The Wordsmith's Forge

This poem came out of the February 4, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from chordatesrock and LJ user Siliconshaman. It also fills the "online dating / relationship" square in my 2-1-14 card for the cottoncandy_bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored out of the general fund, based on an audience poll. It belongs to the series An Army of One.

( Collapse )

This poem came out of the February 4, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by a prompt from rowyn.  It also fills the "picnic" square in my 2-1-14 card for the Cotton Candy Bingo fest.  This poem has been sponsored out of the general fund, based on an audience poll.  It belongs to the series Fiorenza the Wisewoman.

( Collapse )

This poem came out of the February 4, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by technoshaman.  It also fills the "public display of affection" square on my 1-31-14 card for the Origfic Bingo fest.  This poem was sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette.  It belongs to the series Walking the Beat.

( Collapse )

This is the general fund poll for the February 4, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl  You have $82 to spend.  Everyone is eligible to vote in this poll.  I will keep it open until at least Sunday night.  If there's a clear winner then, I'll close it.  Otherwise I may leave it open a while longer.

( Collapse )

This poem came out of the February 4, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by prompts from rix_scaedu and kelkyag.  It also fills the "childhood romance" square in my 1-31-14 card for the Origfic Bingo fest.  This poem has been sponsored by rix_scaedu.  It belongs to the series Monster House.  It's a sequel to "Not Mine," "Vigil Ante," and "The Girl He Brought Home."

( Collapse )

The following poems from the February 4, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl are currently available. Poems may be sponsored via PayPal -- there's a permanent donation button on my LiveJournal profile page -- or you can write to me and discuss other methods.

There are still some verses left in the linkback poem, "Spirit of Truth." You can reveal those by linking to this page.


"Always Like Itself" -- 44 lines, $20 (Tripping into the Future) SOLD
From a Dreamwidth prompt I got the free-verse poem "Always Like Itself," which belongs to the series Tripping into the Future.  Love is the one thing that not even entropy can touch.

"Aren't You Already There?" -- 59 lines, $20 (An Army of One) SOLD
Your prompt about difficult love inspired the free-verse poem "Aren't You Already There?"  It explores love and long-distance relationships in the Lacuna, and the challenges people face.

"As One of Your Countrymen" -- 113 lines, $56.50 (Clay of Life) SOLD
From the Clay of Life series comes the free-verse poem "As One of Your Countrymen."  It uses Hebrew vocabulary about love and charity to explore the relationship between Yossele the golem and Menachem the blacksmith, along with others they meet while traveling.

Menachem the blacksmith
took the Torah seriously.
He chatted with rabbis when he could,
and loved debating fine points of interpretation.

He recited sections of the Torah from memory,
and told stories from Jewish culture
along with others learned from people
in the countries through which he traveled.

"The Children Made Manifest" -- 42 original lines, $20 (Fledgling Grace) SOLD
A Dreamwidth prompt about God expanded into the free-verse poem "The Children Made Manifest."  It weaves together a bunch of Bible verses about love and faith, along with examples from the Fledgling Grace setting.

"Drawing Me Out" -- 81 lines, $40.50 (Polychrome Heroics)
The prompt about Damask inspired the free-verse poem "Drawing Me Out."  It's a single-person perspective (which is new for Damask) that shows Clement interacting with Dace.  Dace is being friendly and a little shy; Clement is being friendly and a LOT shy, leaping to some assumptions without really much evidence one way or another.

A late September rain chases people
into the undergraduate library,
damp students and faculty alike huddling
around the old radiators that clink like armor.

"Lawless, Winged, and Unconfined" -- 74 original lines, $37 (Fledgling Grace)
The strangers prompt inspired the poem "Lawless, Winged, and Unconfined."  Scott and the incubus share a connection that isn't a chain, which is new and a bit confusing, but they gradually get used to it.

There was nothing of coercion
in what lay between
Scott and the incubus,
yet there was still a force
that connected their souls.

"The Love of Brothers" -- 80 lines, $40 SOLD
A true love prompt inspired the free-verse poem "The Love of Brothers." It uses philia as a base, and it takes place in ancient Greece, featuring a queerplatonic relationship between Ariston and Sophus, two apprentices of Archimedes.  This is set in nether-Earth, but a lot earlier than The Steamsmith series.

Ariston and Sophos were apprentices
to the alchemist Archimedes.
Of all the young men in his service,
Ariston was the strongest
and Sophos was the smartest.

"Mismatchmakers" -- 30 lines, $15
From your second prompt I got "Mismatchmakers."  There are many goddesses of love, and some of them oversee trouble.  When they get together, it gets even worse.  This poem is written in unrhymed tercets.

"No-Good Lovers" -- 35 lines, $15 SOLD
Based on a backchannel prompt from Anthony Barrette, I got the free-verse poem "No-Good Lovers," which uses the extended metaphor of a toxic relationship to explore how people interact with money.

