Weekly challenge: April. Fool.

[UnderYourSpell]

Holiday? Is there a bank holiday this weekend?

Sorry, if so. American, you know.

ETA: Nevermind. Saw your later poem.

oh come on you must have Easter lol

 

[greenmountaineer]

The Pope of Fools

She gave him drink; her touch was soft
When touch was all that he could bear,
He whose tongue could barely speak
Their words and tasted only pottage
Every time he rang the bells.

Jean Pierre, his joyful cohort
On the Feast of Fools, jeered at him
As did the rabble in La Place de Grève
For the fool’s two hours of pain
The King had ordered for the crime.

She would not be Claude Frollo’s whore
Who broke his vow to God,
And Phoebus who had won her heart
Merely toyed with Esmeralda
Whose naked feet all men could see
Sway now from the gallows.

The diggers found them in the pit
When they to had excavate
Because it smelled and needed lime.
They saw the mouth, the droopy eye,
The hunched back of this feral child
Embracing what was left of her
And all at once those grave men knew
Why bells no longer rang in Paris.

 

[GuiltyPleasure]

Today on April 1st 1999

“This is the BBC
and you are tuned to Radio 4.
Welcome to the nations most popular programme,
Today.
On this day when Parliament, in its wisdom,
has decided
to change our national anthem
from “God Save the Queen” to a more
“Euro-centric” anthem.”

Something Teutonic no doubt!
Chin hairs bristled and, behind thick lenses,
watery eyes popped;
fountain pens unsheathed
for the battle to come
and sleeves rolled up in case
of physicality.
Veterans and maiden ladies alike
planned to man the battlements
of common sense.
And yet.....
and yet there was a hint of fishiness,
it was April the first after all.

 

[butters]

i now know what i'm gonna write about.

 

[bflagsst]

April is the fool-est month, weeding
Didactic poetry out of an erudite's beard, fixing
Mixed metaphor from transliterated Russian, spurring
On similes which feign May flowers to Spring rain.
The hinterland kept us sordid, manifesting
Scribbled prose on shopping center walls, dressing
A little wife in haute couture.
The Visa bill surprised us

 

[Tzara]

Hey, look! Poets are actually poeting (poetting? poetestianing?) for the challenge! Excellent work, all. I look forward to even more examples in the following days.

Right now, I think I'll go find some lunch. I'se hungry.



Thanks, everybody!

 

[Tzara]

oh come on you must have Easter lol

Sorry. I'm not religious, so I don't think of Easter as a holiday, especially because out west it isn't really celebrated outside of churches and Easter Egg hunts.

I used to buy my mother an Easter lily most years, but since the date moves around every year, I could never quite remember when it was, so stopped doing that some time ago.

I know on the east coast US, it's a bigger deal. The stock market (NYSE) is closed today, for example.

 

[UnderYourSpell]

April is the fool-est month, weeding
Didactic poetry out of an erudite's beard, fixing
Mixed metaphor from transliterated Russian, spurring
On similes which feign May flowers to Spring rain.
The hinterland kept us sordid, manifesting
Scribbled prose on shopping center walls, dressing
A little wife in haute couture.
The Visa bill surprised us

tut not satisfied with writing on loo walls .....

Sorry. I'm not religious, so I don't think of Easter as a holiday, especially because out west it isn't really celebrated outside of churches and Easter Egg hunts.

I used to buy my mother an Easter lily most years, but since the date moves around every year, I could never quite remember when it was, so stopped doing that some time ago.

I know on the east coast US, it's a bigger deal. The stock market (NYSE) is closed today, for example.

We have Good Friday through to and including Easter Monday as a holiday here

 

[champagne1982]

Stop, darling and look away from clouds
of confusion in your sky. I hear your bells
a-tinkle like a leper's tail and even so
the crowds toss alms your way, delighting
in your innocent smile even as their words
bounce adrift. It's bad luck to harm nature's
mad child and far be it for us to step
in your path and keep your stroll
from turning to a leap. Walk on, walk on.

 

[Tzara]

Whoop! We have five poets writing about fools, being fools, or maybe just fooling me.

Whatever. I'm like Fool Central here, so mocking me is, like, way appropriate.

If it helps you, mock away. I know I am quite mockable. <-- Word?

Whatever. Thanks to all contributors. I'm hoping I don't have to do that knees thing to tease out more, 'cuz I'm queasy about being kneesy.

Ow! I know, I know. I crossed a line there.

Sorry.

 

[GuiltyPleasure]

Fool for Him

The stinging fingers burnt
upon her breasts and buttocks,
the studded ownership.
The unexpected punishment
for unknown misdemeanors.
The overpowering will
wishing well but sapping self.
The sleepless nights not knowing
if he’ll come for her,
take her roughly or gently as
the mood takes him.
She knows she’s stronger
than he is,
she chooses to defer.

 

[UnderYourSpell]

Whoop! We have five poets writing about fools, being fools, or maybe just fooling me.

Whatever. I'm like Fool Central here, so mocking me is, like, way appropriate.

If it helps you, mock away. I know I am quite mockable. <-- Word?

Whatever. Thanks to all contributors. I'm hoping I don't have to do that knees thing to tease out more, 'cuz I'm queasy about being kneesy.

Ow! I know, I know. I crossed a line there.

Sorry.

why are you a fool?!! and I don't think the poems do mock the 'fool'

 

[EroticOrogeny]

Houston April Fool

Houston April Fool

Short sleeve shirts, skin on show.
Girls gaily go aglow,
fresh flowers, fragrant fruits, fond fooling fun
will wilt by August.

