Eight-Word Poems

[PrinceMyshkin]

Eight words
will never do
in place
of nine

[_Shannon_]

Longing
for you
I tremble
at the distance

[CdnReader]

Those who can't count
write poetry instead.
(:p)

[PrinceMyshkin]

Those who can't count
write poetry instead.
(:p)

Did you mean, perhaps

Those who can NOT count
write poetry instead?

Or maybe...


Those who can't count
just plain can't count?

Or...


Never use seven words
where eight will doj?

[PrinceMyshkin]

The distance
is the same
lover to lover

[CdnReader]

Those who can't not write poetry
don't count.

:D



The distance
is the same
lover to lover

^^^ THIS!....

...is beautiful. :)

[asilef73]

Sleep!
where do you wander?
come find me!

[CdnReader]

wherever I wander
there do I find
myself

[firefangled]

Eight
Is
Great
Here
Though

short three letters

[CdnReader]

Ever notice
how eight
sometimes
seems like
more?

[firefangled]

sometimes
eight
stacks
up
higher
than
you
think

[CdnReader]

^^^ :)


Just
eight
words
all baked in a pie.

[firefangled]

when it is opened
they begin
to sing

[_Shannon_]

kiss on fingertips,
thumb gently stroking soft cheek

[asilef73]

kiss on fingertips,
thumb gently stroking soft cheek

i love this image :)

a smile so tender
you were lovely then

[PrinceMyshkin]

kiss on fingertips,
thumb gently stroking soft cheek


cheek reaches out
hungrily, asks
More, please, more

[PrinceMyshkin]

sometimes
eight
stacks
up
higher
than
you
think

Eight words, once standing, now knocked down flat

[CdnReader]

cheek reaches out
hungrily, asks
More, please, more


Eight words, once standing, now knocked down flat


I do believe
he's got it!
Applause please. :D

(Both amazing, JN. Thanks!)

[ampoule]

Why
would it
want to go
and rain?

[ampoule]

I just
bought gas
for the lawnmower, darn!

[PrinceMyshkin]

Why
would it
want to go
and rain?

Because

[ampoule]

Because


Because why?




We're working our way to eight words.

[_Shannon_]

because I said so, and I'm the mommy

[_Shannon_]

like how I went back to eight words

[PrinceMyshkin]

because I said so, and I'm the mommy

You're a hoot,
says I,
a freaking hoot!

[_Shannon_]

How many licks,
to the tootsie pop center?

[_Shannon_]

The studious owl says,
"One, two, ... thrrrrree"
Crunch.

[CdnReader]

Driven underground
by crashes and flashes.
Flights delayed.

[lucidnightmares]

to sum it up
it one word
wonderful

[asilef73]

it's enough for now;
our paths tangle together.

[CdnReader]

blue eyes
spirit sinks
as in watery fire

[firefangled]

someone
has to test
the whipped cream can

[CdnReader]

paradise


lives in
the children's eyes



quiet truth

[qimissung]

sinking into
the
murky ocean
depths
of
illness

[firefangled]

Tips of tongues
the messengers
lips to lips

[ampoule]

Tips of tongues
the messengers
lips to lips

My my...and whipped cream too? :D


Time to venture out
I don't want to

[PrinceMyshkin]

Verbal sex
is a lot like
military intelligence

[ampoule]

Are you dressing up
as a general again?

[PrinceMyshkin]

Are you dressing up
as a general again?

No, now I am
the French Lieutenants woman!

[CdnReader]

Child's laughter...
as carefree
as a
river's burble.

[PrinceMyshkin]

And yet...
If only..
I should have...
Damn!

[firefangled]

here the eddy
golden leaves
fall and circle

[ampoule]

Pulling at the square's corners
Making circles

[PrinceMyshkin]

two or three words
can shatter love
utterly

[CdnReader]

Tiny pansy faces

follow the sun


to evening.

[asilef73]

warmed skin,
bleary eyed,
lazy glow.
content me.

[CdnReader]

In the rising heat,
I languish,
motionless,
expectant.

[barbara0207]

A burden
off my shoulders.
I feel free.

[CdnReader]

Blue water.
Green forest.
Let the gods decide.

[qimissung]

tilting at windmills
or teenagers-what's
the difference?

