Mrs. Hudson's Poetry Page: The Red-headed League

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Welcome once again to my poetry page!

I hope each week you will read Dr. Watson’s delightful narrative and then be inspired to write a poem related to it in some way. All forms of poetry are permitted, and further down the page there is a selection you might like to consider using over the coming weeks.


This week my featured form is the abecedarian. It seemed to fit in well with this week’s story.

Mr. Holmes, naturally, is very keen on encyclopaedic knowledge—arranging it all in his index. I had to remove his scrapbooks recently in order to dust the shelves, and afterwards joked I had developed Index Finger! He appeared somewhat bemused...

poets.org gives the following definition:

The abecedarian is an ancient poetic form guided by alphabetical order. Generally each line or stanza begins with the first letter of the alphabet and is followed by the successive letter, until the final letter is reached.


Here is my attempt:

An alphabetic list of a landlady’s woes:
Beginning with blisters on her toes.

Caused by climbing 17 stairs,
Dodging bullets once she’s there.

Experiments in the sitting-room.
Fire, explosions and noxious fumes.

G. Lestrade and his ferret face
Hanging around like they own the place.

Illegal activities at every turn.
Justice is the sole concern.

Knocked up at ungodly times,
Letting in victims of crimes.

Mounds of paper on the floor.
No-one knows what a bin is for.

Old sailor makes her drop her tray.
Perhaps her tenant, but who can say?

Quite not what she’d ever wish:
Relics of felons in the butter dish.

Shouts from upstairs for his tea.
Tobacco smoke (from pipes, three).

Urchins giving her a fright
Violin playing through the night.

Which is why she finds it all so wearing.
Xxxx stands in for swearing.

Young Bohemians are frankly quite appalling.
Zoo keeping would have been a simpler calling.

As always, this is simply something to consider for the future. Any form of poetry is welcome this week—and every week! Here are a few suggestions for you:

221B verselet, abecedarian poetry, acrostic poetry, clerihew, epigram, haiku, limerick, palindrome poetry, sedoka, sestina, sonnet, tanka, terza rima, tongue twister poetry, triolet, tyburn, villanelle


Please leave all your poems inspired by The Red-headed League in the comments on this post. I look forward to seeing them!

Warm regards,

Mrs. Hudson

Comments

A (Belated) Valentine’s Day Poem

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Hair is red.
Acid stains are white.
Clay stands his ground,
So his pal can take flight.

Re: A (Belated) Valentine’s Day Poem

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

I have to admit I had hoped for a slightly more romantic poem for Valentine's Day, but nevertheless I will be grateful for what I have received.

Re: A (Belated) Valentine’s Day Poem

[debriswoman]

Absolutely
I hope his friend was grateful...

Re: A (Belated) Valentine’s Day Poem

[tardisjournal.livejournal.com]

Nice! It was surprising, and rather touching, how concerned Clay seemed to be for the welfare of his flame-haired friend.

Re: A (Belated) Valentine’s Day Poem

[mundungus42.livejournal.com]

Delightful! I feel foolish for never appreciating the romance of the gesture.

Limerick

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

There once was a man with hair red
Which covered the whole of his head
He thought it a thing
Which riches would bring
But now he’d been thwarted, he said

Re: Limerick

[debriswoman]

Poor bewildered Jabez:-(
Well done:-)

Re: Limerick

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

So beautiful. *wipes away tears* (:P)

Re: Limerick

[tardisjournal.livejournal.com]

He really was put-out that it was over, rather than being grateful for the money he had already made. LOL.

Re: Limerick

[mundungus42.livejournal.com]

*giggles* I do love a good Limerick, and this was great fun! Poor Jabez, so concerned with being made the fool, even having made some money from the whole enterprise!

Re: I think I may have stretched the abecedarian form....

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Bravo! A nice, yoga-ish stretch indeed. Such a good summary, too.

Re: I think I may have stretched the abecedarian form....

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

*applauds* I love those last 4 lines ^_^

I'm so impressed you just wrote this today ^^" Mrs. Hudson tells me she took several days over hers. (And there was a certain amount of unladylike swearing...)

