Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

List of Unsold Poems from August 2, 2011

The following poems from the August 2, 2011 Poetry Fishbowl are currently available. They may be sponsored via PayPal, or you can write to me and discuss other methods.


"As Tenuous as Mist" -- 87 lines, $43.50
From this I got "As Tenuous as Mist," a free-verse poem about an artifact created to bestow magic, which sometimes steals the power or even the life from people who try to use it.

"Breakdown" -- 73 lines, $36.50
Corruption and related words mentioned in this prompt are connected by the root "rup" meaning "to break." So "Breakdown" is a free-verse poem that turns linguistics into liturature: the wordplay requested in the thread's title.

"Contagion" -- 16 lines, $10 SOLD
From the prompt about memes came the free-verse poem "Contagion." It compares memes to viruses.

"Falling Up" -- 51 lines, $20 SOLD
From the prompt about the villain's perspective on redemption, I got the free-verse poem "Falling Up." It's a haunting look at the insidious, creeping nature of Good. This poem belongs to the Sort Of Heroes series.

"friendship and enmity" -- 50 lines, $20 SOLD
Your prompt about enemies becoming friends connected firmly with marina_bonomi's prompt about the Origami Mage and Kirigami Mage. Written in tanka verses, "friendship and enmity" explores their feelings as they come together on a moonlit beach. This poem falls very near the end of the story arc, so it's not ready to get published yet. marina_bonomi has sponsored it; this will be published later.

"Hag-Ridden" -- 38 lines, $15 SOLD
I'm a fan of fairytales, both in terms of the storytelling charm and the scholarly stuff right down to the Aarne-Thompson Index. So "Hag-Ridden" is a poem about the importance of adversaries on the hero's journey. This poem is free verse.

"Nettled" -- 12 lines, $10
From your prompt about the Judas Goat I got "Nettled." This free-verse poem covers the goat's perspective and where the goat ends up afterwards.

"No Vacancy" -- 13 lines, $10 SOLD
From your prompt about witch hunters visiting Monster House, and another from [info]janetmiles about doing evil in the name of good, I got the free-verse poem "No Vacancy." It's also somewhat inspired by what happened here, once, when an unwelcome and incompatible visitor arrived on our doorstep.

"Of Gold and Fishes" -- 20 lines, $10 SOLD
From your prompt about money and politicians, I got the free-verse poem "Of Gold and Fishes." It tells about a political scandal from my science fiction colony Common Ground.

"Reduction" -- 14 lines, $10
"Reduction" is a science fiction sonnet about a human starship crashing into a planet with a reducing atmosphere. Much mayhem is had by all.

"Scales" -- 28 lines, $15
From the "Lucifer was framed!" prompt came the free-verse poem "Scales." It plays on how good and evil can be worldviews rather than absolutes, and based entirely too much on who is more popular or has the better propaganda.
Tags: cyberfunded creativity, fishbowl, poetry, reading, shopping, writing
Subscribe

Recent Posts from This Journal

  • Fieldhaven as Habitat

    If you follow my posts on gardening, birdfeeding, and photos, then you know that I garden for wildlife. Looking at the YardMap parameters, here…

  • A Little Slice of Terramagne: YardMap

    Sadly the main program is dormant, but the YardMap concept is awesome, and many of its informative articles remain. YardMap was a citizen science…

  • Winterfest in July Bingo Card 7-1-21

    Here is my card for the Winterfest in July Bingo fest. It runs from July 1-30. Celebrate all the holidays and traditions of winter! ( See all my…

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    switch
    default userpic

    Your IP address will be recorded 

    When you submit the form an invisible reCAPTCHA check will be performed.
    You must follow the Privacy Policy and Google Terms of use.
    Help
  • 29 comments
janetmiles

Thanks so much for these summaries!

janetmiles

August 4 2011, 17:52:14 UTC 9 years ago Edited:  August 4 2011, 17:54:05 UTC

I'd like to sponsor

No Vacancy -- $10
Of Gold and Fishes -- $10
Falling Up -- $20

[Sorry, forgot. Edited to remove error.]
ysabetwordsmith

Re: Thanks so much for these summaries!

ysabetwordsmith

August 4 2011, 21:22:30 UTC 9 years ago

I appreciate knowing that the summaries are useful. They do take time to write, and the "unsold poems" page takes time to compile. This month I'm looking at where my time goes during a fishbowl, so donor feedback on favorite features is especially valuable.

Your poems have been posted! Thank you for your support.
the_vulture

the_vulture

August 5 2011, 01:08:30 UTC 9 years ago

"Contagion" -- 16 lines, $10
From the prompt about memes came the free-verse poem "Contagion." It compares memes to viruses.

