Picture courtesy: High angle shot of a Milkshake by Taha Samet, Pexels.

Hello dVerse Poets,

Sanaa here (aka adashofsunny) to stir your muses.  There is a freshness to the air that comes with Mid-winter, as trees awaken with a soft, slow burst of wind, their naked branches laced with snow. With buds gradually growing unnoticed, until finally their delicate papery frame within are ready to come forward. I just love this time of the year.

You must have heard of “Candy Crush Saga?” A delicious puzzle game that includes a social element, where players complete levels by swapping coloured pieces of candy on a game board to create a match of three or more of the same colour, eliminating, in turn, those candies that are odd and replacing with new ones which can potentially make further matches as the game goes on.

The game was released by King on April 12, 2012, for Facebook and its title is the inspiration behind the prompt today. Don’t worry; I am not going to ask you to replicate a game of your own. Smiles.

For today’s Poetics, I invite you to play a game with me called, “Carroll Crush Saga.”

The idea here is to select three titles (from a list of Lewis Carroll’s poems) and to blend them together to form a subject for a new poem.

Note: You don’t have to include the title as part of your poem but please do mention it as an epigraph and give due credit.

For example: ‘A strange wild song’ + ‘all in the golden afternoon’ + ‘echoes.’

The List:

• Jabberwocky
• Brother and Sister
• The Walrus and the Carpenter
• A Strange Wild Song
• All in the Golden Afternoon
• My Fancy
• The Hunting of the Snark
• A Game of Fives
• A Sea Dirge
• Punctuality
• The Aged Aged Man
• A Boat beneath a Sunny Sky
• Rules and Regulations
• The Three Voices
• Melancholetta
• Epilogue to through the Looking Glass
• Four Riddles
• The White Knight’s Song
• A Valentine
• Echoes
• The Voice of the Lobster
• Size and Tears
• Lays of Sorrows
• Theme with Variations
• Dedication

Picture courtesy: Close up shot of a cake by Sandra Filipe, Pexels

Now since “Candy,” is the theme of the Candy Crush Saga game, here is option 2 of today’s challenge.

Did somebody say candy?

Ideas come to us of their own accord, sometimes at the spur of the moment, and at other times need wrenching from the gut. But then again, that’s how the poetic mind works doesn’t it?

In case you opt for this part of the challenge, I would like you to think along the lines of the word “candy.”

Use candy in a sentence – it can be anything from eye-candy to candy store to candied desperation.

How about candied fruit? Or the phrases “like taking candy from a baby.” There is candy corn, candy canes, candy floss and oh let’s not forget cotton candy!

The idea here is to incorporate some form of the word candy in your poem and replace previously formed notions of it.

Confused? Don’t be. Here’s an example:

She chose a sassy candy apple red to her soft and supple skin which was slightly olive and medium brown.

Here the word ‘candy’ acts as imagery instead of something edible and in turn becomes part and/or theme of the poem.

Go on, explore the nuances, flavors, shading and variations of the word. Crush everything that gives rise to monotonous regularity. Create something new.

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 and comment on their poems.
• Please link back to dVerse from your site/blog.