Re: I think I may have stretched the abecedarian form....

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Another brilliant contribution!

Re: I think I may have stretched the abecedarian form....

[tardisjournal.livejournal.com]

Oh, well-done! The rhyming, the meter, the apt summary of the story, AND each letter of the alphabet accounted for! I'm so impressed with how easy you made it look, when I know that it's anything but.

I've played the "Alphabet Game" (where you select a category like "Food" or "Characters from Harry Potter" and take turns naming something that starts with each letter of the alphabet) enough to know that "X", "Y" and "Z" often derail the whole thing. You found quite the work-around! :D

Re: I think I may have stretched the abecedarian form....

[mundungus42.livejournal.com]

*standing ovation* I absolutely love how you used the form, and such an elegant summation of the story! The facility of your meter and rhyme are, as ever, a delight!

Re the poetry of Mrs H

[debriswoman]

Lovely work, Mrs Hudson:-)

Re: Re the poetry of Mrs H

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

(Nearly tears shed over this one, I can tell you...)

Re: Re the poetry of Mrs H

[tardisjournal.livejournal.com]

I agree, Mrs H. You did a wonderful job. Yours isn't an easy life--I'm surprised you find time to try your hand at poetry at all!

Re: Re the poetry of Mrs H

[mundungus42.livejournal.com]

Hear hear!!! An inspiration to us all!

[mundungus42.livejournal.com]

I have to get this Clerihew in before someone else comes up with this awful pun/rhyme combo:

John Clay
Helped his pal get away.
Though he ably abetted,
He was caught red-headed.

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! Another dreadful pun bagged for the trophy cabinet.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Well done, madam! You definitely belong in our little community...

Clerihew: Mister John Clay

[tardisjournal.livejournal.com]

(Inspired by tripleransom's The Best-Laid Plan (http://sherlock60.livejournal.com/465845.html) and the ensuing comments.)

Mister John Clay
Is more puffed-up popinjay
Than cunning criminal mastermind.
There's another, Holmes will find.

Re: Clerihew: Mister John Clay

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's excellent ^^ "Popinjay" is such a perfect choice. And the clerihew reads so naturally. I also like the alliteration of "puffed-up popinjay" and "cunning criminal" ^_^

Abcdedarian: A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing

[mundungus42.livejournal.com]

...I had written about Abbots, and Archery, and Armour, and Architecture, and Attica...”

Aardvark, my introduction to a book
About all things- an inauspicious start
Accompanied by image with a look
Adorable and strange- it touched my heart.

Aeolian: natural minor scale,
Affects my spirit not unlike the way
Against the ratlines seaborne tempests wail
“Ahoy!” through groaning spars and hissing spray.

Aim I for greater things than I have known?
Ajar the door to destiny seems now,
Akin to when off course one has been blown
Alighting in the friendly port Macau.

Amalgam of my past and present dreams,
Antipodes together now I bring,
Aorta am I, guiding knowledge streams,
Apex of A! All: Ask me Anything!

Aquatics: how this book answers my pride,
Arresting hubris, for I cannot swim.
Assiduousness remain, conceit subside-
Attenuate, but sweet dreams, do not dim!

Auburn am I, which brought the book to me,
Avarice also, played a smallish part,
Awestruck, I quail before my destiny:
Axis of duplication, coin, and art!

Aye, I dare not sail those unlawful foams,
Azimuth always is a man named Holmes.

Note: This is entirely Mr. 42's fault. I wanted to do an abcdedarian all starting with "a" since Wilson never got to "b," but Mr. 42 said, "You know, what would be REALLY clever..."

Re: Abcdedarian: A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Bloody hell. *faints*

*comes to and applauds wildly* You are so lucky to have your own conductor of light in Mr. 42 ^_^ How wonderful that he inspired you to do this - it's a magnificent piece of work. The technical side is impressive, naturally (once again - bloody hell), but it's also a beautiful poem. (And I've learnt a new word: "azimuth".) Thank you so much for this contribution to our community - cleverness is always welcome ^_^