In Love With the Dude at the Grapestomping Festival and Groan- two diamantes #NationalPoetryMonth

Grape stomping dudes and dudettes

It's cold and wet out. I'm sitting in a dealership cafe, surrounded by new Toyotas and overly eager salesmen circling the floor.  I'm sipping free coffee while waiting for the mechanics to replace my irreparable back tire. My achy old knee tells me it's about to rain again.

Good times! Happy as I am with drizzle and drip coffee, in truth, I'd give up these perks to be somewhere else. Anywhere else. I know, I know—my lack of gratitude is astounding, but since I'm trapped here, I will journey in my mind.  I'll escape to golden Tuscany or lush Napa in autumn and dump this Folgers for vino and a dose of youth!  I'll celebrate sun-drenched infatuation with a diamante* using Allison Joseph's prompt, "Write a poem titled 'In Love With the _________.'"

In Love With the Dude at the Grape Stomping Festival

Crush

blushing ripe

stomping sweating flirting

pours drinks party dance

offering, tasting—declining!

Bottled, shattered

desire

My partner in poetry, Judi Korpi Webb seems to have written her diamante while doing circuit training at the gym. She has this hefty jewel to add:

Groan

sore achy

moving toning conditioning

squats lunges quads muscles

stretching massaging breathing

sweaty spent

moan

*The diamante is a sparkling gem of a form. Seven lines, in the shape of a diamond, with these strict rules:

Noun 

Adjective Adjective

Verb Verb Verb

Noun Noun Noun Noun

Verb Verb Verb

Adjective Adjective

Noun

Deceptively simple, and yet there are different ways to play this diamond in your deck. You make the first and seventh lines mean essentially the same thing, while playing with layered meanings. Or you can make them opposites and use the fourth line as a turn or pivot to change the direction of the meaning in the poem. Check out details here on how to write a synonym diamante or an antonym diamante. Try one! Come on... you know you want to. Then share it with me in the comments. Thanks!