DMC: "Office Horror Story" by Suzy Levinson

OFFICE HORROR STORY

"Come closer," it said,
"for I must be fed.
All documents welcome, 'cause I want to SHRED."

"No, thank you," I said,
creasing with dread.
"A contract like me would prefer to stay read."

"Closer," it pled.
"N-O," I said.
"Why don't you eat that old phone book instead?"

"Tasty," it said.
"SHREDDY-SHRED-SHRED!"
That's when I slipped off the table and fled.

© 2018 Suzy Levinson. All rights reserved.


Calef Brown has challenged us to write a poem that tells the story of two anthropomorphized objects. They can be an odd couple, close friends, mortal enemies, or meet each other for the first time. The poem can be about an adventure they have together, a conflict, a game they play, anything. Click HERE for more details and to read this month's Spotlight ON interview.

Post your poem on our October 2018 padlet by October 31st. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up presentation this Friday, November 2nd, and one lucky participant will win a signed copy of Calef Brown's latest collection of ghoulish poetry from Carolrhoda Books:

DMC: "The Binder and the Piece of Paper: A Dialogue" by Elizabeth Steinglass

The Binder and the Piece of Paper: A Dialogue

I am a binder—
loyal and true.
I keep loose leaf papers
looking like new.

               I won’t go in there.
               Rings aren’t for me.
               I want to be seen.
               I want to be free.

Free papers fly,
then they get tossed.
The depths of a bag
is where you’ll get lost.

               I want to be useful.
               My words should be read,
               but the snap of your teeth
               fills me with dread.

I swear it won’t hurt.
Quick! The day’s over soon!
With me you’ll be safe
(at least until June).

© 2018 Elizabeth Steinglass. All rights reserved.


Calef Brown has challenged us to write a poem that tells the story of two anthropomorphized objects. They can be an odd couple, close friends, mortal enemies, or meet each other for the first time. The poem can be about an adventure they have together, a conflict, a game they play, anything. Click HERE for more details and to read this month's Spotlight ON interview.

Post your poem on our October 2018 padlet by October 31st. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up presentation this Friday, November 2nd, and one lucky participant will win a signed copy of Calef Brown's latest collection of ghoulish poetry from Carolrhoda Books:

DMC: "Standoff: The Hand and the Pen" by Matt Forrest Esenwine

Standoff:  The Hand and the Pen

(Hand)                                                                  (Pen)
Ok, I’m going to write a book!                 Ummm…better take another look.

I want a novel! Let’s get started.             I’d rather tell of trails uncharted.

Oh, bother. (sigh) Novella, then.            I make the rules. I am the Pen.

You can’t do this! It’s not fair!                 Let’s speak of love. Desire. Despair.

A STORY. One page. Satisfied??             Not yet. Just let me be your guide.

Fine. A poem. Just help me do it!!         Ha, ha – looks like I beat you to it.

     © 2018 Matt Forrest Esenwine. All rights reserved.

Calef Brown has challenged us to write a poem that tells the story of two anthropomorphized objects. They can be an odd couple, close friends, mortal enemies, or meet each other for the first time. The poem can be about an adventure they have together, a conflict, a game they play, anything. Click HERE for more details and to read this month's Spotlight ON interview.

Post your poem on our October 2018 padlet by October 31st. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up presentation this Friday, November 2nd, and one lucky participant will win a signed copy of Calef Brown's latest collection of ghoulish poetry from Carolrhoda Books:

DMC: "Passing Time with Tick and Tock" by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes

"Tick Tock" by Peter Nijenhuis

Passing Time with Tick and Tock

Each time I tick, my heart grows sick
to see time pass so quick-quick-quick!
Is it a joke? Some kind of trick?
This life is not the one I'd pick.

          With every tock, I find the clock
          has barely budged. Like solid rock,
          it sits there taunting, taking stock.
          I wish the future would unlock!

One fateful day, the story goes,
the two were caught up in the throes
of what could never be undone—
a time warp merged them into one!

          Tock would always follow Tick. 
          Tick would not abandon Tock.
          You'd think the two would really click,
          but now they bicker round the clock.

© 2018 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. All rights reserved.


Through the wonders of modern technology, enter the YouTube portal to experience the time warp for yourself!

