sonnet bref, [ my designation ] in less than iambic tetrameter Options

[JustDaniel]

Sonnet Bref

Laying no claim to having originated the term,
I have nonetheless personally designated 'sonnet bref' as:

any 14-line piece with any
standard or variant sonnet rhyme scheme...
but

- abbreviated in any recognizable meter

- shorter than iambic tetrameter.

Examples in the next post:

[JustDaniel]

Here are the 30 sonnets bref... that I wrote for a challenge this month:

1 mine

minimal is
mere brevity—
mine likely has
mixt comedy

i call it bref
in case you care—
it oft'll shave
its old veneer

never you mind
nit-pickin' me—
ne'er id defend
nothin' i'd say

'e go's somewhars—
exhalin' airs

MLee Dickens'son 01 April 2006

2 Bref Dickens'sonian

i really don't have time
to play around, but hey…
you know I like to rhyme;
i'll do it anyway…

don't ask me to obey
some silly rule today…

you think i'm oppositional?
i'm merely self-antiphonal;
my words go bidirectional
awing in bref or minimal.
Don’t tell me that it’s criminal;
it's something aboriginal…
perhaps a bit subliminal…
i’m sure it's adaptational.

© MLee Dickens'son 29 March 2006

3 Learn to Give

He'd rebelled for years before
he saw it was the norm;
Dickens spurred him to explore
the rules to grasp a form...

took the challenge to transform
instructions giv'n in Basque.
'ABC's help lunks perform
a complicated task.'

MLee wears no pompous mask
to hide his ignorance...
aims that he will not encask
his heart... nor wield a lance.

'Learn to give, and give to learn,'
he winks. 'Help, never spurn.'


© MLee Dickens’son 29 March 2006

4 Bref Invite

I needs a fresh perspective
ta see as others see…
my eyes is so defective,
cain't read the dang marquee

Yer tank is readin' empty?
Hey, I'll supply the gas.
Let's hop in yer ol' banshee
an' cruise a writin' class

Along the way, c'n canvass
ol' ladies with our pomes…
then stop at night an' have us
a feast 'n' rest our domes

So let's us get together
real soon… ain't nothin' better

© MLee Dickens'son 30 March 2006

5 Critter Bref

Perhaps I should explain
my visit here today:
I simply can't refrain
from commenting with play.

Bard's sonnet's mostly smooth
and bears my sentiment;
it bumps along, but soothes
my nerves. I know that's meant.

He chomps a little bit
and rares up at the rain.
I'd stirrup one small nit;
I know he'll not complain:

en français, it's en bref—
in English, it's in brief

© MLee Dickens'son 01 April 2006

6 Naught Doug in

I speak in brief,
my saintly friend,
for your relief
so strain will end

I'd ne'er offend
your scholarship,
but e'er emend
our fellowship.

No censure-ship,
nor forcing 'bref'—
it didn't slip
that you ain't deaf:

The 'en' was wrong;
it marred your song!

© MLee Dickens'son 02 April 2006

6 dysSpenser'd shells

ta write in short
be's more th'n fun
c'n be a sport
fer ever’one

quick on th' gun
ta shoot 'em back
at yarn's they's spun
but ne'er attack

jump from yer sack
an put 'em down
in white 'n' black
jes' go ta town

ye’re in the swing
reload the thing

© MLee Dickens'son 04 April 2006

7 oft-toll'd tale

I hear the knell
a-pealin' loud
that wondrous bell
above the crowd

whene'er a cloud
o' doubt may rise
so's heads is bowed
an' laughin' dies

ain't no surprise
fer me at least
it fills the skies
ta slay the beast

an' right on time
i loves its chime

© MLee Dickens'son 04 April 2006

8 Psalm 8 Bref

considerin'
the stars up there
made David spin
a Psalm somewhere…
sang 'What is man
that You pay heed'
o'er all that span
fer what we'd need…

an' he was glad
an' so am i...
that He'd design
'is muted plaid
across the sky
fer eyes like mine

© MLee Dickens'son 07 April 2006

9 Anonymity

Half measures didn't
change a thing;
the stuff half-hidden
spurred a fling.

It's baffling, cunning
how it keeps
right on a-runnin'
when I sleeps.

I'd thought that an-
o-nym-i-ty
was secrets… then
I came to see

I’d best not keep
the truth from me.

