Swirly Jack [15 words or less poems]

Photo: Laura Purdie Salas

Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)!

15WOLs

I took this pic while Randy was washing Captain Jack Sparrow, who was just a teensy bit ripe! Maddie usually bathes him, but she’s been away since early September, so… Jack wouldn’t hold still, but I kind of liked this effect. This image makes me think of:

1) “makes my head spin!”
2) The Exorcist
3) a merry-go-round

And here’s my?first draft. I decided to do an acrostic with just one word per line. I don’t do them that way very often!

SMH [Shaking My Head]

Head’s a blur.
Circle of fur.
Ears to chin
take a spin.

?-Laura Purdie Salas, all rights reserved

 

Now it’s your turn! Have fun and stick to 15 WORDS OR LESS!??(Title doesn’t count toward word count:>)??

 

138 Responses

  1. Pinpoint of time
    Standstill of seconds
    Warping of minutes
    Vortex of dog

    Always love seeing pictures of Jack 🙂

    1. Amelia, I too thought vortex — I will date myself — does anyone remember the silly song/verse about Ida Mae taking a bath and going right down that drain?

  2. Pinpoint of time
    Standstill of seconds
    Warping of minutes
    Vortex of dog

    Always love seeing pictures of Jack 🙂

    1. Amelia, I too thought vortex — I will date myself — does anyone remember the silly song/verse about Ida Mae taking a bath and going right down that drain?

  3. swirling pup
    howling growling
    splicing splashing
    study’s bubbles
    spinning pups
    round and round
    slipping and a sliding
    some one hand pour
    pup a towel

    this is a fun pic today so is your poem today

    poem By
    Jessica Bigi

    1. swirling pup
      howling growling
      splicing splashing
      study’s bubbles
      spinning pups
      round and round
      slipping sliding
      pour pup
      needs a towel

      shortened it some Poem by Jessica Bigi

          1. And I largely enforce that because 99% of the time our poems are SO MUCH BETTER when we force ourselves to keep only the very best, most necessary words:>)

  4. swirling pup
    howling growling
    splicing splashing
    study’s bubbles
    spinning pups
    round and round
    slipping and a sliding
    some one hand pour
    pup a towel

    this is a fun pic today so is your poem today

    poem By
    Jessica Bigi

    1. swirling pup
      howling growling
      splicing splashing
      study’s bubbles
      spinning pups
      round and round
      slipping sliding
      pour pup
      needs a towel

      shortened it some Poem by Jessica Bigi

          1. And I largely enforce that because 99% of the time our poems are SO MUCH BETTER when we force ourselves to keep only the very best, most necessary words:>)

  5. Great picture and a good inspiration for your poem. Love this! I’m sending it to my sisters who both have dogs.

  6. Great picture and a good inspiration for your poem. Love this! I’m sending it to my sisters who both have dogs.

    1. Love this, Donna–I can totally picture the shape–no worries. I like how you’re speaking directly to Toto:>)

    1. Love this, Donna–I can totally picture the shape–no worries. I like how you’re speaking directly to Toto:>)

  7. Your use of words and rhyme is delightful, Laura, as is the picture!

    Captain Jack Sparrow?s Water Trick

    bath joy,
    wind-up boy
    floaty toy
    magically see
    with water he
    grew in size
    delightfully
    Linda Baie ?All Rights Reserved

  8. Your use of words and rhyme is delightful, Laura, as is the picture!

    Captain Jack Sparrow?s Water Trick

    bath joy,
    wind-up boy
    floaty toy
    magically see
    with water he
    grew in size
    delightfully
    Linda Baie ?All Rights Reserved

  9. Captain Jack’s Dream Do

    I want the style
    yet all the while
    my head’s a’whirl.
    Aced that swirl!

    Speaking of snapping a pic at just the right time! Great photography. No offense Laura to man or beast — just had to go with my first impression. The coif is unmistakable.

    1. Hehehe–love that last line, especially:>) And the photo is just what comes of using only a cell phone to take pics. It’s not fast enough to get clear shots. Usually things are just a tiny bit blurry–in this case, it worked FOR me instead of against me:>)

  10. Captain Jack’s Dream Do

    I want the style
    yet all the while
    my head’s a’whirl.
    Aced that swirl!

    Speaking of snapping a pic at just the right time! Great photography. No offense Laura to man or beast — just had to go with my first impression. The coif is unmistakable.