*dimly recalls long ago articles from Adbusters magazine*

Given that memes (real memes, not the cutesy blog activities that get passed around), have often been described as operating like viruses, that should be a natch. :)

ysabetwordsmith

Yes...

ysabetwordsmith

August 5 2011, 01:59:45 UTC 9 years ago

I've read articles along those lines. Some are kind of creepy.
the_vulture

Re: Yes...

the_vulture

August 5 2011, 03:08:46 UTC 9 years ago

Creepy? Maybe. It IS rather disturbing to think that an idea can be designed to replicate and spread itself to outcompete other ideas. However, it's also an important thing for people to understand, methinks.
ysabetwordsmith

Re: Yes...

ysabetwordsmith

August 5 2011, 05:03:16 UTC 9 years ago

As a memetic engineer, I feel that it's important to know what memes are, how they work, and how they are transmitted ... so that we can make GOOD ones.

One of mine is, "We can't keep spending water like money."
the_vulture

Re: Yes...

the_vulture

August 6 2011, 06:11:31 UTC 9 years ago

Now, my knowledge of memetics might be a tad rusty, but doesn't a meme have to have a hook to enable its transmission? Something like an implied carrot or stick?

Maybe try something like "Only a fool would continue spending water like money," or "Responsible people know that we can't keep spending water like money," perhaps?
ysabetwordsmith

Re: Yes...

ysabetwordsmith

9 years ago

  • New comment
the_vulture

Re: Yes...

the_vulture

9 years ago

  • New comment
ysabetwordsmith

Re: Yes...

ysabetwordsmith

9 years ago

  • New comment
the_vulture

the_vulture

August 5 2011, 03:22:54 UTC 9 years ago

I just put in for 'Hag-Ridden'. Your description of it appealed to my inner Joseph Campbell. :)
laffingkat

laffingkat

August 5 2011, 03:36:36 UTC 9 years ago

Oh, yay! I'm glad someone is sponsoring that. It appealed to me too, but I've already spent more than I should have.
the_vulture

the_vulture

August 5 2011, 04:35:48 UTC 9 years ago

It appealed to me too, but I've already spent more than I should have.

So did I, but you know how it is. :P
ysabetwordsmith

...

ysabetwordsmith

August 5 2011, 07:09:08 UTC 9 years ago

I didn't mean for people to overstretch their budgets. I am thrilled by how the fishbowl turned out, though.
the_vulture

Re: ...

the_vulture

August 5 2011, 17:12:20 UTC 9 years ago

Eh, one less pizza this month. No worries! :)
ysabetwordsmith

Re: ...

ysabetwordsmith

9 years ago

  • New comment
the_vulture

Re: ...

the_vulture

9 years ago

  • New comment
ysabetwordsmith

Yay!

ysabetwordsmith

9 years ago

  • New comment
the_vulture

Re: Yay!

the_vulture

9 years ago

  • New comment
ysabetwordsmith

Re: Yay!

ysabetwordsmith

9 years ago

  • New comment
the_vulture

Re: Yay!

the_vulture

9 years ago

  • New comment
ysabetwordsmith

Thank you!

ysabetwordsmith

August 5 2011, 07:27:07 UTC 9 years ago

The poem is posted. *grin* I'm a Campbell fan too. And I've been known to threaten to beat clumsy authors over the head with a copy of the Aarne-Thompson index.
the_vulture

Re: Thank you!

the_vulture

August 5 2011, 22:04:12 UTC 9 years ago

Folklorists tend to make the most enchanting stories. Tolkien is a good example. So is Neil Gaiman. Even George Lucas had a few moments of brilliance that he borrowed from Campbell.

And, of course, there's the grand-daddies of them all, the Brothers Grimm. :)
ysabetwordsmith

Re: Thank you!

ysabetwordsmith

August 5 2011, 22:12:49 UTC 9 years ago

>>Folklorists tend to make the most enchanting stories. <<

Agreed. To your list I'll add Hans Christian Anderson, Francis James Child, Charles deLint, and Terri Windling.

Also, my_partner_doug and I got to talking about that backchannel essay you sent me. I eventually realized that one reason I liked it was because it reminded me of C.S. Lewis.

The study of folklore is the study of raw materials. You get to learn about the archetypes and plot structures that make a story work. Once you know what the parts are and how to assemble them, you can build pretty much anything you want.
the_vulture

Re: Thank you!

the_vulture

9 years ago

  • New comment
ysabetwordsmith

Re: Thank you!

ysabetwordsmith

9 years ago

  • New comment
the_vulture

Re: Thank you!

the_vulture

9 years ago

  • New comment
ysabetwordsmith

Re: Thank you!

ysabetwordsmith

9 years ago

  • New comment
the_vulture

Re: Thank you!

the_vulture

9 years ago

  • New comment

Recent Posts from This Journal

  • Fieldhaven as Habitat

    If you follow my posts on gardening, birdfeeding, and photos, then you know that I garden for wildlife. Looking at the YardMap parameters, here…

  • A Little Slice of Terramagne: YardMap

    Sadly the main program is dormant, but the YardMap concept is awesome, and many of its informative articles remain. YardMap was a citizen science…

  • Winterfest in July Bingo Card 7-1-21

    Here is my card for the Winterfest in July Bingo fest. It runs from July 1-30. Celebrate all the holidays and traditions of winter! ( See all my…