© MLee Dickens'son 05 April 2006

10 dimmy-terse

we's but censors
fer the burnin'
Light-dispensors
fer the learnin'

though they's spurnin'
what we's teachin'
we's returnin'
ever reachin'

sometimes beachin'
things we's written
sprawled out bleachin'
shark-bait bitten

bones ta pick'll
some folks tickle

© MLee Dickens'son 04 April 2006

11 wake writin'

i ain't no Poe
wi' meter'd rimes
tho i's let go
a coupla times

but writ'n' all spaced
jist ain't too safe
could cut 'n' paste
m' brain er strafe
somebody near
an' get me shot
i's 'fraid o' beer
an' crack an' pot

might pomes they'd make
lay me a wake?

© MLee Dickens'son 07 April 2006

12 no tear?

important re
discussioning
an' likewise re
percussioning:

ya needs ta know
how yer pal means
ta keep th' flow —
c'n stir up spleens

ya gots ta ask
when in 'is yard
fer dinin', baskin',
be'n a bard:

"what means 'not here'?"
ya needs ta hear

© MLee Dickens'son 11 April 2006

13 lyin' wi' the Truth

I Peter 3
says all I need
ta set me free
o' ego greed

i's s'posed ta know
why i believe
an' then jes' stow
it, not to peeve
my neighbor; then
if he should ask
i'll tell 'im, when
we chat 'n' bask
out in ‘is yard...
'cause we's both tard

© MLee Dickens'son 07 April 2006

14 Prints Dunce-Duck

i think ya knows me crown
is pointin' to th' Source
folks say "He's jest a clown
with all those rhymes he’ll force"

adorned in dunce cap wreath
an' robed in purple cape
i writes with smilin' teeth
but often inglish rape

but that’s the way i is
an' i is proud ta say
though i sher ain't th' Wiz
i's flappin' in the fray

duck-wing'ed though i be
i soars wi' mirth 'n' glee

© MLee Dickens'son 07 April 2006

15 If'n they rings me chimes…
don' knock it

one day I may
invite 'em in
ta see if they
can stand the din

but ere i do
i'd set CDs
fer music to
drown two TVs

an' have the kids
come in ta play
an' flip their lids
what can I say?

i didn't ask...
so it's their task

© MLee Dickens'son 09 April 2006

16 A Gentle Rule

To fear the ruling wrath
presumeth there be rule;
a living bard who hath
assumed so's 'haps a fool.

Each form is but a tool
for Englishmen to use;
one needn't be a mule
and variance refuse.

Our feet fit many shoes;
arrays of styles avail.
They'll walk, swim, take a cruise;
there needn't be travail.

A gentle rule, we learn,
is what our hand may earn.

© MLee Dickens'son 12 April 2006

17 impossiblous

'Anonymous'
works purty well
as dimetous
but let me tell
ya: 'tother word
'll give ya fits —
that '–ity' sherd —
from whar i sits
Jes' 'tempt it, an'
see what i means
Try if ya can
howe'er ya leans
Some things is full
impossible

© MLee Dickens'son 13 April 2006

18 monometer for Cat

today
i see
you play
with me
to break
the rules
an' take
wee tools
to use...
yet not
confuse
what's taught

- your pard
an' bard

© MLee Dickens'son 13 April 2006

19 meltin' rime...

I see
she tried
daDee...
then died;

herr rhyme
was not
this time
what's sought.

Mono
meter
is slow
to purr...

she’ll ply
the sky.

© MLee Dickens'son 17 April 2006

20 Sittin' SillyBull

No syllable
in 'is outpost
is billable
by any host.

'is copyright
is fer 'is pomes
so's not to slight
the writin' gnomes.

'e's got big feet
but they c’n dance,
an' from 'is seat
'e'll often prance.

Sometimes 'is strum
don’t match th' drum.