    1. Hehehe–love that last line, especially:>) And the photo is just what comes of using only a cell phone to take pics. It’s not fast enough to get clear shots. Usually things are just a tiny bit blurry–in this case, it worked FOR me instead of against me:>)

  11. Told them no.
    Wouldn’t listen, so..
    get ready, get set-
    here’s what you get:
    spin-cycle!

    no no no
    don’t want to go
    into that tub
    don’t want a scrub-
    blub.…

    1. oops, bottom stanza should have been on top. (Double poems today!) But there was a two year old on my lap and a button got pushed early.

    2. Cute Cindy. Revenge is exactly what we get if we let them have that first shake out of the bath or the rain.

  12. Told them no.
    Wouldn’t listen, so..
    get ready, get set-
    here’s what you get:
    spin-cycle!

    no no no
    don’t want to go
    into that tub
    don’t want a scrub-
    blub.…

    1. oops, bottom stanza should have been on top. (Double poems today!) But there was a two year old on my lap and a button got pushed early.

    2. Cute Cindy. Revenge is exactly what we get if we let them have that first shake out of the bath or the rain.

  13. Wonderful photo, Laura (and poem, too!) My first thought was vortex, too (but didn’t compare to Amelia’s vortex of dog–that’s brilliant!)

    Don’t Throw out the Doggy with the Bathwater

    Fur circles and clogs
    like miniature dogs
    concealing his shame–
    skunk is to blame!

    1. That is so funny! Reminds me of something I read/heard recently about being able to build entire new cats out of the cat hair that was shed on furniture or something. Man, that’s gonna bug me now. Great title:>)

  14. Wonderful photo, Laura (and poem, too!) My first thought was vortex, too (but didn’t compare to Amelia’s vortex of dog–that’s brilliant!)

    Don’t Throw out the Doggy with the Bathwater

    Fur circles and clogs
    like miniature dogs
    concealing his shame–
    skunk is to blame!

    1. That is so funny! Reminds me of something I read/heard recently about being able to build entire new cats out of the cat hair that was shed on furniture or something. Man, that’s gonna bug me now. Great title:>)

    1. Oops?hit send before I finished..

      GASTROPOD ON MY DOG

      On my head
      there’s a snail instead.
      Oh well?
      a shell is swell.

      Ellen Vojnovic

      1. That’s so funny! It does look like a snail. And the word “gastropod” in itself makes me laugh.

    1. Oops?hit send before I finished..

      GASTROPOD ON MY DOG

      On my head
      there’s a snail instead.
      Oh well?
      a shell is swell.

      Ellen Vojnovic

      1. That’s so funny! It does look like a snail. And the word “gastropod” in itself makes me laugh.

  15. Captain, Oh Captain

    Under gale driven spray
    Of frothy seas,
    My porcelain vessel trembles;
    I’m sucked into a whirlpool
    Of unwanted hygiene.
    BAIL!

    1. Wonderful! Those first two lines are so sensory, and then that porcelain vessel–yes!

  16. Captain, Oh Captain

    Under gale driven spray
    Of frothy seas,
    My porcelain vessel trembles;
    I’m sucked into a whirlpool
    Of unwanted hygiene.
    BAIL!

    1. Wonderful! Those first two lines are so sensory, and then that porcelain vessel–yes!

  17. Shake, spin, swirl,
    Shave me instead,
    No more baths!
    Jack sprang and fled!

    This was fun 🙂 It’s been a while since I participated…a long while!

  18. Shake, spin, swirl,
    Shave me instead,
    No more baths!
    Jack sprang and fled!

    This was fun 🙂 It’s been a while since I participated…a long while!

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,548 other subscribers

Are You Looking For?

Poetry Friday posts

Classroom Connections posts

All my poetryactions

Go to my Poetry page for:

