dverse poetics – Susan Joy Clark

Creative Life, Poetry

Poetry in Motion

Like a ship’s maidenhead

reimagined

for a machine on wheels,

she is poised

for action,

knees bent like those

of a diver,

gracefully streamlined

in art nouveau design.

She is, seemingly,

a type of female Mercury,

a goddess of speed,

wings tilted upwards

as well as her chin,

holding forth a

wheel

as though the wind

will turn it.

Though frozen

and still

in sculpted metal,

she is full

of motion.

This poem was written for a dVerse Poetics challenge, where we were challenged to choose one of 12 minimalistic photos by Glenn A. Buttkus for poetic inspiration. Glenn is a poet who contributes to dVerse challenge and also has a site for his minimalistic photography.

Creative Life, Poetry

The Reluctant Adventurer

I would really like to travel,

And I would like to stay at home.

I would like to have adventures

But don’t want to do them alone.

I would like to go exploring,

But I don’t like getting lost.

I would risk a business venture,

But I am fearful of the cost.

I relate to Bilbo Baggins,

Reluctant adventurers we.

A little worried of troubles

That I can or can not foresee.

In spite of all these worries,

In fresh waters, I dip a toe,

While stretching my parameters

As far and wide as they will go.

Just as I was ready to post, I noticed this quote and image in my WordPress Reader feed from Elena of Short Wisdom. It seemed so appropriate. Check out Elena’s site for other quotes.

This poem was written for the dVerse Poetics challenge, with the requirement that it had to include the word “risk.”

Creative Life, Poetry

Conquering the Dragon(fruit)

Photo by Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash

who

would have

guessed that past

your unfriendly

exterior was

a sweet reward for those

who adventured? who was the

first to make the discovery?

bright and beautiful, your scaly hide

suits the fierce creature for whom you were named,

even the plant which yields you is prickly,

unwelcoming, dangling and serpent-like,

was it a wanderer sick from thirst

who was the first to conquer you?

who knew cactus could produce

a sweet fruit, gorgeous in

fuschia pink color,

with juices that

dye your skin,

purply

red?

This poem was written for the dVerse Poetics challenge. We were challenged to describe a fruit’s exterior and interior in a form of our choosing. I chose a double etheree. Dragonfruit (pitaya) seems to be getting trendy in the U.S., but I have only tried it recently. I bought some frozen cubes of the fruit to use in a fruit punch at Easter, and it did dye my hands with its juice. It seems it can also be white on the interior as well.

Creative Life, Poetry

Roads? Who Needs Them?

We will soar, and we will fly,

We will skateboard in the sky,

Land down and then soar again,

In a swift Delorean.

And to those stuck back in time,

We will recite in our rhyme,

As through air, we are flowing

Ha! “Roads? Where we are going

we don’t need roads.” So, we fly,

As we wave the past goodbye.

This was a fun assignment. Mish of dVerse asked us to write poetry that incorporated one of several famous movie quotes she picked out. Seeing a line from Back to the Future, I had to pick this one. 🙂