10.25.05

Five Finger Exercises

Posted in Uncategorized at 3:52 pm by falstaff

A while back I’d blogged about people writing fifty-five word stories and how I thought that was too easy. Now it seems someone’s come up with the idea of writing fifty-five word poems, so figured I’d try my hand at it at as well.

Here are three fifty-five word poems:

i)

A poem in fifty-five words
You say.

Why fifty-five?
I wonder.
Why not sixty?
That way we could usurp the clock face,
Make time a part of our calculations.

You shake your head.
Fifty-five.
You insist.

Very well.
I sit at my desk
Sharpening words like pencils
Counting one
For every year of my life.

ii)

I strip phrases from this poem
The way the Fall,
Impatient of poetry,
Tears leaves from summer branches.

Will beauty survive
The death of its colours?

All that remains
Of the poem I meant to write
Is the shorn defiance of these lines
Rising like branches
To where
Your understanding waits,
Treacherous as a sky.

iii)

A fifty-five word poem
Ain’t easy, you know.
No time for slow
Introductions, no lengthy proems,
You can’t to-and-fro ‘em
That way; you gotta make it flow
Right from go –
You gotta show ‘em.

Better recheck it
To make sure
You’ve got the right amount;
You’re no Becket
Just an amateur
Writer who can count.

18 Comments »

  1. . : A : . said,

    :-)

    Nice ones.

    Thanks for taking it up. Have linked your poems to my post.

  2. Mrudula said,

    ‘You’re no Becket
    Just an amateur
    Writer who can count.’

    I’m bad even at that! I’ve to double check to keep count!

    Good poetry!

  3. i think…poetic justice demands that this post have 5 comments…

  4. obviously no one else thinks so… :(

  5. then again….when has that ever stopped a genius from changing the world?
    yippeeee yuuuu :) !!!!

  6. Falstaff said,

    clueless: Happy?

  7. aaaargghhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    go get ur own blog!!!!
    oops…sorry…

  8. Aristocrat said,

    I like the second one very much. Vert much indeed!

  9. iamnasra said,

    uThis week Living In Poetry is having a tribute for .:A:. (English-August Blogspot) please visit the blog down below to tell us your thoughts on his writing and poetry

    L I P
    http://www.livinginpoetry.blogspot.com

    Spread the word

  10. . : A : . said,

    :-)

    Nice ones.

    Thanks for taking it up. Have linked your poems to my post.

  11. Mrudula said,

    ‘You’re no Becket
    Just an amateur
    Writer who can count.’

    I’m bad even at that! I’ve to double check to keep count!

    Good poetry!

  12. i think…poetic justice demands that this post have 5 comments…

  13. obviously no one else thinks so… :(

  14. then again….when has that ever stopped a genius from changing the world?
    yippeeee yuuuu :) !!!!

  15. Falstaff said,

    clueless: Happy?

  16. aaaargghhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    go get ur own blog!!!!
    oops…sorry…

  17. Aristocrat said,

    I like the second one very much. Vert much indeed!

  18. iamnasra said,

    uThis week Living In Poetry is having a tribute for .:A:. (English-August Blogspot) please visit the blog down below to tell us your thoughts on his writing and poetry

    L I P
    http://www.livinginpoetry.blogspot.com

    Spread the word


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