Tongue tripped

Quadrille #240: Fill, Zip, Trip

taken at Bushey performing arts festival

Back in AUGUST of 2024 at a meeting of one of the poetry groups I attend on a regular basis. Almost everybody who shared a poem or three got tongue tied and tripped over their tongue. I wrote this to share at the next meeting, not quit a quadrille.

Tongue tied.

Brain faster than tongue,
Twisted words, twisted thoughts,
Tongues tripping on words,
Mind tripping on acid.

Tongues falling over lost words,
Wishes wanting, wanting to be given,
Gibberish kicking in,
Throwing ability, spoken word ability.

Brain awkwardly fidgets,
Against tongue tied gibberish,
Tongue twisted into tied knots,
Absurd caterwauling’s getting weaker.

Numb mind grasps control back,
Twisted and tied tongue permanent?
Not on my watch, not on my watch,
Words full of life, just fighting to get born!

© 24/09/2024 rog leach

Tonight’s #dversepoetrypub quadrille prompt has us tripping over our words to create a wonderful 44 word poem.

Trippy tongues.
(Tongue tied #quadrille edition)


Tongues tripping on words,
Mind tripping on acid.

Tongues falling over lost words,
Tripped,
Gibberish kicking in,
Throwing ability, spoken word ability.

Brains awkwardly fidgeting,
Against tongue tied gibberish,
Tongue twisted into tied knots.

Trippy words full of life,
Just fighting to get born.

26/01/2026 rog leach

upside down

Quadrille #239: Smile!

Upside down!
#quadrille.

Turning frowns upside down,
Always, always a good friend.

Sweet treats upside down,
Sticky, sticky sour shoes.

Turning my black brain upside down, 
Smile, you sick f****s.

Sweet treats upside down,
Sticky. Sticky sour shoes.


Turning frowns upside down,
Always, always a good friend.

© 12/01/2026 rog leach

welcome back #Dversepoetrypub. trying to smile through a scrambled head after returning to work after to long a break. where i sat not doing much for longer than I normally  do.

Heading home, #quadrille.

Quadrille 237: Zero

Heading home.
#dversepoetrypub, #wordatthewharf, #quadrille.

Heading home, warm bed awaits,
Hibernation craved,
Zero till home.
Tired.

Two-mile snow 🌨 tunnel,
Beckons me through,
Muted world.
Hush.

Footprints lead the way, into darkness
Who’s’, I wonder?
Another adventurer?
Perhaps.

Swallowed by silent obscurity, 
Calmness descends,
My footprints added,
Zero fear.

© 01/12/2025 rog leach

Thanks Melissa for a fun word for tonight’s quadrille @ #dversepoetrypub. I have also included hibernate from Decembers writing prompt for a monthly spoken word evening called word at the wharf. The pic was taken a few years back when I had to walk home in the snow.

coaxed away #quadrille

Q236 – Coaxing Is As It Does

Coaxed.

Noisy demands of rat-race,
No longer appeal to my,
 Sense of belonging.

The sound of the sea 🌊.
Coaxing me to salty breeze.

Noisy demands vanquished,
By waves lapping over,
My toes, even on icy morn.

The sea shore coaxing,
Away from inevitable madness.

© 17/11/2025 rog leach

hello all . how are you all. tonight @ #dversepoets pub we are discussing being coaxed into something over being coursed into something. here is my 44 worded quadrille using the word coax.

Pivot #endofanera.

Pivot

Goodbye hobgoblin!

Going out with a bang was his plan,

But now he is oh so quiet.

Here lays the hobgoblin poet,

@ Glade valentine church yard,

My life now blank and peaceful,

Killed watching rainbows and missiles,

Which touched earth with beauty and destruction,

Indifferent to the suffering.

As war rages around him.

The Hobgoblin poet,

Without a bang he went out,

Died voice unheard.

But his written words,

Will be eternal,

Ready for future generations.

Who have learnt to get along.

Pivoting away from fear into self acceptance,

Leaving war to the history books.

No going out with a bang required.

hello #dversepoetspub how are we this evening. tonight we are discussing pivotal moments in our lives. At the beginning of my journey into sharing my poetry I would hide behind a construct called the hobgoblin poet. when I grew in confidence with my sharing i decided to kill him off. this poem is how i did so standing forward to accept my own words.