[CdnReader]

pink and green sprinkles
sweetness in colours
yum!

[asilef73]

ending before a beginning?
what a cruel paradox!

[V.Jayalakshmi]

:) The Moth Came Flying,

And got consumed ,Oh!

[CdnReader]

Farmhouses
flung across the prairie
like tossed dice

[CdnReader]

Thunderstorm
hangs in the air,
like wet laundry.

[qimissung]

Good imagery, cdn. In fact, I like all the ones on this page.

[qimissung]

questions
are like
pathways
leading
into endless
caverns

[CdnReader]

(Thanks, Qim! :D)



Jewelled blue
of a northern lake
taunts, persistent.

[CdnReader]

Making decisions
is like squeezing
through a keyhole

[PrinceMyshkin]

What good is a parachute
unless you jump?

[CdnReader]

Jump now.
Think later.
It's all good, right?

[PrinceMyshkin]

Jump now.
Think later.
It's all good, right?



Jump? How, when I'm
already on solid ground?

[barbara0207]

Hic Rhodos, hic salta.
Then back on solid ground.

[firefangled]

To jump
is to believe
in three dimensions

[PrinceMyshkin]

Hic Rhodos, hic salta.
Then back on solid ground.



For hic-haec-hoc-cups
Latin is the very best cure!

[PrinceMyshkin]

To jump
is to believe
in three dimensions



Not if time
really does flow
either way

[firefangled]

It is always
the same time
different space

[PrinceMyshkin]

It is always
the same time
different space



"You can never step
into the same river."

[qimissung]

wading upstream,
I make the
water
make way.

For now,
I can believe
that I win.

[CdnReader]

Jump? How, when I'm
already on solid ground?


To jump
is to believe
in three dimensions



When feet encased in cement,
jumping accomplishes
nothing.

-- ConfuciusReader

[qimissung]

o
tommy
go boldly
it
was ever
your
way

[CdnReader]

stumbling
through words
that stumble
through me
carelessly

[firefangled]

Humpty Dumpty
may've jumped he
might have fallen

[ampoule]

the king's men
they be callin'
no poaching

[CdnReader]

^^^ HAHAHA!

Humpty Dumpty
whoopsy daisy
thank goodness!
over easy

[qimissung]

When Humpty fell
his lovely dreams were
shattered~

[firefangled]

Together again
despite horses and men
Humpty's leaking

[qimissung]

Humpty-an egg
on a
wall-what hubris

[djy78usa]

The kings men
and horses
should've tried harder

[firefangled]

Give me
your poor
but make
an appointment

[qimissung]

Just one last Humpty one, I swear!


Humpty-
Whoosh,
crash,
splat,
gone in
sixty seconds...

[firefangled]

You once held
my heart
in your hands

[Sarasvati21]

Fair is not air;

else,
I'd be dead.

[CdnReader]

a dew-crowned
morning
sparkles among
deep, shadowed greens

[firefangled]

In the dark
they come for me
dreams

[ampoule]

You know that
horses with hooves
all thumbs

[firefangled]

Quit staring
at me 2 AM
I'm going

[Page Sniffer]

Whalebones and trombones
whistle wha-wha'd wind blown.
.

[qimissung]

run, hide,
connive-your fate will
find you

[qimissung]

the need inside
that is
never quite tamed

[firefangled]

the day is full
of eight word poems

[ampoule]

Sometimes
I cannot get out
of the day

[CdnReader]

sometimes
the day wraps around me
like tentacles

[mazHur]

why don't you come
I'm all alone!

[qimissung]

four fighting
pounds of boy-
breathe, baby, breathe

[mazHur]

holding her hand
he hurriedly
honked his horn

[firefangled]

those human voices
are waking us
at last

[mazHur]

fear life
not its gentle peaceful
end.

[CdnReader]

four fighting
pounds of boy-
breathe, baby, breathe

Wow. Congrats, Qim....and all best wishes for a happy ending. :)

* * * * *


Ideas rattle through.
I pick one
and run.

[qimissung]

Thank you Cdn-I wrote this in response to a co-worker (and friend) who gave birth in early June-her due date was September 3. I met with mutual friends over the weekend who said she was incommunicado (my word)-she just goes to the hospital and pumps breast milk, then goes home and cries.

