tea for one

tea for one

missing
your voice
sipping tea, conversation,
solving the world’s problems
alone

~kat

Day Two playing with the Elfchen. 

Elfchen
Known as an “elevenie” in English, the German elfchen (which loosely translates to “little eleven” or “wee eleven”) contains 11 words separated into five lines: one word, then two, then three, then four, then one again. The first line of an elfchen is traditionally some single-word concept, thought, or thing, which the rest of the poem describes—what it does, how it looks, how it makes you feel, whatever strikes your fancy. The last line is often a synonym or some other overarching reflection of your first word.

merry may

merry may

dark
becomes light
blessed be all
gather ‘round the bonfire’s
glow

~kat

A new short poetry form to play with. 

Elfchen
Known as an “elevenie” in English, the German elfchen (which loosely translates to “little eleven” or “wee eleven”) contains 11 words separated into five lines: one word, then two, then three, then four, then one again. The first line of an elfchen is traditionally some single-word concept, thought, or thing, which the rest of the poem describes—what it does, how it looks, how it makes you feel, whatever strikes your fancy. The last line is often a synonym or some other overarching reflection of your first word.

A ReVerse Poem

A ReVerse Poem

i’m not honest, not one bit
she is a wall at the forest’s edge
it’s zaniness, that’s what it is
i am not a fan of flying
devoured by madness
because what matters most
beyond conclusion
from dark dawn to dark dusk
turned into months into years
down, down, downsized
floor to ceiling windows
the sweet scent of buttercups
my heart swelling, splintering
did you know? I write poetry
by fireflies in pickle jars
she fancies herself organized
bitter, and smooth to the tongue

~kat

NaPoWriMo 2023 Challenge Day Thirty: Off prompt. Rather than writing a palinode – a poem in which you retract a view or sentiment expressed in an earlier poem, I decided to extract a line from several previous poems as a finale to this year’s daily challenge. Doing a ReVerse Poem* has always been my way to sum things up at the end of the day. Sometimes the combination of lines make sense…and sometimes, not so much. But it does give me a snapshot into each previous day’s endeavor. So, there you have it! Another NaPoWriMo in the bag. Until next year…😊

A ReVerse poem (a practice I started many years ago) is a summary poem with a single line lifted from each entry of a collection of work over a particular timeframe and re-penned in chronological order as a new poem. Unlike a collaborative poem, the ReVerse features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time.

Mr. Better Than Sex…Cake

Mr. Better Than Sex…Cake

The seduction begins with
an orgy of chocolate cake mix,
devil’s food, because, well…
given his titular title he has
a reputation to defend.
Add a ménage a trois of eggs,
and wetness, water, if you will,
and a fair amount of lubricant,
cooking oil, to the connoisseur,
to meld the mix into a smooth batter.

He prefers a preheated oven to do
his rising, filling the entire room
with the aroma of his decadence,
foreplay to what comes next after
about thirty minutes or so.

While still warm from the oven,
with a wooden skewer, or fork,
poke holes in the cake, reservoirs
to be filled with a slathering
of sweetened condensed milk…

“Oh, but I’m not finished with you yet!”
he teases playfully, inviting me
add a smooth layer of caramel sauce
and another of sweet whipped cream,
with a sprinkling of crushed chocolate
toffee candy…”yes please! chocolate on
chocolate…oooh, yes, yes! Please don’t
stop…here, and there, and oh…there…”

a drizzling of caramel syrup brings
this all to a climactic finish!

“Ooh la la, Mr. Better Than Sex Cake,
I am breathless, you’ve outdone yourself!

My tender tastebuds are tingling!
I think I need…a tall glass of milk!”


A Note to the Avid Gourmet:
There are a few variations to this
recipe that include ingredients
such as vanilla cake mix and
pineapple…but in my humble
opinion, vanilla is well, vanilla
and pineapple is too sweet. I like
my cake dark, decadent, slightly
bitter, and smooth to the tongue.

~kat

NaPoWriMo 2023 Challenge Day Twenty-Nine: write your own two-part poem that focuses on a food or type of meal. At some point in the poem, describe the food or meal as if it were a specific kind of person. Give the food/meal at least one line of spoken dialogue.


everything in its place

everything in its place

she alphabetizes the books
in her small library nook
by title and category, and if
it applies, by author as well
with some shelves dedicated
to vinyl records, cds and dvd /
blu ray films, also sorted
accordingly; for good measure,
cataloged electronically on
spreadsheets that she keeps
on her phone, a ready reference
just in case, you never know…
you know?
with so much time and energy
devoted to caring for her collections
she barely has time to enjoy their
contents, to peruse her beautiful
book pages, or listen to a favorite
tune, or sit long enough to catch
a flick, start to finish, without
interruption or distraction…still,
she fancies herself organized
to a tee, because being so feels safe
and settled; helps erase the chaos
ping-ponging in her scattered brain;
things in their place keeps her sane
or at least implies as much;
a secret, her secret, hidden to
those who only judge books by
their covers, where eccentricity
is a gentler reality to madness

-kat


NaPoWriMo 2023 Challenge Day Twenty-Eight: write your own index poem. You could start with found language from an actual index, or you could invent an index, somewhat in the style of this poem by Kell Connor.