Under normal circumstances, today (the last Friday of the month) would be our wrap-up celebration for Calef Brown's DMC challenge to write a poem about two anthropomorphized objects. (Click HERE for more details.) Because we got a late start, however, I am postponing the celebration until next Friday, November 2nd, and look forward to sharing a few more daily ditties next week!

Featured poems this week were by Molly Hogan, Tabatha Yeatts, Renée LaTulippe, and Buffy Silverman. If you haven't already done so, you have until Wednesday, October 31st, to post your poem on the October 2018 padlet and be included in next week's wrap-up presentation.


Don't let time run away from you!

Stuart Rankin

Join Kay Jernigan McGriff at A Journey Through the Pages for this week's Poetry Friday roundup and her poem inspired by Calef Brown's challenge—"Sunrise Conversation." Thanks, Kay!

DMC: "Conversation on a Darkening Day" by Buffy Silverman

CONVERSATION ON A DARKENING DAY

I dress up blue skies
with castles and dragons,
rabbits and spaceships,
pirates and swans,

until I grow heavy,
turn weepy and gray.
My tears rattle rooftops
and wash over lawns.

               Don’t hold back your tears,
               your gray weepy ways.
               Let your castles collapse
               and fall to my crown.

               Your dragons tame fires
               and quench thirsty roots.
               Keep wailing and weeping,
               keep soaking my ground.

© 2018 Buffy Silverman. All rights reserved.


Calef Brown has challenged us to write a poem that tells the story of two anthropomorphized objects. They can be an odd couple, close friends, mortal enemies, or meet each other for the first time. The poem can be about an adventure they have together, a conflict, a game they play, anything. Click HERE for more details and to read this month's Spotlight ON interview.

Post your poem on our October 2018 padlet by October 31st. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up presentation on Friday, November 2nd, and one lucky participant will win a signed copy of Calef Brown's latest collection of ghoulish poetry from Carolrhoda Books:

DMC: "Pencil and Pen: A Composed Love Story" by Renée M. LaTulippe

Calef Brown has challenged us to write a poem that tells the story of two anthropomorphized objects. They can be an odd couple, close friends, mortal enemies, or meet each other for the first time. The poem can be about an adventure they have together, a conflict, a game they play, anything. Click HERE for more details and to read this month's Spotlight ON interview.

Post your poem on our October 2018 padlet by October 31st. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up presentation on Friday, November 2nd, and one lucky participant will win a signed copy of Calef Brown's latest collection of ghoulish poetry from Carolrhoda Books:

DMC: "Advice from a Mature Nail Polish" by Tabatha Yeatts

ADVICE FROM A MATURE NAIL POLISH

You're fresh out of the bag, still got the price tag on ya,
so I thought you could use a few tips from a lady
who's been around the block since before
you were a funny name in search of a color.

First of all, you are gonna LOVE your chance to shine.
(I like the part where they blow on you while you're drying.)
You get to stretch out a little bit, show 'em how tough you can be,
go see the world. You never know what's gonna happen next.

You could end up at a wedding, clapping after a first kiss—
call me a romantic, but I love that stuff—or you could wind up
throwing his clothes on the lawn. (I kind of love that stuff, too.
When you've been in a bottle a while, high drama hits the spot.)

Sometimes she pulls you out, and you gotta bring your best gloss,
leave it all on the nail, you know? Because times are rough. Not
the fun drama, but the walking-through-doctor's-offices kind. The
on-hold-on-the-phone kind. If she looks down, you gotta give her a little sparkle.

Time can be hard on a polish. When you've been sitting in the cabinet
too long, you can forget why you're staying smooth.
It's easy to wrap around that brush and gob up.
Why not just let yourself go stiff? I'll tell you why not.

When that hand arrives for you,
you don't want to miss it. 

© 2018 Tabatha Yeatts. All rights reserved.


Calef Brown has challenged us to write a poem that tells the story of two anthropomorphized objects. They can be an odd couple, close friends, mortal enemies, or meet each other for the first time. The poem can be about an adventure they have together, a conflict, a game they play, anything. Click HERE for more details and to read this month's Spotlight ON interview.

Post your poem on our October 2018 padlet by October 31st. While some contributions will be featured as daily ditties, all contributions will be included in a wrap-up presentation on Friday, November 2nd, and one lucky participant will win a signed copy of Calef Brown's latest collection of ghoulish poetry from Carolrhoda Books: