The Prompt Hi, friends! You’ve probably gathered by now that I’m pretty into the whole notion of play. I extend ad nauseum invitations for you to play with prompts, play with words, play with this or that possibility. Well, for better or worse, I’m going to up my intensity on the whole
Okay, I couldn't resist the urge to try a poem using today's solution. My guesses were "shear" and "spent," and if you're in the comments thread today, then hopefully you already know that the solution is "spelt."
Lisa, I love this. Taking reality and creating a fun poem from it is a gift! Though, perhaps your wonder dog is not quite feeling the humor and fun! Please put this person on the "no shear" list!
Wordle is really new to me. The first one I ever did, which was yesterdays, did not bring words that inspired me. So, I am going with what I received today. I did the puzzle in four words; touch, plaid, maids, abide. Okay...so here is my poem...
An apprpiate response--zero! When I was younger, I would often listen to my parents playing bridge with friends and lying in bed hearing the word "trump" over and over. I never had any idea what in the world they were talking about, and still don't. Wiht the advent of the new "Trump", I am grateful not to be young again hearing that word ringing through the night!
Here’s one for March 19, beware of spoilers. (Trail, canid, abide.) I must confess that I’ve never really told my neighbor to do anything, but he has certainly told me to pack. ;)
I really enjoyed this one, Rebekah. It almost feels a little cheeky, like the "abide" is more of a "deal with it" which I find amusing whether you've actually done it or not. 😅
Your poem (and this prompt) made me smile, and I love the story your guesses tell! I play Wordle every day. Perhaps ironically, my starting words is "adieu" 😅
Oh, this is brilliant, A! I was thinking of spelt as the grain and feeling very sorry for everyone that's trying to write a poem based on that, but following the excellent example of the British and using it as the past participle or past tense of spell opens up so many more possibilities.
This is great...especially love the last bit "I elect to smelt new meaning from the lies previously spelt," stated with a decidedly British air of dignity (to my ears)
Once again you've nailed it, A -- so much said in a single poetic sentence. This time it feels like an extreme stunt because you managed to build a narrative from all those seemingly unrelated Wordle guess words, all in just six lines. The idea of *smelting* new meaning from old lies is breathtaking.
I kind of felt like this one mostly wrote itself, given that half the words were pre-supplied, but it did end up being more thoughtful than I expected.
What a fun prompt! I was not as brave as you and A, though, and just went with yesterday's more readily workable (for me) word, SNORT. Along the way I guessed CRASH, RUSTY, and STRIP.
This had me laughing out loud! And oh my, the ending line "will snort you under the table" . . . so good! Also, I absolutely remember those moments of crying and shaking with silent laughter in church, although in my case, the more specific memory was a testimony bearer whose nose was running profusely as he wept at the pulpit, and he kept licking the snot from his upper lip, I kid you not.
This is incredible, Rebekah! You mentioned how I said so much with so little, but I'm in awe of you pulling so much out of just a few words. The story here is so full, and I loved "rusty fingers" and "My chosen places treat humor as a sacrament, and will snort you under the table."
This is wonderful. Love that you used snort twice. First as "she let out a giant snort." Then "My chosen places take humor as a sacrament, and will snort you under the table." Love this! Yes humor is holy! Laughter, sacred.
Rebekah, you are a true gem! This is one of the most wonderful poems in an ocean of wonderful poems! I would love to share it with my colleagues, whom, like me, can fall prey to self righteous piety, hyper solemnity, ultra seriousness and anti-snorting. Thank you for the notion of humor as sacramemnt, and the image of snorting the high religious under the table!
Okay, I followed Lisa's guidance and have not read any of your all's offerings. My poems from Day one of wordle, Spelt, are pretty awful if not comical, but I managed to eek out a song like one with abide. Thank you for the invitation to play, and not take myself or life too seriously, at least for a time. I look forward to reading your wonderful writing now!
Larry, this is such a gem! I could read that first stanza ten times over and feel more and more delighted with every repetition. I love the playfulness, the imagery, and the tender holding of things that hurt.
You know how I love a good rhyme, Larry. This one is loaded with juicy rhymes! I especially love "lusty pleasures and wrecking ball pride." And if I may say so, love is both by your side and inside you...as is regularly evidenced by your beautiful words.
