Three Objects

Hello! Happy July. It's been silent the past few days so thought we could play around with some prompts.

Name three random objects and the person below you must post their poem involving those three objects (listed in the actual poem), then that person has to give another set of objects and so forth.

Okay, go!

- A can of root beer, a pair of dice, a fan

It's been a long time, but I'll give it a shot.

Treehouse.

I remember the treehouse,
haphazardly built,
at the edge of the woods behind
that abandoned house.

You took me there,
showed me your lucky dice
and taught me how to play cards,

and other things.

I remember wishing
for that broken fan to work
in the afternoon heat, while
we shared a can of lukewarm
root beer and
I pretended to like it
to impress you.

I don't remember much of you anymore,
but days like today
when beads of sweat drip down my back
and a phantom taste
of warm drinks lingers on my tongue,

I hope that you remember, too.

_________

Three objects: a hair clip, rain boots, and a cup.

Liz, that is a truly mesmerizing piece of poetry.

Thank you, Ben! Your turn soon? Lol

I was lost
in the white
half full
cup of water.

Nostalgic memories
of little feet
wiggling with
excitement
within pink
barbie rain boots,

traveling from one
puddle to another,

freeing thin hair to
the moist breeze,
after losing
a red lady bug
hair clip.
—————————

Earphones, ring, and pencils

This broken hair clip's all I have
Of all we had in years gone by,
And though no hair is locked in place,
Your memory is amplified.
Across the hills, your laughter rang,
But now I hear just ghostly wails,
And no amount of sun or warmth
Can dry my sodden rain boot's trails.
My cup holds only buttercups -
You picked them in the meadow's bloom -
But now your going means that they
Lie wilting in the winter's gloom.

--

a clock, a spinning top and coffee

I posted this after Star as I hadn't seen hers! Liz - you get two for the price of one!

Lol sorry, but it’s sooo interesting to see the different takes ^_^

Love these poems! Used up bens & star's prompts:

time was crawling to a stop;
the seconds felt like minutes,
and the minutes like hours.
i stopped paying attention
to the officer that was
speaking to me, while my
eyes wandered -
the clock felt like it
was stuck on 9:19,
the boy's spinning top
almost knocked that cup
of coffee over,
the girl behind him
was playing wit her
ring as her earphones
blasted indie music.
the officer handed me
paperwork and rooted
through his cup of pencils
for a pen -

he handed it to me,
asked me to read it
and sign it.

i didn't bother to
read it, i know what
i saw, i signed it
as the harrowing
realization set in.

----

book, letter, mirror.

Wow. I love that you both used the prompts and each poem gave me completely different emotions!

Liz! So awesome to see you back! These poems are fantastic.
Here's mine:

I read about your death
before it happened.
You handed Sylvia Plath's
book to me on a mournful
summer evening.
You told me to save her
poems for bedtime,
and I felt both blessed
and cursed, darkness
seeping in through the
sheets that were too
tight around my body.

Each morning, I would
look at the aftermath
in the mirror -
my eyes weeping
for a woman I wished
I knew.

Her poems were a prelude
to your fated goodbye.

I knew I couldn't hold
on to you forever, and
once I found your letter,
tucked in the last pages
like an elder cherry blossom,
I knew you'd gone, a flower
that couldn't bear the
heaviness of
living.

_____________________

glitter, gold necklace, street light

A street light shone across the night
it's light revealed her ravaged skin
Wbat brought her such a sorry plight
and with it deaths unholy grin?

Blood tarnished her golden necklace
dark where once there was a glitter
What devil caused her fall from grace?
Twas I feel that evil Ripper
_________________

boots, car, rose

I always think, my soldier, about
your last wounds. The last waning
murmur of pain you made that my heart
could still hear. I wasn't there
during the raid, but my dreams are
full of smoke and shrapnels
and military cars in flames,
and hand-written perfumed letters
hidden in khaki pockets
under the debris.

My dreams are full of short, distant,
I-can't-hear-you-well phone calls.
Of black, dirty boots
on my doorstep. And of the earthquakes
a heavy bomb could yield
on a small town.

Were you feeling accomplished
the moment your officer screamed
"we're trapped!" and the fire
grew everywhere around you
so fast and startling
like a bolt of thunder?

You'd been wishing for such a death,
heroic and sudden,
and selfish.

Were you thinking of how
my heart will dry in grief,
like a rose dipped in cyanide?

I'm living half a life now,
relishing nothing but memories,
making love to a ghost
in my head,
wishing for such a death,

imminent.

__________________

Washing machine, backyard, rolls

The weeds are grown high enough
to just hide the ancient Rolls Royce
but it's of no matter to anyone around
this neighborhood leaves little choice.

