Tags
Sharpen your pencils, keep an eraser close
or keep your fingers poised on the keyboard
rein in your rambles, let loose your imagination
write, count, erase/delete count again; remove that word
all I ask for is forty four words of poetry, not prose!
Hello everyone!
I am Punam and I am your host/bartender tonight.
Do pardon my bad poetry above! You certainly don’t need this advice, for today is dVerse’s most popular poetry prompt day and you all do know how to craft masterpieces in just forty-four words.
For those new to dVerse, a quadrille is our very own homegrown form where we write a poem of exactly 44 words excluding the title. If you are adventurous you could write a sijo, a tanka, a golden shovel or use any other poetic form as long as you don’t exceed the word limit.
Okay, let’s get to the business of writing. Tonight we are having a slumber party ( as it is way past midnight where I live) and everyone is invited! Bring your fluffiest pillow, come in your most comfortable clothes, the drinks and food are on the house but you must compose a Q before you slumber! Yes, that’s the word you are using today!
I found something very interesting as I was researching the word slumber. ‘Sleep and slumber are often used interchangeably, but there are subtle differences between the two. Sleep generally refers to the natural state of rest in which the body is inactive, the eyes are closed, and consciousness is suspended. Slumber, on the other hand, specifically refers to a light or partial sleep, often used in a poetic or literary context to convey a peaceful or tranquil state of rest. While both terms refer to a state of rest, slumber carries a connotation of a gentler, more serene form of sleep.”
So let’s get started. Below are diverse poetic interpretations of slumber.
By William Wordsworth
A slumber did my spirit seal;
I had no human fears:
She seemed a thing that could not feel
The touch of earthly years.
No motion has she now, no force;
She neither hears nor sees;
Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course,
With rocks, and stones, and trees.
Memorably used by The Beatles as the lyrics for their song of the same name on the Abbey Road LP, ‘Golden Slumbers’ is a lullaby from Thomas Dekker’s 1603 play Patient Grissel, written with Henry Chettle and William Haughton.
Golden slumbers kiss your eyes,
Smiles awake you when you rise;
Sleep, pretty wantons, do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby,
Rock them, rock them, lullaby.
By Joseph Estes
Fear of slumber tonight
Ever been afraid to sleep?
Afraid to dream?
What slumber I need,
the slumber I dread!
Blissful slumber!
My eyes are heavy,
but awake I’ve become.
Necromancer lady Wilde in the pumpkin garden of festive felines
By Vibrant Oddities
Gentle redwood whisper in the valley of corpses, nomadic carriage of rat dancers follow her soles.
Weightless within the clouds in search of sweet slumber she embraces pumpkin garden under October.
Cemetery felines joyful as skeletons are resurrected, endless necromance from raccoons who sing.
The challenge tonight is to write a quadrille of exactly forty four words including the word “Slumber” or any variation of it but please, do not interchange it with “sleep”.
Here’s a song to get the party going.
Please note Mr. Linky will remain open till next Monday noon.
- Please link back your post here.
- Do not leave a link of your blog at Mr. Linky, leave the link of your post.
- Do come back to read what others have posted.
- Most importantly, have fun!
I verge on the edge of slumber as I await your entries.
kim881 said:
Good evening all, and thanks to Punam for a great word! I’m typing really fast as we are having intermittent Broadband problems and the internet keeps dropping out. I’ll try to read and comment on as many poems as possible this evening, I hope we’re back to normal tomorrow, and then I’m off to visit Ellen for Lucas’s birthday. I hope you all have a fun slumber party!
dorahak said:
Happy Birthday to Lucas, Kim! What a hoot!🎉🥳
kim881 said:
Thank you, Dora!
paeansunplugged said:
Hi Kim. I hope the internet problem does go away. Don’t worry too much about reading and commenting. Have fun at Ellen’s and lots of warm wishes to Lucas. We will miss you at the slumber party.
paeansunplugged said:
Welcome everyone! Since it’s a slumber party we have popcorn, banana muffins, chicken roll, pizza sliders and s’mores. And of course cheese, ice cream and drinks of your choice.
