poem 369
Experimental poetry from our poetry class! We had to take one of our poems and via arbitrary rules, cut it up into something else. Here's the poem I started with and the rules I chose, and the resulting poem.
Fireflies reflect on the river
pinpoints of light, phosphorescent stars.
A waning sliver of moon shines
like silver nitrate in the sky.
The cold gunmetal grip
of a feverish pale girl
Sticky heat beads sweat
down the furrow of her brow.
I heard this is how it gone down.
She marched him downriver,
Like Cleopatra on the Nile.
she bade him wade in deep.
The bulrushes cut his knees
the bullfrogs croaked a dirge
and he fought the urge to plead
Indifferent nature, the cold fury
of a girl done wrong. The warm
molasses night spread out infinite
and time stopped, spiraled down
to tick the click of a revolver as
the only metronome.
Six shots shattered
the body that battered her heart
six shots because less
just wouldn't do, wouldn't do.
one for each finger in his everready fist -
then a pause, a tiny breath -
the sixth shot, an afterthought
an epilogue, a eulogy to
the baby they'd buried
in a shallow winter grave.
I heard this is how it went on down.
Smoke rose from the barrel
Clouds covered the moon
His face froze like that- just so
lips forming a perfect O eyes wider than
the river. The water caught
his weight with a welcoming
splash, washed clean his wounds
spread the blood like an oil slick
Fireflies reflected on the water
and she smiled
and smiled
and smiled...
She let his body down like he let her down.
The cattail reeds their last marriage bed.
Silvery light shown through the clouds -
Lord, I heard this is how it gone done....
Her teeth cut the sharp edge of the night
Not a second does she drop the smile, thinking
how John got himself a second baptism now,
a holy watery communion
forever and ever till death did they part
amen
Fireflies on the water
phosphorescent stars
silver sliver of moon
six shots, five being too few
I heard that's how it went down
No don't you lose that smile, sugar
Sister don't you fear what I might do
See, you just got there first, that's all.
I would've killed that bastard too.
=======
3 - remove every third paragraph
6 - remove every sixth sentence
9- remove every ninth word
Three - remove every TH or RE or EE containing word
Six - remove s and i starting words
Nine- remove every NI word
3 - remove every third sentence
6 - remove every sixth word
9 - remove the ninth paragraph
1. Remove like
2. Remove on
3. Remove A
4. Remove punctuation.
5. Squish together
6. Name 369
reflect river
pinpoints light
cold gunmetal grip
down furrow her brow
bade wade
bullfrogs croaked dirge
girl done wrong warm
out only metronome.
for each his everready fist
how went down
his face froze just
lips forming a perfect eyes wider
his weight
his body down he let
cattail reeds last marriage bed
fireflies water
being too few
would've bastard too
Fireflies reflect on the river
pinpoints of light, phosphorescent stars.
A waning sliver of moon shines
like silver nitrate in the sky.
The cold gunmetal grip
of a feverish pale girl
Sticky heat beads sweat
down the furrow of her brow.
I heard this is how it gone down.
She marched him downriver,
Like Cleopatra on the Nile.
she bade him wade in deep.
The bulrushes cut his knees
the bullfrogs croaked a dirge
and he fought the urge to plead
Indifferent nature, the cold fury
of a girl done wrong. The warm
molasses night spread out infinite
and time stopped, spiraled down
to tick the click of a revolver as
the only metronome.
Six shots shattered
the body that battered her heart
six shots because less
just wouldn't do, wouldn't do.
one for each finger in his everready fist -
then a pause, a tiny breath -
the sixth shot, an afterthought
an epilogue, a eulogy to
the baby they'd buried
in a shallow winter grave.
I heard this is how it went on down.
Smoke rose from the barrel
Clouds covered the moon
His face froze like that- just so
lips forming a perfect O eyes wider than
the river. The water caught
his weight with a welcoming
splash, washed clean his wounds
spread the blood like an oil slick
Fireflies reflected on the water
and she smiled
and smiled
and smiled...
She let his body down like he let her down.
The cattail reeds their last marriage bed.
Silvery light shown through the clouds -
Lord, I heard this is how it gone done....
Her teeth cut the sharp edge of the night
Not a second does she drop the smile, thinking
how John got himself a second baptism now,
a holy watery communion
forever and ever till death did they part
amen
Fireflies on the water
phosphorescent stars
silver sliver of moon
six shots, five being too few
I heard that's how it went down
No don't you lose that smile, sugar
Sister don't you fear what I might do
See, you just got there first, that's all.
I would've killed that bastard too.
=======
3 - remove every third paragraph
6 - remove every sixth sentence
9- remove every ninth word
Three - remove every TH or RE or EE containing word
Six - remove s and i starting words
Nine- remove every NI word
3 - remove every third sentence
6 - remove every sixth word
9 - remove the ninth paragraph
1. Remove like
2. Remove on
3. Remove A
4. Remove punctuation.
5. Squish together
6. Name 369
reflect river
pinpoints light
cold gunmetal grip
down furrow her brow
bade wade
bullfrogs croaked dirge
girl done wrong warm
out only metronome.
for each his everready fist
how went down
his face froze just
lips forming a perfect eyes wider
his weight
his body down he let
cattail reeds last marriage bed
fireflies water
being too few
would've bastard too