Wordle 65: The Dragon and the Unicorn

Here is my response to The Sunday Whirl’s Wordle 65 using these words:  flicks, swells, spray, grittle, gravity, plant, trigger, relishes, chain, crack, humility, refrain, and claim

The Dragon and the Unicorn

The unicorn flicks

her tail with a crack as she stands

trapped and chained

at the cliff's edge.

How could she have been caught?

An iridescent purple dragon

soaring overhead swoops down

onto the cliff as the force of

gravity sprays grittle into 

the surrounding plants.

With the greatest humility

the unicorn asks for help.

The dragon's anger now triggered

rises like swells in the ocean as

she ponders the cruelty of

capturing a magnificent unicorn.

Humans claim all sorts of reasons

for their abuse of other creatures

chanting the old refrain of

dominion over all, but the dragon

relishes the chance to foil their plans.

She quickly breaks the chains

binding the unicorn, and together

they forsake that barren cliff.

Wordle 63: The Crow and the Cat

Here is my response to The Sunday Whirl’s Wordle 63 using these words: gesture, other, stand, act, hanging, touch, lips, thin, sent, snapshots, skin, and utter.

The Crow and the Cat

A crow stands

on the birdbath’s thin rim 

wings glistening in the sun

a piece of bread

hanging from its beak

as a sleek cat watches

from the window

uttering his thin ack acks,

with face pressed

against the glass leaving

prints where his lips touch.

Feathers and fur covering skins

taut with suspense as

each watches the other,

with gestures of utter disdain

sent back and forth,

snapshots of an age old conflict

acted out of instinct

Wordle 57: Crocuses and Grief

Crocuses bloom

along with flowers

of all colors

and various vegetables

including rose hips, 

marrows and carrots

just outside the window

and the clatter of raindrops

on the roof resounding louder

than the clapping 

of many hands drowns out

the secret stillness

of massive grief.

I had problems with these words but here's what I got.  If you want to join in, check out The Sunday Whirl for this week's wordle.  The twelve words are: secret, colors, window, massive, grief, hips, clatter, marrow, hand, flower, stillness, and crocuses.

Wordle 55: The Quilt

The Quilt

Emerging from

the chance arrangement

of various prints

vibrating in contrasting

designs aligned

in a clear pattern

of cobalt and magenta

tracing from dot to dot

a wink not a hook,

pure joy and never

a grind.

This is my attempt at The Sunday Whirl, using the words cobalt, align, hook, vibrate, print, grind, contrast, emerging, chance, clear, dot and wink.

Wordle 54: Ensorcelled Swans

Ensorcelled Swans

A flock of swans

beating their wings

over the sea towards land

not wanting to squander

a single moment

of their time as swans

before  the intractable

sorcerer renews the spell

follows a mountain lane 

which can accommodate them

in either of their forms,

an alleyway between cliffs,

spotting with their green eyes

the pewter waters of a placid lake

where they will spend the day

until they have to transform back

into their human forms.

Ok, I am watching Swan Lake.  Can you tell? I turned it upside down with swans having to take human form for part of each day instead of humans transformed into swans, but I figure Tchaikovsky will forgive me, I hope.  This is written for The Sunday Whirl's Wordle 54 and the twelve words to use are: green, squander, sea, accomodate, intractable, pewter, follow, lane, beating, alley, flocks, and eyes.

Wordle 53: A Dragon Ride

In honor of the first year’s anniversary of the Sunday Whirl, today’s words were submitted by the blogs readers (including me! Can you guess which word was mine?).  The words are tricky for sure to combine, and I had a very hard time of it.  The words are: aches, exquisite, abstract, shelved, ferment, dragon, coda, shimmy, origami, spangling, ethereal, and cacophony.   Here is my effort:

An origami dragon

shelved and forgotten

an abstract representation

only a coda of a bygone era

until a young girl 

carrying aches beyond

her years and escaping

a cacophonous party

filled with fermented beverages

came over to admire the dragon.

At once the dragon began to shimmy,

scales replacing

the artificial spangling

as the dragon, with ethereal 

purple wings taking shape

in all her exquisite splendor

offered to whisk the girl

out of the sordid atmosphere

for a ride up into

the skies above.

Wordle 52: The Dragon and Her Rider

This is Wordle 52 from The Sunday Whirl and this week’s words are: sweet, richer, dramatic, forceful, tricks, flames, energy, push, glance, exchange, breath, flexible, and blend.

The Dragon and Her Rider

The dragon gave 

her rider a forceful push

as if to say let’s fly.