Lately my comments have been landing into spam. Please do check your spam if there is a like from me but no comment.
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
Oh I found many of your comment in my spam… hope they will end up right next time…
paeansunplugged said:
Glad you rescued them. I hope so too…
Grace said:
Hi Punam. Thank you for hosting the Q. Love to have that muffins and s’mores. Today we are seeing double digits in our weather – should be a good sign that spring is coming. Love the poems and word choice.
paeansunplugged said:
Hi Grace. It’s wonderful to know that spring is coming finally. I am glad you enjoyed the poems.
Muffins and s’mores for you.
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
Oh… I am off to slumber soon, so I will have to do without any food sustenance…
paeansunplugged said:
It’s slumber time for me too but I don’t want to miss the fun!
dorahak said:
Hi Punam! A slumber party is a fantastic idea! Thank you for providing the treats. And thanks for a great prompt! How about some pizza sliders and a soda?!
paeansunplugged said:
Pizza sliders and a chilled soda for you, Dora! Slumber party reminds me of school days. 😀
dorahak said:
Me too, Punam. What fun!
paeansunplugged said:
❤️
Melissa Lemay said:
So it’s late night hosting for you then! Thank you for being here. Hopefully you’ll get to slumber after doing a bit of poetry reading.😴
paeansunplugged said:
Yes, Melissa. During summers it is 12.30 am and right now it is 1.30 am. 😴😴😴
Sunra Rainz said:
“reign in your rambles” 😂 Well, now of course I want to ramble! 💕 Forgive me if I don’t get to write something, but I shall certainly be round to read everyone’s✌🏽
paeansunplugged said:
😂😂 Go ahead, ramble on, Sunra. No worries if you don’t write, it is very sweet of you to visit and read.❤️
Sunra Rainz said:
😘
rugby843 said:
https://rugby843.blog/2024/03/04/dverse-poets-quadrille-50/
Grace said:
Hi! Kindly add your poem link to Mr. Linky, which you can find under the youtube of Britney Spears video. Thank you.
Peter said:
I’m sorry my two-language entry has more than 44 words. Nevertheless I hope you enjoy it.
paeansunplugged said:
Peter, would it be possible for you to edit it! The only requirement for today’s prompt is that it should be of exactly 44 words.
Peter said:
I’ll try, but U can’t promise.
paeansunplugged said:
👍🏼
Peter said:
Herfstrozen / Autumn Roses – Waar mijn pen ligt, ben ik thuis (wordpress.com)
paeansunplugged said:
I am off to bed now. Please help yourselves at the bar. See you all in the morning on the poetry trail.
Grace said:
See you tomorrow!!!
paeansunplugged said:
Hi Grace. I am back.
merrildsmith said:
Thank you for hosting, Punam. Great word!
paeansunplugged said:
My pleasure and thanks, Merril. 😊
Mish said:
A lovely word to work with, Punam. Thanks for hosting today. 🙂
paeansunplugged said:
Thanks, Mish and my pleasure. 🙂
Frank J. Tassone said:
Good Evening, Poets! Thanks, Punam, for pubtending this week’s Quadrille Monday! How about some Burgundy, when you get the chance? 😉
paeansunplugged said:
Hi Frank. A glass of your favourite Burgundy. I think I will pour myself a glass too. 😀
lynn__ said:
Hope you enjoy sweet slumber, Punam :) Thanks for leaving us with a prompt and treats!!
paeansunplugged said:
I did, Lynn, thank you. My pleasure always.
rothpoetry said:
Thank you for hosting, Punam. I don’t think I have ever been invited to a slumber party! LOL Sounds like an interesting prompt to work on.
paeansunplugged said:
Haha! There is always a first time for everything, isn’t it! Glad you are here, Dwight, and I am happy you liked the prompt.
rothpoetry said:
:>) Thank you.
paeansunplugged said:
You are welcome.
Pingback: Dreams denied (a quadrille) | paeansunpluggedblog
pvcann said:
Punam, I would run a mile from a slumber party, but I know plenty who would attend. Now and again I refresh with a ten minute rest and feel better. But irrespective, a fun prompt to work with. Thank you for hosting.
paeansunplugged said:
Paul, I am glad you are here. Look forward to your Q. My pleasure.
