Group W Bench

[Stagyrite]

Hi there, Ben,

nice to catch up on your thread. Sonnet to mother was nice, I like how your closing couplet ties it together. I also liked 'Getting her phone number', nicely developed, with some clever touches, like the numbers drying up. It's about human imperfection and the messiness of relationships, but also the ability to have a very British chuckle at these things. Appreciated the humour of some of your shorter pieces too. More!

J

[Mittens]

I love How to Get Her Phone Number! The numbers written in the beer, and then drying up! That almost worked out. Poor girl #1.

Nice political triolet, and the last one made me laugh!

And remember:

[JFN]

Ben, sorry I've taken a while to get back here. I'm struggling to get around everyone this year.

I couldn't work out if the VHS in Pause, Rewind is of N's wedding, or N's parent's wedding. In either case it is sour, and effective.

The physical description of Lottie in Untitled is very good indeed. The ending is so touching and humanising. It is so common for one to fade when one's lifetime companion has passed on, and you capture that so sensitively. Good work.

The crossword had me in stitches. Absolutely superb, witticism at its best. Did you even photos hopefully yourself in as the setter, or are you really a cruciverbalist at heart (if so, I might get your help I a little project I've been working on for years and never finished, but that would be another day).

I quite like that your Seshtina gently moves away from the repeated endings in such a manner that one barely notices you're no longer following g the seating rules. Cleverly turned.

Admirable Sonnet to dear old Mum. The tied golden hair against the baled hay is a lovely connection. The sentiment made me laugh. I know first hand how helpful small children can be (I've just put a note on my thread about fishing a blue crocodile toy out of out kitchen drain).

The final S of Arrival is powerful, and opens the poem as an extended metaphor for a bigger story. I absolutely adore I raised my voice like a wall.

This Island sonnet is lovely. The turn of pace and tone for the sestet is sharp, and the gentleness of the last two lines a delight. Enjoyed this one a lot.

The Prug would place well in one of my favourite books as a kid, Tiny Tim: Verses for Children. Great fun.

Nice self-deprecating limerick there. Not sure if I should take offence, have limerickised earlier this month

...Phone Number is funny. I love the tick lists, and the earning of numbers. Poor N, with her ruining everything. The cold ice left in the glass earns it's place.

I must admit, I had an inkling of the Triolet ending from the opening lines, but you utilise the punctuation changes very well indeed, so neither version of the sentence reads awkwardly. A good little political number.

Prug 2, witty and entertaining. Possibly too intelligent for the previous mentioned book of verse. Enjoyed the joke of this.

Keep turning them out. These have been fun to read.

John

[Bench]

Stag, Laura, John, thanks so much for stopping in. Laura- haha true dat (I guess it doesn't work with Costner, since they realised the set was more animated). John, thanks for your detailed comments, really generous of you to take the time. I do like crosswords really but that was a little photoshopping cheat... no insult intended with the limerick- apologies. I really did start trying to write something in metre and it just ended up so stupid it limerickised all on its own. Thanks all, you really are dragging me along like Indiana Jones behind that army truck.

[Bench]

The Prug (3)

Use this link!

[Janelo]

PRUG Packet Radio Users Group (Japan)

PRUG Philippine Ruby Users Group

SauerKraut: An angry, upset, or bitter German.
Heinrich: Boy am I angry. I'm one SauerKraut
#kraut #german #frog #prug #limey

prugglet
a male with long blonde hair who seems to think that they can make up words.
this male is commonly named conor.
Conor: fucking prugglet
Everyone else: THAT'S NOT A WORD BITCH.
#prugglet #prugg #pruglet #prug #conor
(I personally love this entry from the Urban dictionary...LOL!)

Prugnant
Prugnant is someone who is pregnant, but they are ugly, therefore they are likely to have ugly babies.
"Gee mang, I think I got yo sister prugnant!'
#pregnant #prugnant #prug #ugly #butt ugly #fugly #mang #shizzle

Prug is a dragon and the brother of Grup. He is very similar to Grup
in terms of appearance, voice and personality, but is significantly larger.
He formerly served as the Guardian of the Boulder Magisword
until it was retrieved by Prohyas and Vambre and now works
at the Cave of Stuff as a cave dragon alongside his brother.

Prug.
Racial slur: a native of Paraguay. Commonly used in central
Canada to refer specifically to immigrants from Paraguay.

Prug! How many of these are spoilers?

I am watching myself on all staircases, just to be safe.

Anyhoo. I wonder what a Prug eats.

