SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

There is a quote that reads, “the only constant is change.” Such is the case here at A Muse Fuse. When I first began organizing the July Poem-A-Day Challenge, I had no plans to be out of town during the month. So, of course, that has changed. I will be unavailable from Friday, July 16th through Monday, July 19th. But to stay (albeit slightly) within the rather loose parameters of this alphabetical challenge, I have posted below all the poetry prompts for these four days. Choose one, choose two, choose all, choose none; whatever your schedule allows will be appreciated. I will see you back here, "live", on Tuesday, July 20th around 10:00 am with the prompt for Day #15. Have a good weekend, and be safe!

Day #14 - NOCTURNAL (for July 19, 2010)

Yesterday’s prompt brought us to the half-way mark in the Poem-A-Day Challenge. Yay for us! Only thirteen days left. We can do this!!

For Day #14’s prompt, we are given the word “nocturnal.” Many of nature’s beings are driven by the night. We have both dogs and cats in our household. The dogs sleep on their people’s schedule. Not so much the felines, which makes them an appropriate subject of my haiku for today’s prompt.

THE NATURE OF CATS

Nocturnal creatures
romp through their darkened playground.
At sunrise, they crash.

Day #13 - MOLTEN (for July 18, 2010)

Day #13 of the Poem-A-Day Challenge gives us the word: molten. Now, I know “molten” is most often associated with volcanoes, but anyone who knows me is aware of my need to forage for food. No surprise, then, at my poetic attempt for this prompt!

ODE TO THE MOLTEN CAKE

It sits there in its pristine form,
a chocolate lover’s dream.
But once the fork has broken through,
a lovely, chocolate stream
of rich and gooey fudge-like sauce
flows freely from inside.
Enjoy this molten lava cake,
where calories abide.

Day #12 - LOBE (for July 17, 2010)

At Day #12, we have the prompt: lobe. Not that many places to go with this, and one of Lynda’s more difficult word selections. But I was fascinated this week by a restaurant server who seemed to have little bits of jewelry coming out of every conceivable, visible place (and I didn’t want to think of the invisible places). Sometimes, I appear to be a grumpy, old lady … and sometimes I really AM a grumpy, old lady.

PIERCED PARTS

What is this fascination
with body mutilation
in places holes are not supposed to be?
The trend goes round the globe,
and not just in the lobe.
They’re piercing things we’re not supposed to see!

Day #11 - KIPPERS (for July 16, 2010)

I don’t profess to know how Lynda’s mind works. So I have no explanation (or any apology) for Day #11’s prompt:  kippers. All I can say is “have fun with it.” I tried to!

KIPPERS FOR BREAKFAST?

On a trip once to Merry Old England,
a big English breakfast I ate.
Boiled egg with strong tea,
but no kippers for me,
though the hot, crispy rashers were great!

Day #10 - JACK

The prompt for Day #10 is:  jack. At Dictionary.com, there are 30 definitions of this word, some of which I'd never heard of before. When choosing which one to use, I kept coming back to an idea that sparked the poem below. Perhaps a sense of nostalgia for days that were or should have been contributed to my effort for today.

JACK AND BOB AND TEDDY

Jack and Bob and Teddy,
a band of brothers three.
The eldest, Joe, died in the war,
to keep his country free.

And then, stood Bob and Teddy,
a band of brothers two.
A killer’s gun took Jack away
before his job was through.

And then alone stood Teddy,
the last remaining son.
His brother Bob fell victim
to another selfish gun.

And through his years remaining,
the youngest Kennedy
worked hard for silent voices,
to win them liberty.

Jack and Bob and Teddy,
a band of brothers three.
They strove throughout their lifetimes
to keep this country free.