Poetry Five Words Challenge

Raymond_of_Clubs

the Yee to your Haw
Here I stand, though darkness beckons
And refuses to abate -
I shall eat the cheapest crackers
From my finest silver plate.

Clouds are tight and need refining,
Life is hard and under-staffed.
When the sky begets a lining,
I shall have some crackers left.


***

Hi, I'm Ray, and it's been a while since I've written me some poetry.

Five Words Challenge is a challenge where you give me up to five (preferably unrelated and agonizingly off-beat) words which I then try to integrate into a somewhat comprehensible piece of literature.

Please post any words of your choosing, and don't hold back on critique!
 
disfigurement, clandestine, lackluster, poignant, syzygy

#001. Pretense.

His friendship circle is a cluster.
Connections he sets out to muster
Are, much like his affairs, lackluster,
Parlour and poorly phrased.

With every soul he has acquainted,
He's all but lawfully appointed
To quote Shakespeare, remotely poignant,
But mostly quite unfazed.

He hurts someone, he goes to prison
And blames his being a Capri sun
For every whim without reason -
A syzygy of stars.

Then, like a brightly ardent filament,
He talks about the world's disfigurement,
But cannot fathom what a feeling meant,
And fidgets for a farce.

He talks about what is destined,
But finds relationships clandestine,
And honesty for his intestines
Is way too hot a spice.

Though his own deeds for him are fabled,
He can be bottled up and labeled,
His market value is okay, but
He isn't worth the price.


***

Wow, that was a lot of words to Google :xFoops:
Anyway, there you go, and thanks for your input! Hope you like the end result, but if not, that's also okay. I'm not very happy with how it turned out, I probably could've fit all the words within a shorter and more laconic poem if I haven't picked this obscure and backward rhyming pattern. Ah, well.
(Gave it a number so I can hopefully get to a hundred at some point if this thread ever gains more traction)
 
dumpling, dumb, prick, bread, shoes
#002. Wordplay.

A rose against a finger makes a prick.
A prick who brought me roses gets a finger.
To eat a dumpling doesn't take a thinker,
Yet people always prove the dumber link.

I wear my shoes to play-pretend I'm tall.
They wear no shoes, yet stand a little taller.
I grow like bread - a round and squishy scholar.
Now send my writing down a market stall!


***

I turned "dumb" into "dumber", hope it ok.
 
Chaotic, Painful, Lost, Consumed and Evil​
#003. A very nice evening in January.

I once got lost.
I had a car,
I didn't really drive too far,
It was a mile or two at most,
But I got lost, and Winter frost
Consequently increased the cost
Of keeping warm.

So to a bar
I headed, lighting a cigar.
The doorbell rang above my head,
I walked inside, consumed some bread,
A little painful to chew
Along a bowl of mushroom stew.

The waiter then approached me, trotting,
So neatly, cheerfully chaotic,
And as I was about to pay,
He wished me soon to find my way.
And since that day,
When life is hard,
My mind replays the cheeky part
Of classic blues that wept and whistled
As the background of my visit.

So here's a church, and here's a steeple -
There are few truly evil people,
And in my days, both past and current,
There is a lot who simply... aren't.


***

Taking negative and turning it into positive is my favorite thing.
 
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Memory, Polaroid, Bloom, Fire and lightning
 
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Memory, Polaroid, Bloom, Fire and lightning
#004. Images.

Our minds are fragile, biased, quick to tire -
Our ancestors invented glyphs and scriptures,
We store our memory in polaroid pictures,
Forgetting they cannot withstand a fire.

Cacti in bloom and cats with silly faces,
Post-modern jokes and blurry shots of lightning,
And suddenly the world is not so frightening
When years go by, but we keep leaving traces.


***

Oh no no no, My Liege, I remember the word "pictures" being there before it was erased from existence. 'Tis what thou wanteth, 'tis what I giveth.
 
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Stick, skull, clock, calendar and painting.
#005. Unrequited love (from a sane person's perspective).

You won't hear me -
Running,
Panting -
To the doorsteps of your lair.
You won't see my finest painting -
With your grace it can't compare.

You won't notice shallow silence
In the absence of my songs
Through the staggering abundance
Of deep meaning in your thoughts.

I don't need to bring a weapon,
Guard your sleep around the clock -
You won't reckon
What will happen
To a lovebird in a flock.

As my calendar grows thinner,
Nothing comes as a surprise.
Mommy didn't raise a winner,
But I know you're not a prize.

You can take my skull and poke it
With the sharp end of a stick,
Once you broke it,
Like a rocket
Send it flying, far and quick.

Look,
I know that words have meaning.
Took it bravely to my face,
I shall not trespass your evening
With my thoughts about your grace.


***

I feel like I could have done something way more simple, but oh well
 
Tea, building, radio, castle, parchment.
#006. Greed.

