Thursday March 25th, 2010

The exercise:

I collected a couple more gift cards at work today (from a positive quarterly review by my supervisor to the temp agency) so today's prompt is: the gift card.

Oh, I think it's well past time that I mention Seven Days Seven Answers - I'm really enjoying the writing prompts over there and highly suggest you check it out. If my prompt of the day doesn't do anything for you, maybe Cate's will :)

Mine:

It came in the mail
In a plain envelope -
Most unassuming!

I thought it was junk
Or perhaps a bill -
Oh how presuming!

I sliced it open
With a rusty knife
(Nothing works better).

A gift card fell out
And on it was writ
(In bloody letters)

Good for one deathblow
To any member
Of your family

So I redeemed it
On my little brother
Immediately.

3 comments:

Greg said...

Haha, you don't have a little brother do you (or should that read, you don't a little brother any more do you)? That's a fascinating little gift card, and the poem leaves the question open as to who sent it.
I like the last-line rhyme style, and the terse simplicity of the poem, but the rusty knife feels a little... lazy I suppose. Nothing else is really made of it and it's not really the kind of thing a normal person would choose.
Still, even with the knife it's a funny poem, and it made me smile!

I'll take a look at Seven Days Seven Answers but I'm not sure if I have time to squeeze in two writing prompts a day at the moment :)

The Gift Card

We divorced because you gave me
STDs
And I gave you, for your birthday,
A gift card.
You said it showed a lack of
Compassion
And I said, in a quieter voice,
I needed penicillin.
You shouted out, across the nursery,
Angrily,
That you'd never heard of the shop it was for.
I nodded.
"I suppose it's the thought that counts,"
Grudgingly
You conceded and I wondered what you thought of
Me.
I hope you used the gift card
Sparingly,
Because the gift I got was you setting me
Free.

Call Me Cate said...

What lovely timing - I've stopped by to tell you that you are our second Ultimate Winner only to see you've featured Seven Days Seven Answers. It's a coincidence - I cannot be bought!

Congratulations! (And thanks for the shoutout!)

Marc said...

Greg - haha, nah, I'm the little brother to two sisters actually :)

Your poem managed to both make me laugh and feel a little sad. You seem to have a gift for that.

Cate - thanks so much! I'm having a blast with your prompts :)

And yes, entirely coincidental. Indeed...

*shifty eyes*