Mrs. Hudson's Poetry Page: The Cardboard Box

[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 tercet.

Wikipedia gives the following definition:

A tercet is composed of three lines of poetry, forming a stanza or a complete poem.

There seem to be many groups of three in this week’s story: three tragic sisters, three medical students, three detectives (if one includes the good doctor as a detective), so this form seemed appropriate.

It is possible to have an enclosed tercet, a b a, but I decided to write a triplet: a a a.


Here is my example:


I tripped on the rug; I scraped my knees.
And today my lodgers return from overseas.
(Misfortunes always come in threes.)



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, cinquain, circular poetry, clerihew, concrete poetry, diamante, doggerel, epigram, epulaeryu, fable, haiku, limerick, palindrome poetry, riddle, sedoka, sestina, sonnet, tanka, tercet, terza rima, tongue twister poetry, triolet, tyburn, villanelle


Please leave all your poems inspired by The Cardboard Box in the comments on this post. I look forward to seeing them!


Warm regards,

Mrs. Hudson

Comments

A clerihew

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Alec Fairbairn
Had a day-out and did not return.
They took the train to New Brighton’s brine.
End of the line.

A cinquain

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Two ears
Preserved in salt
Addressed incorrectly
A student prank or foul murder
Holmes knows

Re: Tercet: Unexpected.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Cleverly one. I like "grey middle years" and your last line.

Re: A cinquain

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's very good. I love the way it builds - and then you have that final, grave "Holmes knows".

Re: A clerihew

[debriswoman]

Lovely last line:-)

Re: Tercet: Unexpected.

[debriswoman]

Ta:-)

Re: Tercet: Unexpected.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

(And I meant "cleverly done". Damn my typing...)

Re: A clerihew

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Thank you ^^

The poetry of Mrs H

[debriswoman]

A tale of triple tragedy, Mrs H?
So sad.

Re: The poetry of Mrs H

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

It certainly all depressed me, Mrs. P.

Re: Tercet: Unexpected.

[debriswoman]

Any thoughts on the middle line?

Re: The poetry of Mrs H

[debriswoman]

A glass of gin, Mrs H?

Re: The poetry of Mrs H

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Make it a double!

Re: Tercet: Unexpected.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

It's a great rhythm. And I like "fresh severed ears". (You know what I mean.) There's a kind of matter-of-factness about it.

Re: The poetry of Mrs H

[debriswoman]

Slainte:-)

Re: Tercet: Unexpected.

[debriswoman]

:-)
The middle line is happy now.

Re: Tercet: Unexpected.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I aim to please ^^

Re: A clerihew

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Short, and chillingly final as the story itself.

Re: A clerihew

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Chilling and to the point.

Re: Tercet: Unexpected.

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Excellent summary and use of the type of verse.

Not sure what Frankles proposes to do with the ears.

Re: A cinquain

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you. The verse form lent itself to the tale.

Re: A clerihew

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Thank you - I think it did work quite well.

Re: A clerihew

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Thanks ^^

Re: Tercet: Unexpected.

[debriswoman]

All a bit worrying really...

Re: Tercet: Unexpected.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I'm keeping it as a surprise. *smiles a broad smile that doesn't quite reach the eyes*

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Two ears sent in error. We call
On a sister, whose stories appall.
Several tragedies twine,
Leaving Holmes to opine,
“What object is served by it all?”

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

(A serious limerick..?)

I like "twine/opine", and that's an excellent punchline. (If punchline is the word I'm looking for ^^")

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Thanks. It's such a melancholy story - beginning with Holmes deducing Watson's angst over his war-wound and ending with Holmes sadly philosophical about the senseless killing - that it's hard to forget a line like that.

(Doesn't help that that speech was Jeremy Brett's very last moment in the Granada Holmes series.)

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Nicely put - such a sad story.

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

"Cardboard Box" is probably the saddest of the Doyle stories - it begins with Holmes deducing Watson's glum mood and ends with that melancholy speech, with a pair of gruesome, senseless murders in the middle.