© MLee Dickens'son 18 April 2006

21 painful wait fer dande

startled awake, stabbin' pain
graspin' me shoulders again
strummin' the blues
in 'lectrical hues
seems that it ain't gonna wane

so… I'll head out to the tree
but still… can't dande see…

i git me laptop an' wait…
mayhaps she'll skip by the gate
she's taken 'er goods
up to the north woods…
Circadia, sooner or late

© MLee Dickens'son 20 April 2006


Note: Having waked up with pain in my shoulders and hands this morning, I'd already 'decided' to try fitting two abbreviated limericks together with a rhyming couplet to make a distinctive sonnet bref... so my 'interaction' with dande ( who's been now posting her third round in a third place! ) prompted this. I just couldn't resist... and I carved 'er initials in a tree up in them thar woods too! ;D

22 o' bits

wild winds have ceased
huge branches hewn
some passing beast
has our friend strewn
great tire-swing bough
twigs, leaf debris
remember how
we'd had to flee
emotion bits
on scraps of brain
synapse were writ…
alive, not slain...
they're penned in blood
where willow stood

© MLee Dickens'son 21 April 2006

23 Poppygation

A Poppy is no stranger
curled up beneath some log
but looms a re-arranger
of fields where once stood bog
plowed up and spread, then harrowed
now seeded from her pod…
a million tufted arrows
point out beyond, to God

The earth can never still her
nor others of her kind
who propagate what nature
has stirred up in their minds
and hearts to share whatever
new hue their petals find

© MLee Dickens’son 22 April 2006

24 'round a garden

Bronze, shriveled daffodils,
wrung bluebells hushed and gone…
chickweed through leaf mulch spills
out on a greening lawn.
Soft rainfall slowly fills
then overflows old pond
where enervated koi
play tag 'round ice-bent frond
the freeze did not destroy.
Aloft, lithe Dogwood's donned
a white and pink pastel;
Oak snows a yellow dust
that wheezes All is swell…

while Mower spits out rust.

25 temparents

Twin grandsons give excuse
for growling like a dog
act like a silly goose
appear to slip a cog

I sing as Daniel Duck
or squeak as Danny Mouse
don cloak as Friar Huck
to stalk around the house

When parents are away
we’d like to give ‘em sweets
but we’re the one’s who’d pay
for hyperactive seats

But when the weekend’s o’er
they’ll head for home once more.

© MLee Dickens’son 29 April 2006

26 loungin' a round

a three-foot pool is fine
ta cool a body down
er even lounge 'n' dine
while turnin' slightly brown

a four-foot's better yet
fer swimmin'... if it’s large
but upkeep's rough, I'd bet...
an' neyburrs cain't be charged.

five-footer'd be a dream
what may come true sum day
but that'd be extreme...
an' be more work th'n play

fer now I'll float right here...
there'll always be next year.

© MLee Dickens'son 29 April 2006

27 slack

figg'rin' takes more time
th'n doin' it, I think,
an' when they's not in sync
it's like ya're doin' mime
'cause nothin' quite gits done
what you's been thinkin' 'bout
an' they's but little doubt
ya'd rather do what’s fun.

so git yer body out
an' do what's gotta be,
an' after that, come back
... an' cut that stupid pout!
git rid o' ol' debris,
an' give yer spouse sum slack.

© MLee Dickens'son 29 April 2006

28 surprising Rene

a birthday comes
a birthday goes
no beating drums
nobody knows

but secretly
they’ve baked a cake
discordantly
a song they make

you come home tired
prepared to sleep
but now they've fired
adrenaline… bleep

oh well, you say
it was my day

© MLee Dickens'son 30 April 2006

29 and folding

My April brefs
are near their end
Those graded F
I won’t defend...
but it’s been fun
nevertheless
I’m nearly done
with this fine mess

Though I've enjoyed
a little stint
in smaller size...
if I’ve annoyed
you with my print
I ‘pologize.

© MLee Dickens'son 30 April 2006

30 Life don’t end at 30

A month of rain
has been too brief
but trees and grain
are sprouting leaf

Return to pro—
duck-tivity
and quid pro quo
proclivity

a riposte here
response-pome there
pas très austere…
mayhaps a prayer

I’m thirty twice
but I’m still nice

© MLee Dickens'son 30 April 2006

[Cleo_Serapis]

Wow Daniel.

I haven't attempted ONE of these yet and here you are making it look so simple with THIRTY - each very unique.

Perhaps when I can sit down and take in each one, you will inspire me to try this form?

Ya never know...

I'll be back soon.

Cleo

[Guest_Cathy_*]

Your string of brefs
has been so fine,
enjoyed them all
e'en though not mine.

I wrote a few
to test the form,
I like their sound
although not norm.

Experiments
can turn out well,
when playing 'round
then you can tell

how far we fools
can stretch the rules.

[JustDaniel]

Thanks fer ticklin' me, Cat!