Her baby boy has gained one pound, and now weighs four pounds, but when they tried to move him to a smaller breathing machine, he had an "episode", in other words he quit breathing. My friend says he will survive, but I really cannot even imagine the fear she is living with (although I will say that my youngest was born six weeks early and weighed 5 pounds-but his lungs were so well-developed they questioned me about the due date! He is now 16 years old :)).

Thank you for your kind words-this little poem is a tribute to him.

[CdnReader]

Thank you Cdn-I wrote this in response to a co-worker (and friend) who gave birth in early June-her due date was September 3. I met with mutual friends over the weekend who said she was incommunicado (my word)-she just goes to the hospital and pumps breast milk, then goes home and cries.

Her baby boy has gained one pound, and now weighs four pounds, but when they tried to move him to a smaller breathing machine, he had an "episode", in other words he quit breathing. My friend says he will survive, but I really cannot even imagine the fear she is living with (although I will say that my youngest was born six weeks early and weighed 5 pounds-but his lungs were so well-developed they questioned me about the due date! He is now 16 years old :)).

Thank you for your kind words-this little poem is a tribute to him.

I hope he does well. Babies truly are amazingly resilient creatures. My youngest son had two collapsed lungs at birth, and spent two weeks in Neonatal Intensive Care. I saw lots of those tiny tiny babies there. As small as two pounds. Gotta wonder. (sigh)

* * * * *


Tiny baby bundles
struggling for
their next breath

(good luck, little one)

[qimissung]

Two collapsed lungs! Really, it's a wonder WE survive. I like what Helen Hunt said after she had her daughter-that her heart was now outside her body-meaning that it was now with her child.

I like your poem, Cdn. I like all your poetry. You have the gift.

[qimissung]

We who love others~
so fragile, so
resilient

[CdnReader]

We who love others~
so fragile, so
resilient


And they who love us back
so strong.

:)

[CdnReader]

Two collapsed lungs! Really, it's a wonder WE survive. I like what Helen Hunt said after she had her daughter-that her heart was now outside her body-meaning that it was now with her child.

That's just beautiful! I love it! Thanks for sharing. :) Yeah....I took a course in Human Biology about 187 years ago. Each human cell (of which we only have about 50 to 75 trillion!) is so incredibly complex, a miracle in its tiny entirety.... it's utterly amazing to me that our bodies work at all!!





Trillions upon trillions
little factories
creating life stories.




I like your poem, Cdn. I like all your poetry. You have the gift.

You are ever-so-kind, Qim. Everyone who writes here is an inspiration to me. I couldn't write at all if it wasn't for this great community of poets. I'm honoured to be a part of it. Thank you.

[qimissung]

Me too. Oh, I LOVE your last one! Wow!

[firefangled]

What is not
within something
larger than itself

[firefangled]

Star light
star bright
eighth star
this night

[CdnReader]

A diller
A dollar
An eight o'clock scholar

[mazHur]

hey, reader! ;A' is not a word , is it?

[mazHur]

In she came
Out she went
That's all !

[CdnReader]

hey, reader! ;A' is not a word , is it?

Well... if it's not a word, then what would it be? ;)

[mazHur]

just trying to figure out......lol

[djy78usa]

I feel I am lost,
When you're away

[qimissung]

I feel I am
found when
you return.

[firefangled]

The spiral
escapes us
close to the edge

[mazHur]

he came
he saw
he conquered
then died.

[Page Sniffer]

Waves from the past
can drown the future.

[firefangled]

what I need
now is
one good word

[CdnReader]

Cantaloupe?
Globalize?
Superimpose?
Trampoline?

Waistcoat?
Dramatize?
Pancakes?
Querulous?

[firefangled]

Cantaloupe?
Globalize?
Superimpose?
Trampoline?

Waistcoat?
Dramatize?
Pancakes?
Querulous?

These are great words, CR! This morning I especially like pancakes.

Pancakes
Sambo
golden
tiger
stacked
warm

run
tiger

[CdnReader]

Looks
like
more
than
eight
when
stacked
(pancakes)

[mazHur]

biryani
pulao
qorma
mutanjan
kofta
are Pakistani dishes!

[qimissung]

How about a different word form your list?

