Archive for April, 2011

Dear Emily Dickinson, Please Forgive Me

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

As part of its National Poetry Month and Poem In Your Pocket Day “Envelope Project” celebrations, New York City is running an Emily Dickinson related poetry contest. Basically, it involves writing your own poems using Dickinson first lines.

Although I didn’t enter the contest (I wasn’t thrilled with its reprint permission form) I chose four Emily Dickinson first lines and wrote four short, whimsical, New York City-inspired poems. Here they are, with Dickinson’s words noted in italics:

I shall keep singing though I’m bad,
and those who hear me shout, “Egad!”
You’ll never see me on Broadway,
unless you mean my street display.

*****

The Cricket sang.
My sleep is done.
I’d sooner hear an engine run.

*****

I started Early–Took my Dog
unleashed — don’t fret —
Just franks and grog.

*****

A Day! Help! Help! Another Day!
I wish sometimes they’d go away.
I much prefer the dark of night
So daylight please, go fly a kite.

*****

Undecorated (Haiku and Tanka)

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

Blank slate office walls —
Decorate? No one tempted —
temporary work.

*****

Nakedly ringless,
undecorated fingers
robbed of wedding bling.
Married still, but ringed no more.
Replaceable … and yet not.

*****

(Prompted by decorated)

Fit To Be Tied Limerick (Limerick-Off Monday)

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

Once again, it’s Limerick-Off time. And that means I write a limerick, and you write your own, using the same first line. Then you post your limerick here and, if you’re a Facebook user, on Facebook too.

The best submission will be crowned Limerick Of The Week. (Here’s last week’s Limerick Of The Week Winner plus one Honorable Mention.)

How will your poems be judged? By meter, rhyme, and cleverness. (If you’re feeling a bit fuzzy about limerick writing rules, here are two excellent resources: OEDILF on Writing A Limerick and Speedy Snail’s Limerick Rhythm and Meter.)

I’ll announce the Limerick of the Week Winner right before I post next week’s Limerick-Off. So that gives you a full week to submit your clever, polished verse.

I hope you’ll join me in writing a limerick with this first line:

A fellow was fit to be tied…

or

A woman was fit to be tied…

Here’s mine:
Fit To Be Tied Limerick
By Madeleine Begun Kane

A fellow was fit to be tied
When he learned that his lover had lied.
He’d proposed. She said “No,”
And confessed, “Sorry Joe.
See that gal over there? She’s my bride.”

Please feel free to write your own limerick using the same first line and post it in my comments. And if you’re on Facebook, I hope you’ll join my friends in that same activity in my Facebook Limerick-Off post.

To receive an email alert whenever I post a new Limerick-Off, please send me an email requesting the alerts. You’ll find my email address on the upper right sidebar, in the “Author” section just below my Limerick-Offs button. Thanks!

UPDATE: April 23 is Lover’s Day

Limerick of the Week (3)

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

It’s time to announce the latest Limerick of the Week based on submissions (on this blog and on Facebook) in last week’s Limerick-Off. I’m very pleased to announce the winning Limerick of the Week and one Honorable Mention:

Congratulations to Johanna Richmond who wins Limerick of the Week for this entertaining verse:

A man who was painfully shy
On his analyst’s couch, whispered “why?”
“Vell, your Vater ist rich
und your mutter’s a bitch
But my bet’s on that shrimp in your fly.”

For those who are keeping track, Johanna took this prize last week too. :)

Although my first two Limerick of the Week contests awarded three Honorable Mentions, this week’s has just one. Why? I explain in this limerick:

Dear Limerick-Off Versifiers
By Madeleine Begun Kane

Yes, some of your lim’ricks were witty,
But imperfect in form — what a pity!
And the ones with no gaffes
Just did not give us laughs.
Yours truly, The Judging Committee.

And now this week’s single Honorable Mention goes to Phyllis Sterling Smith a/k/a Granny Smith for her amusing limerick:

A gal who was terribly shy
In person, let guys pass her by,
But left them agog
with her hot sexy blog
And met guy – after guy – after guy.

Congratulations again to the winners for your wonderful limericks. And thanks to everyone for your fun submissions.

In the next couple of minutes I’ll be posting a new Limerick-Off, which gives you yet another opportunity to win Limerick Of The Week.

Minding My Haiku

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

Just a single spark —
all you need to fire up
imagination.

*****

Blaming messenger
heralds avoidance when you
can’t bear the message.

*****

Some thorny problems
can’t be solved by deep thinking
and just need deep sleep.

*****

(Prompts used in this post: making fire from We Write Poems, messenger from Sunday Scribblings, and thorn from Weekend Wordsmith)

Limerick Lament

Friday, April 1st, 2011

Limerick Lament
By Madeleine Begun Kane

There are times that I feel like a tool,
Complying with each lim’rick rule.
So starting today
I refuse to obey.
Don’t believe me? You’re right. April Fool!

(My 2nd National Poetry Month poem, and it’s still April 1st. Yippee!)

Ready, Set, Versify!

Friday, April 1st, 2011

National Poetry Month begins today, April 1st. And so…

Ready, Set, Versify!
By Madeleine Begun Kane

I hope to write a poem a day
this month from April 1 till May.
They won’t be long — they rarely are.
Four lines or five, then au revoir.

No need to worry what’s in store:
My ADD cuts in before
I’ve time to wax verbose, prolix —
I used those last two words for kicks.

(I have lots of information here about National Poetry Month.)