The frog
a tad too old
to hop from log to rock
content to sit and bathe in sun
croaked
To hear the poem read aloud click HERE.
The frog
a tad too old
to hop from log to rock
content to sit and bathe in sun
croaked
To hear the poem read aloud click HERE.
Such is the fat… I mean fate! 🙂
Nice one Bruce!
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Thank you, Rob. A fatality indeed!
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I really like this one. It beautifully follows the prescribed form of an American cinquain as a single vivid image with a “turn” at the end. In addition it has other virtues of poetry in general…..such as the resonance of “tad too old” to “tadpole”, the nice assonance of frog, hop, log, rock, and the word “croaked” used literally and figuratively. (Since it’s your poem, I vote for the figurative, idiomatic meaning of “croaked” at the end.) Bravo!
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Thank you. And yes, croaked figuratively indeed – although as you know in a poem one can do everything at once! I was disappointed that I couldn’t make croaked a single-stressed-two-syllable word (for perfection sake) – and I would not like croak-ed – although the sound of it might be even more frog-like. The “turn at the end” is the hard part, and I think the most crucial aspect of the American cinquain. (Am I right?)
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I think you are right. The turn makes the poem more than a simple description or visual image. It’s the double meaning of “croaked” that facilitates the turn in this case.( For a reader who does not know that English idiom, it might remain a simple description.) You can get a two-syllable (almost) sound out of the last line by overemphasizing the “t” sound at the end of “croaked”—almost separating it from the word. I did that, reading it aloud, and it reminded me of a ‘tsk…tsk..” 🙂
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croak-T is good – and better than croak-ED. I wonder how widely in the English-speaking world is “croaked”…
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Yup, you’re right, says the know-it-all, yet knows nothing , critic.
(Now I know whence came your last comment on my blog.)
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You are right!! it IS from whence it came!
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Superb comment, Cynthia. The old rogue is at it again. He just couldn’t help himself – yet he made it beautiful
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Thank you, Derrick. That’s very kind!
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This is good – but of course the frog died – it’s a Goodman cinquain/ode/poem/story!
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Thank you – that’s a compliment indeed!
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🙂
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Naaah. The frog spoke. Rrribbit!
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When I was living in NC next to my veranda was pond with frogs that whistled. What a racket!
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Oh my. I bet the Cyclops had those on order for brewing up stews.
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You have a good memory!!
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please follow back
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Get him a pair of Adidas-I shoes, Bruce 🙂
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LOL!
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Your comment on Cynthia Jobin’s blog led me here. I love forms, and you, as she says above, get the cinquain right. You manage the turn perfectly. This reminds me of the work of the Persian poets mostly, especially the way you work up to the wonderful last line. This is fine work.
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Thank you Thomas. And (this is not revenge!) have just discovered your own blog which I shall be following.
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I absolutely love your blog and find the majority of your
post’s to be precisely what I’m looking for. Would you offer guest writers to write
content for you? I wouldn’t mind producing a post or elaborating on most
of the subjects you write related to here. Again, awesome weblog!
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Thanks. I don’t have guest bloggers.
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