A rusty washing machine off it's feet
decrepit ladders up against the garage
backyard clothesline drooping low
it's like a Southern junk house collage.

************************

walking stick, cliff, lake

You're waiting for
dinner on a Sunday
evening, and while
you're waiting, you
keep the washing
machine company,
humming along
to no specific tune.

Even though
your dryer's not
broken, you'll
put your laundry
on a clothesline
in your backyard,
soaking up the sun
and praying for the
drought to end.

Things in motion
aren't always meant
to stay in motion,

so you'll watch the
clothes slowly dry,
hanging limply,
just like you'll listen
for the timer to signify
that the dinner rolls are
golden brown.

You'll sit on the old
swing, then eat at a
table with ghosts,
wondering when you'll
be moved again.

__________________

a stained rug, garden hose, magazine

Our 80 years old
widowed neighbor put his walking stick
on the bench beside him,
and is throwing bits of bread
to the ducks
in the lake. His wrinkles crease
even more as he smiles
to the young couple sitting
on the grass, drinking apple
juice off the same cup.

A tear falls down the grey stubble
on his face, and he wipes
it quickly, looking up at cliff
on the other side; perhaps the place
they drank apple juice together,
one last time.

_____________

Pricetag, ring, napkin

i remember that day vividly;
he looked at the price tag of
the ring and wrote down his
phone number on the napkin,
begging me to reserve it
for just three more days,
so he can gather up enough
money, and i obliged. at
closing, the evening news
showed a mangled car with
the caption "couple dead
in a horrific car accident",
and i never saw him since.

-----------

table, painting, spoon

All shades of blue scattered on
this wooden table. The sky cried
over her crashing territory, as her
fading color reflected on my brush.

Melted vanilla ice cream dripping
off the shiny spoon into my canvas,
creating a mirrored painting of
this lonely summer day.

———————————————-

Ice cream, brush, chair

I vaguely remember how
you held my hand in the
dentist's chair, and
afterwards, used
a brush to flatten
my hair, then braided
it in the car.

You promised me
ice cream, any flavor
I wanted, and as we
laughed and ate
on the benches,

you told me you'd
always fight for
me.

But now I remember
everything more clearly -
this was a memory
that was never
mine.

___________________________

cigarette, paper clip, nail polish

Good god. Submit this, please?

I cannot wait to
wear my master's graduation dress,
put on makeup and
nail polish; things I havena used
in ages,
toss the exhausted
paper clips cowering on the desk
and the cigarette stubs sleeping in
the ashtray, in the trash.
And shout from the bottom
of my heart "I'M FINALLY
FU-CKIN DONE WITH THIS!"

_______

Grape fruit, mask, mirror

You said last time was the last time,
but I can see it in your eyes.

A compact mirror in one hand
and your favorite eyeliner in the other.
You're trying so hard,
but your shaky hands give you away.

You've colored your hair again, too.
Is that grapefruit red?
So many attempts at changing yourself,
you don't realize the masks never work.

I know what you're doing.
I know what you've done.
I know you'll never change.

That's why I won't try to stop you.

I'll be here, waiting.
Hoping
that tonight
won't be your last.

__________

Suitcase, wheel, glasses

These are all so emotional and powerful! You guys rock :)

The humidity fogged up
her glasses when she stepped
outside, and inside, it wasn't
much better;

the walls were volcanic
ashes that bounded her in
heat and betrayal.

she'd packed her suitcase,
one wheel broken,
hoping to someday leave
and break the spell,
but she wasn't going anywhere,

her demons would make sure
of it.

____________________________

stiches, tablecloth, diamond ring

Only you
could lose our first set
of house keys within hours of
moving in

only you could spill
gravy on the brand new
tablecloth,

(of which I'm silently glad,
your mum's tastes are
pretty bad)

only you
could leave me in stitches
trying to hang up
a painting

and only you
could tell me after
three minutes of struggling
you didn't need my help

only you
in the evening
could gaze at your feet,
tell me at last you felt
almost complete

almost?

only you
could tell me
all that's missing
is a diamond ring -

yes, darling...

only you
would lose it in the
toilet or something.

____________________

Ribbon, brooch, matches

MA Prompt: stitches, tablecloth, diamond ring

If you say you love me dear
Then I need no diamond ring
nor a wedding dress, nor bling
for love that last forever more
can mend even with stitches
a tablecloth that has been torn before

Edit: Oops, i used the same prompt as Daniel.

