Howard Kerr Poet Free verse

Do With This What You Will

Futile flippant,
 rules and obscure,
  mousetrap pitfalls,
scurrilous lure,
 to faze green novice,
  unsuspecting candidate,
    contestant sworn to zeal,
might pause when enjoined,
   to allow one’ s muse,
    lithe elastic  scope,
       supple latitude,
 without reckless reign,
   or barren folly,
 however cunning ploys,
     lay-by lurk  dithers,
yet  without prior notice,
 draws, dupes, deceives,
  but these are caveats,
when stricture is,
 shrouded in vague,
plumes of hazed,
 thin veiled hair-split,
  one stumbles 
 and fumbles over,
 whilst glazed glance,
  skips blindly over,
    cues, clues, clause,
         tip-offs to 
     shady motives,
   motifs! ulterior.

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Anne-Lise Andresen September 17, 2026 at 6:37 AM - Don't like shady motives... but they're everywhere... you can never feel safe :) - Deep and great written, Howard - Best wishes in the contest :) - hugs

Sara Kendrick September 17, 2026 at 6:18 AM Way to go with the alliteration. Creative work. 👏✍️. Sara K. Howard Kerr September 17, 2026 at 6:57 AM Thank you for your time and for considering this piece, Sara. I value your comments. H

Andrea Dietrich September 17, 2026 at 2:22 AM I saw another poem with a similar title. Hmmm is there a contest theme here? I have been catching up for two hours now on comments. Just one more poet to see!! Later, gator. Howard Kerr September 17, 2026 at 2:54 AM Thank you for your visit, Andrea. You are under no pressure from me to ever comment on my posts. However, I have learned so much from your observations since I arrived on PSoup. This work is indeed earmarked for an Edward Ibeh contest. The title is one of Edward’s Prompts. Howard