Ethan
Mattie
sled
love forbidden
death denied

querulous

[mazHur]

though lives in water
fish won't drink it

[firefangled]

Superimpose
one over
one
eight times
appears
one

[qimissung]

Good one!

Antelope loping
spied a cantaloupe
through his loupe

[firefangled]

If we had
noble eyes
we would globalize

[qimissung]

pithy! ...and good use of globalize:)

stuck in a moment,
languishing in pallor,
reborn

[firefangled]

Willoughbys
will dramatize
waistcoats, spats
and silk bowties

[CdnReader]

Good job!
Only one word left!
Trampoline, anyone?

:D

[qimissung]

Jumping ( stomach,

brain colliding! )
jehosaphat!


I'm all :)
shook up!

[qimissung]

Sorry-I know it's long, but I couldn't bear to leave anything out. And although the word trampoline is not actually used, I hope this little offering is somewhat representative of what it's like to jump on one (beside the fact that my word limit is all used up!) (I fixed it, mostly :))

[PrinceMyshkin]

I see.
I love.
I am
not alone.

[qimissung]

mild-mannered
good, strong
loves to help others

[qimissung]

Good one PrinceMyshkin, but what about the Phantom of the Opera?

[CdnReader]

I see.
I love.
I am
not alone.

Oh gosh.
You win the prize.
Love this.

:)

[mazHur]

I am
surrounded
by people
yet so alone!

[qimissung]

Truer than we would sometimes like to believe.

[firefangled]

How welcome
the emptiness
of days to fill

[mazHur]

pears and peaches
sweeter than honey
heart's joy.

[CdnReader]

Step aside
and feel the
cool morning breeze.

[AdoreroDio]

It was our special day.

You forgot me.

[AdoreroDio]

The change
in heart
he wears
on sleeves

[firefangled]

I am
the clear vase
of stems
crossing

[CdnReader]

I am
the clear vase
of stems
crossing

Just beautiful. Thank you.

* * * * *


In a world's moment
I reach for you.

[firefangled]

(thanks CR :))

In the rainbow's
highest arch
hang your swing

[CdnReader]

In the rainbow's
highest arch
hang your swing

Double whammy!
Another beaut!
Keep 'em comin'
Fire!

[qimissung]

(thanks CR :))

In the rainbow's
highest arch
hang your swing

LOVE it!

[firefangled]

tossing my head...a little hip action

Thank you...thank you very much...

*
In Tupelo
your mother
wove your
velvet cover

[CdnReader]

Ta-dum.

Elvis has
left the building.

'Nuff said.

:D

[firefangled]

Ta-dum.

Elvis has
left the building.

'Nuff said.

:D

:lol: Love it!

[asilef73]

her darling hands
so beautiful
and so fragile

[firefangled]

her lips
ripe fruit
soft pit
of tongue

[CdnReader]

i miss you
in the creases
of life

[firefangled]

Life folds us
sometimes near
sometimes far
away

[CdnReader]

Sipping cold lemonade
through a straw
with you

[firefangled]

Outside
the world
passes
like a timelapsed
flower

[CdnReader]

Into the jazzy tunes
my tired mind
escapes

[firefangled]

sometimes I laugh
because
I can't stop
laughing

[CdnReader]

The best days
go the fastest.
Keep up.

[firefangled]

Those days
lake against ledge
red silver red

[CdnReader]

Carry
smiles
in your pocket.
Just in case.

[firefangled]

With your
laughter
be generous
give it freely

[CdnReader]

Scatter
your laughter
as salt
in the ocean.

[mazHur]

Scatter
your laughter
as salt
in the ocean.


Oh, no
please add
some sugar
to life!

[CdnReader]

Yet sugar
is only a
false sweetness.
Illusion.

[mazHur]

how peppery
are you lassie
sweet is sweet

[firefangled]

relentlessly
the world presents
its myteries to me

[CdnReader]

Open yourself
to future selves,
developing,
still unborn

[Amylian]

Wake up,
Drink up,
get dressed,
life's fled.

[firefangled]

life has arse
to spare
grab - both hands

[CdnReader]

Never say "yes,"
When you can say....

"YES!!"

[qimissung]

Wake up,
Drink up,
get dressed,
life's fled.

How pithy and erudite!

[CdnReader]

Tie up your laces.
Point your feet west.

