January 8, 2008

Write Stuff Poetry

Write Stuff Poetry Contest Rules
Vote Here (starting January 11th)


Here is my entry into the Write Stuff poetry contest for January, 2008. The theme is "cold, bitter," which seemed like a cheery and fun way to start the year.

One Day As We Grew Old
Said Miss Cold to Mr. Bitter, "I have known you all my life.
You humph, garumph, and moan about like all your days are filled with strife.
You kick at dogs and yell at children, Your angry wit is like a knife.
You've never had a single sweetheart! How come you never took a wife?"

Mister Bitter to Miss Cold replied in even-tempered tone:
"The only girl that ever mattered always chilled me to the bone.
Her icy stares did not impel me to call her on the telephone.
Her frozen shoulder did not make me want to make that girl my own.
Through years of cheerless drudge I foundered as I grew and aged alone,
but this one and only girl I longed for turned my heart to icy stone."

Miss Cold let loose a little sniff and wiped a false tear from her eye.
"Why, Mister Bitter, your tale's so sad I think I might lie down and die.
For years I hoped for the attentions of a certain handsome guy.
I tried to flirt but when I winked he said I had a screwy eye.
One day I tried to bake for him and made a special apple pie.
I made it sweet, with lots of butter-- he said that it might make him die.
So what's there for a girl to do but pine away and moan and sigh?
I thought that love was to be sweet, but not for me--oh why, oh why?"

The two of them just stood and gaped
for neither could the other bear,
but which is Cold and which is Bitter,
and is love ever really fair?

4 comments:

paisley said...

oh peter.. this is wonderful... i just happened upon it,, and i haven't even read any of the other entrys but i do so love this....

little wing writer said...

excellent...i think we had some same things in mind on the prompt...best of luck to you...

bluesugarpoet said...

Clever writing! I tend to take a "free verse" approach lately - which is kind of a cop out since crafting verse is *work.* I love how you met the challenge and were able to turn the tables on the subject. Your writing is amusing and intelligent, as always.

PJD said...

bsp, I think that free verse--really excellent free verse--is more difficult. Why? Because when you're making rhymes and staying (trying desperately to stay) in a structured meter, the reader will tend, I think, to allow some liberties. Particularly with light verse.

But give up on the meter and the rhyme and suddenly you've got nothing but the words themselves, and all blemishes are exposed and none are excused.