindrome - Wow, so it is, a fine pairing of 'detonated' and 'to B or not'. Madam Deta is related to Commander Data somehow? Anyway, formidable!

The History of Writing Implements - nice sequence of terminal ills, bouncy rhythm, all we need's a tune.

One more session and we're there!

Regards / Dunc

[Bench]

Matt and Dunc thanks for dropping in and again for your kind fluff. More of an abject failure than last year, but it's been fun and traumatising in equal measure. Thanks everyone for fluffing me despite my lack of reciprocation you really are an awesome community. Gonna pay my subs and post something somewhat ironically in the finish line thread. Cheers for now, see you in the forum. There's always next year...

[kristalynn]

The History of Writing Implements-I absolutely love this, these five words strung together in such a fun way!

[shadygrove]

How to flee. Wow. That is one brilliant use of the form. I know everyone has said so, but that's the poem that makes your month worth it. Ouch.