The Wordsmith's Forge

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
How to Prevent School Shootings
Today's Adventures
Poem: "Surviving Difficult Times"
Handywork
Emotional Intimacy Question: 12 to Dinner
Read "New Future" by Dialecticdreamer
Good News


The half-price sale in Shiv nearly sold out. Watch for new poems to appear as I have time to post them.


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Poetry in Microfunding:
"Always Repay the Cost" belongs to the Antimatter & Stalwart Stan and Dr. Infanta threads of Polychrome Heroics.  It has 50 new verses.  Dr. Infanta explains the options and costs for healing Fiddlesticks to his friends.  He has awesome friends.

"Time to See What I Can Do" belongs to the Shiv thread of Polychrome Heroics.  Luci decides to work on her pirate queen costume at Blues Moon.


The weather has been intermittently rainy, and sometimes warmer.  At the moment it's sunny out.  Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a flock of sparrows, a flock of mourning doves, a pair of cardinals, and some dark-eyed juncoes.  Leafing out: snowdrops, crocus, blue grape hyacinths, tulips, daffodils.  In bloom: snowdrops, maple.  Buds are swelling on the lilacs and just starting to show a bit of green.

This is another package deal, three small bars per pack, each of them 1.75 oz and 280 calories.  They're milk chocolate, smooth and creamy, not too sweet, with a little bit of a smoky note.  They have 33% cocoa solids and 18% milk solids.  Nothing spectacular, but a nice choice if you want a small snacking bar. 

It lacks the enzyme that turns yellow pigment red, giving cardinals their scarlet plumage.  The article doesn't say whether this mutation can be passed on or only affects the individual.

This poem came out of the January 2018 Crowdfunding Creative Jam.  It was inspired by prompts from DW users Alexseanchai and Mdlbear.  It fills the "lights" square in my 7-1-17 card for the Winter Fest in July Bingo.  This is the perk poem for the February 6, 2018 Poetry Fishbowl, originally hosted by Dialecticdreamer.  It belongs to the unicorn series.




Unicorns are invisible
to ordinary sight, perceptible
only through mystical awareness --
in this numinous light they appear
in impossible shades of yellow.

They cannot be hunted;
to the hard of heart, they
simply fade from view.

Even the wolves cannot see them.

Wizards have studied the unicorns
and learned how to slip between
the fields of vision into the invisible.

It makes them harder to find,
harder to hurt, and in gratitude
they protect the unicorns who
graze beneath their towers.

But there is one predator that
even unicorns and wizards fear.

When the dragon shrimp rises
from the sea, its terrible eyes
defeat all forms of camouflage.

Its limbs lash out to stab and smash
whatever prey may come within reach.
Deadly balls of light and devastating thunder
emmanate from between its mighty claws.

The only warning of the dragon shrimp
is the flickering lights under the water,
so unicorns and wizards alike learn
to avoid such dangerous places.

Behind them, the mapmakers write,
Here there be dragon shrimp.

* * *

Notes:

Mantis shrimp have devastating natural attacks and surprisingly diverse eyesight.

Wolf vision is quite different from human vision.

The following poems from the February 6, 2018 Poetry Fishbowl are currently available. Poems may be sponsored via PayPal -- there's a permanent donation button on my Dreamwidth profile page -- or you can write to me and discuss other methods.
There are still verses left in the linkback poems "Lead Us in Peace," "We Will Fade into You," "The Open Gyre," "Growing Green, Growing Gold," "Mysterious and Impermanent," and "The Attack of the Dragon Shrimp." Linking to this page will reveal new verses in whichever linkback poem you request.


"The Gossamer Threads of Trust"
A quiet outing for Pips and Joshua gives them a chance to deepen their relationship and talk about the challenges of running a suddenly expanded household. Then one of the town bullies assaults Pips, and Joshua deals with the aftermath. This is hardcore hurt/comfort with a focus on competence, loyalty, and trust.
681 lines, Buy It Now = $341

Joshua and Pips strolled along
the Mercedes Rail path, having
left the car at one of the parking lots
for bicycles and road vehicles that
were scattered along the route.

"L’amore è Cieco."
This inspired the free-verse poem "L’amore è Cieco." Fiorenza and her father Giordano travel to Faggiola to see how Timoteo is doing.
131 lines, Buy It Now = $66

When Fiorenza planned
a visit to Faggiola, she invited
her father Giordano to come.

"We can visit Giacinto and
see how Timoteo is doing,"
she suggested, and he agreed.

"Like a Road Through Mountains"
This contributed to the free-verse poem "Like a Road Through Mountains." Damask talk about their experiences in sex and romance.
152 lines, Buy It Now = $76

It's hard enough get a grip
on all this sex/gender stuff
when there's only one of you.

When you share a body
with five other people,
each with different tastes,
it's a whole lot harder.

"A Pattern of Devotion"
This inspired the free-verse poem "A Pattern of Devotion." Hefty and Fiddlesticks have one kind of relationship, Roger and Diamond have another, but they're all connected.
178 lines, Buy It Now = $89

Hefty and Fiddlesticks
cruised slowly along
the streets of Omaha.

They chatted about
the current case --
a car theft ring that
might be connected
with Rabid City -- and
about their families.

"The Shapes of Trees, the Movement of Rivers"
This contributed to the free-verse poem "The Shapes of Trees, the Movement of Rivers." Several neurovariant folks team up to bring down a bad therapist.
159 lines, Buy It Now = $80

Blocks liked SplatChat because
it let him interact with people
who thought the way he did.

There was Persia, a budding activist
with interests in gender diversity
and mental health rights.

"Where You Begin to Learn New Things"
Your prompt about Riley inspired the free-verse poem "Where You Begin to Learn New Things." The second appointment of the day introduces Riley to a sex/gender doctor who proves very helpful.
1368 lines, Buy It Now = $684

Riley was still moderately relaxed
when they pulled into the parking lot
of the Triquetra Trauma Center.

Behind a plaza dotted with young trees,
one wing of the building was mostly glass
and the other a smooth facade of brown stone.

"Without Having to Speak"
This contributed to the free-verse poem "Without Having to Speak," a sequel to "Small Beautiful Bones." Cuoio's new Family wants to know how his team is doing after the incident.
527 lines, Buy It Now = $264

To Cuoio's surprise, his new classes
were more pleasure than punishment.

The etiquette class was fascinating, and
he quickly discovered why the Marionettes
outclassed most of the other Families --
they really thought about how manners
helped people fit together better.