Loosin' our bref dancin'

We're not the fools
the jester said
of all the ghouls
who shake their heads
at silliness
with sacred forms
that pokes at them
who must conform

Don't they see the point?
Poems don't annoint
forms eternally
for the world to see
icons... holy... awed.
That's what's really odd!

© MLee Dickens'son 01 May 2006

deLightin' in the dance, Daniel

[JustDaniel]

Critique Club

To me there's little diff
how many beats you choose;
I surely want no tiff
but try to not abuse
the names that others give
those forms which they adore.
For me, it's Live, let live!
I’d just as soon ignore...

but if I'd give critique
I can't... then I'm a schmuck!
I could say, Wow! Unique!
as though I've been dumb-struck.

Now there I go ~ the rub:

off beatin' with the club.

© MLee Dickens'son Friday the 13th ~ Oct 2006

[JustDaniel]

^{Here's another old one that I offered to a fellow-writer in response to his verson of a shortened sonnet-like forme... and I offered it with slant rhyme:}

MLee’s Slant en bref

what’s yours is yours;
what’s mine is mine—
i would not force
my ‘bref’ on thine.

your ‘minimal’
is not the norm—
but i’d be small
to not conform

MLee, en bref
has always been—
a cause o’ grief
to folks, so then

en bref i speak—
for shortness sake

_{© MLee Dickens'son 02 April 2006}

[JustDaniel]

Extending a ^(short) Hand

No one's discussed
this form of late;
does it disgust
or desecrate?

Shorthand is all
it is to me;
without a wall
my writing's free.

I bid you come
to join the fun;
give chords a strum,
and you've begun.

One closing thought
shows you've been taught.

© MLee Dickens'son 2014

[Larry]

Bref-ly

“ ‘Twas not I lacked
the words,” said he,
“for there’s in fact
a panoply

of those with which
one may enthrall.”
“I’d never ditch
the sonnet’s call.”

“It’s so concise
so one must think
which words suffice
and how to link

them to each thought
which you have wrought.”

Hope this one's okay Daniel!

Larry

[JustDaniel]

It is fine
to so speak
you define
that sharp beak

pecking words
with great force;
it's absurd
to outsource

to some form
better known
to conform
or postpone.

Give your mind
unrefined!

[Larry]

Bref-er

I do
concede
the need
for you

to choose
each thought
you’ve caught
or use

in verse
and rhyme,
sublime
or terse,

to tell
your tale.

[Larry]

Bref-est

We
tried,
he
cried,

to
claim
new
fame.

Trite
laws
might
cause

brain
strain.

[JustDaniel]

Oil'sWell

Well
done!
Swell
fun.

Spin
words
in
sherds;

shed
naught;
shred
thought...

mined
mind.

[Larry]

Needle works

Mend
clothes
friend
chose

which
tear.
Stitch
where

rips
stop.
Snip!
Crop!

So
sew!

[JustDaniel]

Bruise to Booze

Lar
writes
bare
bites

chews
verbs
muse
blurbs

out
spits
stout
glitz

fine
wine

[Larry]

Ob Verse

Our Dan
concocts
a plan
that rocks

the mind
of those
whose kind
oppose

slight change
in form.
Arrange
the norm

to be
as free.

[JustDaniel]

Flight Afoot

When you're free
you may yet
rhyme with glee
and no threat

to run off
without form;
needn't scoff
nor conform.

At its height
freedom wings;
while in flight
meter sings

rhythm's beat
with its feet.

© MLee Dickens'son 2014

[Larry]

Add-a-boy

With one foot
you step out
then you put
a more stout

syllable
in your verse,
colorful
but not terse.

Add one more
for two feet;
you’ll adore
just how sweet

poems can be
when you’re free.

[Larry]

Shorted

Left out,
no doubt
because
the pause

was long.
No song
this short
is part

of what
is thought
to make
or break

a verse
this terse.

[JustDaniel]

funeral rehearsal

When the hearse
left the church
to rehearse
and research

how he died
without pain,
how the sky
showed disdain.

It was black
and the clouds
crumpled back
into shrouds.

They released
him in peace.

[Larry]

Still Living

He was peace
but the wars
didn’t cease
and it’s scars

they applied
on his hands
and his side
met demands

prophesied;
so that cross
where He died
was no loss

for He’s here,
always near.

[JustDaniel]

BRAVO !

[Larry]

Thank You, Daniel!

