Panders.
Off-loads guilt.
Loose lips abandon civility.
Instead spew
trite narcissistic patter.
Intimidates.
Cruel Machiavellian rule
steeps rot within.
Oh too similar to those
familiar with the
fruit fly who gloats over spoils
eviscerates solid cores
avariciously deteriorates the good,
reduces life to rot.
An Acrostic Quadrille written for dVerse where Victoria asks us to write a quadrille (poem of exactly 44 words) using the word “fear.” Acrostic: a poem in which the first letter of each line spells out a word or message. Note the first letter of each line from top to bottom in each stanza. You’ll find three words, including the prompt word for today. Apologies to those who do not care for poetry as commentary on the state of politics today. You might instead enjoy my second poem, also published today: Film Noir, Take 37.
lillian the home poet 
Effectively written, Lillian. I like the subtle approach much like when writing love scenes–leave a bit to the reader’s imagination. That fly reminds me of a well-know classical artist who included fruit flies or a bit of rot in his still lives to better depict the reality of life. Can’t remember is name. Ain’t aging fun?
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Ah that would indeed add a bit of reality to a still life painting! You’ll remember the name, later this evening, while in the middle of dinner no doubt! 🙂 I’ll definitely take aging to the alternative. 🙂
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If I think of it at 3AM I’ll give you a call. Ha!
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I liked the phrase “steeps rot” like one might a tea and there is “fear” acrostic fashion in the poem.
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Exactly. The “politics of fear.”
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How deftly you handled this political poem. I do not usually care for politics in poetry but this one is a keeper. ‘steeps rot” I guess he puts it in a bowl with his wig –
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Ah Toni….chuckling out loud I am at your last comment here 🙂 Certainly not the stuff of buttercup tea that blooms happiness (from my I Wonder poem). I know you do not like political poetry….and thus mentioned that for those who do not, I also posted the “all the words” quadrille. So to get a positive comment from you here….well, it is truly appreciated! 🙂
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I don’t really mind political poems per se. It is just some writers get hold of politics and like a pit bull with a steak, refuse to let go, ranting and raving about something they have no control over. Some people don’t know how to write about other things – things that can give hope instead of always tearing down.
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Love the acrostic take on this, but I’m glad you pointed it out because I’m a little slow today and was struggling to find the word “fear” in the poem. I’m not usually a fan of political poetry, but in small doses done right it’s okay.
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Thanks, Linda. I know many are averse to political satire so offered the “all the words” one too!
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With the “all the words” I keep wondering, when we get to 44 words, will there be two people who write the exact same poem? Or will they all be different. I’m waiting for the full 44 to give it a try.
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I really like this, how you’ve taken the fruit fly and shown its destruction. So well done.
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Thanks, Sasch!
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That last stanza is particularly vicious and visceral. It’s a great piece altogether.
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Yes — the switch from the political scene to the parasitical side of nature….or can that be the same????
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It seems very appropriate. “who gloats over spoils
eviscerates solid cores
avariciously deteriorates the good,
reduces life to rot.”
It feels like there is so much of this happening right now.
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Sadly, I agree. It pains me that there is even reason or subject matter of a post like this….politics of fear…
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SMiLes.. mY FriEnd.. Lillian..
WhenEver PoeTry
NoW oveRlooks
HARminG EViL
iT
Fears
to do what’s
ReaL.. We huMaNs
wHo CaN Care WiLL neVer shut
up.. And eXcuse dARk now
iN Fear
from
homes
of those
who suffer..
i don’t have any
PerSonal Dogs to worry about
in this Political Show but i reMember
wHat it is like to Be overlorded by cold
Political heARTs oF
NoN-reproAcH
By Love that’s real..
As Love neVer Fears
to say NO when Real CaN WiLLs
aS EViL eNters A Room of HeART..
And consideRinG HeART MaKeS
PoETry and Change StARTs WiTh
HeART tHeRe is NEVER A WORD
Too SmALL as MetaPhoR or LiteRAL
FOR NO
As ‘WE’
WiLL
NoT
OverLook
evil ever ever never..
for those of us WiTh
undYinG HeArTS oF
LoVe and Grace WitH
WiLL and StrenGTH…
TruE NoW2..
NoT everYone
is cut out NoW to
Be A Soldier oF LiGht..
iNcluding me iN Fear BeForE..
as Weak iN Will and Strength of Grace and Love too…
Those who are ‘Left’ Continue A Heavy LiFTinG TrUE iN LiGHT..:)
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I think you, Katie, my friend, are truly strong with great will. Let us hope the pendulum swings and we come back to a kinder gentler political scene….and thus, a kinder and gentler way in and through humanity.
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Love wins
As Faith
SMiLes..:)
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This comes at a personal apt time for me as my sister just publicly announced her campaign to run for state senate. What an arena of rot she is willingly entering.
