Discarded

Posted bywordsandcoffee1Posted inPoetry, W3 PromptsTags:, , , , , , , , , 
I sit here amongst the broken pencils, crinkled post-its, and abandoned erasers. We live untouched and awkwardly perched, unused and possibly forgotten. 
My jaw is disjointed and my alignment botched, my blue paint graying in this dusty twilit corner. 
My staples no longer fit, 
little metal sparkles 
lodged in edges of our desk drawer home, a place that catches only the scattered remnants of fluorescent light, only allows the briefest glimpse of the realm beyond.

I wrote this poem for the week’s Wea’ve Written Weekly. There were a couple parts to this week’s prompt. Here it goes:

I. The prompt poem:

Phydeaux the Phenomenal, a poem by Dennis Johnstone

Name's Phydeaux the mutt with the cut of couture,
a scruff with some puff and a bark that's demure.
My trot's got a plot, my paws prance in pairs.
I'm slicker than liquor and sharper than snares.

I rap in the rain with refrain and panache,
chew beats, chase treats, make bin lids clash.
My growl's got vowels and my howls got soul.
I'm the dog with the dialogue, fully in control.

I'm rhyme in the grime, sublime in the dirt,
sniffing out rhythm in a tatty old shirt.
The poodle's perplexed, the spaniel's sore.
I rhyme while reclined on the kitchen floor.

I've got pedigree dreams and streetwise schemes,
the bark of a bard and the bite of extremes.
So toss me a bone or a beat or two.
I'll rhyme it, define it, then outshine you!

II. Dennis’ prompt guidelines

Three-Quatrain Poem About An Unsung Object

Write a poem consisting of three quatrains (12 lines total).

Your subject must be an unimportant, non-emotive object that carries no nostalgia, metaphorical uplift, or symbolic gravitas. It simply is.

  • Let the object speak in its own voice (1st person) or describe it with cool clarity (objective 3rd person).
  • Avoid sentiment, life lessons, or moral turns.
  • You may use meter, free verse, rhyme, or no rhyme: anything goes as long as the tone stays grounded and unvarnished.
  • The object should remain exactly what it is, even at the end: no transformation.

Example subjects:

  • The lint in a tumble dryer.
  • A broken office stapler.
  • The plastic seal torn off a milk bottle.
  • A creased barcode that doesn’t register.
  • The silica gel packet in a shoebox.
  • A parking meter’s coin slot after the meter is converted to pay-by-phone.

I couldn’t pass up the broken office stapler idea, especially since I have at least one broken stapler in my office at work and another in our junk drawer at home. Why not simply throw it out, you might ask? That is an excellent question. 😅

I was also reminded of this ridiculous and iconic moment from the movie Office Space:

12 thoughts on “Discarded”

  2. Sarah, I like the choice of the stapler. Just before I retired there was a decision to stop using staples and switch to paper clips. It didn’t impact me other than I was allowed to take my stapler and 2 boxes of staples with me! I noticed that the secretary now has a stapler on her desk – that decision must have been rescinded… A lovely poem!

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    Reply

      1. It wasn’t a choice. I was told that the paperclips were cheaper (reusable and no additional “equipment”). That was in 2019. Now in 2025 they’ve reversed their opinion. I’m guessing the savings wasn’t realized and coupled with push back they’ve gone back to the staples…

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