Your "funeral rehearsal" was the inspiration.

Larry

[Larry]

Alone With My Thoughts

They've all gone,
I'm afraid,
like the dawn
when stars fade

from the sky
and the sun
with its sigh
leaves but one

who will post
in these halls
while each ghost
footstep falls.

I shall muse!
You peruse.

[Larry]

Keep Trying


Valentines
is a day
when man dines
on dismay

wondering
what to buy.
Some more bling?
Though they try

every year
to surprise
someone dear
to their eyes

they will fail
to excel.

[Alan]

Larry, never done one of these, so this is very off the cuff, and does not rhyme. Pleased consider it to be addressed as a crit piece - where did I (not !) go wrong ?

chocolates
are no go -
the lady
is no tramp

O-line now
high fashion
or is that
pregnancy ?

no, middle-age
spread, like
peanut butter
then add jamb

to succumb
for strict
passage -
it's no go

thin your waste
or widen doors

Alan

[Larry]

Hi Alan,

The only thing I can advise is go back to the beginning of this string and read what Daniel wrote down as the
rules for this new form of "sonnet?". Still not sure if the rhyme scheme is ABAB or AABB or some other combination.

Larry

p.s. It was great for your first try.

[JustDaniel]

EXCUSED ABSENCE

My screen was broke;
son tried to help.
His E-Bay bloke
was just a whelp.

The one he sent
would not install;
now he is bent
and filled with gall.

Will not repay
without a split;
we're in a fray,
and I could spit.

Laptop is new;
rejoined the few!

[Larry]

Not Enough Words

Few rejoined
in the fray
of forms coined.
Their dismay

stopped them short
‘ere they tried
a retort.
They all cried

“It’s too hard”,
“I’m confused”;
so their bard
was bemused

and then quit
in a snit!

[Larry]

Grin and Pare It

A snit
or two
no crit
will do

for those
who tried.
They chose,
implied

that this
short form's
a miss
but charms

a smile
with style.

[JustDaniel]

Free Will

Will style
bemuse
awhile
our muse

we still
will write
though quill
be trite.

The thing's
to try
what brings
our eye

to see
what's free.

[Larry]

Eulogy

Free what’s
in minds
and thoughts;
all kinds

of verse
we share.
No worse
for wear,

our good
advice
now would
be nice

if read
when dead.

[JustDaniel]

dead aim

dead when
our works
are read?'
no perks

for now
though we
show how
with glee

to pen
right back
e'en when
friends slack

who cares;
that's theirs!

[Larry]

awakening

That they’re
not here
to share
is fear,

perhaps
they feel
a lapse
will heal

their muse.
They can’t
refuse,
recant;

their gift
will lift.

[JustDaniel]

Night Visitor

Always sneer
when he's near;
never smile,
e'en awhile.

He will eat
all that's sweet;
he'll devour
all your flour.

He will drink
from your sink;
he will spit
where you sit.

He will share
your nightmare.

[Larry]

pest aside

If a roach
in the dark
did encroach
I’d embark

on a plan
to negate
with a can
which is great

for the fumes
which it sprays
fills the rooms
and it stays

to effect
that insect.

[JustDaniel]

More Ohs, Morose?

Arthritis racks my fingers,
neuropathy my feet;
from work the pain still lingers
though I'm here on my seat.

My shoulders' ache's persistent;
my eyes are blurred and tired;
my urge to go's insistent;
I need to be rewired.

My knees and shins both make me limp;
my muscles lose their tone;
although I'm looking less the blimp
my toothache makes me moan.

"Would I be better off if dead?"
keeps running through my head.

[Larry]

Know pain – no gain!

The metric variables
have got me so confused
and caused me lots of troubles
because I’ve never used

a scheme where each line varies;
goes up then takes a dive.
I guess the rules that carries,
“each one is less than five

iambic feet” but it feels strange.
I count each word with care
and add, subtract or rearrange
with nothing left to spare.

My brain is all that hurts right now;
I finished it somehow.

[JustDaniel]

Please note opening definition:

any 14-line piece with any
standard or variant sonnet rhyme scheme...
but

- abbreviated in any recognizable meter

- shorter than iambic tetrameter.

[Larry]

Hi Daniel,

The last of the instructions is what had me confused.

It is the "shorter than iambic tetrameter" which got me. Your lines 9, 11 and 13 are all in tetrameter. Line 13
isn't very iambic but the other two are.