[Dunc]

Ben

Triolet - The triolet as polemic is always heartwarming to see. It all came together for me on that captial M. Cool!

The Prug (2) - This is distinctly hostile to Prugdom, and forced rhyme might sometimes use Dr Seuss but never vice versa. Nice wit.

The Prug (3) - The Prug as plaything of vulgar culture and explicit abuse. Not that I could recite or hum anything by either of them, but point 'em at that Prug and man!

Good fun!

Regards / Dunc

[Bench]

Jane Haha! Prugglet is superb, they've found me out! Thanks for the laugh and Dunc thanks for stopping by again, glad you found them fun.

I could cheat here, there's about two days worth but I'm only kidding myself. I think the Prug has been truly thrashed, but here it is in its warts and all entirety (perhaps). Who knows if he'll reemerge in a few months...

[Bench]

The Prug

There is a Prug who lives under the stairs,
who keeps a list of everyone he scares.
Beware of him at night and lock your doors:
the next name on the list could well be yours.

Some would say he slithers on his toes:
Donaldson would say he's made of slime;
Seuss would find some words that no one knows
and both would use occasional forced rhyme.

John Cooper Clarke would give him big bug eyes
and maybe purple hair and water wings
but Cutler’d have his breasts so oversize
he’d topple if he tried to pick up things.

"This is nonsense!" Spike says as he bunks,
“I quite like it! Someone make him stop!"
Then Clarky sneers “there’s nothing here for punks”
and leaves to spit some verbals at a cop.

It looks like Donaldson is gonna blow
(until Pam Ayres tops up her cup of tea),
“I won a million hearts with Gruffalo
go stick your forced-rhymes up your flubber tree”.

Seuss can take no more “this is a sham,
the Prug should be an allegory, you see?”
“They might not look too nice, green eggs and ham,
but trying something new can set you free!”

And just like that the Prug has changed his ways,
and Pam has taught him humour in the twee.
He spends more time with Silverstein these days
at picnics underneath the Giving Tree.

There is a Prug who lives under the stairs
who makes great friends with anyone who cares.
If you are kind, considerate and true,
the next friend that he makes could well be you.

[Bench]

I should really stop thinking about this it's not good. But I need to catch up, and I think on JFN's feed back Matt mentioned double dactyls. This is an attempt at a double amphibrach, much the same, thanks to John and Matt. Oh and I need to add a massive apology to all the poets mentioned just now. Especially the alive ones. Sorry.


The Prug Goes to Sea

The Prug chugalugged on
a boat from Bonython
to catch him a fish for
his tutor and friend.
But such was his state of
disorientation
the Prug chugalugged all
the way to Lands End.

[Bench]

How to flee

Watch the sea for signs of life,
trawl the port for easy fish,
place her gently on her back,
slice her open from the throat.

Trawl the port for easy fish,
Who will sail with me today?
Slice her open from the throat
if she doesn’t have the cash.

Who will sail with me today,
Fastest boat in Africa!
If she doesn’t have the cash,
always other ways to pay.

Fastest boat in Africa,
lift her body from the swell.
Always other ways to pay.
What’s your little daughter’s name?

Lift her body from the swell,
watch the sea for signs of life.
What’s your little daughter’s name?
Place her gently on her back.

[Angela]

Bench, I am sorry I haven't gotten here earlier. Tough NaPo. Anyway, I just read your latest and it is frightening. I have never been able to write a successful Pantoum. I think this one is. The very last line sent a shiver through me and I am not kidding here. I have a daughter and the thought of someone taking her and using her cripples me. Very effective piece.

[Bench]

Thanks so much Angela, sorry for shivers it is horrible. Really need to change some of those lines hope it doesn't lessen impact. Trying to catch up...? Edit: changed 'crowd' to 'swell'. Edit edit and some word order, NaPo gods said it was cool.


Haiku

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

[Dunc]

Ben

The Prug Goes to Sea - not only Prug-thematic but a fully-crafted double dactyl. The form and rhythm capture our hero's distressing misadventure while underlining the perils of the marine chugalug.

How to flee - you use the pantoum very well, almost too well, so your moral is set out with a quite horrible strength. Keep that one.

Haiku - I was going well till I got to the third line. Never mind, I'll work it out as homework.

Regards / Dunc

[Bench]

Bless you Dunc, I'd love to know what you handed in to your teacher. I am blocked and navelly gazed-out. I managed this.

Haiku

Summer windscreen dust
Empty screen-wash binding light
Faith carries the brave