  • National Poetry Month projects through the years
  • Small Reads Roundups (poems grouped by topic)
  • Introductions to several favorite poetry forms
Tags
#waterpoemproject15 Words or Less Poems20for2030 Painless Classroom Poems50 State Poemsacrosticsactivity pagesactivity sheetALAA Leaf Can Be...Amy Ludwig VanDerwaterA Need to FeedanthologiesanthologyA Rock Can Be...art projectsaudiopoemsawardsbad newsBarbara Juster EsbensenBilly Collinsbiopoemsblog tourbookalikesbook festivalsBookSpeak!book spine poemsbook trailersbop poembyr a thoddaidcafepresscalendar poemsCamp Read-a-LotCan Be... bookscan be... poemsCapstoneCarol Varsalonacascade poemsCatherine FlynnccbcCCRA.W.3CCRA.W.4CCRA.W.5centoschapter booksCharles Waterschoral compositionschristina rossetticinquainsCLAclassified ad poemsclassroom connectionclassroom connectionsClover Kittyconferences and conventionscrown sonnetscybilsdansaDare to DreamDavid Elliottdeeper wisdom poemdefinitosdiamantesdiversitydizaindodoitsuDot DayDouglas Floriandownloadablesdrum corpse.e. cummingsekphrastic poemsepistolary poemsequation poemsessentialethereeseventsexquisite corpseFairy Tale Garage Salefamilyfibonaccifiction picture booksfinding familyfirefightersforeign editionsfound poemsfree author zoomsfree versefrom studentsgeesegeorgia heardghazalGift Taggiveawaygolden shovelgoldilocksgratitudehaikuheart of aheart of a teacherHeidi MordhorstHelen FrostHighlightshow-to poemshow to make a rainbowI Am FromI Am poemsidiomsif you want to knit some mittensIf You Were the MoonILAimagepoemsinterviewin the middle of the nightIRAIrelandIrene LathamJ. Patrick LewisJanet WongJoyce SidmanKendraKerlanKidlit Comboslailaura's board booksLaura's booksLaura's poemsLaura's readingsLaura ShovanLee Bennett HopkinsLilian MoorelimericksLinda Booth SweeneyLine Leads the WayLion of the Skylist poemslittle free librarylive writingLullaby and Kisses Sweetlyricsmadness poetrymagnipoemsmargaret simonMarilyn Singermary lee hahnmask poemsMatt Forrest EsenwineMeet My FamilyMelissa StewartMentors for Rentmentor textsmetaphorMichelle Myers LacknerMillbrookMinnesota Book Awardsmoneymoonmy reading lifemy writing processN+7naaninarrative poemsNational Poetry Month 2012 (haiku a day)National Poetry Month 2014 (riddle-ku)National Poetry Month 2015National Poetry Month 2016National Poetry Month 2017 (#wonderbreak)national poetry month 2018 (haiku a day)National Poetry Month 2020National Poetry Month 2021 (#EquationPoem)national poetry month 2022 (sticky-note poems)National Poetry Month 2023 (Digging for Poems)National Poetry Month 2024 (magnipoems)ncteNerdy Book Clubnifty newsnifty stuffNikki Grimesnonfictionnonfiction booksNonfiction Writers Dig Deepnovelsnovels in verseodesOne Minute Till BedtimeoppositifyOskar's VoyagepadletpantoumsparodiesPatreonpeacepersonalpet poemsphotopoetryphrase acrosticspicture booksplagiarismpoempicspoemspoems for two voicespoemsketchpoetic pursuitsPoetry 7poetryactionspoetry activitiesPoetry Blastpoetry booksPoetry FridayPoetry Friday AnthologiesPoetry Princessespoetry promptspoetry sistersPoetry Tips for Teachersprogressive poempublishing processpuddle songPutridquotationsraccontinosRandy Salasread-aloudreadaloudreading poetry in the classroomRebecca Kai Dotlichrecipe poemsrefugeesresearchreview copiesreviewsrevisionrhyming booksrhyming nonfictionrhyming picture booksRhyming Picture Books the Write Wayrhyming poemsRiddle-kuriddle poemsRock Can Be...Rock the Blogrondeau redoublesRudyard Kiplingsalas snippetsSCBWIschool visitsScotlandseasonssecrets of the loonSELsestinasshrinking daysskinnyskypeslice of lifesmall readssnack snooze skedaddlesnowman-coldsonnetsStampede!storm poemstorytimestorywalkstudent poemsstudent workSylvia VardellTanita Davistankatautogramteachableteacher resourcesteen/adult poemsterza rimasthankfulthank yous and referencesthe business sidethings to do iftracy nelson maurertrioletstunie munson-bensonvideosVikram MadanvillanellevillanellesWater Can Be...wealthy elementaryWe BelongWhat's InsideWhy-kuwinterwonderwonderbreakword of the yearwordplaywordsmithswork for hirewritingwriting bookswriting processwriting promptswriting the life poeticyoung authors conferencesYouTubeZapZap Clap Boomzenozentangle
Show More Show Less

Discover more from Laura Purdie Salas

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

Join Laura's monthly newsletter for eductators

Get three of Laura's favorite poetry activities when you subscribe to "Small Reads."