Mrs. Hudson's Poetry Page: The Speckled Band

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Welcome once again to my poetry page!

I hope each week you will read Dr. Watson’s delightful narrative and then go on 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.

And here, courtesy of my housemaid Rachel, is this week’s suggested poem to read—a suggestion inspired by the themes and subjects in this week's story. Hopefully you will enjoy the poem, and perhaps it may give you some ideas for a poem of your own or allow you to look at Dr. Watson's story in a new way.


Snake

by Emily Dickinson


Thank you so much to Rachel. And here is my suggested form to revisit this week: the double dactyl. (The link will take you back to a previous poetry page.)


But you do not have to use that form. 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, Fib, found poetry, ghazal, haiku, Italian sonnet, jueju, kennings poem, lanturne, limerick, lyric poetry, mathnawī, micropoetry, 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 Speckled Band in the comments on this post. I look forward to seeing them!



Warm regards,

Mrs. Hudson

Comments

A double dactyl

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Hissery Hassery,
Indian swamp adder
Rather surprisingly
Climbs up a rope.

Surely this serpent’s a
Pseudo-ophidian.
Ferret in scaly skin..?
Yep, that’s a nope.

Re: double dactyl of sorts

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I really like Jiggery pokery, and Calm restoration to/ Non-curvilinear/ Coal-stoking implement. ^_^ There's something very appealing about such a long-winded circumlocution ^^

RE: A double dactyl

[debriswoman]

Fakery snakery
ACD stretching it;
Ferret like features employed
For surprise
Theory was not very
Herpetological;
May be some scales need to fall
From his eyes.

Re: A double dactyl

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Oh, an excellent reply ^_^ Wonderful punch line, madam - and full marks for "fakery snakery" and "herpetological" ^^"

Dactylic disaster

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Knockerty, knockerty,
Landlady’s properly
Wakening fast asleep
Holmes

Knockerty, knockerty,
Watson sleeps merrily
Dreaming of breakfast with
Toast

Re: double dactyl of sorts

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Very clever - lots of lovely long words.

RE: Re: A double dactyl

[debriswoman]

Ta:-)
I did like your verse a lot, by the way:-)

RE: Re: double dactyl of sorts

[debriswoman]

Thank you:-)

Re: A double dactyl

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

And before Mr Holmes has ideas of experimenting with snakes of any sort, I should remind him it is not just reptiles which can be hit with a stick.

Re: A double dactyl

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Duly noted, madam.

S.H.

("Watson, I think we're going to have to make a return to Mr. Jamrach's pet shop.")

Re: Dactylic disaster

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Words absolutely fail me ^^" (^_^)

Re: A double dactyl

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

It is very difficult finding a snakeskin outfit which matches our complexion.

Re: A double dactyl

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I can imagine ^___^

RE: Re: A double dactyl

[debriswoman]

And the dietary preparation would be too much...

RE: Re: A double dactyl

[debriswoman]

Short fat snake

Re: A double dactyl

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I'm now imagining a ferret in a corset ^^"

RE: Dactylic disaster

[debriswoman]

Awwww....I do like the idea of sleeping merrily:-)

RE: Re: A double dactyl

[debriswoman]

As opposed to an ocelot in a tutu....

Re: double dactyl of sorts

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow! This is such a difficult form. Well done! And I second the kudos for long words. Great to hone in on the poker (and a nice compliment to your 60, pokers on the brain, eh?)

Re: A double dactyl

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Hee, hee. Wow! I am so impressed. This form had me so stumped. And it does raise the possibility of another animal being in disguise (and fooling a master of disguise! with very little herpetological knowledge)

Re: A double dactyl

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Wow, wow! I'm just floored. Great retort.

Re: A double dactyl

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Those blows are going to come home, for sure.

Re: Dactylic disaster

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

This is the moment before the havoc is wreaked.

Re: A double dactyl

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

I was just Researching avant garde corsets last night so I can say it COULD be done, now, whether it should...

Re: A double dactyl

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Ferrets do like their snacks, no?