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Good for her! May she shine through with her strength, ethics, and good will to serve the people! 🙂
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This is beyond clever, and carries within it, unfortunately, truth. I bow in admiration!
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Ah, thank you, Bev. Fun to play with the acrostic within the quadrille. Had never done an acrostic before 🙂
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Thanks for spelling that out. I never catch the acrostic. It is sure true, nothing more stinky than politics
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Had never done an acrostic….and I decided not to BOLD the letters or PUT THEM ALL IN CAPS TO SEE THE ACROSTIC so easily….when I tried that, it took away from the message. So, there is a subtlety in the acrostic…but so much so that I felt I had to give it away in the comments! 🙂
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Some of us are thankful for hints
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Went back and read it again when I saw the comment about being an acrostic and it had a completely different meaning. Very clever.
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Ah thank you, Carol. Yes, meanings change once you “see the acrostic” on the side 🙂 Glad you caught it! 🙂
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Wow, Lilliian, your Quadrille is so original and the image is interesting. I’m not keen on flies but they do have a certain beauty, when seen in the right light 🙂 The title alone strikes fear in me and I love the acrostic message. And the final lines are wonderfully disgusting:
‘eviscerates solid cores
avariciously deteriorates the good,
reduces life to rot’.
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“wonderfullly disgusting” Smiling I am! Yep — that’s the reaction I was looking for! As in eeeew — and ugh! And that says it all within the context of the acrostic. Disturbing indeed.
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This spills well, even if it wasn’t an acrostic – which doubles its power. Wonderful.
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Thank you! So glad you enjoyed. A fun one to work with, counting, spelling, etc 🙂 Had never done an acrostic before.
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Love the metaphor, Lillian. You and I had a similar take on this one. I really love yours.
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Glad you enjoyed. Will be on the poetry trail reading other posts early tomorrow AM with my hot steaming cup of coffee…as is the normal way I start my day. Looking forward to reading yours then 🙂
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🙂
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A very apt comparison! I loved the surprise of the acrostic message at the end too. Nicely written!
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Had never done an acrostic….very fun to mix it with the quadrille! 🙂
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As you know, I adore politics aligned with poetics–as poets it is our sacred duty to be gadflies & write fearlessly about things that are important to us; just saying. Like in may BLACKTHORNE saga–even violence has a place in art.
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I thought of you while I was writing this 🙂
And now, I fear, I owe you an apology, Glenn. Your last BLACKTHORNE installment moved me to tears and literally churned up my insides and I gave an immediate written response. Feel free to delete that response or edit it. I do hope you got past the first few sentences in it and read on to where I praised the writing to the hilt. It was so so real I could feel every bullet, see into the animals’ eyes, feel their pain, hear the shots…it was unbelievably “felt” writing — if that makes sense. I should have reread before I hit publish – and just deleted the first few sentences. Seems to me I “hollered” in all caps too — like I was the wounded animal from the reading. Again though, that particular piece of writing was incredibly real. You have an amazing talent for drawing the reader into the scene, Glenn. And yes….even violence has a place in art. I agree. It’s just that for whatever reason, that morning, it hit me hard. So — that’s my mea culpa and it is sincere.
I’m hoping you liked my foray into political satire — I don’t do it often although there certainly is rampant motivation for it these days.
Will be moseying over to read at dVerse when I get my second cup. Yours will be the first to catch my eye. Happy Tuesday!
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You’re a sweetheart to my soul. I totally feel like politics is reducing life to rot. So sad! 😦
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Yes. And we are assailed by it in print, on television, by our Facebook “friends”, and everywhere. I’ll be ready for our Provincetown 2 weeks in September, sitting by the ocean every day. Only the gulls clatter/patter there 🙂
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Peace in nature sounds wonderful. 🙂
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Your fruit fly poetic image is fantastic … ‘reduces life to rot’ … I am not a fan of fruit flies nor of fear mongering.
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Thank you — and ditto! 🙂
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Clever, clever acrostic!!! Wow
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So glad you enjoyed, Maria. First time I’ve ever done one — took a lot of rewriting and rewriting and rewriting to get it to this point 🙂
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Great use of acrostic…full of verve…well written.
Oh and just for the record I have to say this “Fruit flies like bananas” 😉
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how about oranges? 🙂
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Sure …why not?
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You expressed a wonderful comparison in this!
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I checked the math; zero lies detected.
This is one of my favorites from you. Love everything about it.
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Such Excellence and Intensity! 😎😎😎😎😎
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Acrostic! My kind of poets. 🙂 I like it. The fly makes a perfect illustration.
What a week — when American political gossips take up half of our newscasts over this side of the world!
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A great metaphor and it’s perfectly fits. A wonderful and meaningful poem! The acrostic part is just more delight!
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