Photo credits: Palm Tree Shadows by Andrei Slobtsov, Unsplash

Hello dVerse Poets!

Sanaa here (aka adashofsunny) to stir your muses. Summer does not envy Autumnal hues, they being complimentary to one another; instead she welcomes the change and transition, her vibrant shades known to rest in slumber while brilliant berries and late blooms ascend.

You must have heard of “Dungeons and Dragons?” A co-operative, fantasy, role-playing game; where everyone works together to create a story and go on interesting adventures. The game was originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and its title, is the inspiration behind the prompt today. Don’t worry; I am not going to ask you to design a game of your own. Smiles.

For today’s Poetics I invite you all to play a poetry game called, “Dungeons and Derivatives.”

The idea here is to select one (from a list of eight sentences) and to change at least one word or more by replacing it with a derivative. Once you are done, unlock the muse from its dungeon and write a poem with the existing sentence.

The List:

1. “The trees are mad silhouettes against the rouge pink sky; perhaps they too need emptying.” – A pocketful of maybes.
   
2. “Put a flower in your hair and instill a sword of faith, in bosom, so we may be warriors.” – Stopping at incense storing temple.

3. “And though pickles are magnets for my tastebuds, I’d rather savor the taste of what the earth’s rain has bestowed.” – Night-time Hunger.

4. “I have left my signature on rocky shores, marked with hues and shades of fuchsia sin; each one a reminder of the kind of person I have been.” – Of the waters and wild.

5. “The rustling of leaves; I have stood many a time at the doorway of dreaming.”  – Buck Moon ~ Part two: Seeing things.

6. “Bodies are conscious but don’t have consciousness, they care not for rules and regulations; they scatter, like potpourri evoke fragrant kisses.” – The eternal blow hot and cold.

7. “Perhaps we are reading the shadows wrong; forever cannot draw a circle.” – Winter Moon ~ Part Three: Petals of the Sun

8. “Could it be that this idea of healing is a seed that has been planted within us?”  – October, as leaves fall patiently

Yes, these have been conjured from the depths of my archives and are lines from my poems. The sentence will change yes, after replacing a word or two with derivatives. Don’t be shy to mold it accordingly. But wait, there’s more!

Photo courtesy: Architectural Photography by Ali Lokhandwala, Unsplash

Now I am aware of the fact that not everyone prefers to or likes to write poetry using quotes as part of their poems so, here is option no 2!

In midst of exploring the Dungeon:

Words come to us on their own; sometimes willingly and at other times need wrenching from the gut. But then again, that’s how the muse works, doesn’t it?

In case, you opt for this part of the challenge, I would like you to think along the lines of blockage. It can be anything.

You could choose to write about words seeming far out of reach of the Poet’s hands or as an obstruction which makes movement or flow difficult or impossible.

Take out a notebook and while allowing your mind to be free from thoughts, write down the first few words that come.

Now, after you have written them down, think to yourself, what they suggest or remind you of.  Confused? Don’t be. Here is an example:

Thought, throb, bubble, rose, dawn.

Suppose I have picked “thought”, I now replace the word with a derivative. The word changes into thoughtful and becomes part or theme of my poem.

Go on, defy the constrictions. The depleting darkness of the dungeon.

New to dVerse? Here’s how to join in:

• Write a poem (in any form) in response to the challenge.
• Enter a link directly to your poem and your name by clicking Mr. Linky below
  and remember to check the little box to accept the use/privacy policy.
• You will find links to other poets and more will join so please do check
  back later in order to read their poems.
• Read and comment on other poets’ work– we all come here to have our poems read.
• Please link back to dVerse from your site/blog.