Write at least one poem (feel free to write more then one) at least 8 lines long, and not more than 12 lines using a minimum of 6 of these 18 words: melon water cave sienna portal paper crisp city abstract mixture climbing chosen layered enter thistle swallow half ice
Can't wait to see everyones contributions. I will have mine posted tomorrow!

crisp paper
caves
into water
of
abstract thought
my pen
chosen
to enter
swallow
this mixture
layered
with rhythm

Lascaux

I am climbing to enter the forbidden cave,
to see the paintings, the ochre, the sienna.
I note how crisp the air is here above the city.

I see a mixture of fear and ecstasy on the rocks before me.
I understand: this is the portal to past secrets.

I write these words down on paper, that I may recall them later
as I think of the painters, how they'd chosen colors and layered pigments,
chewed stems of thistle to make their brushes.
Did they eat wild melon, sip cool ice water as I do now
when I am done with the wild beasts of art?

I remember watching a lush world cave in;

I recall climbing from a layered city,
emerging from an asphalt portal
to enter this burnt sienna promised land.

I am sitting here now with crisp new paper
like some James Gadsden parody;

all I have are
abstract thoughts I can't express,
bull thistle rolling in the wind,
a swallow and a half of melon daiquiri with hard ice,

and a strange new world
that explodes in slow motion.

melon water cave sienna portal paper crisp city abstract mixture climbing chosen layered enter thistle swallow half ice



aah, melon, sweet melon, water melon, how you cave inside out,
crisp luscious red layered thirst quencher, how fast you are eaten
ice and fire could not have mixed to make one so delicious, oh chosen one!

you are the portal of all naughty pip shooting, each seed one more dot
that draws abstract lines, cities climbing into the tall 2-d dust,
is that Sienna there, let me transfer that on paper, good bad and ugly
it is hard to swallow the left over rind, the fruit is all gone, lost labor of love.

alana wrote:

melon water cave sienna portal paper crisp city abstract mixture climbing chosen layered enter thistle swallow half ice aah, melon, sweet melon, water melon, how you cave inside out, crisp luscious red layered thirst quencher, how fast you are eaten ice and fire could not have mixed to make one so delicious, oh chosen one! you are the portal of all naughty pip shooting, each seed one more dot that draws abstract lines, cities climbing into the tall 2-d dust, is that Sienna there, let me transfer that on paper, good bad and ugly it is hard to swallow the left over rind, the fruit is all gone, lost labor of love.

This one reminds me of Neruda's wonderful poem about tomatoes!

This Duane fellow has hit on a really good idea. He has stimulated people to come up with some fine poems indeed. I hope you keep these coming, Gail.

Here's my contribution:

Do not speak to me of absolutes
when the city is still crisp with morning
and paper still covers the melon
for fear it should abstract from its heritage of seed.

Allow yourself to be a visitor in the land of surprises;
allow the rising water to chase you from Plato's cave
to where you can see the first swallow of spring
soaring above the ice.

The thistle, too, is relative
to the Scotsman climbing the crags of his homeland:
half alive, half transcending,
he will enter the portal which leads to refreshment.

did he now? i must read it! Thank you Oz.

Sorry Gail did not know there was a New Duane's Challenge! Here you are with all 18 words.


The Visitor

Enter from the portal in the sky,
the chosen we came, on a cold crisp morn,

flying like swallow snowflakes, falling on the thistle,
melting away, as fast we came,

kissed by a burnt paper sun,
we transformed into water, we were one,

enter the abstract artist,
collecting a mixture of medium,

sienna, ochre, umber, charcoal from the fire,
layered in mystery, from another planet city we came,

to climbing into a cave, paint on the walls,
eat melon and mess with your heads.

One edit; the word TO in the last stanza is a typo...