Ann loves to write poetry and stories. Current poetry on Nature, Travel & beyond, including varied poetic structures.

Challenge

In his hub ‘The Boar and the Wolf’ the hubber Chris Mills issued a challenge for us to write a poem to include each of the following words. None of them has a perfect rhyme but the trick is to find the closest. I find the best way to do this is to concentrate on the sounds rather than the letters. My poem decided its own route as it developed!

Rhyming is not obligatory in poetry but it’s fun to find the best words that do rhyme if you want to stick to tradition, especially if your subject is more traditional.

Follow the link below if you wish to take up the challenge!

Sifting the Sands

Words to Test your Rhyming Skills

Here are the ten words Chris has given us to form the core of a poem, along with associated words or symbols:

• silver - Symbol Ag, atomic number 47, metal element, argent, silver coins
• purple - deep colour between blue & red
• month - one of 12 in our calendar, a period of 28 (February), 29 (Feb in a leap year), 30 or 31 days
• ninth - number 9 in an order of things
• pint - an imperial measure of liquid, often associated with beer/ale
• wolf - ‘canis lupus’ a canine animal from which dogs are descended, ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ i.e. someone who isn’t as harmless as s/he appears
• opus - a work, often of music but can be the end result of extensive work in books, art, music etc. ‘opus dei’ - the work of god - also an institution of the Roman Catholic church
• dangerous - can cause danger to someone
• marathon - a long-distance running/walking race over a set route
• discombobulate - disconcert or confuse someone, it’s increased in use since the 50s

Pint of Beer

Geraint the Siever

I knew a man whose hair was silver.

He made his money as a siever,

trying to find within the sand

a tiny piece of value.

He dyed his hair the brightest purple,

to us a crazy, mad curved-ball.

During the summer, July the month,

he came upon some bumph.

Amongst the tat, marked as the ninth,

a piece of paper, signed by Anth*,

showed him where some treasure lay

so off he went exploring.

To all he was known simply as Geraint**,

who frequented pubs - he loved a pint.

He had a dog by name of Wolf

which was to cause a gulf.

A friend, composer of a famous opus,

had a cat by name of Puss-puss.

Cat, thinking Wolf was far too dangerous,

hid beneath the hydrangeas.

On his travels, he was persuaded

to enter the local town’s marathon.

Along with all the army garrison

he ran along, came last.

Afterwards he swam in waters cool,

to ease his tired, aching muscles.

The river wasn’t clean so Geraint

felt extremely ill.

Poor man, so discombobulated,

at the doctor’s was inoculated.

He’d had enough, so decided to return

to just sifting the sand.

*Anth - short for Anthea, a female name

**Geraint - a Welsh male name pronounced ge/rint (hard ‘g’, then long ‘i’ to rhyme with ‘pint’)

Puss-puss

Lateral Thinking

I’m throwing in another, seemingly random, poem next. The word ‘opus’ actually reminded me of ‘hocus-pocus’, hence the title. That’s how my brain works (or doesn’t) - at a wide tangent, or is that a butterfly brain? And it does loosely rhyme with opus so I think I’m justified in including it.

Witch's Cauldron

Hocus-Pocus

Hocus-pocus,

biscuit and crumb,

oak from acorn grows.

Fish and chips

mixed together,

tomato sauce still flows

with…

scoop of ice-cream,

milk and honey,

mixed to make a brew,

stirred in hot pan,

dash of chilli,

that’s hot, oh boy, phew!

Hocus-pocus,

concoction done,

ready for mischief, use.

One big spoonful,

wash straight down

with a glass of bat juice.

Do you, would you,

dare to taste

this mixture, dark and deep?

Can you cope with

such a potion?

It might put you to sleep.

I knew someone

who took a dose

and just fell over flat.

It took him to

another world;

could you put up with that?

Hocus-pocus,

fiddle and stir,

you never know

what’s waiting….. aaagghhh!

More words that have no Rhyme

• aitch (the letter)
• beige
• chaos
• else
• film
• gulf
• oink
• poem (!)
• rhythm
• toilet

Metal Detecting

Geraint above was sifting through the sands. He had nothing as sophisticated as a metal detector. Nevertheless, he could have found all sorts of things, from razor shells to diamond rings.

I often see people wandering the sands of my local Burnham Beach, detectors at arms’ length, swinging from side to side, waiting for the high-pitched rapid beep to tell them of hidden treasure beneath the grains. Do they find anything? I think they do now and then.

There might be old coins; Celtic, Roman, a Victorian Penny Black perhaps. There might be cutlery or toys or something washed ashore from a boat. Whatever it is, it will have a story to tell and that’s what it’s all about.

There are laws in Britain regarding the finding of treasure and reporting it. Not reporting valuable treasure is punishable by imprisonment.

Perfect Beach for Metal Detecting

What do you Find on the Beach?

I don’t know about you but I’d much rather look on and above the sands.

Walking along a beach, breathing in the fresh sea air, is exhilarating, soothing, relaxing and therapeutic, I find. Walkers, some with dogs; runners, horse-riders, sand-buggy ‘sailors’, sand-castle builders, ice-cream vans, kite flyers… the list is endless.

