My Weekly Writing Challenge

It’s Thursday and time for my new writing challenge. Your three options are:

Option one: Write a limerick with the word TRUMPET in it somewhere

Option two: Write a poem on the theme of COLOUR

Option three: Write a ten-word story using all of the following words: PIZZAZZ, GODFREY, TWITTER and BAFFLED

Last week option one was to write a limerick with the word ELEPHANT featuring in it somewhere. Here are the brilliant results:

Keith Channing couldn’t resist and I’m so glad he couldn’t:

A pachyderm down at the zoo
(That’s an elephant to me and you)
Found a little brown mouse
At the back of its house
And now it’s pach’d off – toodle-oo.

“So who’s got the biggest of ears,”
Asked a couple of wizened old dears
“An elephant’s large
But my husband’s drill sarge
Had to trim his with gardening shears.”

I had purposed my sorrows to drown
When the circus came into our town
I wound up as high
As an elephant’s eye
And woke up in the pond, upside down.

An unfortunate young man named Roger
Had an elephant’s trunk for a todger
His wife, over dinner
Said, “If it were thinner,
I could use it at work as a bodger.”

Sarah Evans composed a witty one:

An elephant from Timbuctoo,
Could play the Didgeridoo,
Whilst playing one night,
He started a fight,
And caused so much hullabaloo.

Graeme Sandford‘s first one actually ticks the box for next week’s already!:

Elephants are big and they’re grey
The Lord deemed to make them that way
(All, apart from Elmer, who’s a patchwork of hues)
They have trunks that are long
Through which they trumpet a song
But, if we’re not careful, they’ll all fade away.

Elephant? Do you remember the time…
When ‘you’ were not in this rhyme?
It was only just now
Before we knew how
This content could be so sublime.

Fiona hasn’t done anything like this before and her first attempt is fab:

I went to see the elephant

And found him mighty elegant

It’s his birthday, said Sam

He’s been having some jam

I thought, that’s a bit decadent?

Please go to Jane Basil‘s blog for her super funny limerick:

https://janebasilblog.wordpress.com/2016/02/04/pants/

David Harrison is my final limerick writer and he finishes with a belter:

When told he was somewhat irrelevant
PM Cameron went on a telly rant
But it didn’t fool us
We knew it was sus
Look out here comes a pink elephant

Option two from last week was to write a poem on the theme of love, just in time for Valentine’s Day:

Geoff Le Pard shares his love poem based on one of Shakespeare’s famous love sonnets. Sit back and enjoy:

Only skin deep (after Sonnet 130)

The azure of the wide Pacific seas
Has depth, unlike your bland insipid eyes.
A dancer’s legs are shaped by art to please
But yours are not for show, they need disguise.
My tongue, whose form can change to suit all tastes,
From gentle probe to pert, priapic beast,
Becomes a dry and flaccid thing, all chaste,
If suffocated by your doggy breath’s release.
Facial engineers, who can craft Kate Moss
From Quasimodo, turn and run a mile:
I’d give my soul to Satan, bear any loss
If they’d mould Venus from your Cubist smile.
Let’s face it, love, on me you’ve placed a hex:
It’s not your looks that bind us, just the sex.

Steve Walsky has written a gorgeous haiku:

Look Towards the Horizon

Nature’s child feels dreams
As stars shine away darkness
Love dreams fill the sky

Graeme Sandford delights with two love poems:

A poem about love
With help from above
For, when push comes to shove,
We hope it will fit us like a glove
Or two gloves
Gloves are wonderful things
Love is a wonderful thing
‘It’ makes my heart sing
Ding-a-ling-a-ling
‘They’ keep my hands warm
If it’s cold, or in a storm.
Love is found in gloves
Just take away my initials
And there it is.

