Ode to My Ten Toes

One-eyed owls 

perched on a branch,

all with turquoise faces,

sisters singing a cappella,

a band of brothers, pacing.

Dancing partners,

long-time companions,

known since I was born,

smooth keys of a piano

on which I play my favourite song.

The end of the old road,

beginning of the new,

a landscape of mountains and valleys,

arrows pointing to the future,

I will travel with you always.

Secret agents

tracking every move,

in love with your disguises,

but when I find you naked,

you are full of strange surprises.

An illegal box 

of Cuban cigars, 

saved for a special occasion,

for that crazy party on the roof,

I won't need much persuasion.

Today's NaPoWriMo prompt: In keeping with the mysterious quality of the number 13, today I challenge you to write a riddle poem. This poem should describe something without ever naming it. Perhaps each line could be a different metaphor for the same object? Maybe the title of the poem can be the “answer” to the riddle. 

My feet seem to be the inspiration for today! 

Their Slippers Leaped The Town

After Emily Dickinson

I said: I'm going to stand here

and count 

until you get up and dance.

One two three – 

and they were gone.

Their slippers leaped the town.

I took my pencil out

and scribbled a few notes

on the whole experience

as I often do when I'm lonely.

I wrote: who appointed you

dance captain? and decided

to stop being such a prig,

took off my heels,

sunk each of my ten toes

into the soft blue rug

where they squirmed 

like delighted worms and said:

you'll never get us back 

into those shoes again, sister.

Today's NaPoWriMo prompt: Find an Emily Dickinson poem – preferably one you’ve never previously read – and take out all the dashes and line breaks. Make it just one big block of prose. Now, rebreak the lines. Add words where you want. Take out some words. Make your own poem out of it!  

The poem I chose to work with is Dickinson's 'Snow flakes'. The process resembled a game of Chinese Whispers, with each revision morphing the previous one. Except, in this case, I think quite a bit of the original remains intact. And, of course, I couldn't resist leaving in one dash, as a salute to Emily Dickinson. Here is the original poem:

Snow flakes

I counted till they danced so 

Their slippers leaped the town – 

And then I took a pencil 

To note the rebels down – 

And then they grew so jolly 

I did resign the prig – 

And ten of my once stately toes 

Are marshalled for a jig!