Friday, November 7, 2014

From Orange to Black, The Decomposition of Jack

I'm the Halloween pumpkin
you bought at the store.
You carefully carved me,
scraped my slimy core.

I smiled brightly for you,
a beacon by your door.
But Halloween has come and gone
and frankly I'm getting sore.

I sit here decomposing
each day a little more.
Soon all I will be
is a big moldy spore.

Today's poem was inspired by Liz Steinglass' poem, "A Pumpkin's Plea" written from the pumpkin's POV about wanting a face. I thought to myself, how would a Jack-O-Lantern feel (and look) a week after Halloween?

Visit Liz and all the other poets who gather for Poetry Friday. This week's hostess is Diane Mayr at Random Noodling.


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27 comments:

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    1. Thank you! Are your Halloween pumpkins getting moldy or have they gone to the squirrels? =)

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  2. Ha, ha! Who would have guessed I'd read a phrase like "a big mold spore" in a poem today? It was a treat, Bridget!

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    1. "a big moldy spore" The fingers are stiff with cold this morning.
      ;-)

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    2. Mold can be very inspiring, Diane! I know about hitting the wrong key strokes, but that is usually from typing sloppily rather than cold. Thanks, Diane! =)

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  3. You are just too clever, Bridget! I love hearing the pumpkins' POV from both you and Liz.

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    1. Thanks, Jama! Liz is a very inspiring poet and pumpkins a complex vegetables with intense thoughts and feelings. =)

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  4. What a terrific idea. Love it, especially the title!

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    1. Thanks, Carmela! Poor, poor Jack can't fight time... =)

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  5. Our neighbor threw her pumpkins into the creek behind the house. At first we thought it must have been kids upstream somewhere, but the neighbor decided to feed the raccoon that lives somewhere close by. Another poem entirely.

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    1. Great fodder for a poem, Doraine! I can imagine the raccoon putting the Jack-O-Lantern on his head and clowning around with his buddies. =)

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  6. Haha! Now just turn this into a haiku and you'll be all set for this month's ditty challenge. (Those decomposing pumpkins can certainly get pretty monstrous.)

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    1. Thanks, Michelle! Yes, I'm already getting myself into a monstrous haiku mindset. =)

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  7. Bridget, who would have thought to write a poem about a decomposing pumpkin. It makes a great visual and is filled with such delight for a reader but such a sight for Jack. Hope he doesn't look in the mirror.

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    1. Thanks, Carol! Jack is a fascinating veggie with such deep "seeded" issues - I had to give him a voice. I think he's too far gone to see himself clearly in a mirror. =)

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  8. Beautiful and funny, Bridget. My students and I once kept our jack 'o lantern until it completely decomposed, nearly water! It was both stinky, filled with science learning, & fun. I wish I could share this with those students of long ago!

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    1. Wow, Linda, what a teacher you are! I don't know if I could handle the stench to let Jack get to the liquification stage. It would be neat to hear your former students' memories of that lesson. =)

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  9. I love the title so much! A squirrel took a fancy to munching on our jack o'lantern, which seemed very gutsy given that our squirrel-chasing dog would come out the door and find it there several times a day!

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    1. Thanks, Tabatha! I guess that little squirrel is a thrill-seeker. Has your dog ever caught a squirrel or does he/she chase just for the sport? Our dog chases (and catches) lizards - it is not just for sport - she eats her prize. Yuck.

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  10. HA! I'm afraid to look inside our pumpkins to see if they are black or green or oozing or....

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    1. Thanks, Mary Lee! That's the fun of post-Halloween pumpkins - the rainbow of colors they can become. =)

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  11. This is the first year we had squirrels eating doorstep pumpkins. We don't carve anymore, but I rescued these pumpkins for soup! Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Wow, Joyce, those are some bold squirrels! Enjoy your soup. =)

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  12. Yes, you had me at the title, Bridget - what a fun poem with its awful ooey-gooey images!

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    1. Thanks, Robyn! "Ooey-gooey" I have to work that phrase into a poem soon! =)

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  13. I love this! I'm so happy to have inspired a poem! Ours rotted so much they started "bleeding" on the front stoop.

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    1. Yes, thank you, inspirational Liz! Oooh, a "bleeding" Jack-o-lantern - another fabulous image. =)

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