(G)love(S)

“A ‘poem’?”
“Yes.”
“Upon the theme of ‘love’?”
“Guess so.”
“Good Lord above!”
“Language, Graeme.”
“Sorry, but I am like a dove.”
“You are?”
“I am. It’s a simile, you see.”
“Yes, that much is clear to me.”
“And my wings (if I had them)
Would like to take flight.”
“Ah! Are you a dove…
Or do you just have dove’s wings?”
“I am a dove. Or I would be.”
“Good. Because you, with dove’s wings, just wouldn’t take flight.”
“I might.”
“No, trust me on this one
It is on reality founded
That you
With the wings of a dove
Would be totally grounded.”
“Not flying above?”
“Not a chance.”
“Oh! In that case
A dove is no loss,
I shall be like an albatross!”
“O-kay. If you like.”
“Upon… a bike!”
“Oh, I give up.”

G:)

Jason Moody’s is simple but beautiful:

If I hand you my heart,
Will you please take good care?
If this you can do,
Then my life you’ll share.

Bharul Chhatbar brings the love poems to a wonderful end:

LOVE
Love gave my life a meaning
Love gave me a reason for living
Love gave me a marvellous feeling
Love gave me a great power of healing
Love gave me a cause for dreaming
Love gave me broad shoulders for leaning
Love gave me two kids for caring
Love gave me my house for living
Love gave me a purpose for fulfilling
Love gave me a satisfaction for cooking
Love gave an opportunity of thanking
Love gave me a field to enhance my creativity of writing!

Option three was to write a ten-word story using all of the following words: Syzygy, Rupert, fish and plastic. I love all your entries:

David Harrison’s made me laugh out loud:

Rupert’s plastic fish laughed at his trousers. “Syzygy? Oh behave!”

Sacha Black‘s is deliciously dark:

Plastic suffocated Rupert the fish. His last view, the Syzygy.

Helen Jones‘ story is delightfully amusing:

‘It’s a syzygy.’
‘No, it’s a plastic fish, Rupert.’
‘Really?’

Rajiv joined in with an hilarious story:

“Rupert Syzgy – strange name, strange man, ate plastic fish everyday.”

Jason Moody’s raises a laugh:

“Cosmic syzygy,” proclaimed Rupert. His plastic fork useless on fish.

And now here comes Graeme Sandford with his entertaining story:

“Syzygy?”

“Yes, Trombonia?”

“Rupert, plastic fish, you; all opposed!”

“Absolutely!”

 

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40 responses to “My Weekly Writing Challenge”

  1. The clarion call will publish tomorrow at http://wp.me/p6t41V-2sE

    A trumpet is oft made of brass
    Or silver, if looking for class;
    But never pour scorn
    On the humble French horn
    Or you may well be put out to grass.

    Jericho’s walls had to fall
    When Joshua gave trumpet call;
    To save himself face
    He surrounded the place,
    So it wouldn’t descend to a brawl

    Some thought Nell Gwynn was a strumpet,
    Others a fine bit of crumpet
    You’d have to work hard
    To beat her ace card
    But given a spade, you could trump it.

    If you have a big load, you can truck it;
    If you’re stuck in a trend, you can buck it.
    The gift of a drum
    You can pass to a chum,
    But a trumpet – you blow it, don’t suck it.

    (BTW, you lost the last line of my third limerick from last week.)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh no! Where on earth did that go?!! I’ll try and find it – and thank you for these wonderful limericks 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. It was probably when you added in the full version of number four. Do you need me to re-send it?

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Thank you for offering, Keith.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. I’ve found it! It’s now on there – apologies.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thanks, Esther.

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Godfrey, the work idiot, was utterly baffled by twitter’s pizzazz

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Love it. Thank you :-))

      Liked by 1 person

      1. It may well have been based on an office colleague of the same name and if it were I could neither confirm or deny that fact.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Ha! That made me spit my tea out!

        Liked by 1 person

  3. I used to know a strumpet
    Who loved to play a trumpet.
    Her notes were clear.
    She was a dear.
    But now she’s eating a crumpet.—Tessa

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Absolutely fab, Tessa. Thank you 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you Esther!