"A Picnic in the Hills" -- 27 lines, $15 (Fiorenza the Wisewoman) SOLD
The prompt about Fiorenza inspired the poem "A Picnic in the Hills."  Fiorenza and Giacinto go out and have a picnic while watching the local fairies.  This poem is written in unrhymed tercets.

"Pulling Pigtails" -- 83 lines, $41.50 (Polychrome Heroics)
Your supervillain prompts inspired the free-verse poem "Pulling Pigtails."  I also incorporated part of your nomenclature.  There are three sets of love/hate interests spanning junior high, high school, and college ages; and varying orientations.  People show affection in different ways, some more functional than others.

In junior high, hormones run hot and cold,
and there is no shortage of drama.

Bully Boy is husky this year,
not the slender waif he was in gradeschool,
and now he grows even bigger
when he beats up the weaker students.

"Pussy Willows and Tiger Lilies" -- 27 lines, $15 (Walking the Beat) SOLD
Your prompt about Dale and Kelly led to "Pussy Willows and Tiger Lilies."  This is a free-verse Valentine's Day poem with a light tone.

"Unexpected Affections" -- 41 lines, $20 (Monster House) SOLD
The prompt about Melinda and the bogeyman led to the free-verse poem "Unexpected Affections."  They're actually two points of a triad, the third being the son of the house.  This poem is about childhood romance and friendship.

"Unfamiliar Feelings" -- 84 lines, $42 (One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis)
A prompt about Shaeth led to the poem "Unfamiliar Feelings."  He feels love, but he doesn't understand it.  None of it really fits with his previous experiences, and he doesn't know what to do about that.

Shaeth is having heart trouble.
Specifically, it won't shut up
and leave him alone.

He feels something for Trobby,
but it's nothing like what
he once felt for Zargon.

Here is the second freebie for the February 4, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl. You have new prompter alexseanchai to thank for this, who also provided the inspiration for this poem. It fills the "body language" square in my 2-1-14 card for the cottoncandy_bingo fest and my 11-26-13 card in the origfic_bingo fest.

( Collapse )

This poem came out of the February 4, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by prompts from technoshaman, rix_scaedu, siliconshaman, janetmiles, aldersprig, and the_vulture.  It also fills the "platonic love" square in my 2-1-14 card for the Cotton Candy Bingo fest, and the "hypothermia" square in my 12-8-13 card for the Genprompt Bingo fest.  This poem belongs to the series Frankenstein's Family, which you can find via the Serial Poetry page.

This microfunded poem is being posted one verse at a time, as donations come in to cover them. The rate is $.50/line, so $5 will reveal 10 new lines, and so forth. There is a permanent donation button on my profile page, or you can contact me for other arrangements. You can also ask me about the number of lines per verse, if you want to fund a certain number of verses.
So far sponsors include: janetmiles, patina, lb_lee

WARNING: This poem is fluff-and-angst with some intense topics, and the warnings are spoilers; highlight to see them. Victor and Igor both have crummy relationship history, which complicates their current situation. Challenges include class issues, gender identity and sexual orientation issues, serious misunderstandings, poor communication, rejection, emotional whump, fear of abandonment, running away from home, hypothermia and frostbite, primitive medical treatment, and embarrassing makeup conversations. But their community has a clue, and they work through the problems.

FULLY FUNDED
360 lines, Buy It Now = $180
Amount donated = $145.50
Verses posted = 64 of 77
Amount remaining to fund fully = $34.50
Amount needed to fund next verse = $3.50
Amount needed to fund the verse after that = $2.50

( Collapse )

This poem was inspired by a prompt from alexseanchai. It also fills the "obedience" square in my 1-31-14 card for the origfic_bingo fest. It has been sponsored by LiveJournal user Baaing_tree. This poem belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics.

WARNING: Sensitive readers are advised to have kleenex ready. The following poem contains terrorist threats, violence, main character death, and emotional whump. If these are touchy topics for you, please think carefully before deciding whether to read onward.

( Collapse )

This is the freebie for today's Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by the "Love is..." comics for 2-3-14 and 2-4-14, prompted by my_partner_doug, and yes, this is a true story.  It also fills the "love letters" square in my 1-31-14 card for the Origfic Bingo fest.

When we first fell in love,
you sent me cards
and brought me chocolates,
and that was sweet.

Then when I spent a year
in various stages of move,
you sent me a love letter every day
just to let me know you were there for me
even though we couldn't be in same place.

This is how I knew that you loved me
not with the brief spark of paper hearts
but with the slow burn of oak.

Love isn't meant to be
a flash in the night,
but a hearth to warm your hands
for always and forever.

How do I love thee?
Let me count the days.