Mrs. Hudson's Poetry Page: The Blanched Soldier

[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 mini-monoverse.

Shadow Poetry gives this definition:

The Mini-monoverse is a poetry form originated by Emily Romano. Each Mini-monoverse is made up of two stanzas of five three-syllable lines. The rhyme scheme is a/a/a/a/a for the first stanza and b/b/b/b/b for the second stanza. For a double Mini-monoverse just add two more stanzas. The rhyme scheme for the third stanza should be c/c/c/c/c and for the fourth stanza, d/d/d/d/d. It is desirable that the Mini-monoverse tell a story, but this is not a hard and fast rule.


Here is my example poem, a poignant tale of Mr. Holmes missing the Doctor and wishing to communicate with him often:


If I’d known
when alone
you were prone
to oft drone
down my ‘phone...


(Want to kill.
Use a drill..?
Poison pill..?)
If you will:
pay the bill.



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, ballad, beeswing, blackout poetry, blues stanza, bref double, Burns stanza, call and response, chastushka, cinquain, circular poetry, clerihew, colour poems, concrete poetry, Cornish verse, curtal sonnet, diamante, doggerel, double dactyl, ekphrasis, elegiac couplet, elegiac stanza, elfje, englyn, epigram, epitaph, epulaeryu, Etheree, fable, found poetry, ghazal, haiku, Italian sonnet, jueju, kennings poem, lanturne, limerick, lyric poetry, mathnawī, mini-monoverse, palindrome poetry, pantoum, Parallelismus Membrorum, poem cycle, quintilla, renga, riddle, rime couée, Schüttelreim, sedoka, septet, sestina, sonnet, tanka, tercet, terza rima, tongue twister poetry, triangular triplet, triolet, Tyburn, villanelle


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


Warm regards,

Mrs. Hudson

Comments

A clerihew

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

James Em Dodd
Searches for God.
Moving heaven and earth
Reveals Em’s-worth.

Re: A clerihew

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

(blinks. shakes head)

Re: A clerihew

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Nice. I like it! Em's worth!

RE: A clerihew

[debriswoman]

Words neatly played and stretched to their limits:-)

Limerick

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

A friend, gone. A face white as snow.
His family says, “Let it go.”
No leprosy parts
Two stout, loyal hearts –
But a new wife just might make that so.

Re: Limerick

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Great last line. It is a poignant parallel you've pointed out - in the story two sets of friends are separated.

Re: Limerick

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Maybe Watson was tired of not being appreciated for anything other than a source of inspiration and went looking elsewhere.

Re: Limerick

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

I like the last line too. Contrast of the two protagonists with Holmes and Watson.

Re: Limerick

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Well twisted that! And the old white as snow is good writing here.

RE: Limerick

[debriswoman]

Neat contrasts:-)

The Final Word on the Subject

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

The absence of Dr Watson
Was not as strange as it seemed
He had been living elsewhere for some years
Married again, or so it was deemed.

In truth, he was living quite happily
In lodgings not far from Baker Street
With a well-known detective inspector
But to say so was not quite appropreet.

The arrangement suited all three quite nicely
Mrs Hudson uttered not a word
And to postulate any other solution
Would really be utterly absurd.

RE: The Final Word on the Subject

[debriswoman]

You make the case quite strongly for
Inspector and physician
I would not dream of challenging
A friend's long held position.
~0~
And appropriate spelling?
I'm not telling...
~0~

Re: The Final Word on the Subject

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Thus spoke the Hobbit!

Re: The Final Word on the Subject

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

*makes non-committal and soothing noises*

Re: Mini mono-verse: Malady

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

So few words and yet such lovely ones.

Re: Mini mono-verse: Malady

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Very nice. Leprosy is not the easiest word to choose for this particular form, rhyme.

Re: Mini mono-verse: Malady

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's excellent ^^" It's not the most forgiving and flexible of forms (I believe Mrs. Hudson struggled quite considerably with it) but you've produced something elegant and truly moving.

Re: Mini mono-verse: Malady

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Elegant yet strong. Thank you.

Re: Written earlier: Lost without my Boswell?

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Yep, definitely missing his Watson.

Re: Written earlier: Lost without my Boswell?

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Well done! I guess it took Holmes trying it himself to realize it wasn't so easy.

Re: Written earlier: Lost without my Boswell?

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Wonderful stuff.

It's strange - Watson on his own in HOUN is still Watson. But Holmes on his own is never quite Sherlock Holmes. He needs Watson to tell his story.

attempt mini monoverse

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Holmes's life
Sadness rife
Cuts like knife
Source of strife?
Watson's wife

Holmes alone
Left to moan
Sigh and groan
And to phone
"Please come home!"

Re: attempt mini monoverse

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Excellent summation!

Your poem, Mrs H

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

I trust you have pointed out to him that paying for all these phone calls, which he deems essential, are reducing your available gin funds, which are even more essential.

Re: Your poem, Mrs H

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I did consider reasoning with him in this manner.

But then I decided it would just be easier to lock him out until he stumped up the cash.