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man of aran's avatar

David Bowie song title poem

I’m afraid of Americans

Young Americans

Absolute beginners

All the madmen

All the young dudes

Telling lies

Breaking glass

Panic in Detroit

Oh, you pretty things

Unwashed and somewhat slightly dazed

You've got a habit of leaving

Stay

Hang on to yourself

Let’s dance

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

It takes a man of aran to get Bowie right even on a day that's not that letter but yes, finally, I've been waiting for Bowie and he's here on D-Day the day it counts! Thank you, what a masterpiece this is! Are you telling us something or the titles talking for themselves? Who knows this is just brilliant! Thank you for being here!

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Fotini Masika's avatar

I love this - Little Wonder!

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man of aran's avatar

Thanks, Fotini!

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Chris J. Franklin's avatar

Fantastic job. It's amazing to think that story was there, just waiting to be discovered among the titles... 😎

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man of aran's avatar

Thanks, Chris!

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Gloria Horton-Young's avatar

Dancing with Our Hands Tied

••••

Beneath the soft glow of Daylight,

We sway to the rhythm of our plight.

Dear John, whispers lost in the wind,

A tale of love that never ends.

Dear Reader, do you hear the cries?

The echoes of our last goodbyes?

Death by a Thousand Cuts so deep,

Each thread a heartbeat, every stitch a weep.

Delicately woven, this tapestry of pain,

Stitched with the colors of love's bane.

Don't Blame Me for the storms I've sewn,

Don't You remember the seeds we've grown?

Dorothea, with her wistful dreams,

Dances in the twilight's fading beams.

A waltz of longing, a pirouette of grace,

Trying to sustain this fleeting embrace.

Down Bad in the depths of despair,

Her dress flutters, an ethereal flare.

A canvas painted with hues of the heart,

A symphony of emotions, torn apart.

Each title a chapter, a story anew,

Painted in shades of melancholic blue.

Taylor's words, a beacon in the night,

Orchestrating feelings, raw and bright.

In this ballroom of shattered dreams,

We dance to the music of silent screams.

Our hands tied by the strings of fate,

In this masquerade of love and hate.

Oh, let the curtain fall on this tragic play,

As we take our final bows and drift away.

The spotlight fades, the stage grows cold,

Dancing with our hands tied, a story untold.

@Gloria Horton-Young

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

You've set the bar Gloria! Amazing piece! Hope you return to this challenge! Thank you for being here!

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Gloria Horton-Young's avatar

I'm going to dive into the first four days tonight—your prompts are clever and amazing! (Swift's song titles are definitely fun to experiment with).

Also, I've just recently launched my own Substack and would really appreciate it if you could check it out and share your thoughts when you have a moment.

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

You want me to share thoughts... I need to send a dislaimer, can be direct! Only joking! I hear your directness and appreciate it! Welcome to Substack and keep writing. Thank you for this amazing piece you nailed it. I feel Taylor is chasing me! hahahahaha as she is the reaction to all this with my first Cardigan. I will check your site thank you Gloria!

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Gloria Horton-Young's avatar

Thank you!

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

And btw, love your hair! Love it!

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Gloria Horton-Young's avatar

Thank you! 🙏

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Chris J. Franklin's avatar

Ahh, a bit of Tay Tay! Haha. Very nice. Welcome to the Challenge... 😎

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Gloria Horton-Young's avatar

Actually, I’m not part of the challenge. LOL. I barged in here and starting rhyming all over the place. LOL.

*slowly backing out door*

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

No this one’s open to all. Stay! The prompt one is for a writer workshop but your post is a great contribution so it stays too! You’re in!

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Gloria Horton-Young's avatar

How do I join the writer’s workshop? I want to learn from you gloriously talented people!

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

Thank you Gloria! The in person one is sold out! New dates and times to be announced. I do online ones and one to one sessions. I advertise on here so look at my newsletter to get booked in. There are options. Let’s stay in touch. Paid subscription gives you some extra perks.

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Chris J. Franklin's avatar

Oh, well that's a shame. There's over twenty days to go, so if you'd like to come back at any time and get involved again, we'd love to have you here. It's always interesting to see how different people interpret the letter of the day. The more the merrier, as they say! 😎

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Gloria Horton-Young's avatar

Thank you. 🙏

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roger hawcroft's avatar

Love this - so good ...

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Chris J. Franklin's avatar

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS

In Uptown CHICAGO, there was a place called The Aragon where RIO and I would go to LISTEN TO THE MUSIC.

It didn't matter who was playing, we were EXCITED to see anything, and we'd wait outside until we had COTTON MOUTH, for a chance to hear something new, something DANGEROUS.

And we'd talk for hours. It was just a NATURAL THING. He had such a warm SPIRIT and he'd call me his SWEET MAXINE. I don't know if it was REAL LOVE, but our feelings were GROWIN' A LITTLE EACH DAY.

Until... One night, someone bumped into me, innocently, but I fell to the ground, and next thing I knew there was a SHOWDOWN.

Then he fell to the ground beside me.

"OPEN YOUR EYES", I said.

But he was gone... 😎

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

From strength to strength! Tension build up and now I need to go and listen to the Doobie Bros! Thank you Chris!

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Chris J. Franklin's avatar

Thanks! I've been really enjoying working on these. And it's great to see so many new people joining in now as well... 😎

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Fotini Masika's avatar

DJ KRUSH (Jaku is one my favourite albums ever)

-

Still Island

-

Distant Voices

Beyond Raging Waves

Keeping the Motion

With Grace

-

Slit of Cloud

Transition

To the Infinity

But the World Moves on

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

Another new addition! Don’t know this artist. Waves and grace go well together. Love discreet rhymes.

