Exquisite Corpse V.2

An Exquisite Corpse is a poetry game that was created by French Surrealist poets in the 1930s. In the standard game, each participant writes a sentence and a poem is created with one participant (the keeper of the sentences, so to speak) showing everyone the poem on which they've collaborated after all the sentences are submitted. So yes todski reinvented the wheel with the Frankenpoem and it was damned smart of him to do it!

I'd like to do a twist on the Exquisite Corpse and here is my idea. We need at least five participants (but more is better). Each participant posts, in this thread, five each of nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs and three exclamations (which could be words or sounds). Verbs should be posted in the infinitive form (for example, to go, to swim, to desire). So if you are in, you'll post a list like this:

nouns: steeple, meadow, thigh, sunset, wave
verbs: to fly, to whisper, to steal, to pray, to tremble
adjectives: long, sour, distant, delicate, ancient
adverbs: furiously, stupidly, sneakily, very, quite
exclamations: Oh, Bam, Damnit

These are just examples. Be as creative as you want!

Now, once we have five participants we commence to writing. For each line of your poem, you choose a noun from one person, a verb from another, an adjective from another and so on. You don't have to use every category of word in every line (you may not want to use an adverb or an exclamation in every line or even at all, for example), but the words you choose can not be from your own list! You are free to put the verbs in whatever form you like and you can add your choice of articles and prepositions. But that's it! All the big "meaning" words come from others' lists. Thus your poem is collaborative but still your own.

So whaddaya think? Are you in? Got questions? Ask them. And if you are ready to start, post your list. Once we have at least five poets' lists we can start writing the poems.

nouns: ox-bow, thunderhead, cormorant, reed, gravel

verbs: to hop, to dance, to laugh, to spit, to crumble

adjectives: gritty, seething, crepuscular, dangerous, marine

adverbs: suggestively, brightly, warily, almost, recalcitrant

exclamations: (why are these so hard? ) eek, wow, bravo



how sad is it that most the exclamations i could think of were expletives and religion-based? *shamefaced*

Lost already, that didn't take long

nouns: attic, cloud, she, terror, sidewalk
verbs: to wish, to cry, to demand, to repeat, to grumble
adjectives: blue, frozen, absent, steamy, elegant
adverbs: candidly, after, so, specifically, recklessly
exclamations: whoosh, ok, fuck


butters, read my exclamations and know you are not alone

Harry I think it'll make more sense as more lists are posted. I hope...

HarryHill said:

Lost already, that didn't take long

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depending on how many join in, harry, will determine how many lines your poem will have.

if 5 people join in, you included, that means you get to write a 4-line poem using a noun, a verb, an adjective, an adverb and an exclamation in each line, choosing one from any of the other poets (not your own) - BUT you don't need to use every category in every line. you might drop a few, and add your own extra bits. i think.

if 10 people join in, including yourself, then you get to write a 9-liner.

kind of like 'found poetry'

butters said:

depending on how many join in, harry, will determine how many lines your poem will have.

if 5 people join in, you included, that means you get to write a 4-line poem using a noun, a verb, an adjective, an adverb and an exclamation in each line, choosing one from any of the other poets (not your own) - BUT you don't need to use every category in every line. you might drop a few, and add your own extra bits. i think.

if 10 people join in, including yourself, then you get to write a 9-liner.

kind of like 'found poetry'

Click to expand...

Yup. You got it.

I'm thinking though if we want longer poems we can go back and used a second or third, etc., from each list to make longer poems but I do, as you know, break rules even as I write them.

Angeline said:

Yup. You got it.

I'm thinking though if we want longer poems we can go back and used a second or third, etc., from each list to make longer poems but I do, as you know, break rules even as I write them.

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i think it might be kind of hard with 4 line, let alone 9!

damn, just used an exclamation... oh, it's on me own list so that doesn't count.

butters said:

i think it might be kind of hard with 4 line, let alone 9!

damn, just used an exclamation... oh, it's on me own list so that doesn't count.

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I think the way to make it work is to just write a line at a time and not over worry about imposing meaning on it because the structure will dictate the lines. It is an exercise in surreal poetry. I'm hoping it has a liberating effect on my lines but we'll see.

Alrighty, then...

I started to read through the posts, but figured I would make a list and let the chips fall where they may (as it were).

nouns: fuck, dance, shirt, shipwreck, mosquito

verbs: to fuck, to lie, to prepare, to iron, to dance

adjectives: sweet, sweaty, meaty, rough, crisp

adverbs: drearily, noisily, hungrily, again, now

exclamations: Pow, But, Fuck

So, there we go...

