One person each week emails round a list of seven words of their own choosing. Everybody then has a go at writing a piece, using the words at least once each. To make it more fun compound words, alternative spellings and alternative meanings of the chosen words are absolutely allowed and encouraged.

It’s a great stimulating exercise and can become quite competitive. Comic poetry is perhaps the most popular medium, but people are sometimes motivated to try their hand at snatches of stories or serious social commentaries.

Choosing seven words

To choose the seven words, most people use blind stabs at newspaper text or novels. Last time it was my turn I fell back on my Heart of England Forest volunteering experience and went for tree names!

You might like to form a “Seven Words Lockdown Group” or even just have a go on your own. Feel free to use my tree words or choose some yourself.

My tree name words were: Spindle, Poplar, London-Plane, Lime, Wayfaring, Ash, and Wild-Service.

Here is my effort – I couldn’t resist weaving in a few more tree references!

The Walrus and the Carpenter (with apologies to Louis Carroll)

Hazel Coppice, master carpenter works away on the spindle lathe
Not the usual way for a meteorologist to behave!
Other days she hones mahogany with her London plane
She says she prefers it to predicting sun or rain.

On weekends, her lime green dresses shocked the masses
She is poplar, not short of admirer’s passes
But she’s never settled; wayfaring far and wide
Not ever to be any man’s bride.

Our mutual friend Doulas Fir is a dapper chap
Another one not caught in that marriage trap
Good looks set off with beard and walrus tash
In later life the colour of damp wood ash.

With great sadness we all took the train down from York
And boarded that evening’s London plane to Cork
It was to be the funeral of old friend Jarvis
With Guinness flowing a truly wild service!

Teresa Green had recently become a vicar
And despite being the worse for liquor
Did a fair job of the proceedings
Despite a few hiccups in the readings!

It was good to be back in Cork again
I’d started to think London plain
After the funeral Douglas, Hazel, Olive and I
Had chance to reminisce on times gone by

Our wayfaring spanned many years
Lots of laughter and just a few tears
At the wake, with food and drink to guzzle
We tried again to solve that monkey puzzle.

Only Jarvis understood the clues to that mis-tree
No use looking for the solution from me
So we’ll wait til’ New Year’s Eve at his request
When we can open the envelope that he left.

Good luck and have fun!