[ampoule]

Sauce packets left behind
He smiles in Chinese

[CdnReader]

Sauce packets left behind
He smiles in Chinese

Cute!!! :)

* * * * *


Scattered bits of life
gathered in my skirt.

[creativity]

I love how this thread keeps on going strong even though I've been away for awhile. I'm really enjoying all of your works.

----

In the city's womb,
damp heat, vague gloom

[mazHur]

moon waning
stars sinking
Oh, my sleepless
nights!

[CdnReader]

Drive me crazy, baby.
I'm ready for you.

[mazHur]

hold on,baby,
let me straighten
my arrow!

[CdnReader]

hold on,baby,
let me straighten
my arrow!

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[CdnReader]

Music flows through...
fills all my
empty spaces.

[mazHur]

how can music
fill voids without
my form?

[aBIGsheep]

Death
Death
more
Death
Death?
Yes!
Death...
Death.

[symphony]

The night
carries selves
away
somewhere
beyond
breezes

[mazHur]

life poses for some
gloom and glum
why?

[CdnReader]

smiles cost nothing
give of them
most freely

[mazHur]

mere free smiles
aren't enough
for love's appetite

[CdnReader]

sometimes
we cannot bear
the cost of more

[mazHur]

you keep
the good things
distribute superfluous
free!

[CdnReader]

gave out too much good
just getting here

:)

[mazHur]

good begot good
nothing lost
nothing gained, right?

[CdnReader]

No regrets about the past.
Moving forward?
Different.

:)

[mazHur]

one step forward
two steps backward
let's dance!:)

[NickLinsky]

Oh, strange other:
Why are you like that?

[AdoreroDio]

pushing on
struggling farther
will succeed
this time

[CdnReader]

time trundles on
whether we wish
or not

[mazHur]

a sweet kiss
can turn the
clock back!

[symphony]

Our presence beneath our skin
runs further in

[mazHur]

steel needle
pierces
the inner peel
of silk

[CdnReader]

fly now
for time
is gone
too fast

[kiz_paws]

one step forward
two steps backward
let's dance!:)Bravo, Maz! I loved it! :)

[mazHur]

thank you,Kiz.Am glad you liked it :)

[symphony]

Everyday we're running.
Everyone of us.
Every minute.

[mazHur]

Everyday we're running.
Everyone of us.
Every minute.

this is nice,,,quite extempore!

Every minute
a thought gives birth to a
new thought and dies!

sorry, I was carried off by a haiku!

Every minute
a thought is killed
by thought

[NickLinsky]

Cats creep and pounce
Dogs attack too honestly

[firefangled]

into what

space

did the

big bang

bang?

[mazHur]

Simple!
The Big Bang
banged in the
Cosmos!

[CdnReader]

Maybe
the Big Bang was
pre-cosmic,
pre-universal,
pre-life?

[Haven]

Sunshine crinkles
my face
up into
a smile :)

[formality hater]

Every word,
Unsaid or
Unheard
Is not,
Absurd!

[mazHur]

why would
in love and hate
formalities
matter?

[Pensive]

We believe in God
Yet disapprove of dictatorship!

[mazHur]

every man
is a dictator
of his will.

[asilef73]

he plucked me from shadows;
thawed the hoarfrost.

[mazHur]

no sleep
falling on eyelids
no dreams
tonight

[formality hater]

A discernible smile,
A lost expression,
Can injure!

[CdnReader]

my horizon
is now extended
out to you

[barbara0207]

My mind
is as cluttered
as my bookshelf.

[CdnReader]

My mind
is as cluttered
as my bookshelf.

Brilliant! Love it!! Thanks! :)

* * * * *

Alphabetic author arrangement
amazes and amuses,
ably allocated.

[barbara0207]

Brilliant! Love it!! Thanks! :)

* * * * *

Alphabetic author arrangement
amazes and amuses,
ably allocated.

Ah, Barbara clearly delighted,
endlessly flattered!
Great honour! :D


As for alphabetical arrangement: I'm trying to arrange them chronologically plus thematically plus school versus private. There you go!

[qimissung]

That sounds like fun!

perusing the library
at home
in my mind.

[CdnReader]

Ah, Barbara clearly delighted,
endlessly flattered!
Great honour! :D

In jewelled knowledge
let me now
opine, pensive


As for alphabetical arrangement: I'm trying to arrange them chronologically plus thematically plus school versus private. There you go!

