When I was a student back in the mysterious seventies we had a variety of drinking songs and the most important part of the song in my opinion, was the words. We also had challenges to test or evaluate how stable or drunk we were and what our capabilities were? One of these challenges involved reciting up to twenty sentences, a string of words relating to numbers, I never got the name of this challenge. An example would go – Big fat hen…. Couple of duck…. Three brown bear…. Four fine furze…. etc. etc. My favourite line was…. Eight egotistic egoists egotistically expressing exciting ecstasies…. Nine was also good…. Nine Nubian nymphs nimbly nibbling nuts, which created all sorts of ideas and thoughts for a young man at that time!

So to get to my favourite words, it’s not only their complexity and meaning but also their sound and relevance to the ‘perpetrator’ that counts. For this challenge I choose the words ‘exciting ecstasies’ to see where and what these pleasing ‘conglomerates’ might expose.

Alone and Free

Sneaking a fragment of time

And being all alone

Contemplating the past

Inhabiting places foregone.

I came across some memories

From the dubious past

A collection of ‘exciting ecstasies’

That infinitely will, forever last.

Cobalt night bowed to world fickle and raw

sliver of moon sliced path through the sky

engraving naked passion with gossamer chisels

waiting for first blush of sultry dawn ribbons

heavens resplendent in chains of gilded stars

wrapped around skies like blanketed lust.

maybe the beauty in the ephemeral

is in the way it lacks 

eternity

the way it's present

and existent in the 

now

like butterflies and birds 

and how the way they land in your arms

makes you feel 

younger

and peaceful

before they proceed to move on

to a dead log

with fallen leaves

maybe it's when

you drink hot chocolate

warm and thick and delightful

right until the cup cools

down

and tips

up

empty

and you realize that it was

gone

before you've even started

or maybe it's when you look at her

and you can't

breath 

when she laughs

and the air is knocked out of 

your lungs

and instead, instead

the world seems to be the one 

breathing for you

inhaling for you 

making you gasp

at that feeling of ethereal

of flowers blooming in spring

over, and over again

of infinity 

in a moment

that passes in a tick-tock

Maybe the beauty in the ephemeral

is how it transcends a lifetime 

in a moment, darling

Aardvark 

I spelled it after freaking out during the math test

Again again in my head

Seeing 2 red A's in a row

A purple R, 

A dark blue D, 

Orange V, 

Another shiny red A

Purple R,

Orange K. 

The word was like a sunset in my head

Reminded me how to breathe.

Eulogy

What I wrote for him after he died

Again and again and again

In hundreds of poems, I feel the one word

The blue E, making the word blue like my sorrows

It feels wet in my fingertips

Brings me to the oceans, 

Water lapping up on my feet

Threatening to drown me

Ending with a yellow Y, 

Yellow, the color we all have to wear on Monday

Because it's the anniversary of his death.

Luggage

Residue

Two words

When teaching

A non-verbal

Student to say

Encourage

Tongue extension

Reverberation

One tongue

Sticking out

The other

Finishes in

A kiss

I could list hundreds of my favorite words and not be done

but still, I have a favorite few

like

nuisance

or

melancholy

or

rhapsody

or

dazzle

or

electrified

they're just so fun

to say

mel

an

cohl

y

so fun to say

rap

so

dee

so fun to say

daz

zle

or

e

lec

ti

fied

just they're

so

fun to

say

I lie awake wondering how I will go on

In this empty bed now you have gone

Nightly I fall into this cruel abyss

With lingering thoughts of your lips and kiss

I close my eyes and you appear

Next to me breathing words into my ear

When I turn to look your pillow is cold

There is nothing left of you to hold

Part of me wants to admit defeat

Though the part that yearns is incomplete

________________

© M.Withers/M.Strudwick . All rights reserved.

Both the name The EriduSerpent/EriduSerpent

and any written material is owned solely by the above named.

Permission granted for all written material to be shared but not for profit.

Unintentional swearing--

"Fuck my life."

"Hey, watch your language!"

"Oh, shit, sorry."

"...I mean-- fuck me, sorry!"

"God damnit, I didn't mean it!"

"Son of a bitch, I'm such an idiot!"

"Crap, didn't mean that either!"

©SelfTitled, 2017

He was lurking in the shadows,

Wearing a cape, long and black.

A hat pulled low on his head.

carrying a tightly knotted sack.

Shifting from foot to foot,

pacing all around,

He seemed very anxious,

tapping his cane upon the ground.

His presence was ominous,

this stranger looking out of place.

So I was dubious about confronting him,

coming face to face.

I tried to appear confident,

as I marched across the street.

I stood directly in front of him,

but he kept looking at his feet.

So I cleared my throat and spoke

“Excuse me sir, but are you lost?,

can I help you find your way?”

Then he answered with exhaust…

“Indubitably!”

My favorite word

Start and end

Both with e

Emulate

To try to equal

Or excel

Rolling off my tongue

Just so

It falls out

Perfectly

Em

U

Late

Almost holiday-like

Eule

EmULate

A word for

What I must do

What society wants us

To do

Emulate

Be equal

Be better

Or don't be at all