Cheryl Dyson

This poem is from today's Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "Seas Beneath" square in my 1-6-26 card for the Public Domain Day Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by fuzzyred. It belongs to the Kraken and Mercedes threads of the Polychrome Heroics series.


"Beneath the Sea"
-- a hexaduad


Jules reads
job feeds.
Come work beneath the sea!
Stock Cans; room and board free.
He knows it's good work and good pay,
but should he go or should he stay?
Tides rise and fall,
feelings, sea call.
Beach, a liminal place;
teen, in similar space.
Jules scans the shore,
texts, Tell me more.

* * *

Notes:

Read about the hexaduad form.

Today is partly cloudy and cool.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a large flock of sparrows.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 1/6/26 -- I did more work around the patio.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

 

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "short forms." I will be checking this page periodically throughout the day. When people make suggestions, I'll pick some and weave them together into a poem ... and then another ... and so on. I'm hoping to get a lot of ideas and a lot of poems.

I'll be soliciting poetic forms of 60 lines or less, so basically below my epic range rather than only the short-short length of 10 lines or less. Free verse below the length limit is also fine. Here are 15 short forms with descriptions. Among my favorite short forms not listed there: hexaduad, indriso, sestina, villanelle. This list of 168 forms is alphabetical. Poets Garrett has my favorite list of forms, including a list of repeating-interlocking forms. Their main page has links to poetic forms of 3-10 lines. Plus a few of my own: A darrow poem is a short, haiku-like musing by dark elves. A khazal is a Whispering Sands desert poem in couplets. A moose track is a repeating-interlocking form. A tweet wire is a tiny 10-line poem designed for Twitter. Some short forms, like haiku and tanka, work well as verses in a longer poem. I have The New Book of Forms by Lewis Turco so most forms should be in there. You can also prompt with a link to any exotic form you find; I collect these things.

In addition to forms, I also need topical prompts. One-word or short-phrase framing will assist in keeping them small enough to fit within the theme. Here is a huge list of common themes. This page of idioms has alphabetical and topical listings. I love writing poems about an individual word; see The Phrontistery (WARNING! Black hole caliber time sink ahead!) for glossaries. Have an orientation that is not well represented in literature? Ask for a sexual, romantic, or other orientation! If it's not on any of my lists, just include a description or link to one. I also list gender identities and my characters with disabilities. Want to help me play with my bookshelf? :D I have The Conflict Thesaurus, The Conflict Thesaurus Volume 2, The Occupation Thesaurus, The Emotional Wound Thesaurus, The Urban Setting Thesaurus, The Rural Setting Thesaurus, The Emotion Thesaurus, The Positive Trait Thesaurus, The Negative Trait Thesaurus, and The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus. Simply click "Read Sample" and view the table of contents for a list of cool ideas. You can prompt a sestina with six end words; I usually pick 5 short flexible words and one long exotic word, but I'll work with whatever I get. Favorite characters, threads, series, settings, etc. are also fair game but this is NOT the time for long plotty prompts. Consider combining a name or title with a short form, theme, or idiom. If you like to prompt with photos, this is a great opportunity for that. Just type in a topic (see above for possibilities) and click the Image link in your favorite search engine.

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This poem is spillover from the February 4, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from fuzzyred. It also fills the "nostalgia" square in my 2-1-25 card for the Valentines Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the Trichromatic Attractions thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes sobriety issues, angst, failed coping skills, self-loathing, difficulty planning, frustration with new skills, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

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Today is partly sunny and cool.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 1/5/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I've seen a large flock of sparrows.

EDIT 1/5/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 1/5/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Poem: "The Universal Assent to the World"
Poem: "A Heaviness of Heart"
Photos: Sunset
News
How to Comfort the Dying in an Emergency
Early Humans
Birdfeeding
Poem: "The Sound of Anguish"
Politics
Poem: "Help Others to Grow Up"
Fossils
Birdfeeding
Brains
Poem: "The Songwitch"
Philosophical Questions: Government
Poem: "A Different Language, a Different Vision of Life"
Poem: "Liberosis"
Friending Meme
Wildlife
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 1-2-26: Most Useful Communities
Friday Five
Poem: "Heartspur"
Watch "The Other Large Thing"
Vocabulary: Permacomputing
Community Thursdays
Exoplanets
Birdfeeding
Persistence
Poem: "Ruling from Beneath"
Public Domain Day Bingo Card 1-1-26
Hangover Severity and Symptom Tracker
Planning Ahead Goals for 2027
Friending Memes in 2026
My Crowdfunding Activities in 2026
Bingo Blackouts in 2025
My Bingo Fests for 2026
Planting Ahead in 2026
2026 Wishlist in Progress
Goals for 2026
2025 Goals in Review
Writing
Poem: "Once the Avalanche Has Begun"
Today's Cooking
Safety
Birdfeeding
New Year's Resolutions Check In
Poem: "Eyes Wide, Mind Open"
Good News

Food has 51 comments. Trauma has 46 comments. Affordable Housing has 78 comments. Robotics has 119 comments.

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Here are the character notes for "The Universal Assent to the World."

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This poem is spillover from the September 2023 crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by prompts from curiosity. It also fills the "Family" square in my 9-1-23 card for the Story Sparks Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the Aquariana, Cuoio & Chiara, and Marionettes threads of the Polychrome Heroics series. It follows "Help Others to Grow Up" and "The Sound of Anguish," so read those first or this won't make much sense.

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics with emotional mayhem. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes traumatic loss, traumatic stress, emotional agony, supporting character death, a crying man, an inept messenger, upset baby super-intellect, moment of panic, reference to past losses, unfairness, feeling unfinished, worry about a friend, exhaustion, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before deciding if this is something you want to read.

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