Hello, dVerse Poets! Welcome back to dVerse! Some of you have taken a break from writing while we were gone, and others (like me) have continued to write. Either way, I hope you’re feeling rejuvenated and ready to join us here.

This is dVerse Poets Pub’s anniversary week–thirteen years! The first formal dVerse post debuted on July 19, 2011. Woo hoo!

We’re starting July with a crowd-pleaser, the Monday quadrille. This is a poem of exactly 44 words (excluding the title), which must include the word supplied by the dVerse host. The poem can be written in any style, form, no form, rhymed or unrhymed.

My husband and I recently celebrated our 46th wedding anniversary. It was a beautiful day in between the days of heat and humidity, and we decided to spend a few hours on the beach. We took a long walk, and we saw so many crabs, little ones and bigger ones scurrying across the sand and dropping into holes as we approached. Very cool, and I felt the opposite of crabby!

I’m sure you’ve guessed today’s word is crab. I thought it might be an odd word to find in a poem, but I was surprised by how many poems I found with the word crab in them.

For example:

Dylan Thomas, “Especially When the October Wind”

“Especially when the October wind
With frosty fingers punishes my hair,
Caught by the crabbing sun I walk on fire
And cast a shadow crab upon the land,
By the sea’s side, hearing the noise of birds,
Hearing the raven cough in winter sticks,
My busy heart who shudders as she talks
Sheds the syllabic blood and drains her words.”

Full Poem Here.

Christina Rossetti, “Goblin Market”

Melons and raspberries,
Bloom-down-cheeked peaches,
Swart-headed mulberries,
Wild free-born cranberries,
Crab-apples, dewberries,
Pine-apples, blackberries,
Apricots, strawberries–
All ripe together
In summer weather–
Morns that pass by,
Fair eves that fly;
Come buy, come buy;”

Full poem here.

Mary Oliver uses the word crab only in the title (You must use the word crab within your poem)
Mary Oliver, The Hermit Crab

So to be clear: for this prompt, you must write a poem of exactly 44 words AND make certain it includes the word crab, or some form of the word—crabby, crabapple, crabbing, etc. Bonus points if you want to include anniversary and/or thirteen, as well. I’m certain there will be a wide variety of responses, both literal and metaphorical–because we have a diverse group at dVerse! Post your poem to your blog, place the link in Mister Linky below, and then read and comment on others’ poems.