Day For Suspense

I decided to live dangerously in October. It’s a scary month, so I’m going to explore a form of poetry with stringent rules that moves at a rapid-fire pace. I’m going to write blitz poetry. This unusual style, developed by Robert Keim, has set rules using connecting phrases to create a 50-line verse titled Day For Suspense.

Line 1 is a short phrase or image. Line 2 is another short phrase or image using the same first word as line 1. Lines 3 and 4 starts with the same word used as the last word of line 2. Then, lines 5 and 6 use the last word of line 4. This pattern is followed until line 48. Line 49 uses the last word in 48. Line 50 begins with the last word in line 47. The title is three words long. The title format is the first word of line 3, a preposition or conjunction, and the first word of 47. You can’t use any punctuation. Luckily, these poems don’t need to rhyme. This poetic adventure will either be a lot of fun or leave me frustrated. I will call this Blitz poem Day For Suspense. Let’s get our spooky scare on right now.

Day For Suspense

Wakeup and smell the coffee

Wakeup and seize the day

Day made for exploration

Day soggy and grey

Grey with overcast skies

Grey without expectations

Expectations of warmth

Expectations of a motorcycle ride

Ride to a forgotten place

Ride filled with fun and adventure

Adventure in a golden countryside

Adventure with a glimpse of fall

Fall colorful display

Fall all red and golden

Golden with the leaves

Golden with the fields

Fields full of grain

Fields ready for harvest

Harvest of a farmer’s dream

Harvest with heavy equipment

Equipment that slows traffic down

Equipment taking up most of the road

Road spread out in my mind

Road we won’t ride in the rain

Rain falling from the sky

Rain followed by the cold

Cold days of winter

Cold stinging the skin

Skin left exposed to the weather

Skin that needs to be covered

Covered by a coat

Covered by thick gloves

Gloves to warm the fingers

Gloves to keep hands warm

Warm inside my four walls

Warm and shielded from the wind

Wind that sings through windows

Wind that leaves a chill

Chill down to your bones

Chill that reminds you to stay inside

Inside untouched by winter’s hand

Inside where you can play with words

Inside beside a burning fire

Fire to help you write your poem

Fire to light hidden desire

Desire for those illusive rhymes

Desire for danger and suspense

Suspense pouring from fingertips

Suspense typed on the page

Page

Fingertips

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

Be sure to follow Molly on Twitter!