Remec said:

I started to read through the posts, but figured I would make a list and let the chips fall where they may (as it were).

nouns: fuck, dance, shirt, shipwreck, mosquito

verbs: to fuck, to lie, to prepare, to iron, to dance

adjectives: sweet, sweaty, meaty, rough, crisp

adverbs: drearily, noisily, hungrily, again, now

exclamations: Pow, But, Fuck

So, there we go...

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Angeline? Angeline??? *hand up*

remec said butfuck . . . does that count as one or two exclamations, miss?

butters said:

Angeline? Angeline??? *hand up*

remec said butfuck . . . does that count as one or two exclamations, miss?

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Depends on the punctuation (Although, I guess, depending on the spelling and usage, that'd have to be moved to noun or verb category. )

butters said:

Angeline? Angeline??? *hand up*

remec said butfuck . . . does that count as one or two exclamations, miss?

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I'm always willing to go with creativity although one would get points off for misspelling.

nouns: portico, south, Illinois, face, fingers
verbs: to move, to hold, to lust, to love, to eat
adjectives: perspiring, impatient, pensive, delirious, quiet
adverbs: deeply, immensely, divergent, inexplicable, gregarious
exclamations: My God!, Ha!, Yes!
..
dunno, official ruling?

harry - ya need another verb

Also I think some of the words on your adverb list are actually adjectives. There's a good adverb list here.

HarryHill said:

nouns: portico, south, Illinois, face, fingers
verbs: to move, to hold, to lust, to love, to eat
adjectives: perspiring, impatient, pensive, delirious, quiet
adverbs: deeply, immensely, divergent, inexplicable, gregarious
exclamations: My God!, Ha!, Yes!
..
dunno, official ruling?

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better??

HarryHill said:

better??

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Great. I'm already picking words lol. We need one more victi....er....participant and we can write!

I'm in

inasmuch as some of mine on the weekly challenge have been perhaps poor imitations thereof.

Besides, it will give me a chance to read more about Surrealism in poetry.

nouns: syrup, cheese, ice cream, cider, grizzle
verbs: to weren't, to cannonball, to defer, to forgive, to conjure
adjectives: dour, lower, pompadoured, worried, sour
adverbs: always, how, much, nearly, barely
exclamations: Jehovah, Jeesum Crow*, Merde!


*mild New England expletive in lieu of Jesus Christ! Blame it on the Puritans.

greenmountaineer said:

inasmuch as some of mine on the weekly challenge have been perhaps poor imitations thereof.

Besides, it will give me a chance to read more about Surrealism in poetry.

nouns: syrup, cheese, ice cream, cider, grizzle
verbs: to weren't, to cannonball, to defer, to forgive, to conjure
adjectives: dour, lower, pompadoured, worried, sour
adverbs: always, how, much, nearly, barely
exclamations: Jehovah, Jeesum Crow*, Merde!


*mild New England expletive in lieu of Jesus Christ! Blame it on the Puritans.

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Excellent!

I've heard a few Mainers use Jeezum Crow!

That sweaty thunderhead conjures perspiring hasty syrup
and now spits worried in a dour impatient dance, bumpy
and defiantly as if to laugh, to shiver rock to gravel. Merde!
Jeesum Crow! Inexplicable fingers scratch, lust almost
to the portico barely dancing, dirty and fucking delirious.

Long time since I was a school to remember which is which!

Nouns; Labia, Catalogue, Glass, Pill, Carnation
Verbs: To smoke, to scratch, to fondle, to rock, to shiver
Adjectives: shiny, bumpy, dirty, portly, hasty
Adverbs: defiantly, differently, upwardly, weakly, sexily
Exclamations: Bugger, Yippee, Ooops

Remec said:

Depends on the punctuation (Although, I guess, depending on the spelling and usage, that'd have to be moved to noun or verb category. )

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Butt is noun
Fuck is verb
Buttfuck is verb
But he's said to put in exclamations " But, Fuck " ?!

Shipwrecked and just the three of them
what was there to do but fuck noisily,
hungry, barely human anymore?
Lower, lower she cried, impatient
for that delirious dance. Yes! My God!

I'm in like Flynn.
(don't know who Flynn is or how I'm like her/him, but it is what it is...)

nouns: garden, puppy, whore, dust, stiletto
verbs: to kneel, to hear, to jump, to ask, to deny
adjectives: cold, inadequate, triumphant, voracious, sweet
adverbs: nicely, anxiously, humorously, nearly, noisily
exclamations: Cripes! Snap! Shit!

A reed can bend in the wind
and with its touch cries
a wail from the wind's crisp
flail as it blows divergent
windrows defiantly screaming
Merde! It's cold today!