Sometimes storms sweep the sodden slop,
force fog to flee.
June bugs jump in cat’s water dish,
driven by desire, drown.

 

[PandoraGlitters]

. . . . .

 

[butters]

i will try to get my piece up by tomorrow. right now i am unable to open a word pad/note pad or most of my programmes due to a nasty in my puter. i will write it on paper (blimey!) and type it directly into here if i am still able to access the site. this one's (virus) is proving to be a bugger.




edit: after an epic 2 days of struggling, i have won. ner ner virus, gotcha, yer bugger!

 

[SweetOblivion]

Contrivances

You made me come again, my lord; I did:
You saw the pleasure shining in these eyes;
And there was your delight flecking my thighs;
As your submissive pet I'd never kid
You into thinking I'm not satisfied
By all the lusty moments on this day,
When others tease and taunt and, in their play,
Ensure that happy smiles are supplied;
For who am I, but one here to be used?
Throughout a morning others use to fool;
And afternoons that exist to explain
The cleverness completed, that's amused;
While my contrivances support the rule
Of one who'd have me come again in vain.

Smiles

Sweet O.

 

[UnderYourSpell]

You made me come again, my lord; I did:
You saw the pleasure shining in these eyes;
And there was your delight flecking my thighs;
As your submissive pet I'd never kid
You into thinking I'm not satisfied
By all the lusty moments on this day,
When others tease and taunt and, in their play,
Ensure that happy smiles are supplied;
For who am I, but one here to be used?
Throughout a morning others use to fool;
And afternoons that exist to explain
The cleverness completed, that's amused;
While my contrivances support the rule
Of one who'd have me come again in vain.

Smiles

Sweet O.

your signature line made me smile

 

[CharleyH]

Note that The_Fool has my papal dispensation to write anything he wants. I mean, he's the Fool, after all. He meets the criterion by simply logging in.

LOL - beautiful!

I can't compete in this challenge, though, Tzara. Most people call me 'the asshole', so I'm already fucked from the start.

 

[butters]

Trojan Horse

i rode into battle
armed only with bravado and scant knowledge
searching for rats to kill
scared of what each keystroke might impart

you'd dropped your payload
deep within my walls
making a fool of me and my
sweating attempts to destroy and delete before you did

it wasn't me who opened the gates
invited you in
hidden within a gaudy gift
all show, not a thought given
to protocols

but fight you i did
desperately brave
fatalistic and waiting for that
sudden Ping of Death but
no
this fool turned jobbing carpenter
sawed the legs right off your wooden horse

ha!

 

[butters]

LOL - beautiful!

I can't compete in this challenge, though, Tzara. Most people call me 'the asshole', so I'm already fucked from the start.

*this deserves a titter*

 

[UnderYourSpell]

*this deserves a titter*

I just sat on my hands to stop me typing what came to mind!!

 

[Tzara]

Hey, poets.

I appreciate y'alls' response to this. Pretty good, I thought, and there's still a few hours left, if you want to post something (and, quite frankly, as long as someone posts a poem here, even after my rather vague deadline, I'll try and comment on it if you want).

Whatever. I had something of a bad weekend. Especially today, though today was not, of course, the weekend. Not your fault, of course, but might make a bit of delay in my commenting on the entries, while I get my affect back. (You do not want me commenting while I'm in my patented sad, affectless mood, unless you are looking for Tzara Genericomments™, which are, of course, suitable all-occasion blurbs for your poem—I felt this deeply! I have rarely been so moved! or Characterized by an exceptional use of metonymy! or Makes mainstream "poetry" seem Hallmark by comparison!).

Anyway. Thank you all again. I'm flattered that so many took part in the challenge and produced such good poems. And I will comment—really—once I get the razor blade out of my hands. <-- Note: Metaphor for feeling down. Do not confuse with actual intent.

Paec.

 

[butters]

i sincerely hope stuff gets better asap for you, Tzara

 

[butters]

The Nonnes Preestes Tale of the Cok

Oh, my God. A nun. A ripe one, too:
She was compleet, quite passing faire and so
Syn March bigan, these thritty dayes and two,
I asked if she would bless me. Un zéro.

And what they seyn of wommen ye may heere
And fondle samples selfish-cheerily;
They're happiness, and sometimes comfort neare
Much more to in- than to fidelity.

But thirty-two from March marks April 1.
Com doun, and I shal telle yow what I mente—
To break your vows and render them undone.
Celibacy is wrong. My pure intent

Is only for you to be one yclept
As wyf, as lover. One whom with I've slept.


.Bad, and doesn't use the word "fool" or any of its cognates, but does mention April 1.

OK, OK. It's meant to be an example of you can write anything you want.





Not a good example, mind you, but an example nonetheless. (Grumble.)

oh how this takes me back to fourth and fifth year, delving into Chaucer

 

[butters]

...All the rest of you (that one or two who might be on the fence about it) get right up on that horse, 'K?

Itsa horse, fer Gawd's sake. You fall off, you get back on.

...

my wooden horse has no legs atm. it's ok. i'm a carpenter (not Karen)

i will try to get my piece up by tomorrow. right now i am unable to open a word pad/note pad or most of my programmes due to a nasty in my puter. i will write it on paper (blimey!) and type it directly into here if i am still able to access the site. this one's (virus) is proving to be a bugger.




edit: after an epic 2 days of struggling, i have won. ner ner virus, gotcha, yer bugger!

these three posts determined my write in the end