A bully found within—
always the one wronged,
going to great lengths
to communicate your offence
at things so trivial.
You are the ironic
definition of the humdudgeon!
Almost obsolete in the dictionary
and modern use.
When you were needed most,
you were gone.
We've had; the Stone Age,
Bronze Age, Iron Age,
Ice Age, Industrial Age,
and, it's now the AI Age we're living in,
yet, it wouldn't take much persuasion,
or a second guess, to believe it's somewhat akin
to nothing more or less than an Alien Invasion!
Would I?
Could I?
Should I?
Can I?
Will I?
A QUATRAIN of ALLITERATIVE ATTRIBUTES
bumpkinly buttercup bannerlike bovid boloney breath brainwashed at the bibliothecal
reschedule recapitulate reactive reignite reflective radar repercussion
spiteful snorting sociopath signal schematically scare submarine
understand unmodifiable uninquiring uniformize unfalteringly unawares unsay unpleasing unreadably
coolly conspiratorial confronting commemorative cryosurgery
(Weekly Magnetic Poetry Challenge • September 21–27, 2026)
AUTUMN
longing for change
amber to red
a leaf falls
Arising out of
The primordial poet
The poetry soup
It's not what evolves
As each writer creates on
Tabula rasa
Like a phoenix does
Dancing in the skies above
Using silly words
Like spelling goop in
A bowl of poetry soup
Alpha and beta
And rising out of
The poetry soup, a group
Best quill and inkers
a and
an abm
anu always
astounding at
adaptative antic
accommodate again
addlepated aversive
alpine anchylosis
are as
am ?
(Weekly Magnetic Poetry Challenge • September 14–20, 2026)
The heaviest sound lays us to rest
Tied to the steak and eats our heart out
Composure fixed to the evening sky
Swivel the scenery then throw me away when I am colored dead
Let's all pose then fall down the well together
Understudies for the part we weren't meant to play
Courage for cowards in the rewriter's chair beating the around the rose bush
Sink thirty thousand feet into the shoes too narrow for human feats.
Back to factory settings until you can learn how to sing let alone speak our names
Caution tape leashes the struggle bus in gear on your best days
One step further than slipping up on a Monday, blue and battered
I wake up to the sight of the out of boundaries shred to pieces
Water for the pills stuck in swallowing fashion
Wings tied to the bed abstract as ever
We dreamt of the rise and fall of the house of us
Blueprints of further disappointment with marble inlays to hold onto this moment
Shock jocks of jealous siblings gnashing at ankles going home
Nostalgic for chaos and that bitter root
I didn't know that I was this obvious
Innocence donated with and without the will to live
Leaves dance around the maple, complaining
Grumbling that autumn’s breath is too near
And, I remember times that don’t need explaining
Leaping in piles of crunchy leaves, without fear
Melodies, graceful as a prayer in the soul
Glorifying the Creator of this gentle fall
Winds and rain couldn’t stop – we felt whole
Because of the wonder in that autumn’s call
We soared through the air toward the pile,
Mountains of leaves buried us in their scent
This is what it means to be a child with a smile
Playing in leaves with autumn’s quiet consent
It felt like a psalm was being read by this day
Our hearts knew the melody of such grace
This is the meaning of heaven sent, I pray
That everyone discovers autumn’s sweet embrace
On the hills, and in the valleys, there are leaves
Just waiting for a child’s laughter and mirth
It only takes this memory and my soul believes
Nature offers solace to the children on earth
Losing one's lunch
is not so hot
but dropping your dinner
when a fish dish wish was the plot
could be your worst nightmare
as not a morsel will pass your lips
as meals go it's now toast
and you've had your chips
Spirit-starved
sate my hunger if you will
humour me with comedy
'til I'm full and had my fill
for if music be the food of love
and laughter music of the soul
feast me on a funny song
nothing serious but something droll
tickle my funny bone with a tone
to make my toes all wriggle
and nourish me on melody
let me have a heartfelt giggle
With apologies to William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)
offstage reflection
ideally astounding
simultaneously
brainwash outwards
censurable stairway
impracticable undress
(Weekly Magnetic Poetry Challenge • September 14–20, 2026)
CINQUAIN ALLITERATIVE
come,could cheerless cloister commercialize classic crescendo
I investigate..& . imagine ..impeccable impracticable imitation
magniloquently monolingually monotonous merchantman manure me ...my megalocephaly moldy moonshine meteorite
to, trepan typicality through trogonidae tunelessly twirlingly their tantrum
simultaneously situatesmoothedspoke, stairwa
a cummings apt free verse personification presented LOWER CASE style as two quatrains... atypical short&to the point
Edward Estlin Cummings so inventive
penned poetry so sensitive
He loved to write in lower case style
interspersed by CAPITALS once in a while
initialled as Edward Eselm
originality known throughout the poetic realm
In the vertical not horizontal
whose lower case was so unusual
e e cummings a poet, i be
this is how i found my u s p
in verse to be so 'original'
lower case & in the vertical
Sub Categories
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.