You can search landward or you can gaze out to the horizon, over the water and far away, dreaming of voyages untold.

My Beach

My Own Challenge

I want to pass the baton with a challenge of my own.

Do you have a favourite beach? One you know, or one in your imagination? Write about it! Describe like you’ve never described before! Use unusual vocabulary! Make us see every detail in the landscape!

Prose, poem, fiction or reality, let’s hear about it in a way which makes us want to visit or which fires up our imagination.

Responses to the Challenge

https://hubpages.com/literature/Good-Harbor-Bay-Michigan-An-Essay-for-Ann-Carrs-Hocus-Pocus-Challenge Chris Mills

https://hubpages.com/literature/Kovalam-Beach-A-Soujorn-In-response-to-Ann-Carr-annarts-Beach-Challenge Rinita Sen

https://hubpages.com/literature/Memories-of-Redcliffe John Hansen

https://hubpages.com/literature/Poem-Behind-These-Shades Li-Jen Hew

- Eric Dierker

Which type of poetry do you prefer?

Treasure Hunts

© 2018 Ann Carr

Comments

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on April 12, 2020:

I had fun writing that poem and just let my hair down! Glad you enjoyed it.

I understand how busy you are. The challenge is open for as long as anyone wants to take it up.

Happy Easter!

Ann

Peggy Woods from Houston, Texas on April 12, 2020:

Happy Easter, Ann. I got a kick out of reading your Hocus Pocus poem. You put a smile on my face with that sense of humor you portray in that type of nonsense poetry. I am too busy right now to take up your challenge, but the beaches I have enjoyed the most, thus far, have all been in Florida.

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on October 16, 2018:

Brilliant, Doris!

Ann

Doris James MizBejabbers from Beautiful South on October 16, 2018:

I wish I had a photo of ours. Our shells were discards from the button factory. The holes were the perfect size of shirt buttons.

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on October 16, 2018:

Thanks, Doris! It was fun doing this one.

We get lots of those shells with holes in, down on our beach here. Strange; I don't know how the holes get there, maybe the sand collects in the hollow and erodes the shell.

Good to see you and thanks for the interesting input.

Ann

Doris James MizBejabbers from Beautiful South on October 15, 2018:

This was a fun piece of nonsense. Very enjoyable. Sorry, but I live in the hills. We have a few sandbars on the rivers, but not beaches. When I lived in the Ozarks, we used to find pieces of shell with holes punched in them. There was a button factory on the White River that made mother-of-pearl buttons. Recently some of my childhood friends and I were discussing how we took such things for granted and wished that we had collected some of those "holey" shells.

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on June 17, 2018:

Thank you, manatita. Glad you liked the Shakespearean-inspired poem. I enjoyed writing that.

Ann

manatita44 from london on June 17, 2018:

Going the extra mile, I see. A noble effort and a challenge of your own. I like it.

You English definiton of words at the beginning is quite good.

The second poem has a Shakespearean angle all right. Cool!

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on June 15, 2018:

Li-Jen: Good to meet you, too. Thanks for the kind comments and I'm glad you enjoyed the poems.

Thanks, too, for responding to my challenge. I'm off to read it now.

Ann

Li-Jen Hew on June 15, 2018:

Hey Ann. Nice to meet you. I'm Li-Jen. Well done for participating in the challenge! How creative you are with the rhymes. I like how your poem has a sense of humour with the purple hair dye and your hocus pocus poem can get anyone hungry! Thanks for sharing. :)

By the way, I have responded to your challenge. Here's the link:

https://letterpile.com/poetry/Poem-Behind-These-Sh...

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on June 15, 2018:

Thank you, John, for responding to the challenge. Your work is welcome any time, short or long. Off to read it now and will add your link to this hub.

Ann

John Hansen from Queensland Australia on June 15, 2018:

Hi Ann, Here is my response to your challenge. It is quite lengthy as I got somewhat carried away.https://letterpile.com/creative-writing/Memories-o...

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on June 15, 2018:

Interesting that you have a cat with similar problems. Amazing how they adapt. So clever at getting everyone to do their bidding!

Thanks for adding your experience, Flourish.

Ann

FlourishAnyway from USA on June 15, 2018:

Aww, I have a completely deaf/low vision cat too who is very happy and well cared for albeit only middle aged. He yells his needs so I know what you mean -- no voice modulation whatsoever.

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on June 15, 2018:

Thanks, Flourish! Puss-puss was in one of her favourite places; she liked to sleep in the sun, either on or under the bench in her owners' garden. I took this photo because of the stripes of sunlight! She lasted a couple of months after that. She was stone deaf so yelled at everyone but always got someone to understand what she wanted. She couldn't see well either but was not suffering. Just drifted off to permanent sleep one day at a grand age.

Thanks for stopping by and leaving your valuable input, as always.

Ann

Rinita Sen on June 14, 2018:

Pleasure's all mine, Ann.

