En Garde!

This weekend I had the pleasure of watching the best fencers in the world at the Men's Épée Grand Prix in Vancouver, Canada.

As a writer, I found it to be a terrific learning experience.

First off, I learned a thing or two about swordplay, which may come in handy for a future story.

Second, I was inspired by the awesome intensity of the sport. Each bout in the pool rounds are only 3 minutes long. That’s three minutes of absolute laser-focused concentration. Something fun to try at the keyboard, don’t you think?

Last of all, the end of each bout became something of an unexpected tutorial in the poetry of Walt Whitman –

“I sound my barbaric YAWP over the rooftops of the world.”

~Walt Whitman

In other words, I learned how to express jubilation and profanity in about 14 different languages.

Definitely worth the price of admission.

PROMPT: It’s all about intensity this week – so pick up that “mightier than the sword” pen of yours, attack the page, and then… YAWP!