TABOO: writing challenge

[daughter]

Folks:

Know the game Taboo? It's where you try to describe something without using prohibited words. Here's a writing challenge based on the game.

Write a love/erotic poem without these words. Minimum 5 lines no more than 14.

TABOO:

LOVE
SOULMATE
SPIRIT
KISS
FOREVER

Post your submissions in this thread. If folks like the challenge, we'll have a vote for the top 3. I'll throw in a prize to be announced.

Come on poets. Show us how mighty you are with your pen.

Peace,

daughter

 

[P. B. Walker]

Not Returned

Oh how I want to hate thee
Always you have to torture me
You bitch, you slut, you whore
Again, I come back for more

Your touch, your smell, your essence
Anywhere, I crumble in your presence
Of you, I am so fond
Someday, we will bond



- PBW
(I got a wild hair up my ass to write a poem suddenly. <shrug>

 

[Unmasked Poet]

Not hard enough

 

[daughter]

Patience UP

I have a sequel in mind. Chill. LOL

Peace,

daughter

 

[JennyOmanHill]

A Simple Try

Folks:
Write a love/erotic poem without these words. Minimum 5 lines no more than 14.
TABOO:
LOVE
SOULMATE
SPIRIT
KISS
FOREVER
Peace,
daughter

Fingers lightly touch my skin
Your breath against my ear.
I feel you close behind me
So tender, warm and near.

Feel you nuzzling on my neck.
So comfortably it seems.
Your hands now wrapped around me.
The answer to my dreams.

(A very simple one!)

 

[TheDR4KE]

submission

Images of Life

How does the world define itself?
How do we carry on through pain?
Can words describe hope's deepest well?
Or do we struggle, write, in vain?

A piece of parchment, ink, a quill.
I close my eyes and take a breath.
Your scent is in my bedroom still,
But every line becomes truth's death.

No poet's wordy sentiment
Can fully capture reason,
As well as images of life:
A drake, a duck, the season.

 

[REDWAVE]

My effort

The cage of our flesh melted away
And we stepped forth truly naked, pure radiant
energy butterflies
We delicately touched antennae
Then wrapped each other inside our wings
Colors swarmed overhead in the opera light
All around us, the bombs were imploding
For a brief instant I felt I truly belonged upon
this planet
We lay there tightly, enfolded in that embrace
Until the cage of our flesh congealed again

--December 18, 1998

 

[TheDR4KE]

Re: My effort

The cage of our flesh melted away
And we stepped forth truly naked, pure radiant
energy butterflies
We delicately touched antennae
Then wrapped each other inside our wings
Colors swarmed overhead in the opera light
All around us, the bombs were imploding
For a brief instant I felt I truly belonged upon
this planet
We lay there tightly, enfolded in that embrace
Until the cage of our flesh congealed again

--December 18, 1998

You know, I really don't think that the word "antennae" is used anywhere near enough in poetry. Thanks RW for doing your bit. ;-) And thanks also for not using the word cocoon in there. I think I had started to cringe in expectation of it when I read "butterflies" and then breathed this big sigh of relief when I got to the end the first time I read through it

Drake

 

[*ladylove*]

lips, soft but firm
joining of bodies
in the ebony night,
I feel your touch
electric through my body
straight to my heart
pierced by cupid himself
may the morning's sunlight
never dance through our window
to interrupt entwined souls.

 

[daughter]

second round of taboo words

lips, soft but firm
joining of bodies
in the ebony night,
I feel your touch
electric through my body
straight to my heart
pierced by cupid himself
may the morning's sunlight
never dance through our window
to interrupt entwined souls.

Lady, thanks for participating. When I read your selection I had to check the taboo words a few times. You're pushing the envelope with 'souls'.

I have a confession to make. The exercise was to get poets to move away from well-worn terms. I read your selection over a few times. While you don't use any of the other taboo words, your piece is chockfull of images and words that we see in love poems so often that they're common and flat.

I could peruse the poems' list now and in minutes pull 10 poems that read like this. I don't mean to be harsh, but words like 'touch', 'heart', 'entwined', are overused.

I want to hear your voice not the synthesis of every other poet on the net.

I hope you'll hang out. Pardon me if you feel this is unwarranted.

Peace,

daughter

 

[alltherage]

I suck at this but here goes.


desperately seeking what lies within
hidden behind tattered flesh
broken bones
a being within
secret
silent
released over me as rain
flowing over me, into me
secret no more
silence ripped with a scream

 

[*ladylove*]

daughter,
Of course I don't feel that your voice is unwarranted. If i did I wouldn't have posted on your thread It's just a push to try harder to pull out what i really feel inside, and I thank you for that. And a challenge taken to me, so now I'm off to make a better one.

 

[daughter]

Welcome alltherage

Poet--

If I had to hit the mark all the time, I'd never post my work.

These are exercises and our writing can't improve without doing it so write and post.

Feel free to tell me to do the same. You'll have to wait till after the new year, though. Right now, I'm content to cheer all of you on.

Peace,

daughter

 

[*ladylove*]

energy dripping from the fading night
blood surging, pulsing
morning rays threatening their intermission
ragged breath catching, holding
electric currents lazily slowing
beams of dawn dance through a hazy pane
shimmering off abutting golden bands

 

[daughter]

ladylove

talk to me. Would you ever come close to saying this to your lover?


Give me complete thoughts. Sometimes using rules of grammar and syntax enhances a verse. Eliminate the gerrunds and carefully consider your verbs.

You're changing the word choices, but the images are the same. Try this. Take something ordinary. Think about a real scene you've experienced. Now embelish it slightly. Ever watch your fella shave and get a rush all over?

Know what works in your pebble exercise? You take a single image. You developed it. The lines are simple, focused. The vocabulary is ordinary words arranged beautifully. Repeat it.

Enjoy what you do.

Peace,

daughter