Thursday, September 30, 2004

John & I

are working on a new set of collaborations. We've been asking friends to give us titles and forms for which we will write poems. For example, Jeff Paris gave us the title "It's Not Lucky To Be Berd." and the form "prose poem" and out came the poem below.

Please note that the form does not have to be a form defined in the Poetry Dictionary. You can declare your own form. Just give us specific rules and a name for your new form.

Here's the first one. We'll field all challenges here declared.

xo,
Shafer and John

I. It's Not Lucky To Be Berd.

There's only one hard season, but it could be a different season for anyone. I went to return Berd's wallet, but got caught up and you know how when you're on a street, and it is snowing or raining or really hot or the leaves are falling -- these are things you have to share. We each carry our own chest of drawers down the stairs. Drawers are good places to keep wallets so you don't lose them. I carry Berd around now and I don't know where he's moved to.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'd like to pose a challenge...an acrostic poem called "Investigative Services" (where "Investigative Services" are the words going down--tee-hee, I said 'going down'!). I know this is mainly a junior high poetry form but I think it needs to see the light of day again, and if anyone can bring it back, it's you boys. Plus, be happy you didn't get my second choice, a tonka, called "Throw Vince Vaughn at the Problem" which is the advice I've recently been handing Sybil. On a related note...the Durge is single again and women-boy pedophilia is back in vogue (three segments just this week on GMA). So mothers, lock up your Culkins'.
xoxo jaime

Anonymous said...

Jaime, I spent at least 5 minutes thinking you said "Throw Vince McMahon at the Problem," which obviously makes far more sense. I imagined him being thrown bodily (how else do people get thrown in the WWF?) out of ring and into a retinue of Jaime/Sybil-deemed problem riffraff, scattering them like bowling pins. I submit that this would be a more effective method of dealing with your/Sybil's problems than your suggestion. Both ideas would make nice tonkas.
--Jeff

Anonymous said...

Jeff,
I guess I'd like to put a Vince McMahon-shaped hole in my problems but I'd much rather put a Vince Vaughn-shaped man in my hole.

xoxo jaime

Anonymous said...

I read the title as "It'n Not Lucky to be a Nerd." I want to contribute with a challenge, but I'll have to wait until I get some sleepy time.

-Katey

Anonymous said...

mmm... man shapes.