The sky was clear

the breeze sweet

the young dragon

full of energy and tricks

curved her flexible neck

and exchanged a glance

with her rider.

Airborne they became

a dramatic blend of magic

as the dragon’s richer breath

filled with flames.

Wordle 51: A Mother's Warning

The is Wordle 51 from The Sunday Whirl and the twelve words I must use are: destiny, dusk, staggering, buried, mate, marrow, addiction, songs, blood, story, sorrows, and broken.

A Mother’s Warning

The mother began

her story filled with sorrows

just after dusk.

Her children listened

avidly as she told

of her now buried 

loving mate

who returned home

staggering, broken

covered in blood

only to die at her feet.

Songs will be written

of your father’s addiction

as a warning to others,

his destiny unfulfilled

because of his hunger

for marrows which brought

him up against

the farmer’s trap.

Be warned, young rabbits!

I tried to put a lighter spin on these dark words.  Major nods to Beatrix Potter for my story line!

Wordle 50: Sir Thackeray

Here is my contribution to The Sunday Whirl’s Wordle 50 challenge.  Today’s words are: pet, string, wish, point, trick, shine, paw, smell, pack, shape, taste, and whisper

Sir Thackeray

Sir Thackeray knows he rules the pack

and pointing his paw at random shapes

he conjures up trick after trick,

before he plays with the string

left discarded on the floor

or tastes his food when no one looks,

wishing for another flavor to smell and savor.

He grooms himself until his fur shines,

and then whispers in the dog’s ear

making the dog leap and run.

Thackeray is no pet, but a free spirit

whom I am lucky to have for a friend.

Wordle 49: The Quilter

And the words for this week's Wordle are (drum roll please): craft, joy, supple, alchemist, gauge, juices, tender, acid, acumen, sprinkled, and sweep.  I found the words difficult, but then I got the idea of writing about what I do and using the alchemist as a metaphor and I hope it works.

The Quilter 

She sat at her sewing machine

piecing fabric and as an alchemist

would measure and sprinkle

acids over various metals

so she mixed colors and patterns

her acumen helping her gauge

just the right combinations

that would bring a tender smile

from those who saw her craft.

She moved the fabric easily

under the needle of her machine

with a suppleness which belied her age,

her creative juices flowing easily 

as the joy of her art swept through her.

Wordle 44

Restless and unable to sleep

I wander through the house,

clutching a smudgy and scorched

piece of paper, with faint words

I know too well.

Heading out into the woods,

I go where I have gone 

so many times before.

A train whistle echoes in the distance

as I climb the path.

Suddenly losing my balance 

I slide downwards

through bizarre shadowy places

filled with ghosts.

I grab branches as if they were straps

and haul myself upright.

I am covered in sores and

mud seeps in everywhere.

I hear a loud buzzing sound--my alarm! 

Awakening, I realize it was all a dream.

I am safe, nestled in my bed.


This poem uses this week's Baker's Dozen words (smudgy, nestled, ghosts, shadowy, straps, bizarre, whistle, know, balance, restless, seeps, sores, scorched) for Wordle 44 from The Sunday Whirl.

Wordle 41

earth born in flames
anguished shocks subside 
serenity arrives as if
through a permeable membrane
many feet crunch
across frozen fields
startling birds
a fresh beginning

Process: I recently discovered a wonderful site The Sunday Whirl where 12 words are given each week in what is termed a wordle and the trick is to write a poem using the words.  I missed several weeks but I have now subscribed to the site so I won't miss any prompts and hopefully I will now write one each week. This is my second attempt at this and it was fun.  I'm not sure what I have here, but here it is nonetheless.

The words for the week are: born, feet earth, flame, anguish, shocks, field, fresh, frozen, serenity, startles, and permeable

Wordle 37

An Expected Loss

A shovel-shaped cloud

drifts across the sky

as friends stop by.

An expected loss 

brings them together

but even though expected,

the loss brings pain

and reminiscing.

Letters are exchanged,

friendships strengthened.

As the day winds down

plum sweaters are

knitted from the yarn

left by the loved one,

each stitch an act of love.

Process: I just found out about this wonderful site The Sunday Whirl where 12 words are given in what is termed a wordle and the trick is to write a poem using the words.  I wrote this on Sunday when I was thinking about the new year and losses as well as pluses.  This is my first attempt at this but it was fun.  I've sifted it and rethought it and now even though it still feels a bit unpolished, I'm putting it up.  

The words for the week are: drift, plum expected loss sweaters yarn stop friends letters stitches, wind, and shovel.