Thanks for introducing me to Wordle and for encouraging some silliness, which isn't (yet) my first go-to (and really needs to be some days). I finally managed to do the work of playing yesterday ; ) and solved the 3/18 puzzle in this sequence: SWEAR/STEEP/SPENT/SPELT. Here's what I came up with:
Haha! I suspect it was more like beginner's luck. But I love the idea of wordle designing itself to suit my needs! I'll have to keep playing to know ; )
Yay Keith, what brave and innovative work here! Spelt is a toughy, ancd I tried several times to construct a poem around spelt, but everyone of them smelt (an ore and a funky fish often loved by ice fishing folk!)! Play on, you creative genius!
OMG Lisa what have you done? Funny, I have never played Wordle before, oh what fun. I tried it for the first time today. I am hooked, took six words, but I got it! I love games, so there you are. Thanks for the invitation. Don't like my words today, so maybe tomorrow for a poem...
Haha, I'm sorry, and you're welcome! Congrats on your first Wordle solve, Julie! It definitely isn't the easiest word for a prompt. I'll keep my fingers crossed for something juicier tomorrow.
Today's word is definitely a rough start! I'm going to take a play out of A's book and treat it as the past participle of "spell" rather than as the grain!
Oh Lisa, I love what you have unleashed! Introducing a whole new cadre of poets to Wordle is the work of a wisdom keeping, visionary and fun loving guide! Another virtual standing ovation and joyful bow for and to you!
It's funny, I've thought a bunch of times that I could make a poem out of the words I use to solve Letter Boxed (another NYT game) but I've never saved any to try. Now I feel like I missed some opportunities! I think I'll try it the next time the thought occurs to me.
Okay, I couldn't resist the urge to try a poem using today's solution. My guesses were "shear" and "spent," and if you're in the comments thread today, then hopefully you already know that the solution is "spelt."
I'm ashamed to say
how much I spent
to have some woman
shear my dog,
who promptly shrunk
from grizzly fluff
to naked mole rat.
We still call him
by his same sweet name,
be he looks so different,
we joke that he
is a whole new dog,
that we traded dear and cuddly Jeff
for this exotic rodent of the
same name,
spelt 'Jefff'.
This one is so fun, Lisa!
Oh no! Is this true? Poor Jeff(f)! Or maybe not...maybe he feels sleek and svelte as spelt 🤣. Thanks for sharing this one, too.
Fun! Is it true? Did your dog get sheared to a naked mole rat?
Lisa, I love this. Taking reality and creating a fun poem from it is a gift! Though, perhaps your wonder dog is not quite feeling the humor and fun! Please put this person on the "no shear" list!
Wordle is really new to me. The first one I ever did, which was yesterdays, did not bring words that inspired me. So, I am going with what I received today. I did the puzzle in four words; touch, plaid, maids, abide. Okay...so here is my poem...
It takes a gentle touch
moving slowly across
the threads of the tartan plaid
to sense the old stories told.
Will the lassies, hags and maids
reveal their mystical ways
or in silence will they abide
letting the tales go untold.
I love the power this poem gives to the tellers (or not) of the tales!
Nice one, Julie! I like the idea of clothing containing old stories that you can sense with your hands. Lovely Wordle poetry from a brand-new Wordler!
I hope the tales choose to be told.
Julie this is sweet and so worthy of the Celtic pantheon! Oh my, I am yearning for some tartan plaid!
Oh I love this one! I've taken up watching Outlander again (moving through slowly) so this immediately reminded me of that beautiful storytelling.
Oh I really enjoy this. Very mystical and soothing.
TRUMP got zero hits.
I can abide by that.
I can abide by that ever so much.
Perhaps the only five-letter word that really sounds like a 4-letter word.
Haha, I love it! Wordle as a form of political forecasting, let's hope...
I can abide by that too!
Ditto!
🙂
An apprpiate response--zero! When I was younger, I would often listen to my parents playing bridge with friends and lying in bed hearing the word "trump" over and over. I never had any idea what in the world they were talking about, and still don't. Wiht the advent of the new "Trump", I am grateful not to be young again hearing that word ringing through the night!
Here’s one for March 19, beware of spoilers. (Trail, canid, abide.) I must confess that I’ve never really told my neighbor to do anything, but he has certainly told me to pack. ;)
I trail wherever
through woods
canid, felid, ursid.