FlourishAnyway from USA on June 14, 2018:

Oh, do these unrhyming words give me a fit! I enjoyed watching you play with words though. The addition of your second poem was a fun bonus. Poor Puss-Puss. In that photo is she relaxing or has she gone home, so to speak?

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on June 14, 2018:

Thank you Rinita; I have read it and a beautiful response it is. Thanks for your contribution.

Ann

Rinita Sen on June 14, 2018:

My humble response is posted, Ann. Thank you for the soothing nature of the challenge. http://hub.me/am4ju

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on June 14, 2018:

Thanks, Chris. Will add the link to my hub. Off to read it shortly.

Ann

Chris Mills from Traverse City, MI on June 13, 2018:

Ann, here is my answer to your challenge. It is a fiction/essay/history lesson/science lesson about the beach along Good Harbor Bay of Lake Michigan. My favorite beach.

https://letterpile.com/creative-writing/Good-Harbo...

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on June 13, 2018:

Thanks Gypsy. Puss-puss is the cat that belonged to my partner's sister in New Zealand. Sadly she died a month or so ago; she was about 18 and a real character.

'Discombobulated' came from Chris Mills' list, though it's one of my favourites too!

Thanks for the visit.

Ann

Gypsy Rose Lee from Daytona Beach, Florida on June 13, 2018:

Applause absolutely loved your poetry here. Really enjoyed the photo of Puss Puss and you used one of my all-time favourite words discombobulated.

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on June 13, 2018:

Thank you, Liz, for your kind comment. Glad to have brought back some memories. This is one of my favourite places.

Ann

Liz Westwood from UK on June 13, 2018:

I enjoyed reading your poetry. Your articles are rich in variety. The Burnham Sands photos brought back memories of a quick stop there on the way back from a family holiday many years ago.

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on June 13, 2018:

Thank you, Shyron. I'm looking forward to reading yours.

Ann

Shyron E Shenko from Texas on June 12, 2018:

Congratulation Ann on the response to Chris's challenge. I have not published my yet, it will need some tweaking.

Blessings always.

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on June 12, 2018:

Will go to look straight away, thank you. I don't seem to have had notification. Definitely psychic!

Ann

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on June 12, 2018:

Hi, bill! Thank you. I know that many people are 'called' to mountains; I love their majesty but I find them quite intimidating. I've always been a whuz!

I don't expect you to respond to this challenge, bill. I'm having trouble myself and I don't have half the commitments you do.

Have a terrific Tuesday yourself. Mine's in lovely sunshine but weather set to turn - oh no!

Ann

Verlie Burroughs from Canada on June 12, 2018:

You are welcome lady! By the way, I posted new poems yesterday that respond to your sea/beach challenge. Are we psychic or what?

Bill Holland from Olympia, WA on June 12, 2018:

Like I have time for a challenge! But I always have time for your brilliant articles.

Actually I'm not a beach person. Never been much for walking along a shoreline getting sand in my shoes. Mountains are what call to me and always will. But hey, I am fully aware that I am strange, so there you have it.

Tuesdays are not for trepidation! Go forth and have an oustanding day, my friend.

bill

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on June 12, 2018:

Verlie, you always say such lovely things! Thank you. I like the 'mixing and stirring'!

I like to create off-shoots to poetry in hubs as my mind is always going off at a tangent - it just takes me there and I have to respond!

I appreciate your visit and support.

Ann

Verlie Burroughs from Canada on June 12, 2018:

Beauty Ann! Mixing and stirring the creative juices in pictures and poetry. Such an inspiration. And response to Chris' challenge, I love what you've done with that. Great story-telling. Appreciate your poetic and your lateral mind. Just brilliant!

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on June 12, 2018:

Thank you, Dora, for your generous words. You too are an excellent writer. I've never considered myself a poet and I don't come up to the excellence in that field of others here. However, I enjoy poetry and that's the main thing!

Have a wonderful day, Dora!

Ann

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on June 12, 2018:

Thank you, Eric, for your kind comment. You have your expertise too and isn't it great that we can all write our own thing and enjoy?

Ann

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on June 12, 2018:

Thank you, Rinita, for your visit and your comments.

Ann

Dora Weithers from The Caribbean on June 12, 2018:

Ann, another admirable piece of work showing that you are also an excellent, creative wordsmith and poet (but I already knew that). I salute all you giants who remind me that I have some poetic distance to travel.

Eric Dierker from Spring Valley, CA. U.S.A. on June 12, 2018:

I do not know how you people are so proficient in this area. Amazing! A big thank you John, Ann and Chris.

Rinita Sen on June 12, 2018:

Hocus pocus was real fun. Loved your poems.

Ann Carr (author) from SW England on June 12, 2018:

Thanks, John. Looking forward to your response to my challenge too!

Good to see you today.

Ann

John Hansen from Queensland Australia on June 12, 2018:

Nice work, Ann. Both with Chris's challenge and Hocus Pocus...loved it. Also the info about metal detecting and the beach. I used to be a bit of a beach bum so hopefully, I can come up with something for your challenge.