Thus, the confusion.

Larry

[JustDaniel]

Irregular Cavorting

Iambic's not
required, although
I've seldom fought
its to-and-fro.

Sometimes I use
common meter;
though it confused,
I'm not a cheater.

lines two and four
are 'tetra-short';
so don't abhor
how I cavort.

Experiment
to your content.

[Larry]

Creator’s Prerogative

If you’re content
and satisfied
when rules are bent
or what you’ve scried

of thoughts yet writ
in metered verse
then never quit.
It could be worse

like things I’ve read;
pretentious prose
which hurts my head
so I propose

your Sonnet-bref
cannot be pelf.

[JustDaniel]

un-selfed by pelf

What's pelf to do
with my sad verse?
I know I screw
with rules and worse

but ill-got gain
seems far afield,
perhaps arcane -
meaning concealed.

But then it could
be that I'm dense -
a brain of wood,
so no offense.

When you explain
't will all be plain.

[Larry]

Hi Daniel,

My last line "cannot be pelf" should have explained where I was coming from.

I think your "sonnet bref" is delightful and your last explanation of different line lengths being okay just expands
my admiration of this form. Your new form, in no way whatsoever, could be considered "ill-gotten gains". You
should be applauded and your brain is not dense nor made of wood. You made the rules and therefore are
allowed to bend them in any shape you desire. Besides, like Mel Brooks says "It's good to be the King"!

Again, in admiration,

Larry

[JustDaniel]

Reign of Stimulation

Larry is the king
of those who write here;
there's hardly a thing
he won't domineer.

Sometimes I don't know
words that he uses;
I easily show
that it confuses

but when he explains
it's clear that I should
have seen that my brains
had misunderstood.

Use dictionary;
can't seem contrary.


By the way, Larry, I certainly was not offended by your piece; actually I was ironically making fun of myself for having had to look up the word! LOL

[Larry]

Arose Colored Gasses

I’m blushing, bright pink
from undeserved praise.
I know that you think
my words are a maze

but things seem to stick
in my little brain.
I’m really quite thick
and it is a strain

to emulate form
and style you invent.
It may be the norm
to some small extent;

words seem to amass
and I just add gas.

[JustDaniel]

Invisible Off Fence

Colored gas
sounds toxic;
makes one's ass
seem talk sick?

Think I'll change
subject now;
can't estrange
your know-how.

No one else
tolerates
my revels
or debates.

Gas away;
I will stay.

[Larry]

Buds in Bloom

Staying will
now be nice,
the appeal
will suffice

until some
come back home
with a crumb
or a tome

just to vent
or display
where they went.
Will they stay

Matters not,
you I’ve got.

[JustDaniel]

Cher-ished Memory?

I got you, babe,
they both sang
and, honest abe,
their music sprang.

It didn't last;
he was too slow
and she was fast,
they say, ya know?

But anyway
he hit the trees
on skis one day,
and holy geez....

One leg can't fight
the other, right?

[Larry]

G. I. Schmoes

To the right!
To the left!
What a sight,
they’re bereft

of good sense.
They can’t walk,
they’re too dense
and they balk

at commands
which I yell.
Shifting sands
march as well

‘cause the boots
are recruits.

[JustDaniel]

go casual

re suits:
who gives
two hoots
or grieves

if lost?
I'd pay
the cost
to stay

in jeans
all week;
cool beans!
they're chic.

in short
cavort

[Larry]

cracks shot

covert
he moved
in dirt
and proved

his aim
had been
to maim.
The men

he trained
to kill
refrained
to fill

his ears
with jeers.

[JustDaniel]

Purrfect Knight?

She hears and jerks
as music blurts,
her suitor shirks,
yet still she flirts.

No one gets near
as dance goes on;
it seems quite clear
she wants no john.

The concert ends
and home she heads,
but night extends
with man in threads

impressing her;
she starts to purr.

[Larry]

a phones’ throw away

She pressed to start
her brand new phone;
that button part
won’t turn it on.

What’s wrong with it?
It worked before
it bounced a bit
and hit the floor.

That little case
she got on sale
was to embrace
it if it fell.

Her sale now sailed
when all else failed.

[JustDaniel]

Use Your Head Ahead

When all else fails
perhaps you'll read
directions: rails
that safely lead

to places where
each piece will fit;
you can compare
from where you sit

and see the whole
begin to form --
regain control,
chutzpah transform.

