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Lillian here. Delighted to host Tuesday Poetics at dVerse, the virtual pub for poets across the globe!

Once upon a time . . .

. . . that phrase begins many a tale. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the phrase has been used in some form since 1380 in storytelling in the English language. It’s opened oral narratives since 1600.

That phrase, to some, is a cliché, an overused line. Others believe it’s a line filled with possibilities. If you sit in the proverbial circle for story time with a group of preschoolers, invariably they come to rapt attention, all eyes expectantly on you, if you say those magic words. They know a story is coming!

So – here’s what I’m asking for today. Let’s use a bit of poetic license with that phrase. For today’s Poetics, every poem should begin like this:
Once upon a _________ (you fill in the blank with any word except “time”) So a poem starting with Once upon a time would NOT fit the prompt! BUT, poems starting like this, for example, do fit the prompt:
Once upon a lily pad
Once upon a glimmer
Once upon a noodle
Once upon a midnight

You get the idea, right? Every poem should start with this three word phrase: Once upon a AND the next word can not be “time.”

Any form; free verse or rhyming; any topic. Write a love poem or something eerie for Halloween; something fantastical; or whatever your imagination comes up with!

So, it’s Once upon a Tuesday for me……….as I look forward to reading your posts!

Photos from Pixabay.com — a great source for free images. 

And for those of you new to dVerse, here’s what we hope everyone does:

  • Write a poem that adheres to the prompt and post to your blog.
  • Click on Mr. Linky below to add your name and enter the direct URL to your poem
  • On your blog, please provide a link back to dVerse. This enables others to enjoy our prompts, multiplies our readers and thus the responses to all of our poems.
  • If you promote your poem on social media, use the tag #dverse poets
  • And most importantly, please do read some of the other responses to the prompt and add a short comment or reaction. Everyone likes to be appreciated! The prompt is “live” for several days – as you’ll notice by the comments you’ll receive – so do stop by another day and read a few of the latecomers too!