Archive for February, 2008

Pedestrian Poems (Limerick and Haiku Prompt)

Friday, February 29th, 2008

Today’s limerick and haiku theme is walking. First, my limerick:

Ode To A New York City Walk Signal
By Madeleine Begun Kane

Oh WALK light, you change way too fast.
Your pedestrian green doesn’t last.
You force me to run
Cross the street, which ain’t fun.
So thanks for this cumbersome cast.

And now, my walking-related haiku:

Solitary stroll
To escape the telephone.
Cell phone outsmarts me.

Now, of course, it’s your turn. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write a limerick or haiku (or both) about walking. When you’ve posted your verse, please return here and add a direct link to your themed poetry.

(If you need some tips on limerick or haiku writing, I link to some helpful sites here.)

NOTE: My Ode To A New York City Walk Signal limerick is an apostrophe.  And no, I’m not referring to a punctuation mark.  Miss Rumphius tells us that an “apostrophe is a poem which directly addresses a person or thing that is generally absent.” So I thought I’d address one to a walk signal that’s tormented my husband and me for years.

Rejected Apology (Limerick)

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

This week’s challenge over at 3WW is to write something that uses these three words: Apology, Consider, and Distant. Here’s my limerick:

Rejected Apology
By Madeleine Begun Kane

Your apology isn’t enough.
You always act distant and gruff.
You never consider
My feelings.  I’m bitter.
So stuff it.  Enough with your guff!

And speaking of challenges, there’s still time to participate in my time-themed poetry prompt.

Weathering The Weather (Haiku)

Saturday, February 23rd, 2008

Wind gust assaults me
As I hurry home on foot.
Weatherman blew it.

(Inspired by this weather related poetry prompt, over at Read Write. And speaking of prompts, I’ve posted a new prompt whose theme is time. I hope you’ll give it a try.)

Puzzling Haiku

Saturday, February 23rd, 2008

Puzzle completed.
One lonely piece left over.
Unsolved mystery.

(Inspired by this Weekend Wordsmith prompt: Unneeded Puzzle Piece. And speaking of prompts, I’ve posted a new poetry prompt whose theme is time.  I hope you’ll give it a try.)

No Time To Say Hello, Goodbye… (Limerick & Haiku Prompt)

Friday, February 22nd, 2008

Today’s limerick and haiku theme is time. First, my limerick:

No Time To Say Hello, Goodbye…
By Madeleine Begun Kane

I’m late and I can’t miss this train!
It’s arrived, and I’m here, yet in vain:
I must climb down these stairs,
But some guys, broad as bears,
Have me blocked—all my plans down the drain.

And now it’s time for my time-related haiku:

Time passes too fast.
I’d surely bitch about it,
If I just had time.

And now it’s your turn. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write a limerick or haiku (or both) about time. When you’ve posted your verse, please return here and add a direct link to your themed poetry.

(If you need some tips on limerick or haiku writing, I link to some helpful sites here.)

Romance — A Foreign Concept? (Limerick)

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008

Romance — A Foreign Concept?
By Madeleine Begun Kane

“Instead of your long-winded rants,”
Says the gal, “I’d prefer some romance.”
Then her husband replies
With a glint in his eyes:
“Tell me, where do you think you are — France?”

(Inspired by the “Romance” prompt over at Totally Optional Prompts. And speaking of prompts, there’s still time to give my “bad jobs” prompt a try.)

This Haiku Has Legs

Saturday, February 16th, 2008

Two legs — once scrawny,
Now attractively muscled.
The up side of stairs.

Imagined Slights (Two Haiku)

Friday, February 15th, 2008

Those imagined slights:
Often more insidious
Than the real ones.

An imagined slight,
Paranoiac reaction—
His girlfriend no more.

(Written in response to 3 Word Wednesday’s Prompt — “Girlfriend, Imagined, Slight.”  I prefer the first one, even though it’s missing one of the three words.)

And speaking of prompts, I hope you’ll give my haiku and limerick prompt a try.

Six-Word Memoir

Friday, February 15th, 2008

Weekend Wordsmith presents a challenging prompt this week — write a 6-word memoir. Is it cheating to write two of them,  a career memoir and a personal one? I hope not, because that’s what I’ve done.

Six-Word Memoir 1: Musical stage.  Injury — rage.  Internet page.

Six-Word Memoir 2: Born old.  Found love, laughter — reborn.

And speaking of prompts, please give mine a try.

There’s No Substitute For A Bad Job (Limerick and Haiku Prompt)

Friday, February 15th, 2008

Today’s limerick and haiku theme is bad jobs. Why? Because everyone I know has had at least one really awful job. As for me, I’ve had more bad jobs than I’d care to remember. So here’s a pair of poems about two of them.  First, my limerick about substitute teaching:

In my twenties I substitute taught.
‘Tis a challenging job and it’s fraught;
All those calls before dawn
To instruct devil’s spawn
Made me anxious, uptight—overwrought.

And now, my haiku about working in a discount department store:

Discount lingerie:
Folded, painstakingly shelved.
Soon to be litter.

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write a limerick or haiku (or both) about bad jobs. When you’ve posted your verse, please return here and add a direct link to your themed poetry.

Lost Cause? (Limerick and Haiku Prompt — Open Through February 14th)

Tuesday, February 5th, 2008

Before I get to today’s limerick and haiku theme, I want to thank you for the many kind comments and emails concerning my father’s death.  I was very touched by your thoughtfulness. 

My latest limerick and haiku prompt topic is absent-mindedness and memory. First, my limerick:

“Please help me! I really need aid,”
Said a lady who looked quite afraid.
“Seems I can’t find my purse,
And, perhaps, even worse
It appears that my maid’s been mislaid.”

And now, my haiku:

Memorized data—
Still there, but hard to access.
Mulltiple choice brain.

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write a limerick or haiku (or both) about absent-mindedness and/or memory. When you’ve posted your verse, please return here and add a direct link to your themed poetry.

If you want to keep up to date with my poetry prompts, you can subscribe to either my entire blog feed or just to my limerick and haiku prompt topic feed.