Mrs. Hudson's Poetry Page: The Dancing Men

[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 pantoum.

Wikipedia gives this definition:

The pantoum… is composed of a series of quatrains; the second and fourth lines of each stanza are repeated as the first and third lines of the next. This pattern continues for any number of stanzas, except for the final stanza, which differs in the repeating pattern. The first and third lines of the last stanza are the second and fourth of the penultimate; the first line of the poem is the last line of the final stanza, and the third line of the first stanza is the second of the final.

Ideally, the meaning of lines shifts when they are repeated although the words remain exactly the same: this can be done by shifting punctuation, punning, or simply recontextualizing.

I believe a rhyming scheme of ABAB can be used, or rhyming can be omitted altogether. As this is a poem in which lines are repeated as the poem moves forward, I thought it was an apt form for a story in which the past stays with and affects the present.

My example poem:


I miss my former lodgers,
Their behaviour was always regular.
No danger, mess or smoke.
I could rely upon them.

Their behaviour always regular—
Mr. Holmes and the Doctor?
Well, I can rely upon them
For constant chaos and commotion.

Mr. Holmes and the Doctor:
I will make them both take notice
Of the constant chaos and commotion.
They can take their adventures elsewhere.

I have given them both notice,
No more danger, mess or smoke.
They have taken their adventures elsewhere and...
I miss my former lodgers.




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, alexandrine, blackout poetry, call and response, cinquain, circular poetry, clerihew, colour poems, concrete poetry, diamante, doggerel, double dactyl, ekphrasis, elegiac couplet, epigram, epulaeryu, fable, found poetry, ghazal, haiku, lanturne, limerick, lyric poetry, palindrome poetry, pantoum, renga, riddle, sedoka, septet, sestina, sonnet, tanka, tercet, terza rima, tongue twister poetry, triolet, tyburn, villanelle


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


Warm regards,

Mrs. Hudson

Comments

A limerick

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

...he looked from my point of view like a strange, lank bird…



Dr. Watson can be rather absurd
In his search for the appropriate word
At least Lestrade merits
Being compared with sweet ferrets
Poor Sherlock Holmes gets the bird

Re: A limerick

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Rawk! Rawk!

Re: A limerick

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

An in this case a bird which has a habit of shedding its feathers all over the place.

RE: A limerick

[debriswoman]

Nicely done:-)

Re: A limerick

[mundungus42.livejournal.com]

Heee!!! Such unflattering descriptions surely help put heron one's chest.

Limerick: AM HERE

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

A woman’s mysterious past.
A shot, after one mighty blast.
Absurd, simple men
Dance their message again:
“We’ve caught up with Elsie at last.”

Re: Limerick: AM HERE

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Truly an unpleasant man.

Re: Limerick: AM HERE

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

A sinister last line. And Absurd, simple men/ Dance their message again gives me shivers too ^^"

RE: Limerick: AM HERE

[debriswoman]

Quite sinister...

Re: Limerick: AM HERE

[mundungus42.livejournal.com]

Ooooo. *shudders* I never did buy Slaney's explanation that he never meant to hurt Elsie. She knew far too much.

Re: Dancing men...a rondeau

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

The tragedy neatly summed up.

Re: Dancing men...a rondeau

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

There's something about "dancing men" being repeated... I suppose it's because you would assume they represented joy. The fact they represented danger heightens the tragedy.

Re: Dancing men...a rondeau

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Am impressed yet again by the precision and grace of debriswoman's words.

Re: Dancing men...a rondeau

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Brilliant work once again.

Re: Dancing men...a rondeau

[mundungus42.livejournal.com]

Oooo, I love this form nearly as much as the words contained therein (which is a lot, by the way). This is a touching elegy for one of the sadder stories in the Holmes canon. Just beautiful!

Watson is not happy

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

which explains the dodgy scansion, although there is a rhyme:

I am telling you quite clearly, Holmes
This message is not conveyed in code
If your malodorous product has not gone by nightfall
I shall probably explode!

Re: Watson is not happy

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Well, the poem made me giggle ^_^ I can just see Watson furiously (in both senses) scribbling it down ^^

Re: Watson is not happy

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Welll written, Watson.

Thanks for sharing this very believable note.

RE: Watson is not happy

[debriswoman]

Emotion shines through clearly, Watson:-p

Re: Watson is not happy

[mundungus42.livejournal.com]

Heee!!!

I'm glad it was Watson's temper and not the noxious fumes that are volatile!

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

I believe, Mrs Hudson, you can rest assured they will both be back once you have fully fumigated their rooms.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Oh, I do hope so.

The poetry of Mrs H

[debriswoman]

Lovely verse, Mrs H
They'll be back, mark my words :-)

Re: The poetry of Mrs H

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I simply never thought I would miss them. Please excuse me while I go and find my handkerchief...

Gracious, this was hard! (with bonus Chicago dialect)

[mundungus42.livejournal.com]

What any mortal may invent
Another mortal may unearth
And use the facts to circumvent
The loss of one of certain worth.

Another mortal may unearth
A theory from apparent clues:
The loss of one of certain worth
Leaves quite a lot to disabuse.

A theory from apparent clues
Involving honest Abe whose dance
Leaves quite a lot to dis abuse,
And naught for heroes or romance--

Involving honest Abe, whose dance,
Was deadly, 'spite of his intent,
And naught for heroes or romance:
What any mortal may invent.

Re: Gracious, this was hard! (with bonus Chicago dialect)

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

How lovely to see you and your work around the comm again ^^ And I'm so pleased you had a go at Mrs. Hudson's suggestion of the pantoum - with the rhyme scheme and strictly keeping the lines the same. Crikey, I'm impressed ^^"