Qsilv

OH! ...pfft.. okay why do I keep getting surprised by these things?! I knew darn well I was ridiculously below word count, so it never even occurred to me that I'd be in the running... but... heh heh... to tell you the truth, I love getting the chance to run one of these! Thanks Cathy!!

(oooh flattery, marg ;> ...it's "art" so it can be anything you bring to it!)

marg

hiya cathy - great challenge and sorry I couldn't get around to competing -

Congratulations to Qsilv - that entry is just so good that I still haven't quite 'grokked' it ..

cathyallheart

deadline time! thank you everyone for entering. i will pass the baton to Qsilv, though way less than the wordcount, it gets bonus points for including all ten words in every stanza.

ladyhwin

Still working on my entry..... hopefully it will finish itself yet this evening..... xx

chelydra

Important footnote: That baby-strangling bit was in fact a (mis)quote from one of William Blake's aphorisms.
Here's an internet reference (the first one that popped up):

Kevin Godbout (Western) – Awkward Laughter Provoked Through Piercing Aphorisms: A Look at the Masters of Exploiting Infanticide ---
. . . The power of the aphorism is manifold, but it operates at its finest when its reader, by virtue of the aphorism’s parsimonious language and bluntness of expression, laughs out loud, often against their own better judgment and moral taste. At times, the subject matter of the aphorism provokes this laughter at the complete expense of propriety, such as when Blake says he would “sooner strangle an infant in its cradle than nurse unacted desires” . . .
http://mllgradconference2013.wordpress.com/abstracts/session-viii-panel-b/

I hope that allays any distress I inadvertently caused... I carelessly assumed that aphorism would be familiar to everyone, but of course it isn't. And given the notorious viciousness of the chelydran species, who knows what dreadful thoughts may have passed through the gentle minds here gathered...