The Riddle of the Fish: A Poem by Pete Marshall

The Riddle of the Fish

a poem by Pete Marshall

As gold would rise in morning skies

Across the fjords and mountains high

A cat would mew a man would sigh
And toss a Dunhill on the fire

The Danish blue was soft to chew

As plans were made for tea for two

She’d knead the dough and blend the food

He’d tend his horse and wait for you

The Red coats marched in Pall Mall’s streets

To words of war and drummers beats

The milk would sour as mothers weep

And doves would fly for peace they seek

The Kaiser came upon the green

Where troops would march and death was seen

The coffee pots would shine and gleam

As Princes rode towards machine

The White flag flew above the rim

No beer would flow nor Nobel’s sing

For canine joys had seen them sin

When masters blew and sent them in

**************

Albert Einstein posed a riddle and said that 98% of the worlds population would never solve it! The riddle was the Riddle of the Fish? Today Poetry & Science intertwine as I ask you "who has the fish?"

The Riddle is as follows

There are 5 houses that are each a different colour.
There is a person of a different nationality in each house.
The 5 owners drink a certain drink. They each smoke a certain brand of cigarettes and also have a certain pet. No owner has the same pet, smokes the same brand of cigarettes nor drinks the same drink.
The question is. "Who has the fish?"


1. The British man lives in the red house.
2. The Swedish man has a dog for a pet.
3. The Danish man drinks tea.
4. The green house is to the left of the white house.
5. The owner of the green house drinks coffee.
6. The person that smokes Pall Mall has a bird.
7. The owner of the yellow house smokes Dunhill.
8. The person that lives in the middle house drinks milk.
9. The Norwegian lives in the first house.
10. The person that smokes Blend, lives next to the one that has a cat.
11. The person that has a horse lives next to the one that smokes Dunhill.
12. The one that smokes Bluemaster drinks beer.
13. The German smokes Prince.
14. The Norwegian lives next to a blue house.
15. The person that smokes Blend, has a neighbour that drinks water.

I hope you have enjoyed this little piece of fun & if you are stuck...therein the poem lies the answer?

If you would like the answer and how the poem tells the tale...please email oneshotpoetry@gmail.com, marked "The Riddle of the Fish" and I will ease your frustrations...

One Stop Poetry Featured Poet: Shewriting

Welcome to Dustus Friday on
One Stop Poetry!

Today my guest is shewriting (aka Sheila Moore). Her poetic intentions and reasons why she began writing prompt me to reconsider the powerful creative outlet of poetry. Sheila's posts on the She's Writing Blog and for One Shot Wednesday, in addition to being lyrically emotive, are clear in tone and presentation. Through varied line structuring, and effective use of imagery, shewriting composes lines to which many readers relate.

A Poet's Journey...
"I started writing when I was ten years old as a way to express and process my feelings. Writing was the only healthy emotional outlet I had for a long time and it continues to be one of several that I have now....

"At age eleven, I attempted to write my first book. I had just returned home from a week-long Girl Scout camping trip where I met several girls who were dealing with serious life issues such as addiction and eating disorders. I felt compelled to write, to make sense of the confusion and sadness I felt for these girls. However, I became discouraged as I quickly realized that I did not have the perseverance required to write a book. At this point, I believe that my poetic muse was born."

Shewriting's Motivation to Express Emotions....
"As a writer, I feel successful when three God-given assets are present during my creative process. These assets are inspiration, passion, and skill. For me, success is not solely dependent on positively touching another person’s soul, although when this happens I consider it a precious bonus. My best inspiration usually comes from life experiences that elicit intense emotional responses. My passion for the written word stems from a need to express difficult emotions such as anger and fear in a way that makes them less foreboding and to record pleasant emotions such as joy and love in a way that makes them everlasting."

"As a musician uses notes to compose symphonic masterpieces or a painter uses colors to create breath-taking portraits, a successful writer uses words to construct poetic oeuvres." —shewriting

And now 3 selected poems from shewriting...

she writes LOVE on her arm

she wants to live a long lovely Life
but demons whisper under their breath
daunting words abuse her sanity
and evoke menacing thoughts of death

she wants to be open to other Options
than those which hopeless perspectives create
for in making the ultimate sacrifice
all truth and goodness are lost to self-hate

she wants to unveil a vast Void
that people, places, nor things can fill
her ego claims it can save her
while her spirit cries out for God’s will

she wants to expose ego’s Exploits
all its fallacies and empty lies
for some who come to believe in them
fall victim to unjust suicides

****************

"For me, skill is the most challenging part of writing. I equate it with putting together pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Inexperience or even impatience in some cases can cause me to force together pieces that somewhat but not perfectly connect. In the end, all of those pieces that only partially fit together cause the puzzle’s picture to appear incomplete, distorted, or unrecognizable."

**********

Hold My Hand

A warm summer breeze blew strands of auburn hair across her soft, youthful face.
He held her hand and offered the ring. She answered with a fierce embrace but thought…

Will you hold my hand when dark clouds move in and a storm brews up above;
When the anger in our acts and words overshadow our sweet love?

Will you hold my hand when lightening strikes and tears fall down like rain;
When lovers’ quarrels burn like fire and affection flows down the drain?

Will you hold my hand when dense fog sets in and we are blind to the other’s care;
When bills pile up and time slips away and the kids are all that we share?

Will you hold my hand when strong winds whirl and a tornado touches down;
When good health is in peril, jobs are lost, and devastation is all around?