Next time just scan
provided plan.

[Larry]

tree-huggers air

Providing plants
with light and space
may not enhance
the human race

but some will say
those trees and leaves,
when gone away
that no one breathes

so I don’t think
it would be wise
when forests shrink.
Everyone dies.

Go plant some now
and take a bow.

[JustDaniel]

Two Bambi-nos

Take out your bow
and arrows too,
then ask your bro
to come with you.

The hunt is on
so both arise
before the sun
to get the prize.

You stalk the woods
to find the prey;
your neighborhood's
out of the way

but not one deer
inhabits here.

[Larry]

measures of silence

In habits there
are many nuns.
They dress austere
with hair in buns

or cut real short.
They teach in schools
without retort
except for fools

who may speak out.
That’s a mistake;
without a doubt
the room will quake

and knuckles hurt
from those who blurt.

[JustDaniel]

Flirting with Stupidity

For those who blurt
suggestive words
and think they flirt
are really turds.

They think they're cute
or what they say
is quite astute;
they need to pray

instead of prey
on womenfolk;
they are cliché
and but a joke

The butt of joke
will be their poke.

[Larry]

lawn dancing

Their pokes
in hills
provokes
and spills

a lot
of ants.
I got
a glance

of one
who did
for fun
to rid

his yard.
Stung hard!

[JustDaniel]

novice joker

struggle
with balls;
juggle
in halls

climb up
on rope
close up
with hope

paint smile
on face
argyle
and lace

poor clown
falls down

[Larry]

bad guns linger

false town’s
a lot
where rounds
are shot

to make
a film;
your break
is slim

to be
a star
no fee
so far

bad luck
you suck

[JustDaniel]

hopeless

you suck
your thumb,
a schmuck
become

because
you can't
de-fuzz
the scant

hair on
your face;
come-on,
embrace

pure fact:
you're jacked

[Larry]

e i e i eohippus

your jack’s
an ass
but facts
surpass

mere schools
which taught
that mules
have caught

the gene
for size,
they’re mean
but wise

and bite
for spite

[JustDaniel]

e i e i oops!

for spite
I said
I'd bite
your head

but you
had heard
askew
each word

to light
your bed
not quite
I'd said

I pecked
your neck

[Larry]

weighty thoughts

your neck
is strong,
a speck
too long

but head’s
on tights.
My dreads,
it might

become
a weight
to some.
I’d hate

to bring
a sling.

[JustDaniel]

A Giant Tale

a sling
aweigh;
one zing
to slay

Golai
who was
big guy
above

King Saul's
army;
he falls
alee.

So long,
head-strong.

[Larry]

parsed farce

head strong
in thought
but wrong
and ought

to say
it’s so,
delay
and know

the zeal
of those
who will
expose

that fact;
redact.

[JustDaniel]

Red to Red

Red acts
to dye
the flax
you buy

to make
covers
to wake
lovers.

After
long night's
laughter
and fights

they're dead
in bed.

[Larry]

mountin’ ken

inbred,
their line
is said
benign

but bro
and sis
now know
a kiss

may lead
to some
strange deed,
become

fore-warned…
four armed?

[JustDaniel]

from forearm to calf

forearm
inside
won't harm
her hide

the cow
will know
somehow
she'll grow

the calf...
for her
behalf
will stir

come forth
henceforth

[Larry]

a loud action

for sense
to reign
convince
your brain

that thought,
not deed,
means naught.
Proceed

to act
not think;
in fact
distinct

don’t stew
just do.

[JustDaniel]

Mined in a Ditch?

do just
as much
as lust
can touch

but don't
do wrong;
it won't
be long

before
you see
'amour'
can be

a bitch
to ditch

[Larry]

gold-brick her

to ditch
a girl
just twitch
and curl

your lip
to feign
lost grip,
insane

if that
don’t work
grow fat
and shirk

no dough
she’ll go.

[JustDaniel]

Reconsider?

She'd go
with you
although
she'd chew

you out
for sure
about
impure

comments
you make
not meant
to break

her heart.
Why start?

[Larry]

religious pair a tease

Why start
with one
be smart
and shun

monog-
amy;
a blog
I see

says two
or more
will do
to score.

Mormon
for fun.

