Ghosts invade sugar-‘n-spice blissful dream,
grin, shimmer, twist, skip, dance freely.
Whispers spark sounds, jars echo.
Breeze flickers.
Clouds pepper sky,
curl, balloon, bubble open.
Dawn melts, spills rose-red.
Storm drizzles blood-shadows,
scars green spring grass.
Journeyman giggles fearfully,
leaves breathless.
Cue still lull.
Mish hosts dVerse today. We must include the word “spice,” or a form of the word, in a Quadrille (poem of exactly 44 words, sans title). Quadrille Mondays occur every other week, for a total of 44 times, each with a different word prompt. We need only include that week’s word prompt in our poem. This post includes all 41 words given thus far: spice, free, bliss, dream, fear, flicker, pepper, dance, bubble, grin, lull, melt, shimmer, twist, skip, green, breeze, spill, rose, journey, jar, leaves, open, shadow, cloud, spark, cue, breath, scar, curl, whisper, dawn, ghost, giggle, drizzle, still, echo, sound, storm, spring, and balloon. Bar opens at 3 PM Boston time. Come join us!
lillian the home poet 
When those eyes popped up in my reader, I nearly jumped out of my skin. Love this, Lillian! You’ve written another excellent piece in your film noir series!
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Thank you! Didn’t mean to disturb with the eyes though…just the words 🙂
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Very spooky!
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Wouldn’t it be something if word 44 is just in time for halloween? But — can’t imagine it possible to fit all 44 here. Really struggled to find the spot for “spice” and had to add a journeyman to the mix!
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You have done such an amazing job with this, Lillian. You are going to make it! Only 3 more.
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Gets harder every time! Had to really shift things around this time….and introduce the journeyman. Glad you enjoyed!
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I really love the blood boiling matter in this… just great.
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Thanks, Bjorn. Glad you’re enjoying! The journeyman dreamer may wake up with word #42, only to retire. We’ll see….
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Love how cinema and poetics mix in your series. I always consider trying to use all the words. but other muses get in line first. The work you put into this is appreciated; smile.
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…yes…this time it was a real twisting and turning…and finally introduced the journeyman to spice it up! 🙂
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Aah spooky!!!
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Should be halloween, right? Instead of the end of September. 🙂
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Forgot to mention how much I loved the line /storm drizzles blood-shadows/.
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Hah! I call it the “creepy line.” I’ve looked for an illustration to use that encapsulates this line…but they all seem a bit too graphic for me. Pollyanna, you know 🙂
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This is so very atmospheric. It’s amazing how creative you can be within such confines.
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Thank you, Sarah. Having fun with these words. #42 may retire the journeyman dreamer though….we’ll see. 🙂
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Journeyman giggles fearfully…this is scarty, LOL…my dear sweet Swedish neighbor has snuck over and is doing some ‘work: for me……I love this series.
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Ah….next time your Swedish neighbor comes over, tell her/him tak sa mycket! hmmmm I may have “mycket” spelled wrong….may be mycke or end with a? Anyway, it’s pronounced tahk-sah- mick-a and it means “thank you” in Swedish. When our son was very young, he composed a piano piece as a thank you gift and gave it this name 🙂
Glad you’re enjoying the series, Toni. We’ll see if the journeyman continues in this nightmare with word #42, or wakes up and retires! 🙂
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Another fabulous concoction of all the words…not only that but sticking to the thematic gets you extra clever bonus points. Marvelous.
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Ah thank you, Paul. Had to introduce the journeyman this time….getting really tricky. We’ll see if by word #42 he continues in this dream, or wakes up to retire! 🙂
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Can’t wait.
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Extremely well done…Much respect from me…
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Thank you thank you, Alison. Much appreciate your response here!
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‘Jars echo’!!!! Creepy stuff 🙂
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Hah — should be for halloween right, instead of the end of September!
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Just getting us in the mood for October!
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V. nice – I liked ‘journeyman’ particularly in this.
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Yes, the dreamer himself got introduced in this act. We’ll see if word #42 means he wakes up or continues in this nightmare!
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I especially like the opening two lines and this:
“Clouds pepper sky,
curl, balloon, bubble open.”
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Yes….between “pepper” and “spice” a journeyman has now appeared in this series. We’ll see if word #42 works…otherwise he’ll have to wake up and retire! 🙂
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spine-chilling 🙂 connecting words – fabulous!!! A+ 🙂
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. . . and the one holding the grading book has reversed! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed. Excited to talk soon.
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Creepy! There was hope with those sugar-n-spice dreams, but alas, sweet dreams were not to be.
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Yes indeed….I myself much prefer the sugarl-‘n-spice dreams 🙂
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This is brilliant, Lillian! What a challenge you took on. I especially like how you incorporated the jars…echoing …..very creepy.
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Thank you! Struggled to get out 41…introduced the journeyman to do it and we’ll see if he wakes up now, or continues in this nightmare. Two more weeks, and we’ll see!
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“Dawn melts/ spills rose-read..” Beautiful and eerie!
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Thanks, Frank. We’ll see if there’s a 42. Getting very hard now to fit in all the words….had to introduce the journeyman this time. We’ll see if he continues his sleep!
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Between ghosts invading dreams and Journeyman giggling…..I know this is a nightmare! Well penned.
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Insomnia has struck this journeyman — me thinks there is a grim reaper nearby. Glad you’re enjoying.
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Loving it! 🙂
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‘Dawn melts, spills rose-red.
Storm drizzles blood-shadows,
scars green spring grass.’
Wildly noir-ish, Lillian. I love it!
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Hah! Me thinks gothic and halloween…but it’s only the end of September! 🙂 Glad you liked it.
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This gets tricky using all the words – blood shadows seems quite appropriate!
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Glad you’re enjoying. I keep looking for an illustration that can be used here, that includes something that looks like “blood shadows” but the few I’ve found are too graphic. It is, after all, poetry 🙂
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Film Noir is right up there with the aged librarian – I think you should produce a pamphlet or chapbook: Lill’s Film Quadrilles – totally noir!
I love the spooky sounds in ‘Whispers spark sounds, jars echo’ and the colours in the lines:.
‘Dawn melts, spills rose-red.
Storm drizzles blood-shadows,
scars green spring grass’.
That’s a breathtaking ending!
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You are so kind, Kim. I keep thinking the series is done….getting harder and harder. Had to introduce the journeyman this time. “Spice” just about closed the show! Glad you’re enjoying.
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🙂
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I definitely get the film noir mood here..it’s nonintoxicatingly good.
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I tried to say intoxicatingly …probably not a word..
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Well, intoxicating in any form is appropriate for a virtual pub, right? Glad you liked it, Kathy. We’ll see if there’s a 42…gets tougher every time!
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A bit haunting..I love the cause and effect.
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Should be for halloween, right? Instead of the end of September. Glad you’re enjoying! 🙂
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Creepy, creepy, scary. Just what I needed to get my blood flowing this morning. Excellent.
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So glad you liked it……should be for halloween, right? 🙂
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Always, Fantastic Poetry! 😎😎😎🥀🥀🥀
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Thank you so much! 🙂
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I am simply amazed at how you weave the same words into different poems.
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Very clever! Well done using all the words!
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