So many seriously saucy words to select from! S took me a unexpectedly seriousilly stroll, having silly (or serious) conversations with selves, all with a swagger in my stride! Read on for that seriousilly vibe!
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Seriousilly Conversations with Selves!
Today’s NaPoWriMo prompt is inspired by Jaswinder Bolina’s poem “Mood Ring,” which imagines the speaker as both himself and an interior being (who happens to take the form of a small donkey). It’s quite silly . . . and not silly at the same time. A sort of “serious fun.” Our challenge: write a poem in which the speaker is in dialogue with him or herself.
Here’s mine, set on a stage I didn’t know I had:
Stage Within
“Hello—is it me you’re looking for?”
not Lionel Richie, no—
this voice had lipstick, had echo,
leaned into the mic set up somewhere
behind my ribs—
I am not speaking, she said,
I am rehearsing
when something in me—cool, unamused—
whispered: don’t engage
lipstick voice rasped—
saucier than she should be—
you hold my voice hostage
notes and lyrics swiped,
I’m the original—you, rewrite
don’t engage, it hissed,
already in a small swivet
what notes? what lyrics? I asked
you, my dear, are the real you,
it insisted, don’t engage
I heard the rustle of whispers
that ebbed and rose—
where from, I wondered, when
the lipstick’s song burst into a skirl
of my favorite things—she knew them all,
held the mic with a kind of sprezzatura
don’t engage, don’t engage…
I closed my eyes, then opened them again—
the curtains rose to a packed house—
five-year me clapping in glee,
teen holding tot-me tight,
all waiting. Breathless.
I look for the exit—
and find only more seats.
me—
the mic warms in my hand
and I don’t remember picking it up.
~ Vidya Tiru @ LadyInReadWrites
Saucy Words
You can certainly use some of these words in conversations with selves within you, or not..
- Saucier – a sauce chef; also someone cheeky or impertinent
- Scrumdiddlyumptious – extremely delicious or delectable (invented, whimsical term)
- Schadenfreude – pleasure taken in someone else’s misfortune
- Skiddly‑boop – playful, nonsensical word, often used humorously
- Skirl – a shrill, high‑pitched sound (especially of bagpipes)
- Smaze – a blend of smoke and haze
- Smicker – elegant or neat; also to look at someone in an amorous way
- Solander – a flat storage box for books or documents, especially in libraries/archives
- Sprezzatura – effortless grace or studied nonchalance
- Spim – spam sent via instant‑message apps
- Stiction – static friction that must be overcome to start sliding motion
- Stumblebum – a clumsy, bumbling person
- Swivet – a flustered or agitated state
Super S Books
- Safe Harbor by Padma Venkatraman (8-12). Immigrant girl Geetha saves a stranded seal amid divorce, bullies, and family struggles.
- Sabertooth by Robin Gow (10-14). Grieving boy unearths a saber-tooth tiger from his yard that unleashes his bottled-up rage.
- Seven Skies All at Once by Ted Kooser, illus. Matt Myers (4-8). Poetic skies dazzle like green laundry baskets with rainbow handles.
- Sing Me a Story ed. Aida Salazar (8-12). Latine verse stories pulse with music from bachata beats to Selena vibes.
- Solo by Gráinne O’Brien (12+). Musician Daisy heals from breakup and dad’s cancer through new friendships and gigs.
- Solo by Kwame Alexander & Mary Rand Hess (12+). Teen Blade escapes rockstar dad’s addictions to Ghana for roots and redemption.
And Now, the End of This Post
Dear reader, what internal voice whispers (or SINGS) to you? If you choose to write about conversations with selves, or a internal dialog poem, do share it. Which “S” word would your inner diva use? And which of these books would you select?
