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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

By Chance or Appointment - 5. First Fall Whimsies

I didn't exactly mean to write these. They kind of wrote themselves while I was distracted with other things. It just goes to show that my mind refuses to be wholly consumed by the practical. If you find any errors herein, know that they are entirely my own.

 

Dactyls are

dizzy because of their

emphasis on the first syllable

lending one’s poetry lyrical levity,

almost like waltzing with words spinning

shamelessly, drunk with their

jubilee.

 

+

 

I’m impressed

with the suave anapest

which must wait for the last to be stressed

so the reader’s repleteness suspended is threst

to the end of the triplet expressed

and with prominence blessed

we may rest.

 

~~~

 

I’ll sneak in

while no one is looking,

as the music throbs and the wine flows

and pretend that I’ve been standing there all along

listening to the conversation,

intently hanging on

every word.



If you took a moment to read these, thank you. I'm grateful you did. Anyone wondering about the word "threst" will eventually find that Chaucer used it to mean "thrust." Not that anyone uses it that way today, but it came in mighty handy in this instance.
Copyright © 2022 Parker Owens; All Rights Reserved.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
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If I happen to let the term "textbook" slip here, please don't misunderstand. For if I said that, I'd mean these should be printed in every textbook on poetics to ever come! Lovely, well-done illustrations to help students young and old (like me) keep things straight. 

Bravo! 

Edited by AC Benus
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Dactyls made me chuckle. I'll never look at them the same. I don't know if it was your intent, but the last one made me a bit sad. If we choose to be invisible, are we? There have been times I didn't feel part of the room... that I wasn't appreciated when I took part. I guess loneliness is universal... it can happen anywhere... and I felt loneliness in this one.   

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1 hour ago, AC Benus said:

If I happen to let the term "textbook" slip here, please don't misunderstand. For if I said that, I'd mean these should be printed in every textbook on poetics to ever come! Lovely, well-done illustrations to help students young and old (like me) keep things straight. 

Bravo! 

Thank you so much for such kind words. Dactyls and Anapests were written in response to a student’s complaint that Skyscrapers had no easy rhythm.  That was like waving the proverbial red cloth in front of a bull. I only hope my student thinks these make their points as you did. Thanks again! 

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9 minutes ago, Headstall said:

Dactyls made me chuckle. I'll never look at them the same. I don't know if it was your intent, but the last one made me a bit sad. If we choose to be invisible, are we? There have been times I didn't feel part of the room... that I wasn't appreciated when I took part. I guess loneliness is universal... it can happen anywhere... and I felt loneliness in this one.   

I’m happy you got a chuckle out of Dactyls. It was fun to compose that one while supervising a study hall. You’re quite right about the last poem, too. There’s a lot of loneliness going around, even as restrictions ease and borders reopen. Thanks so much for reading and for sharing your thoughts. 

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18 minutes ago, Parker Owens said:

Thank you so much for such kind words. Dactyls and Anapests were written in response to a student’s complaint that Skyscrapers had no easy rhythm.  That was like waving the proverbial red cloth in front of a bull. I only hope my student thinks these make their points as you did. Thanks again! 

Wow, how flattering to think you are teaching my humble poetry form to your students. Muah

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I'm in awe when this happens when you didn't exactly mean to write these, and you're distracted with other things.

I love ... lending one’s poetry lyrical levity.

 

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23 minutes ago, Aditus said:

I'm in awe when this happens when you didn't exactly mean to write these, and you're distracted with other things.

I love ... lending one’s poetry lyrical levity.

 

Same :yes:  I enjoyed all of these.  

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5 hours ago, Aditus said:

I'm in awe when this happens when you didn't exactly mean to write these, and you're distracted with other things.

I love ... lending one’s poetry lyrical levity.

 

Sometimes, I think my best thinking happens when I'm distracted. As long as I'm not driving. Thanks very much for reading, and for your encouraging thoughts.

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Entertaining and educational!  Teaching by example with both a lightness in the first 2 stanzas and insight into the discomfort one might feel as present but not part of a group.  That especially resonated with me!

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1 hour ago, pvtguy said:

Entertaining and educational!  Teaching by example with both a lightness in the first 2 stanzas and insight into the discomfort one might feel as present but not part of a group.  That especially resonated with me!

The last of these is a common enough feeling for me; if you also share it, then I can be glad in not being alone. Thank you for reading these, and for your comments! 

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