Wow! :)

[mazHur]

Leave me alone;
let me enjoy
my solitude.

[CdnReader]

Solitude, though occasionally necessary,
leaves us craving company.

[barbara0207]

In jewelled knowledge
let me now
opine, pensive


Had to look up the word 'opine'. So I learned a new word today. Thanks.:D


Solitude, though occasionally necessary,
leaves us craving company.

Company is a necessity,
be it only virtual.

[NickLinsky]

Three word poetry?
What's next?
One word poetry?

[barbara0207]

You should've posted that
on three-word thread. :)

[kiz_paws]

Cats creep and pounce
Dogs attack too honestlyLoved this! :thumbs_up


into what

space

did the

big bang

bang?Brilliant, as always, fire! :nod:


My mind
is as cluttered
as my bookshelf.Ha ha, this was great, barbara! :)

The rain
washed away
thoughts of
having you

[CdnReader]

The rain
washed away
thoughts of
having you


Love this one, Kiz.
Wish I'd written it.

:)

[barbara0207]

Love this one, Kiz.
Wish I'd written it.

:)

Same with me. I'm often awed with the wonderful imagery I find on these threads.

kiz, thanks for your nice comment. :)



Images of rare beauty
meaningful, surprising, amazing, breathtaking.

[kiz_paws]

Thanks so very much, cdn and barbara. :blush: Your compliments go a long way, really. :nod:

Having the last word
he laughed and left

[opheliac]

Tonight we melt
shadow and form
together again.

The smile cracked
as guests sung
"Unhappy Birthday".

It won't hurt
to pluck
a thornless rose.

Download a brain
and find memories
to print.

[CdnReader]

Download a brain
and find memories
to print.

Fabulous, Opheliac! Thank you! :)

* * * * *


Waiting for you
to navigate,
unerringly,
to me.

[firefangled]

So far
three thousand
eight hundred
eighty words

[CdnReader]

So far
three thousand
eight hundred
eighty words

Very clever,
firefangling friend,
who indeed multiplies well

:)

[opheliac]

I must also thank you for the kind complement, CdnReader. It really encourages me to continue. I'm glad you liked that one :)


The house
inside your heart
is now open.

Star splits
and light enters
our cosmic dreams.

Flowers bowed
like acclaimed conductors
in nature's symphony.

[mazHur]

I must also thank you for the kind complement, CdnReader. It really encourages me to continue. I'm glad you liked that one :)


The house
inside your heart
is now open.

Star splits
and light enters
our cosmic dreams.

Flowers bowed
like acclaimed conductors
in nature's symphony.


good!

Pearls fall
from your lips;
what d'you do?:)

[firefangled]

Very clever,
firefangling friend,
who indeed multiplies well

:)

Thank you, CR. However:

I forgot
to count
the words
I entered

[mazHur]

who counts
the 'punches'
in Love and War!

[CdnReader]

Thank you, CR. However:

I forgot
to count
the words
I entered

You couldn't count them
before they were written.

[CdnReader]

who counts
the 'punches'
in Love and War!

I know one who does.
Definitely not fun. :(

[mazHur]

knowing is one thing
believing is another
story.

[kiz_paws]

who counts
the 'punches'
in Love and War!
This made me smile, thanks, Maz!

As well, Cdn, you have such witty poetic responses -- love it!

Tangled lines
mean
no fish
for us tonight ;)

[white camellia]

A self-reliant bird
knocked again on my windows

And the accident
comes from another arduous experiment

The bird
wonders why he can not fly.

[mazHur]

thanks, kiz.




Tangled lines
mean
no fish
for us tonight

nice!


take one
take all
yours is the haul!
;)

[white camellia]

Earrings penetrated the flesh
whispering love to me

[kiz_paws]

A self-reliant bird
knocked again on my windows

And the accident
comes from another arduous experiment

The bird
wonders why he can not fly.I loved this, WC.


Don't make snowballs
unless
you can run fast ;)

[CdnReader]

Cdn's wings sprouted again.
Flying off.
Back soon.

(My thanks to ALL OF YOU who keep this thread going with your wise, witty, wonderful words!)

EDIT: Woooo-hooooo!!! 500 posts! :D