Just Say It

(Third place winner of Writer’s Carnival’s Poet-less Poetry contest!)

I tried to sing a ballad,
But my voice was way off key.
I tried to paint a picture,
But I draw so terribly.

I tried to cite a sonnet,
But I messed up every rhyme.
I tried to dance a solo,
But I couldn’t keep the time.

So I’m writing you this poem
In the hope you’ll find it fun.
You know I’d never work this hard
To please just anyone.

For life is far too fleeting
And my feelings far too true
To find a boring way of saying,
“Darling, I love you!”

Close Encounters

Personal Log – Planet CCCLXV: Day 3

We had our first encounter with native intelligent lifeforms today. As expected, they’re rather bizarre and, in my opinion, frightfully ugly. They have rigid figures topped with a single round multi-cavity structure, which we suspect hold their cognitive centers. Each lifeform only possesses two optical organs, both of which face forward; it’s a wonder how they can see anything at all. Stranger still, however, are the limbs protruding from their cores: four stiff members that bend in the middle. It’s lucky those limbs are jointed, else the creatures wouldn’t be able to move or perform any functions. Speaking of functions… No, perhaps it’s best we don’t understand. That would be the stuff of nightmares to last for weeks.


Adapted from a writing prompt from Writer’s Carnival: Alien Reversal.

Write a paragraph on an encounter with an alien… only you are the alien meeting a human for the first time. Make it funny, scary or completely off the wall.

I imagine extraterrestrials would be just as horrified by us as we would be by them! I hope you enjoy what I’ve written. Thanks for reading!

My Unusual Lady

Oh lady, my lady
With long raven hair.
There isn’t a soul
Who would not stop and stare.

Your eyes are like diamonds
That sparkle so bright.
And with that physique,
You could win any fight.

You tower above us,
So wonderfully tall.
An amazon woman,
The fairest of all.

And though some would say
That it’s terribly weird,
Your loveliest trait
Is your long scruffy beard.


Based on a circus-themed writing prompt from Writer’s Carnival: Ode to the Lady.

You don’t know what it is, but the bearded lady holds some magical attraction for you. But she won’t give you the time of day. You decide to express your love in verse. Write a poem, any style, to the bearded lady. Examples of some poetry forms would be free verse, sonnet, limerick, ode, ballad, etc.

Though I wrote this poem in less than 15 minutes, I’m quite pleased with how it turned out. I hope you enjoy what I’ve written. Thanks for reading!

Run, Johnny, Run!

No one could believe it when they saw Johnny in first place. He was moving so fast, spectators hardly noticed him the moment he came round the corner. Just two more miles, he thought, then he’d finally prove himself to the whole town. “No one can move like Johnny!” they’d say. “He beat the world record!” Yes, he’d be a champion, and for the first time in his life, everybody would care.

No one could believe it when they saw Johnny in first place. He was moving so slow, spectators hardly noticed him the moment he came round the corner. Just two more miles, he thought, then he’d finally prove himself to the whole town. “No one can move like Johnny!” they’d say. “He beat the world record!” Yes, he’d be a champion, and for the first time in his life, nobody would care.


Based on a writing prompt from Writer’s Carnival: Banana Split.

Write a mini scene, no more than 200 words, about anything at all. Then when you’re finished, take two words and swap them with their opposites (for example, you would switch love with hate or cold with hot, left with right, etc.). Try to pick words that will scramble the read and/or make it humorous.

To make my way of thinking clear, I wrote out both versions of this scene: first the original, then the opposite. I hope you enjoy what I’ve written. Thanks for reading!

Jack’s Horse

Sure is tough to live like me,
As you very well can see.

Got a cowboy on my back
(Pretty sure his name is Jack).

He’s been eatin’ more and more,
And my back is awful sore.

But I guess it’s all the same
To a horse without a name.


Based on a writing prompt from Writer’s Carnival: Horseplay.

Write 50 words of poetry, no more and no less, on what it means to be a horse.

I improvised this piece for a writing challenge in about five minutes. It wasn’t easy to write a poem using only 50 words, but at least it was fun to try! I hope you enjoy what I’ve written. Thanks for reading!

Pin It on Pinterest