Field Trip to the Zoo  (a poem)
 
His head lurched
awkwardly 

smudging 
his prickly copper 
scales

on trembling fingers--
live membrane 
slaughtered


by senses
no way to sift fear,
a blackout.

Just skewer it!

Like I do
the asparagus
you steam just right
crunchy and crisp


Written for Monday's Melting with Shawna  Using the entire word list because I cannot do otherwise: tremble, prickly, lurch, asparagus, blackout, copper, scaly, smudge, skewer, sift, membrane, slaughter

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 26, 2012 at 7:53 AM

    Ha! Love your footnote. :) I usually "have" to use all the words too, but I just couldn't pull it together this week. I had a really hard time with this list. I think it was more my head than the words, though. Sometimes you're just not ripe for writing.

    This is very creative, Ginny. Skewer a snake, LOL. Not a bad idea. But you make him sound beautiful with "prickly copper scales." I almost want to touch him. Almost.

    I love the way you brought the words to life in these two stanzas:

    "on trembling fingers--
    live membrane
    slaughtered

    by senses
    no way to sift fear,
    a blackout."

    I'm so glad you joined in! I actually just posted a new list of words, just for fun. I hope you'll write another one. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. De JacksonApril 26, 2012 at 6:36 PM

    Loving the strong sounds in here: crunchy, crisp, skewer.
    And I'm the same way! I have to challenge myself to use all of the words. If I can't use one, I have to find one that's similar, and substitute it. Is there a support group for this? Obsessive ComPENsive Disorder? And most importantly, are there donuts?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. GinnyApril 27, 2012 at 7:06 AM

      Thanks, De. If there's not a group yet, let's start one. And there MUST be donuts--stacked like they did at the Sheriff's dept. in that TV series Twin Peaks.

      Delete
  3. De JacksonApril 27, 2012 at 7:07 AM

    Mmmmmmm. Donuts. And lattes. Let's do lattes, too. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. GinnyApril 29, 2012 at 8:40 PM

      I'm a tea drinker, not coffee so much, but a chai latte would definitely work.

      Delete
    2. AnonymousMay 7, 2012 at 7:33 AM

      Chai tea from PJ's is so yummy.

      Are you mad at me? I miss your poems and comments. And it's definitely time for a new blog post. I hope you're okay. :)

      Delete
    3. GinnyMay 7, 2012 at 7:48 AM

      Hey, Shawna! Not mad at all! How could I be mad at my creative, fun poet-friend? It's just been crazy busy and I was a little depressed--had a couple of health scares for myself last week and a half and in the end all was benign, but I didn't feel like getting on the computer. I'll be back hopefully with inspiration later in the week!

      Delete
    4. ShawnaMay 15, 2012 at 2:11 PM

      Oh Ginny, I'm so sorry you've suffered from depression and fear. They are consuming nemeses set to devour us all, particularly women. So glad you received good news at the end of it all.

      Delete
  4. Anne KatherineApril 27, 2012 at 5:16 PM

    Well, at first I thought it was a lizard -- but I guess a copperhead would make more sense!
    Wonderful job using all the words! Liked: "no way to sift fear,/a blackout." I'm sure that's exactly how your panic attack felt!

    ReplyDelete
  5. GinnyApril 29, 2012 at 8:42 PM

    It was a snake at my son's zoo fieldtrip. I should have included a pic of him reaching out--but lurched doesn't accurately describe the snake whose movements were more fluid than anything I'd ever seen. It was the zoo employee who lurched around the group of 100 kindergarteners!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousMay 4, 2012 at 5:53 PM

    Coming by to see if you have any new material. :)

    ReplyDelete

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