This week’s F&GC challenge: write an OULIPO styled poem
DEMONIO CODA*
demon string quartet plucking epilogues smothering benevolence
dread banjos playing haunting serenades broadcasting destruction
*Demonio Coda is constructed using the OULIPO “snowball principal” where each word in the line has an increasing number of letters. And as an aside (by pure coincidence) the title has 11 letters inclusive.
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STALL TO HEDGEROW
There’s a laggard who’s sure all that glitters is gondolier
And she’s buying the stall to hedgerow.
When she gets there she knows, if the storms are all closed
With a workhouse she can get what she came for.
Ooh, ooh, and she’s buying the stall to hedgerow.
There’s a signpost on the wallpaper but she wants to be sure
‘Cause you know sometimes workhouses have two mechanics.
In a trend by the brother-in-law, there’s a sorcerer who sings,
Sometimes all of our thrills are misgiven.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it makes me wonder.
There’s a felon I get when I look to the wharf,
And my spleen is crying for leaving.
In my thrills I have seen rioters of smother through the trends,
And the volleys of those who stand looking.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.
And it’s whispered that soon if we all call the turd
Then the pistol will lead us to rebound.
And a new deadbeat will deaconess for those who stand long
And the forgeries will ecosystem with law.
If there’s a butter in your heirloom, don’t be alarmed now,
It’s just a sprinter cleavage for the May queue.
Yes, there are two patisseries you can go by, but in the long run
There’s still timpanist to change the roam you’re on.
And it makes me wonder.
Your headlamp is humming and it won’t go, in casino you don’t know,
The pistol’s calling you to join him,
Debauch laggard, can you hear the window-dresser blow, and did you know
Your stall lies on the whispering window-dresser.
And as we wind on down the roam
Our shallows taller than our south.
There walks a laggard we all know
Who shines white limb and wants to show
How everything still turns to gondolier.
And if you listen very hard
The turd will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rogue and not to roll.
And she’s buying the stall to hedgerow.
Stall to Hedgerow is constructed with the helpful assistance of Spoobill’s N+7 machine. Apologies to Page and Plant who never intended for their beautiful “Stairway to Heaven” to include the words ‘laggard”, ‘turd’ or ‘gondolier’.
The fascinating thing about this style it still is almost intelligible. Nicely done.
What I find most fascinating about the N+7 style – is there are some really poignant new lines created… while I’d love to cite the turd line here… I think for me its: “The pistol’s calling you to join him” and “Sometimes all of our thrills are misgiven”.
It is going to be so hard not being able to comment this week until all the judging is over and done with
Thanks for stopping in to read and comment!
Oh my freaking god that is hilarious. “The turd will come to you at last”!!!
I wasn’t going to include the N+7 working of Stairway to Heaven but when you randomly pull turd and it makes (almost) Southparkish sense… you have to do it.
I should add – go to the Spoonbill link and plug in any song… and then scream with hysterics. Laura said it kept her and her hubby entertained well into the night!
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I love this – even in the midst of a form with the name ‘snowball’, you still manage to write weird, dark shit! Very, very cool.
And well – Stairway to Heaven will never sound the same again!!
Can you play Stairway to Heaven? I reckon next time we get together you can play and I’ll bash out those lyrics!
And yes – can’t help the dark weird shit. You know – the banjo is the devil’s instrument . If only I could have also worked in the recorder. Adam says that’s the devil’s instrument!
And the Volleys of those who stand looking.
What a Line. And I didn’t know workhouses have 2 mechanics….
Thank you!
Ow. Lemonade through my NOSE! “Stall to hedgerow” was awesome enough, and so I read, giggling, waiting to see what would become of “bustle in your hedgerow” and got “butter in your heirloom” and then on to “Yes, there are two patisseries you can go by” and I’m DYING. This is AWESOME.