Rob Kistner said:
Thank you for hosting Punam. 👍🏼🙂✌🏼🫶🏼 I guess appropriately I have been exhausted and sleeping most of the day — but I’ve awaken with this piece on my mind… so before I sink again into the realm of somnus… 🤫🥱🤤😴
Rob Kistner said:
It didn’t start in this place — but this piece unexpectedly turned into a prayer of release.
paeansunplugged said:
It is wonderful when a poem writes itself.
paeansunplugged said:
Great, Rob! Look forward to reading yours. Sleep well.
M Jay Dixit said:
Hi, Punam, thanks for hosting. Great prompt, I enjoyed it.
paeansunplugged said:
Glad you enjoyed it, Jay. My pleasure. 🙂
paeansunplugged said:
Hi Frank. Here’s a glass of burgundy for you. It is a bit early for me but I will join you. 😀
Pingback: cicadas – Mom With a Blog
SelmaMartin said:
Thanks for hosting, Punam. I’ll work on something for the Q this week. Thanks for hosting. a great prompt to enliven us into being awake for the season of flowers.
Blessings to you. I’ll be reading later. xo
paeansunplugged said:
My pleasure, Selma. I look forward to your Q.
Pingback: Mind over Matter – Quadrille – Brazanne Muse
Pingback: Blissful Repose – A Writer In The Room
memadtwo said:
Thanks for the prompt, Punam.
paeansunplugged said:
My pleasure, Kerfe.
Pingback: Signs of Spring – JJJ Interactive Books
Pingback: With Art and Word – 6th March 2024 – 1994ever
paeansunplugged said:
Please leave the link of your post at Mr. Linky.
Pingback: who knows where the time goes – K.
Pingback: Rousing Nature | Elderberry Tea
Kim of Glover Gardens said:
O, did I have fun with this!!! Thank you so much for the great prompt! I’ll just take a cold glass of milk tonight, since it’s a “school night”. 🙂
paeansunplugged said:
I apologise for the late reply, Kim. I am so glad you had fun with this.
A glass of cold milk for you. 🙂
Pingback: In deep slumber- for dVerse and one liner Wednesday – Keep it alive
kenhume31 said:
Heu PPunam, thanks for the sleepy prompt! 🙏😛😁 Just posted my contribution over at Mr. Linky there. Hope ye all enjoy the read! 🤞😁📖
paeansunplugged said:
Glad you liked it, Ken. 😀
Thanks for joining in.
kenhume31 said:
T’was my pleasure Punam! 🙏😁
Pingback: A PAINLESS SLUMBER: d’Verse Quadrille Prompt #196 (Slumber) – Poetry and Prose of Ken Hume
Shruti said:
This is the first time I have seen a post like this here!! Keep going Punam. 🌟🌟
paeansunplugged said:
So glad you enjoyed it, Shruti! Much appreciated. 😊
SelmaMartin said:
late to participate but since Mr Linky is still responsive, I’m on time I guess. I hope so.
thanks for the nudge here, Punam dear. Slumbering…
thank you.
paeansunplugged said:
Not late, Selma. As long as the link is open, everyone is on time! The prompt word ‘slumber’ was to nudge awake the slumbering muse! 😀
writingpresence said:
Hello Punam, I slumbered on the job, and on the quadrille, which ended up a bit personal anyway. So I hid it at the end of another post, which you can read at https://writingpresence.com/2024/03/10/reflections-and-poems-from-here-i-am-workshop-at-grantchester-in-2014/ if you fancy a diversion past the queen wasp and through the daisies!
I’ve not put it in Mr Linky, but want to thank you for the juicy, sleepy prompt xxx
paeansunplugged said:
Hi Kathy. Thanks so much for writing to the prompt. I can understand how you feel about sharing something personal. Don’t worry, I will smell the daisies and dodge the queen wasp on my way.
You are so welcome. 🙂
writingpresence said:
You are so kind Punam! xxx
Pingback: Quadrille #196 – Let’s have a Slumber Party! – Peculiar