[JustDaniel]

caught on your cot?

for fun
you cheat
but done
so neat

you hy-
phenate
so I
debate

legit-
imate?
is it
a mutt?

methinks
it stinks

[Larry]

emu late

It stank
but you
now rank
it poo

or worse
a cur,
too terse
and stir

your bile
and yet
my style
was met

two times
in rhymes.

[JustDaniel]

un-gumming

in rhymes
it's true
betimes
our poo

is forced
if we
have horsed
to free

that muse
inside
whose clues
have died

outcome:
down-thumb

[Larry]

daze gone by

thumb down
a ride
to town
beside

a road
or street
the mode
replete

with fates
these days
creates
that phrase

wrong guy
you die

[JustDaniel]

hmm

you dye
your clothes
and fry
your nose

in too
much sun
outdo
your hun

at work
and play
and smirk
risqué

you smoke
some coke?

[Larry]

mind connections

some coax
and plead
but folks
succeed

with more
than words;
implore's
for birds.

don't preach
and stew
just reach,
undo

a belt;
it's felt.

[JustDaniel]

familiar ring

it's felt
inside;
he knelt --
denied

she'd not
accept;
forgot
she slept

with his
best friend;
she says
she'll mend

her glow
with bro

[Larry]

boil and bubble trouble

with brew
in pot
she knew
a lot

of things
must go;
bat wings,
frog’s toe,

for fell
effect;
her spell
was wrecked

hubbard’s
cupboard

[JustDaniel]

Poe-mm seedlings

covered
wagon
smothered
dragon

strangled
kitten
mangled
mitten

shallows
water
gallows
daughter

story
quarry

[Larry]

prey prays

quarry’s
hiding
for he’s
biding

time ‘till
scamper
home will
hamper

big cat
dining.
when that
shining

sun’s set,
I’ll get

[JustDaniel]

free at last

ill-got
kitten
was not
sittin'

when tom
licked 'er
bottom
with purr

so he'd
catch some
agreed
succumb

whence she
got free

[Larry]

gone?

got
free
not
me

I’ll
stay
while
play

is
fun
‘tis
done

here,
hear.

[JustDaniel]

macho

hire
thee
fire
me

do
work
spew
twirk

grow
crop
no
stop

eat
meat

[Larry]

skid he-rows

meet
some
neat
bum

whose
shined
shoes
blind

you’ll
get
cool
vet

pride
bides

[JustDaniel]

Merry Age

bods
are
God's
jar

life
wears;
wife
cares

you
not
blue
spot

paired
shared

[Larry]

remind her

share
the
spare
key

to
find
you
wind

tricked
by
chick
lie:

dote
note

[JustDaniel]

flagged

notable
when we find
quotable
things we signed

then forgot
filed away
in a slot
to decay

stumbled on
when we sought
words to spawn
when distraught

flabbergast
up the mast

[Larry]

apprehend shun

Up they massed
to the stores
where they cast
bricks through doors

as they feigned
a protest
and remained
for unrest;

looted shops
owned by blacks
no one stops
their attacks

cops can’t shoot
when they loot.

[JustDaniel]

hoarder horrors

piling loot
in storage;
later mute
forage

can't discard
all the junk
in your yard;
smells of skunk

where'd we get
all the stuff;
I forget;
what's enough?

throw it out?
somehow, doubt

[Larry]

cynic-ism

What is doubt?
I would ask,
but a drought
and a mask

on your brain
evidenced
by the strain
you’ve convinced

your poor mind
to believe.
You have dined
on deceive.

Fill your cup,
look it up.

[JustDaniel]

dinner in

look it up
look it down
turn your cup
all around

find a drink
get some food
try to think
what is good

build a meal
ask a friend
don't conceal
or defend

your choices
or voices

[Larry]

troubled clef

voices are
very flat
searching for
some notes that

match the song
which they sing
it’s all wrong
but they cling

to their path
down the road;
leader’s wrath
will explode

calling them
herd with hymn

[JustDaniel]

wrong suitor

heard with him
woman hid
'cause she's prim
and his kid

is a punk;
she's afraid
he'll be drunk
in the glade

where they'd eat
her packed lunch;
she's discreet
with a hunch

he's no match
for her snatch

[Larry]

apprise a prize

snatch for her
diamond rings,
a nice fur,
other things

she desires
so you may
light the fires
gone away

but she’ll whine
for divorce;
“yours is mine!”
on her course

to surprise
other guys.