Dying rose fading. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
Cut flowers are dying
The petals are falling
The water's turned misty
The garden is calling
I run around a spring time garden
With my helpful secateurs
Which flower should I cut next?
Whose favourite? His or hers?
My first thought's the pretty rose
Simple white, pure and mellow
Roses are best, everyone knows
Only dead red? No white? Nor yellow?
Choose camelias, white and pink
They're still in bloom, so big and bold
They would be best, what do you think?
Agreed. Help - I've too much to hold
Who'd have thought you'd spend an hour
It's like cutting, left, right, dress hems.
The midget vase, or glass tower?
Decisions drive you round the bend
Cut off rose thorns, saved from harm
Tiny movement, ladybird? Doubt
Upturned insect in alarm
I saved its life, I threw it out
Such simple rules the flower game
My reward, it's like nature's balm
Dark green leaves, a halo, a frame
My restful flowers, give me calm.
-ends-
Today's discovery, or rediscovered system. Instead of predictable doggerel couplets, write couplets on alternation lines and a and c, then make another doublet split b and d. Start with a punchline, a statement or self-deprecating surprise. Line four numbering or d in the alphabetical ordering of each verse's four lines. Then find a rhyme for the last line to insert in line two.
What surprises could you put in the last line?
The object is alive, or the person described is dead.
|The writer is an animal. A ghost. The same person in the past or future.
The second person is the alter ego , not two people, one.
The enemy is the friend. The friend is the enemy.
The dead is alive, the alive is dead.
The heat is a dream on a cold day. The cold is a dream on a hot day, like the song dreaming of a white Christmas, written in sunny California in summer.
The person or object described or addressed is an animal, bird, insect, reptile, fish, cat, dog, ornament, doll, soft toy, puppet, photo.
