dVerse — two polyptotonic poems

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The first one sounds more like a tongue twister than anything.

Monty the Mountaineer

Monty, a mountainous mountaineer,
Mounted a gold-seeking expedition
for the mountains. In the planning,
Supplies mounted and Monty moaned
at the mounting costs. Not known as
being a mountebank, Monty nonetheless
Mounted the mounting costs with a
Go Fund Me on the Mountain page with
a growing mountain of propaganda.
The response was mountainous and
soon Monty was mounting Mount
McKinley.

 

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Sipping Morning Tea and Watching Birds

Morning rose, with blush of tangerine
I rose with it, with rose-infused cheeks.
Roseate spoonbills stepped over
fallen rosewood limbs on their path
to Rosemary Lake.
Rosemaling teapot
rose hip tea,
Slightly sweetened with sucrose.
With such companions, how
could one be morose? I sipped
and watched the birds pick their
way through erose ferns
mercilessly prosecuted by fall.

Frank H is today’s host for dVerse.  Frank introduced us to a new poetic device, the polyptoton, where, “is a rhetorical device used for style and persuasiveness. It is a special kind of repetition where the common base of a word is repeated, but not the whole word exactly.”  Frank says:
To participate in this challenge use at least one polyptoton somewhere in your poem of less than 200 words.

first graphic:  “The Goldseekers” by Eustace Paul Ziegler (1881-1969)
second graphic:  “Roseate Spoonbill” by Neil Adamson

36 Comments Add yours

  1. Glenn A. Buttkus's avatar Glenn A. Buttkus says:

    Wow, you blasted the knickers off the prompt. The first poem is cute and clever. I really dug the second one. You take to polyptotons like a goose to a pond. I really did not realize that there could be so many versions of the same word. Kudos for your hard work.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lisa or Li's avatar msjadeli says:

      :) Glenn, your praise is appreciated, thank you!

      Like

  2. kanzensakura's avatar kanzensakura says:

    Excellent! They both are very well done. So many variants of the same word. You burst this prompt to the moon and beyond

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lisa or Li's avatar msjadeli says:

      Toni, thanks much. Glad you like them.

      Like

  3. Frank Hubeny's avatar Frank Hubeny says:

    Very nice and amazing with all those polyptotons. I like how Mounty used Go Fund Me to get the resources to climb that mountain. And the last line about the ferns “mercilessly prosecuted by fall” near Rosemary Lake.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lisa or Li's avatar msjadeli says:

      Thank you much, and thanks for teaching a new poetry technique today.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. That bird has some beak.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lisa or Li's avatar msjadeli says:

      Yes, it’s unusual. It’s a beautiful bird, would love to see one for real.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. rothpoetry's avatar rothpoetry says:

    I love Monty the Mountaineer! I don’t think there is any doubt that you used the prompt very well!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lisa or Li's avatar msjadeli says:

      Thanks Dwight. First time using this prompt and figured why not rain down the polyptotons.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. rothpoetry's avatar rothpoetry says:

        You knocked it out of the park. Some prompts are much more fun to do. This was one of them.

        Liked by 1 person

  6. Beverly Crawford's avatar Beverly Crawford says:

    Ah, that Monty — one just never knew who or what he would be mounting! Best stick with the rose hips!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lisa or Li's avatar msjadeli says:

      Beverly you crack me up!

      Like

  7. Sadje's avatar Sadje says:

    Very skillfully done. You’re very good at all forms of poetry.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lisa or Li's avatar msjadeli says:

      Thank you so much for your ongoing kindness, Sadje. I always give it my best shot…

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Sadje's avatar Sadje says:

        It’s always a pleasure Li.

        Liked by 1 person

  8. Rob Kistner's avatar Rob Kistner says:

    Well go fund me — never believed that worked . Interestingi approach to the polyptoton here Liss — I enjoyed this, 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lisa or Li's avatar msjadeli says:

      Thanks Rob, glad you enjoyed it.

      Like

  9. ghostmmnc's avatar ghostmmnc says:

    Wow! I can’t even pronounce polyptoton without getting it all twisted. I loved both your poems – so fun to read. You did good! :)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lisa or Li's avatar msjadeli says:

      :) Thank you Barbara

      Liked by 1 person

  10. memadtwo's avatar memadtwo says:

    I like the contrast of both approaches. And each works.
    So far all I’ve managed is nonsense, but I’m going to try again today. (K)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lisa or Li's avatar msjadeli says:

      Nonsense can work. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. kim881's avatar kim881 says:

    The first poem was great polyptoton fun, Jade, and the second was beautifully rosy. I’m off to make a cup of tea – no rosehips but I’ll make do with cranberry and raspberry!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lisa or Li's avatar msjadeli says:

      Kim, thanks! Cran-Ras sounds tasty.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Xan's avatar Xan says:

    Monty’s lucky no one mutinied. ;)

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Very cleverly done! Fall does persecute us all sometimes.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lisa or Li's avatar msjadeli says:

      Thank you, Phillip!

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Hooray for nonsense! I think it’s a very unappreciated genre. We should all remember that the Fool also represents an innate wisdom, which tends to hide among seemingly silly utterances.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lisa or Li's avatar msjadeli says:

      Christine, I agree! Silly can loosen a person up enough to hear it.

      Like

  15. I really like this … so much fun you can have when you use them like this.. it becomes almost like a spell… with the repetitions.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lisa or Li's avatar msjadeli says:

      I’m happy you enjoy them, Bjorn. Yes, a spell. Soon you will find yourself wanting to mount a mountain ;)

      Like

  16. Truedessa's avatar Truedessa says:

    I think you did exceptionally well with the prompt. Very clever and witty. Thank you for the smile.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Lisa or Li's avatar msjadeli says:

      Truedessa, very happy to have made you smile <3

      Like

    1. Lisa or Li's avatar msjadeli says:

      Sara, thank you, so glad you enjoyed them :)

      Like

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