Notes About The Poem

10/4/2024 for Bird-Of-Paradise Poetry Contest sponsored by Suzette Richards

Birds-of-Paradise

When some Birds-of-Paradise sit to dine,
they may eat a fruit like a clementine.
Others prefer an insect to a plant,
favoring a futilely praying mantis.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2024

Poem

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Rodrigues Avatar
November 2, 2024 at 7:42 AM
Love the rhyme of plant and mantis. Congrats, David!
Crandall Avatar
November 2, 2024 at 8:39 AM
Thanks Kim!
Crandall Avatar
November 2, 2024 at 8:38 AM
Thanks Kim!
Richards Avatar
November 2, 2024 at 1:25 AM
Congratulations on your 6th place win, David. It was an interesting take on the Bird-of-Paradise brief, but ‘futilely’ in this context threw me. The trailing rhyme (plant/mantis) was perfectly executed. See my soup mail for details to claim your prize.
Crandall Avatar
November 2, 2024 at 8:40 AM
Wow, thanks Suzette!
Crandall Avatar
November 2, 2024 at 8:39 AM
Wow, thanks Suzette!
mysore Avatar
November 2, 2024 at 1:22 AM
congratulations dear poet. you bring joy. cheers!!!
Crandall Avatar
November 2, 2024 at 8:38 AM
Thanks Thriveni - nice to hear!
Dietrich Avatar
October 20, 2024 at 10:16 AM
Is the trailing rhyme with mantis and the preceding plant? I am trying to find example and I feel confused on how to do this. but this is nice and I think you did it right.
Richards Avatar
November 2, 2024 at 1:29 AM
To answer your question as to the sequence: In a trailing rhyme, the single stressed syllable word comes first. Apocorante rhyme is when the rhyme sequence is reversed. You may use either model. It was part of the original contest description, but I trimmed it down ...
Crandall Avatar
October 20, 2024 at 3:40 PM
Just after responding I was listening to an old Dylan song, where he says "Hit him like a freight train / Moving with a simple twist of fate" that might be an example of trailing rhyme.
Crandall Avatar
October 20, 2024 at 10:32 AM
Thanks Andrea, if I understood (always a questionable proposition-lol), "plant" (single syllable stressed word) and the first syllable (stressed) of "mantis" make the rhyme. The second syllable of mantis is "trailing". I'm not sure, but I don't think it matters which comes first (single syllable word or two syllable word).
Greenhough Avatar
October 6, 2024 at 12:00 AM
Birds are fascinating. I enjoy this vignette.
Empress Avatar
October 5, 2024 at 3:11 AM
Beautiful rhymes dear david, bird of paradise is also a plant one that I absolutely love, and i thought of that as i read the title and then i read your poem and i see where youve taken the poem too. I love your creative word weaving here. And the rhythm of flow of this is beautiful. Pleasure reading your work. Sending you light always
Crandall Avatar
October 5, 2024 at 9:39 AM
Thanks Ink Empress! Yes, what a unique flower. Until Suzette mentioned we could write about the plant or the animal, I didn't know there was a bird that also goes by that name.
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