The Norwood Builder in Clerihews

[mundungus42.livejournal.com]

Canon Story: The Adventure of the Norwood Builder
Author: mundungus42
Rating: PG for some grimness
Author's Notes: Better late than never!

Doctor Verner
Had cash to burn-er.
Can you imagine Watson's dismay
To find he'd sold his practice to a Vernet?

John McFarlane
Required no cane,
Perceived a shyster who would kill
A man for an unwitnessed will.

Jonas Oldacre,
Mover and shaker,
He built and hid within a secret room,
To vex his ex by sealing her son's doom.

Scotland Yard
Found it hard
To see beyond Oldacre's clues
Even detectives get the blues.

Britain's birds,
Were heard,
Crowing the sentence Oldacre had gotten-
The cat in the bird cage was never forgotten.

And just for fun...

Holmes said “rabbit”
Out of habit,
To hide his conclusion that those blackened bones
Were all that remained of J. Oldacre's clones.

Comments

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Thanks for sharing. I love the one about the birds.

[mundungus42.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I know we get murderers and all manner of villain in the Holmes canon, but there's something so chilling about a man who would put a predator in with a bunch of captive birds. There's poetic justice in Oldacre getting put into prison with a bunch of predators, as well.

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Well perceived, and well put! Thanks for that last bit, too.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

And you're back! ^_^

Well, that wasn't an ending I was expecting - Oldacre throwing the police off the scent by murdering his own clones. Obviously houses weren't the only thing he was good at building ^_^

I think my favourite clerihew is the Jonas Oldacre one: "vex the ex" is such a neat and clever extra rhyme ^^

[mundungus42.livejournal.com]

The clone aspect is entire Christopher Nolan's fault, and I'm blaming Neil Gaiman for crossing Holmes canon with scifi. So clearly, I was helpless to resist the idea :D

Thanks for the shout out to the Oldacre clerihew! Internal rhyme, puns, and alliteration are three of my favorite things, so any time they amuse someone else, I am very happy!

PS Yes!! I'm in the midst of performance madness, but I'm hoping to be able to play along in a delayed way for the next couple of weeks!

[capt-facepalm.livejournal.com]

I do like the one with the birds.
(Although "British Birds" would give a nod to EMPT!)
And clones... Clones!
That's a random (and awesome) touch!

[mundungus42.livejournal.com]

I reckon if Neil Gaiman can bring Lovecraft into Holmes, I can come up with a sci-fi solution to something odd, namely that the charred remains of people, even little wizened ones, are not easily mistaken for the remains of dogs, and DEFINITELY not rabbits, who have teeny-tiny bones. And what could have convinced the police more perfectly than human remains? :D

Thanks! I like the bird one, as well, and few populations (apart from Oldacre's creditors, of course) have reason to celebrate his capture more.