Daniel’s Prompt: Ribbon, Brooch, Matches

Title: A Heart that plays with fire

a ribbon laced around a pony tail
sways gently with every given step
where as a brooch pinned tightly into a vest
hangs closely to a heart
that knows exactly how to handle the Matches
kept in the purse

These are the objects I’m giving: Shoes, mirror, microwave

Popped the coffee cup in the microwave,
penguins of South Africa, instant Folgers
and went up stairs with the hot cup of daybreak
to watch you trying on different pairs of shoes
and studying them in the mirror.

How did we come to this?
How did we spend thirty years together
and yet never get tired of watching you
looking up every once in a while
to meet my eyes in the mirror and smile
still in love?

****************************

sword stome magic

The night felt like a sword
to my throat,
slowly piercing as it got darker.
I surrendered to their callings
that coated my soul with dark
magic, transforming my heart
to stone.
___________

Bracelet, cup, book

An abandoned cup leaned
against a book, wondering
if she'd ever be wanted-
tossed aside once her exterior
chipped like the bracelet and
ring and necklace that were
gemless, waiting to be valued
again.

_____________________

compass, twig, baseball bat

that boy you called a twig
was the compass who guided me home
so just because people say
you are like a baseball bat
who hits home runs for them
doesn’t give you the right to humiliate
him the way you did

remote, carpet, teddy bear

The night was young, and
as you handed me the TV
remote for another adventure
movie, you knocked your elbow
into my half-empty glass of
zinfandel; I didn't even blink
an eye. We never could get
that stain out of the carpet
but it never mattered.
It remains, like the other
worn remnants of you:
the broken frame on our
favorite photo, the teddy
bear with stitches missing,
your cologne still present
on the threads of the sheets
we shared.

No matter how many times
I rearrange the room, I will
never be rid of you.

___________________________

disco ball, axe, snowflake

This winter
the sky is cold white
and this house shivers with its coldness.
let’s grab an axe
before our bones turn to ice.
let’s head to where wood abounds
past the hills of snow
where the first snowflake
of the season
creates a disco ball
of aurora borealis
for our eyes

curtains, keychain, oak

The oak tree keeps watch
while the storms crawl
closer. You can feel the
stagnant air and dread
drying up your bones.
No shelter will be able to
withstand the rage.
Your provisions will not
last, so close the curtains,
lower your voice, and stop
the keychain from rattling
in your palm.

You will be with your loved
ones, soon; this is only one
path to the end.

____________________

dirty boot, pocket knife, daisy

with a dirty boot
and a pocket knife in hand
he cut the daisy

floor, mask, elevator

We stare at the dirty floor,
keeping our distance as much
as we can in the creaky elevator,
silently thanking each other
for wearing a mask.

______________________

robin's egg, swimming pool, fork

“a fork is all you need” he said
“that’s all you need” he reassured himself while
staring at the reflection of robin’s eggs
on a swimming pool
He then looked at the tree above his head
and with a face of determination proceeded
to grab the fork from his lunch box
a minute later, with sweat on his forehead
and fork clenched tightly on his lips,
he climbed the tall tree
To later utter with a disappointed and frustrated tone
“No, oh no, I need a knife. A knife that I don’t have!”
while holding firmly yet shakily from a branch

Subsequently, a voice is heard from inside the house
“Gilbert, where are you? Gilbert”
His mom comes rushing to the pool
“Gilb... ERT,.!” She screams when

SWOOSH!

water splashes all over the mom

Then Gilbert cries
“Mom, do you have a knife?!”
while floating on the pool

———————————-

car seat, tea cup, salt

Luce, you are amazing with your creative mind!

To pour salt on my wounds, he
reminded me of the first death
I responded to. A damaged car
seat, grieving on the side of
Interstate 69. A father on his
knees, holding his daughter's
plastic tea cup set, his tears
pooling over in the small
grooves.

It rained enough for two cities
that day, as if the world knew
all it could do was mourn.

_______________________

confetti, cactus, calculator

A poem containing: confetti, cactus, calculator.

***

EDIT: poem removed for publishing purposes.

____________________

Yarn, window, card.

with window opened
yarn flies to a birthday card
sitting on presents

MA, thank you! So are you as well.

Prompt: tricycle, race car, orange

Dreams (syntuit)

Racing neck and neck
orange line meets the race cars
Jill's tricycle won

****************

dirt, hair clip, letter opener

She walked to the top of
the driveway in the morning
mist, trudging through the
dirt to open the mailbox.
Inside, she found a single
letter addressed to her with
no mention as to who sent it.
She brought it to her desk,
cautiously using a letter opener,
then gasping in surprise when
she touched her mother's hair
clip from the last time she was
alive. A beautiful barrette,
adorned with amethyst
crystals, that reminded her
of a mother's grace in times
of turmoil. And as she gently
placed it in her hair, she
suddenly felt less alone,
her mother's presence
alive once more.

___________________

pizza crust, daffodil, sandal