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Steve Spencer's avatar

The Infanta make you better

O Valencia Son’s and Daughters

Mistral Cavalry Captain bring your Yankee bayonet

Shankill Butchers and 18 Military wives

The Sporting life on my Red Right Ankle

My attempt using Decemberist Song titles

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

Welcome to the challenge and thank you for this Steve. Much more than attempt, this is awesome.

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Steve Spencer's avatar

Thanks, starting to create my own songs , this is a great exercise, thanks for the challenge I look forward to more. Good fun!!

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

Wow! It's a great exercise. Good luck with your songs and do share when ready. We have more singers and musicians on here that you may wanna follow. Thanks for the feedback! We have a new letter on each day!

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Treasa's avatar

The Divine Comedy

SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND

At the indie disco

everybody knows

the happy goth.

Gin soaked boy in

pursuit of happiness,

the certainty of chance.

Ten seconds to midnight,

too young to die,

tonight we fly.

https://youtu.be/HuRx8ajKZkw?feature=shared

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

You’re on fire Treasa!

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Treasa's avatar

Hehe, I wish! I'll settle for tepid, that's where my poetry is at.

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

Tepid is not a word I connect with you.

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Fotini Masika's avatar

That's another great little poem, Treasa!

"Casanova" still brings up so many memories.

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Treasa's avatar

Cheers! My friend was a big fan so she used to drag me to his gigs, don't think I appreciated it at the time, we'd be right up front within touching distance.

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Dick Whyte's avatar

Going back and doing a few I missed - here's my one for D, using song titles from the New Zealand underground band Dead C - super formative for me. For anyone who is curious, this is a pretty good starting place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOzLgjF4lUg

.

-: Psalm for the Dead C :-

.

Sky

Calling slowly—

.

The new snow

Outside,

.

A mighty

Bone

Constellation

.

Stars

Sun stabbed—

.

Forever

Accelerate.

.

.

.

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man of aran's avatar

Oh I guess I cheated with the D of his first name. Thanks for the kind words. It was a fun exercise. Always been a big fan of Bowie since the 70s. His relationship with America is a running theme. I suppose that got it going, as I am not American myself. And I was inspired by Jonathan Potter’s sonnet of The Cars. I sense with this form one cannot go too long. I will keep an eye out for upcoming letters!

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

We can bend some rules!

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Jonathan Potter's avatar

Downright delightful

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PS Lorcan's avatar

Deee-Lite

Deee-pending on how you see it

Your ship is sinking, or Your ship is free

Deee-pending on how you’re seeing things

.

I just wanna hear a good beat

.

They call me naive

Because I still believe

.

I just wanna hear a good beat

I just wanna hear a good beat

.

I believe

I believe in the Power Of Love

I still believe

Let the people call me naive

I believe

.

Power, Power Of Love

Just open your heart

I believe, I still believe, I believe

.

I just wanna hear a good beat

.

What is Love, What is Love

I think I know what love is

World Clique,

What is Love, What is Love

.

How do you say, deee-licious

How do you say, deee-lovely

Deee-vine, Deee-gorgeous, Deee-groovalicious

Deee-with-it, Define?

How do you say, Deeeeeeeeeeee-Lite

.

Groove Is In the Heart

Dig

We’re going to dance and have a good time

Sing it, Baby,

Just sing about The Groove

The Groove Is In The Heart

.

DJ Soul was on a roll, been told

He can’t be sold

He’s not vicious or malicious

Just de-lovely and delicious

.

Feelin’ kinda high like a Hendrix haze

Music makes motion, moves like a maze

Dip to the dive, Baby, you’ll realize

.

Someone left the radio on

Who Was That

Someone sneaking quiet as a mouse

Who Was That, Who Was That

Someones in the kitchen munchin’ out

The peanut-butter’s out, Took a bath

Missed a bubble,

There’s no doubt,

Someone’s been eating in my house

.

There’s a smile on my face (& strawberry jam)

I realize how much I miss my place. Real.

Someone left the radio on

& I just wanna hear a good beat

.

ESP hypnotize me

Supernatural, Supernatural, perhaps

ESP skips right through time you see

A doodle beat skipping down the street

Listen to the DJ stepping into what you’re feeling

ESP hypnotize me, psychic power tonight

.

Boom! The Moon was never so right

Dee eee ee e-eeeee eee eeee-Lite!

Deee-Lite

(Words from the palette of Dmitry Brill, Herbie Hancock, Kier Kirby, TOWA TEI)

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Kelly Thompson's avatar

I love this idea! Gotta do it-

The Doors

Riders on the Storm

Waiting for the Sun

Break on Through

Light My Fire

LA Woman

Touch Me

Love Me Two Times

Love Her Madly

Hello, I Love You

People Are Strange

When the Music's Over

The End?

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

Great! Yes you gotta do it! Thank you for joining! Riders on the storm waiting for the sun!

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The Sea in Me    (Síodhna)'s avatar

Here's my Sunday morning contribution, (with title inspired by this post) 'Both Sides Now'

https://open.substack.com/pub/theseainme/p/both-sides-now?r=46rss&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

Wonderful! Thank you for sharing!

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Treasa's avatar

Love 'slit of cloud transition.' A new artist for me to check out. Is it all instrumental?

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Fotini Masika's avatar

Truly awesome, your poem!

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