Thread: Prompts and word games chat

Originally Posted by Danvok
As the mighty sun, in the distance, crept
From its warm sunrise to a cold sunset

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That works doesn't it?

I incline to the belief that when he said, "we write a poem by each contributing an heroic couplet," he meant that each successive poster would add two lines to those preceding, and thereby build the poem in their own post.

Except that you got around it by going back to the original premise. That's not fair! And besides, 'stuff' and 'kids' don't really fit with the picture created in the first lines, of an earlier time when language was more correct.

Like your Dad used to say Ox, "Life isn't fair, live with it." Anyway, I did not go back, I stayed with. In my head the next couple of lines will be about what the weather was like and then another couple about the counting, to build up the idea. Also that was the picture you created from what I wrote, I was actually thinking of the Walrus and the Carpenter, they are from an earlier time admittedly, but the reason I was with them was because The heroic couplet might work quite well for comic or nonsense verse of a certain type. So stop getting all "Chuckie bum" about it, as a certain Ms. Sommers might put it, and give us a couplet to work with.

Was a, farmer. took a. These don't sound like iambs to me, I think they are the reverse, with the heavy stress on the first syllable. That is a trochee.

Told you I can't write poetry.

It's entirely possible that stresses vary by country, I forgot about that. Just as sounds vary, like how the English pronounce saw the same way we pronounce dinosaur. Reminds me of how when French people or when any other-language people learn English, their stresses are all in funny places.

Very kind of you, KLM, to talk of regional stresses, but the fault is mine. I just tweaked two lines from the old song "Sweet Violets." Or, as it was sung, Sweet Viii-oh-lets. Of course, there's also a parody version, but this is a family forum.

Told you I can't be bothered to write poetry.

You left a bit out, It is like you tell people writing fiction, if you want to do it you have to read it. Now, only guessing, but my feeling is that you are not much of a hearts and flowers man, so go and read some Kipling for a starter, he wrote loads of it.

Look mate, I’ll need to put a boy on, just to keep up. I’ve got a lame duck here, two actually, now I think about it, I’m doing private crits for budding novelists, I’m trying to get a long short knocked into shape - which hasn’t been looked at for two days - there's unread library books overdue, and you’re suggesting I Kipple as well. You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din.

Oh well "East is east and west is west" but "If" ...

I posted in the Bard's bistro and then thought this board deserves it's own chat thread, so here we are.

The limerick thread is flying a bit at the moment, great fun to read through as well as participate. Baron has pointed out to me that it might be to our advantage to bring our comments here, in the bard's bistro, and looking through I think he is right, they tend to interrupt the flow, even when people are considerate enough to put them between limericks.

One thing that keeps cropping up is the rhythm and meter of the first couplet, people make the "don't be so uptight" sort of comment when others protest at errors. My personal take is that part of the purpose of challenges to get us to stretch our minds a little, and if you can't be bothered why bother spoiling the other four lines?
Anyway poets are supposed to be intense sort of people who get into things thoroughly.
What should be do is a different fish to fry (I love mixing metaphors).l liked Chester'sDaughter's "Beary love" and a suggested alternative, but it is the sort of thing that requires tact and care, and not all poets have these qualities.

I don't know why people keep writing about poets on this forum as though they're some separate species. Writing poetry is something you do. "Poet" describes something that someone does, not what they are.

Maybe we could 'earn' a point each time we do the line correctly, then when the member reaches a set number of points, a limerick star is awarded ( or some such thing ). Of course, that requires someone to be in charge of what is correct. Hmmmm, maybe not such a good idea.

Okay, here's another idea. A Limerick Contest, along the lines of the Poetry Challenge Contest. It could be on a weekly or monthly schedule, depending on interest. It would probably move much faster than the poetry contest, as limericks are shorter. They could be judged by members voting on which one adhered to the limerick rules as well as cleverness etc. This could help us all sharpen our limerick skills, along with just doing our original group limericks.