Will you hold my hand when hot days turn cold and sickness ferments our pride;
When fear freezes time and for us to survive, our love can no longer hide?


Fifty years later, a warm summer breeze blows strands of silver hair across her elderly face. He holds her hand and offers a ring. She responds with a tender embrace and listens…

We have weathered life’s storms, the squabbles, the bills,
The jobs, the kids, and all of the ills.

My lover, my mate, and my best friend,
I hope you knew I would always…

hold your hand.

****************

Willingness is the Key

  Where is the key
I cried earnestly
I need the key
to be happy

Look under the bed
someone said
behind the bed
or out in the shed

I dropped to my knees
begging God, please
I’m on my knees
full of dry heaves

I fell to the floor
they called me a whore
I laid on the floor
‘til they walked out the door

I stood up in the room
mesmerized by the groom
we danced in the room
and ingested the ‘shrooms

I sat in the chair
and tried not to share
the cards dealt to my chair
a royal flush, no a pair

I pulled up to the table
and ate ‘til unable
to stand up from the table
I belonged in a stable

The key, the key
I want to be happy
I need the key
please give it to me

The key that unlocks
where happiness docks
the lock of all locks
that humanity mocks

Wasn’t found hiding
under my bed biding
no action, just hiding
from life’s daily tiding

It was not in the shed
with the car, shiny red
nor in the weight that I shed
or in the people I wed

I did not find it in ale
nor in any male
drugs caused me to ail
gambling, too, did fail

There wasn’t enough
food I could stuff
nor was money enough
why was it so tough

To bring happiness here
in what’s not seen in a mirror
right here, right here
where there’s pride and there’s fear

Only after the fall
as I do recall
first I had to fall
to know at all

About the key
I could never see
because the key
you see
was inside of me

"A skillful writer knows not only how to find the right pieces or words to use but also knows how to fit those words together in a way that creates the clearest, most meaningful portrayal of his or her message. I think that skill development comes from practice, studying others’ writing styles, formal training, more practice, constructive feedback from others, good mentoring, and more practice. God willing, writing will be a life-long endeavor for me, which brings to my spirit much excitement and gratitude. "—shewriting 

 ****************

*Photo of girl with Love on wrist by Cat

Check out She's Writing Blog @ http://shewriting.blogspot.com
Follow shewriting on Twitter http://twitter.com/Shewriting

Comments & feedback are always appreciated!

Cheers,
adam dustus

Moondustwriter's Thursday - guest featuring Matt Zaretsky

Welcome to another MDW Thursday.

Today I am honored to feature another star 

Matt Zaretsky

I met Matt a few months on Twitter. What a great place for introductions. I asked Matt how he got introduced. He told me the generic way "studying poetry and writing in class." Then something happened he started keeping a personal journal where poems came to life. His creative expression has grown from there.

"I like poetry as a form of art in that I can express myself freely. The only rule is that there are none. If I am going through rough times Or a bad day, poetry helps me get things off my chest when talking to someone simply doesnt cut it. The pen and paper are always loyal No matter what which is why I love go write because I always can. I applied early decision to sarah Lawrence college where I hope to get accepted and get an MFA degree in creative writing. The. I want to Get accepted into NYU Grad school and major in creative writing and take master classes taught by one of my favorite authors Susan Orlean."

Heart grinning

In the shower singing

Starts in my toes

Then the feeling goes.

Through my back

Tickles my ears

When I’m with you I have no fears

A walk with you

I wouldn’t miss for a thing.

I’m starting to think this is a really weird fling.

Cause we’ve been at this point before

At least a few times.

I’ve tried hard against it but this I am sure..

You are the girl I care for and adore.

I’m not saying I want you to be mine and me yours.

But lets take a chance, a drive, and explore.

Lets take a walk we’ve got plenty time to spare.

When you fall I’ll catch you ‘cause I’ve already been there.

We can take a trip to the beach or the shore.

And talk about school, the bitches and whores.

Its up to you

No stress.

We all have days when we are a mess.

If you were to know one thing please know that…

I’ll always be able to cheer you up..

With Harley, Boey, Casey, and Max the cat.

Next week we will celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States. Here is a Thanksgiving Acrostic by Matt.

To whom it may concern,

His name must not be said.

At the family thanksgiving feast

Nobody mentions him but we all

Know the gorilla in the room all too well.

You are not here with us

On this day we give our regards. For

Until you bring yourself together you don't belong.

The Real Me

The real me wouldn't take the easy way out.

But he did.

The real me wouldn't yell at his father and mother.

But he did.

The real me wouldn't have got in that car.

But he did.

The real me wouldn't have been arrested.

But I did.

You may have noticed we have done several poetry features of young people aka teens. We believe that creative writing is a great expression. As our illustrious friend David Wilkins said last MDW Thursday, writing is one good way to express anger, fear etc rather than internalizing that emotion and self-destructing. If you know youth who are exploring creative writing , please send them our way.
Places you can find Matt:

http://matty5z.livejournal.com/
http://www.helium.com/users/592236/show_articles
Twitter @matty5z

Just so you know: Next Thursday in the US is Thanksgiving. Our favorite day (along with Super Bowl) to sit and eat alot. The part I have loved, since I was a child, was being together as a family (well the home baked pies were a winner too). Next Thursday I would like to put up a montage of Thanksgiving Poetry.  (that includes anyone writing about what they are thankful for.) If you want to either link a poem in or send to our email: oneshotpoetry@gmail.com we can have a day to reflect on what we have (jobs, family, another day of life.) I am thankful for each of you and the outpouring of support.