Neighbor tells me to
pack. I tell him to
abide.
I love this Rebekah! You have such beautiful creative instincts and powers!
I really enjoyed this one, Rebekah. It almost feels a little cheeky, like the "abide" is more of a "deal with it" which I find amusing whether you've actually done it or not. 😅
Your poem (and this prompt) made me smile, and I love the story your guesses tell! I play Wordle every day. Perhaps ironically, my starting words is "adieu" 😅
Bidding adieu
to the globe
with its felty
textures, I elect to
smelt new meaning from
the lies previously spelt.
Oh, this is brilliant, A! I was thinking of spelt as the grain and feeling very sorry for everyone that's trying to write a poem based on that, but following the excellent example of the British and using it as the past participle or past tense of spell opens up so many more possibilities.
I Googled it to double check meanings, haha. I thought of flour first as well!
This is great...especially love the last bit "I elect to smelt new meaning from the lies previously spelt," stated with a decidedly British air of dignity (to my ears)
Haha, I hadn't intended it but I can definitely see how you'd read it that way and I'm not upset about it 😅
This is powerful. Kudos to you for using yesterdays words. I had other words like stein & skeet. Nope, used the words I got today.
Once again you've nailed it, A -- so much said in a single poetic sentence. This time it feels like an extreme stunt because you managed to build a narrative from all those seemingly unrelated Wordle guess words, all in just six lines. The idea of *smelting* new meaning from old lies is breathtaking.
I kind of felt like this one mostly wrote itself, given that half the words were pre-supplied, but it did end up being more thoughtful than I expected.
Nicely done!
A., this is remarkable and so creative! To construct a lively poem around words like adieu, felty, smelt, and spelt is true magical genius!
What a fun prompt! I was not as brave as you and A, though, and just went with yesterday's more readily workable (for me) word, SNORT. Along the way I guessed CRASH, RUSTY, and STRIP.
.
There are some things that
don’t get to walk out of
childhood with you. Like
brute laughter, the kind that
struck at church, a place
you were told to
strip off your mirth
before entering. It would crash
around your organs, threatening
to break something if you didn’t
let it out. It would seize you in its
rusty fingers, clench your belly,
squeeze tears from your eyes
and silently shake you.
.
It wasn’t your fault.
The woman at the pulpit
had been bearing witness
to the usual things, but then
she started to sob uncontrollably,
and the air slowed
as compassion's ears turned red,
because this was not a
charismatic congregation.
Still, every face but the sobber’s
was sober, and heads were
bowed, and then
she let out
a giant
snort.
.
I am no longer bullied
by laugher. Though I wonder:
how much of that is just about
a change in venue?
My chosen places
exact no blood oath of solemnity.
My chosen places
take humor as a sacrament,
and will snort you under the table.
This had me laughing out loud! And oh my, the ending line "will snort you under the table" . . . so good! Also, I absolutely remember those moments of crying and shaking with silent laughter in church, although in my case, the more specific memory was a testimony bearer whose nose was running profusely as he wept at the pulpit, and he kept licking the snot from his upper lip, I kid you not.
Lol, was it Dad? Dying over here...
This memory is priceless!
Snort.
Yes.
Nothing like a good church snort.
Excellent.
We once had a guy start snoring in the middle of our dark and spooky good friday service.
Humbling.
And funny.
Nothing like a good snort, and snore! I've managed to out more than a few people to sleep in church, seemingly a wonderful place to snooze!
This is incredible, Rebekah! You mentioned how I said so much with so little, but I'm in awe of you pulling so much out of just a few words. The story here is so full, and I loved "rusty fingers" and "My chosen places treat humor as a sacrament, and will snort you under the table."
"humor as a sacrament" - this seems the essence of spirituality (and sadly missing from many religions).
Amen, ashe and blessed be to that, Keith!
This is wonderful. Love that you used snort twice. First as "she let out a giant snort." Then "My chosen places take humor as a sacrament, and will snort you under the table." Love this! Yes humor is holy! Laughter, sacred.
Rebekah, you are a true gem! This is one of the most wonderful poems in an ocean of wonderful poems! I would love to share it with my colleagues, whom, like me, can fall prey to self righteous piety, hyper solemnity, ultra seriousness and anti-snorting. Thank you for the notion of humor as sacramemnt, and the image of snorting the high religious under the table!