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Godfrey tried using Twitter. Got baffled, then he disappeared, Pizzazz!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Ha! That’s really funny. Thank you 🙂

      Like

  5. JasonMoody77 Avatar
    JasonMoody77

    Option 1

    His Father said ‘You need to pump it.’
    So Clive blew on it just like a trumpet.
    The tire stayed depressed,
    His face was a mess
    So he knew he just had to lump it.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That’s really funny. Thank you, Jason 🙂

      Like

      1. JasonMoody77 Avatar
        JasonMoody77

        A pleasure, as always.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. JasonMoody77 Avatar
        JasonMoody77

        A creative writing group has just been born at my work, so I’ve recommended your blog. Your story prompts and exercises should inspire!

        Liked by 1 person

      3. That’s fantastic. Enjoy the writing group and thank you so much for recommending my blog 🙂

        Like

  6. Jocelyn Barker Avatar
    Jocelyn Barker

    Hi, Esther!

    My offering for option 3 this week:

    Baffled at first, Godfrey now uses Twitter with pizzazz. Wow!

    (Assignment is coming along!)

    Best wishes, Jocelyn.

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Brilliant! Thank you, Jocelyn 🙂

      Like

  7. Here are two from me.
    “Godfrey thought pizzazz was pizza. Baffled, he could only Twitter!”

    And now, some doggerel on Colour

    Black and white
    Blue and green
    I see the light
    You know what I mean

    The colours, the tones,
    The vibrance, the hues;
    From cameras to phones
    You have the clues.

    My thoughts, my vision
    They form my mission
    To paint my mindscapes
    Of Land and cityscapes.

    The world is not drab
    The colours make it fab;
    You need just a splash
    With balance, it’s a smash

    Black and white
    Blue and green
    I see the light
    You know what I mean

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It’s great to see you writing for the challenge again! Thank you. I really enjoyed both 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      1. That’s cool… My poetry skills have never gone beyond doggerel…

        Liked by 1 person

  8. JasonMoody77 Avatar
    JasonMoody77

    Option 3, please.

    Godfrey, full of creative pizzazz, took to Twitter, completely baffled.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. JasonMoody77 Avatar
    JasonMoody77

    Twitter baffled Godfrey. Show tunes and pizzazz were his forte.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. JasonMoody77 Avatar
    JasonMoody77

    “Use Twitter? Where’s the pizzazz?” Godfrey gasped, a little baffled.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. JasonMoody77 Avatar
    JasonMoody77

    It baffled Godfrey, the lack of pizzazz on that Twitter.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. All of these are great 🙂

      Like

      1. JasonMoody77 Avatar
        JasonMoody77

        Thank you again for your kind words, and encouragement on my assignment.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. You’re very welcome 🙂

        Like

  12. JasonMoody77 Avatar
    JasonMoody77

    Elaine was a ditsy old strumpet
    Who had a penchant for a crumpet
    She also loved jazz
    And all the pizzazz
    So in addition, she took up the trumpet.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. This is brilliant!

      Like

  13. JasonMoody77 Avatar
    JasonMoody77

    Chocolates and flowers?
    Is that all that I get?
    For tolerating you
    Now I’m rather upset.

    I don’t expect diamonds
    We’re not that well off.
    But these for court confections
    At these I must scoff.

    How long is it now?
    The years I can’t count
    The lines and the wrinkles
    They’ve begun to amount.

    Now you’ve got a whole year
    ‘Til it comes by again
    If you repeat this
    Then YOU’LL end in the bin.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Wow! This is really powerful. I like it very much 🙂

      Like

  14. An elephant whilst eating a crumpet
    Auditioned for ‘Modern-Day Strumpet
    His favourite boy-band
    In all of the land
    And now he has joined them on trombone.

    G:)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, Graeme. I’d love to see a boy band with that name!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Google them. G:)

        Liked by 1 person

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