I used to dream about a castle,
But it was hardly worth the hustle.

The building stands so tall and hostile
It scares the pants off every postman,
And in this really huge apartment
It takes a year to find a parchment.
The walls are grim, the paint is old,
My cup of tea is always cold -
The halls appear too grotesque
To walk the distance to my desk,
And if I try to run or trot,
I'm spilling the entire pot.
The radio can only play
White noise with ages of delay,
And getting my wi-fi to work
Is like sword-fighting with a fork.
The floors are stone - unwelcome, slippery,
And scare away the food delivery,
The only neighbors are the dead...

I'd rather buy a tent instead.


***

Eat the rich
 
#004. Images.

Our minds are fragile, biased, quick to tire -
Our ancestors invented glyphs and scriptures,
We store our memory in polaroid pictures,
Forgetting they cannot withstand a fire.

Cacti in bloom and cats with silly faces,
Post-modern jokes and blurry shots of lightning,
And suddenly the world is not so frightening
When years go by, but we keep leaving traces.


***

Oh no no no, My Liege, I remember the word "pictures" being there before it was erased from existence. 'Tis what thou wanteth, 'tis what I giveth.
ITSSSSS BEAUUUTIFULLLLL ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️💕
 
Sharp, wake, disturbance, roll, cousin
#007. Bunker, sieged.

The time is late,
We sit and wait,
Like loyal guards and servants.
A twist of fate -
Behind the gate
We hear a slight disturbance.

We flash the LEDs
And roll the beds,
The sounds are growing loud.
The metal bends -
We see the dents,
The shots wake up the crowd.

In blazing reds
With sharp commands
We get our forces ready.
In striking bets
And growing debts
We hide our steps unsteady.

The gate gives in,
My magazine -
My only trusted buddy.
And now it seems
I haven't seen
A night so dark and bloody.

We fight not once
For every chance
To live a day or dozen
Or even months
When everyone's
Your sis, and bro, and cousin.


***

I have no idea why I went apocalyptic there, but I like the vibe.
 
#007. Bunker, sieged.

The time is late,
We sit and wait,
Like loyal guards and servants.
A twist of fate -
Behind the gate
We hear a slight disturbance.

We flash the LEDs
And roll the beds,
The sounds are growing loud.
The metal bends -
We see the dents,
The shots wake up the crowd.

In blazing reds
With sharp commands
We get our forces ready.
In striking bets
And growing debts
We hide our steps unsteady.

The gate gives in,
My magazine -
My only trusted buddy.
And now it seems
I haven't seen
A night so dark and bloody.

We fight not once
For every chance
To live a day or dozen
Or even months
When everyone's
Your sis, and bro, and cousin.


***

I have no idea why I went apocalyptic there, but I like the vibe.
OMG THAT WAS AMAZINGGGGG
 
I love this thread! XD


World, Snake, Friend, Kalanchoe, Tutorial
 
epitaph, hollow, ruby, lantern, howl



#008. Plans for the future.

Days go by,
And I often find that they're not enough,
For I'm anxious to meet the dead.
When I die,
Don't you dare write me an epitaph,
Better bake a good cake instead.

When I die,
And my bones turn fragile and hollow,
Burn them like cheap cigars.
Let them fly
Where the living can't possibly follow,
With their silly electric cars.

Let them fly,
And then promptly remove the ruby
From my mother's expensive ring.
I don't mind,
And I honestly feel quite stupid
When I wear that atrocious thing.

I don't mind
If you wanted to light a lantern,
In my honor or just for kicks.
I was right,
There was really no need to cater
To my passing, impatient needs.

I was right,
I can scream, I can curse and howl,
But what good has it ever done?
Days go by,
Thrown away like a paper towel,
And I'm worried to see them gone.


***

Some of these rhymes are really fucking awful, but I made myself sad writing this, and I will not correct anything lmao
 
I love this thread! XD


World, Snake, Friend, Kalanchoe, Tutorial

009. On navigating social spaces in an unfamiliar environment.

I went to uni years ago,
(Or rather, I was sent).
I wasn't sure how that would go,
And couldn't make a friend.

I saw a zoo and met a snake -
It wasn't very nice.
It raised its tail and did a shake
When asked for some advice.

A kalanchoe in my room,
Some books from torrent theft -
I met that year's spring in bloom
Without a dollar left.

Tutorials from Reddit smarts
And Pinterest boards of tips
I ate like pies in data charts
And chocolate fried chips.

The world is huge. My tiny self
Is vastly overwhelmed -
The kalanchoe on my shelf
Is now my favorite friend.


***

Couldn't rhyme kalanchoe for the life of me, so squeezed it twice in there to compensate. I did have one in my room, it's quite a nice plant.
 
Lolita, Kaleidoscope, Illustrious, Bloodied, Fairytale.

This entire thread is just so- Just demands awe! >_<
 

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