This week’s W3 Poetry Prompt is set by poet-of-the-week Dennis Johnstone. His challenge is to write a three-quatrain poem (12 lines total) about an unsung object—something unimportant, non-emotive, without nostalgia, metaphorical uplift, or symbolic gravitas. It simply is.

I wrote my poem Drip in response. My subject was a drip sliding down the side of a wine glass. At the time, it seemed to fulfil the guidelines: nothing symbolic, no metaphorical resonance, just a drop of liquid that needed wiping away. It was simply a drip dripping down a glass.

I believed this until I set the poem to song. The music gave it a wholly different interpretation than the simple one I had first intended. I hope you enjoy both versions.

Drip illustration, Digital ink & watercolour©️Lesley Scoble

Drip©️Lesley Scoble (AI Music & Vocals edited by me)

THANK YOU
Thank you, Dennis, for your fascinating prompt.
Thank you, as always, David, for your motivation and encouragement.
And thank you, dear reader, for spending a little time with my poem 🙏

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40 responses to “Drip: Three-quatrain poem (& song)”

  1. I like the undertones. Nothing is ever simply “what it is”. (K)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Kerfe. I agree, nothing is.

      Like

  2. I love your poem, Lesley – so clever!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Nolcha. Much appreciated.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Lesley, I love both versions – I found your poem quite intoxicating, it’s a beautifully crafted piece, engaging the senses – and for me, can be seen as exploring themes of intimacy and transience🙌

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Ange. I truly appreciate your compliment. 🙏

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Oh, this is so good, Lesley. I’ll have to revisit to listen to the music. 🎶

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks so much, Colleen! You are welcome to revisit anytime. 🤗🙏

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Great selection Lesley

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks so much, my kind friend. 🙏💕

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You’re very welcome my dear friend

        Liked by 1 person

  6. I like the personification and word choices!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Catherin 🙏😊

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Lesley, you’ve nailed the observational mode here and demonstrated a deep understanding of the prompt. The poem stays factual and restrained — just a drip tracing its path — with the reader inevitably supplying the emotion. This is the heart of the prompt. Your song version then makes that explicit by wrapping the strictly observational poem in a specific emotive blanket, just as a reader does when interpreting the unaccompanied poem. It’s an excellent demonstration of how to meet the prompt precisely while provoking feelings that are entirely down to the reader.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Dennis, for the prompt and for your comment/review. I truly appreciate it.

      Like

  8. The ordinary can become the extraordinary depending on how you view things and life 🍷🫧

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you, Robbie 🙇‍♀️🤗🍷

      Like

  9. Whew! Nicely done Lesley!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. ☺️Thank you, Violet! 🙏🤗

      Liked by 1 person

  10. You’ve made the drip the star of the poem by it just being what it is from birth to death….

    Liked by 1 person

    1. ⭐️Thank you, Muri 😊⭐️

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You are most welcome!

        Like

    1. Thank you so much, Indira 🙏

      Like

  11. Love the bleeding of the drip down the glass – what a great image. The poem is a wonderful sensory experience, esp when paired with music.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much, Marion 🤗

      Liked by 1 person

  12. I love how writing to this prompt leaves everything open to the reader’s interpretation, great writing, I find it paired with music rather erotic… well done my friend 💓💞

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you so much, Suzanne 🙏🤗 There were a couple of song interpretations that I dared not post. They needed an X-rated certificate! 😂 I was shocked.🙀 I had no idea when I wrote it—I was simply describing a drip. 🤣🙃

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Well, you’ve changed my view of the drip. Your poem brought it to life in a very innocent way, but then the song….very seductive.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Heather 🙏 I’m absolutely delighted to change your view point of the drip. 😁

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Lesley, this feels so smooth to read — that line “a deep red flowing trail follows my route” really caught me. I love how naturally the whole piece moves.

    ~David

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Merci beaucoup, mon bon ami. I nearly didn’t post, thinking it not good enough—but if one waits for perfection, nothing would ever be written or shared. L xx

      Liked by 1 person

  15. hi, Lesley❣️

    Just wanna let you know that this week’s W3, hosted by our beloved Ange, is now live:

    https://skepticskaddish.com/2025/11/26/w3-prompt-187-weave-written-weekly/

    Much love,
    David

    Liked by 1 person

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