Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Three Poems, JP Seabright

Start By Sending A Pawn Back

OBJECT: To be the first 
EQUIPMENT: 16 Pawns 
SETUP: Shuffle the deck          
facedown 
Movement is clockwise 

GAMEPLAY:
your first turn 
forfeit (skip) 
take the top card move accordingly “Discard Here"
You may not start a pawn out with any other cards!
You may JUMP over your own 
BUMP that pawn back to its own color 

move into your own SAFETY ZONE

Notes: Two pawns of the same color may never occupy the same space
your only possible move 
you forfeit your turn
you cannot move
you must move, even if it's to your disadvantage

WINNING:
all four of your pawns HOME first
Once HOME, do not move  
slide ahead to the end and BUMP any pawns in your way
land on a SLIDE of your own color, don't slide, just stay put

Safety Zone: Only you may enter your own color SAFETY ZONE
No pawn may enter its SAFETY ZONE by a backward move

you may not move your pawn forward beyond your own SAFETY ZONE entry
pass the entry space 
played against you
your turn ends 
forfeit your move if you do not wish to change places  

BUMP that opponent's pawn back to its START
If there's no one else to pick on

VARIATION FOR ADULTS:
All regular rules apply except:
Your turn ends; do not move  
if no opponent 
if no opponent has more 

We will be happy to hear your questions or comments about this game




Towards  *  Whether     


Completed
fidgeting             nearing hills
alongside calendars fixed ritual
digested 
eager sympathy
recruiter wallet period homes 
rooms

Silly beast
upper taken landed crop
torn oiled 
career tile trend
sting shot
grid axed
across artist
energy

Kinks
easy moth noises
leaves note
roses anyone
hardly rising
venue gentle
ranged
lists insist
chin pitch



Towards  *  Whether is an anagram of What Three Words, whose website is the source of this found poem using the author's many living spaces over the years.




DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT  DON’T squash spiders  DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDON they’ll come back to haunt you  DONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONT DON’T swat flies  DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT  for they are angels in disguise    NTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTD  DON’T throw stones   DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDO if you can’t see where they land  DONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONT DON’T taunt cats DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDO  for they know more than you’ll ever understand   DONT

DONTDONTD DON’T hit dogs  DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT  for a bark is never as bad as a bite  DONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTD (Despite what they tell you, this is a lie)  DONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONT DON’T shoot birds  ONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTD for they can see inside your soul TDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONT  DON’T eat meat   DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDO  you don’t know where it’s been DONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDO (It was once a shitting, puking, fucking animal like you)  DONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTD  DON’T kiss me  DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT for I might cry and you won’t like that  NTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTD  DON’T hold me  DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTD because I’ll shiver and shake and not in a good way DONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONT DON’T ONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDON  JUST DON’T  DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDO DO NOT DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDON  DONOT DONOT DONOT  DONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDO DONOD DONUT DONUTHIN DONENOT NOTDONE NOT DO NOT DO NTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONT   NOT DO OUTDONE ONTO   NTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDO  DONOTDONOTDONOTDO DONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT   DOT DOT DOT…  DONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT

DONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONTDONT




JP Seabright is a queer writer living in London. Their debut poetry pamphlet, Fragments from Before the Fall: An Anthology in Post-Anthropocene Poetry is published by Beir Bua Press. Their debut prose chapbook NO HOLDS BARRED is out early 2022 from Lupercalia Press, as is GenderFux, a collaborative poetry pamphlet, with Nine Pens Press. More info at https://jpseabright.com and via Twitter @errormessage. 

DON’T

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