Okay, I followed Lisa's guidance and have not read any of your all's offerings. My poems from Day one of wordle, Spelt, are pretty awful if not comical, but I managed to eek out a song like one with abide. Thank you for the invitation to play, and not take myself or life too seriously, at least for a time. I look forward to reading your wonderful writing now!
Abide
Abide in me, abide.
Even through the slip and slide,
The joyous song, the wild ride
Love is by my side.
Abide in me, abide
Past all the pain I try and hide,
The shadows that lurk deep inside,
Love is by my side.
Abide in me, abide.
Lusty pleasures and wrecking ball pride,
Soaring hawks and loons that glide
Love is by my side.
Larry, this is such a gem! I could read that first stanza ten times over and feel more and more delighted with every repetition. I love the playfulness, the imagery, and the tender holding of things that hurt.
Thank you, Lisa, wonderful guide, teacher and person!
You know how I love a good rhyme, Larry. This one is loaded with juicy rhymes! I especially love "lusty pleasures and wrecking ball pride." And if I may say so, love is both by your side and inside you...as is regularly evidenced by your beautiful words.
Thank you Keith, for such a kind and lovely comment. Blessings to you, friend!
Thanks for introducing me to Wordle and for encouraging some silliness, which isn't (yet) my first go-to (and really needs to be some days). I finally managed to do the work of playing yesterday ; ) and solved the 3/18 puzzle in this sequence: SWEAR/STEEP/SPENT/SPELT. Here's what I came up with:
Having spent fifteen years
gluten-free, which, initially
felt quite a steep
learning curve
for a baker’s kid turned
erstwhile beer buff and
overall carb connoisseur,
I now swear by it.
And so, apparently,
does wordle, which felt
“spelt,” of all things,
ought solve Monday.
I love this, Keith! I think you were the lone soul brave enough to use "spelt" as a noun. Perhaps that Wordle solve really was meant just for you!
Haha! I suspect it was more like beginner's luck. But I love the idea of wordle designing itself to suit my needs! I'll have to keep playing to know ; )
This is so clever, Keith!
Thank you, A! :))
Yay Keith, what brave and innovative work here! Spelt is a toughy, ancd I tried several times to construct a poem around spelt, but everyone of them smelt (an ore and a funky fish often loved by ice fishing folk!)! Play on, you creative genius!
What an excellent and clever rhyme, Larry...every one of your spelt attempts having "smelt!" *Your* creative genius is showing ; )
OMG Lisa what have you done? Funny, I have never played Wordle before, oh what fun. I tried it for the first time today. I am hooked, took six words, but I got it! I love games, so there you are. Thanks for the invitation. Don't like my words today, so maybe tomorrow for a poem...
Haha, I'm sorry, and you're welcome! Congrats on your first Wordle solve, Julie! It definitely isn't the easiest word for a prompt. I'll keep my fingers crossed for something juicier tomorrow.
Lisa, this is just a hunch, you are an inspiration and a real gem. My partner plays wordle, but I never have. Off to new experiences!
How fun!!!! I am a wordler as well and play most every day. I am off to find a word to work with because I can’t work with today’s lol.
Today's word is definitely a rough start! I'm going to take a play out of A's book and treat it as the past participle of "spell" rather than as the grain!
Yes!!!
Love this! Reminds me of a prompt I did a few years ago with my kids using a boggle game 😆
Oooooh boggle sounds like such a fun way to kick start a poem! That was one of our fave family games when I was a kid.
Oh Lisa, I love what you have unleashed! Introducing a whole new cadre of poets to Wordle is the work of a wisdom keeping, visionary and fun loving guide! Another virtual standing ovation and joyful bow for and to you!
Ok y’all I’m late but went back to spelt. And went full on Old Testament yo!
Perhaps it benefits one
To be a bit behind
A late bloomer if you will
“For the wheat and the spelt
Were not destroyed
Because they ripen later”
So take your time
Find your way
At the very least
You should survive
A specific biblical plague.
It's funny, I've thought a bunch of times that I could make a poem out of the words I use to solve Letter Boxed (another NYT game) but I've never saved any to try. Now I feel like I missed some opportunities! I think I'll try it the next time the thought occurs to me.