Poetry Stretch Results - Climbing Rhyme

The challenge this week was to write a climbing rhyme, or poem in which the position of the rhyming word changes from line to line. Here are the results.

Jane Yolen stopped by to share this poem.

Nearing Winter

The bare boned trees
Bereft of bees, birds,
Welcomes freeze with limbs
Raised, sings hymns as
Light dims, throwing shade.

Julie Larios from The Drift Record wrote two poems! The first strictly follows the structure of climbing rhymes and is called Heard Over the P.A. System at the Mall. The second poem uses the 4/3/2 rhyme position in separate 3-line stanzas. It is entitled Christmas.

Sam left this poem in the comments.

Song of the Discount Scarf Weaver

When warping the weft
I'm often left with
A cleft among thread.
Wind in said gap
Your head may freeze
But remember please the
sales policies. No refunds.

lirone from Words that sing shares a poem entitled Man in my mind.

douglas florian from Florian Cafe (check out the new banner on his blog!) stopped by to share this poem.

Winter Night

The squirrels all climb
In hurried time all
While I'm warm, snug
As a bug and
Mom hugs me twice-
That feels nice, as
House mice kiss-Bliss!

TadMack from Finding Wonderland left this poem in the comments.

Tough, terse, family life:
You endure strife, scenes,
Weekends rife with rages...
Spiked pressure gauges screech!
Turning pages, breathing, steam
Releases. You dream "somedays"
Where clean calm reigns,
Sans family strain, tensions
Drain.

Laura Purdie Salas is fretting along with many others about the state of publishing in these tough economic times. Her poem is entitled Resignations, Restructuring, Layoffs, and Buyouts.

cloudscome from a wrung sponge shares a poem entitled End of the Day.

Here are the poems I wrote this week. I'm sharing two variations on the squirrel theme. Let me know which you like better.

Delicate flakes of lace
twirl through space to
swiftly erase fall’s last
canvas. Dancing fast across
fields vast and stark,
heralding the dark days
that mark the long
song of winter.

Untitled - Version 1
Dashing up and down
the leafless crown and
scarred brown bark, spry
bushy tails cry for
winter’s nigh again. Sigh.

Untitled - Version 2
Dashing up and down
the leafless crown of
squirrel town—pitter patter,
run skitter scatter, they
loudly chatter 'bout acorns.

It's not too late if you still want to play. Leave me a note about your poem and I'll add it to the list.