Sherlock Holmes: 60 for 60

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.



"If I should learn, in some quite casual way"

by Edna St. Vincent Millay


Note from Rachel: To me, the most haunting element of this adventure is the way that one brother learns terrible news from a paper headline on the street, and then must struggle to appear normal while his heart breaks in despair. This poem captures that horrible rictus of a person struck unexpectedly with grief yet unable to show it in a public place.



Thank you so much to Rachel. And here is my suggested form to revisit this week: the villanelle. (The link takes 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, florette, found poetry, ghazal, haiku, In Memoriam stanza, Italian sonnet, jueju, kennings poem, lanturne, limerick, lyric poetry, mathnawī, micropoetry, mini-monoverse, musette, 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 Stock-broker’s Clerk in the comments on this post. I look forward to seeing them!


Warm regards,

Mrs. Hudson

Canon Story: The Stock-broker's Clerk
Title: Substitute
Author: scfrankles
Rating: G
Author's Notes: "And the practice?" “I do my neighbour's when he goes. He is always ready to work off the debt."


“Where do you think Anstruther goes?” mused Mary. “When you look after his practice?”

“Hmm..?” Watson stared at his patient’s notes and sighed. No more adventures until Mrs. Thorpe had recovered.


***
“The doctor’s here at last, Mr. Holmes!”

“Do send him up, Mrs. Hudson!”


Holmes beamed as the new arrival hurried in.

“Good man, Anstruther. Thank you for standing in!”

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 double dactyl.

( Definition and Example )


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, colour poems, concrete poetry, diamante, doggerel, double dactyl, 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 Stock-broker’s Clerk in the comments on this post. I look forward to seeing them!


Warm regards,

Mrs. Hudson

Canon Story: The Stock-broker's Clerk
Title: Paying Attention
Author: scfrankles
Rating: G
Author's Notes: Holmes' mind appears to wander at the beginning of this story.



“And your practice?”

“My neighbour will…”


Watson’s business arrangements.

Boring…

Oo, slippers!


Observation: Scorched but were not wet.

Imagination: Holding feet outstretched towards the fire to warm them.

Deduction: Summer cold!


“Holmes, are you listening?”

“Naturally!”


Quick, distract him with your deduction.


--------------


“Oh, your neighbour is a doctor?”

“For a great detective, Holmes, you are sometimes such a blind beetle.”

This Sunday, 12th Jan, we'll be posting our 60 word ficlets for The Stock-broker's Clerk.

If you haven't tried 60 for 60 before, full information - including our schedule - can be found on our profile. But in essence: you read ACD's story and then you write a 60 word story based on it! You don't have to post a story every week - just join in whenever you feel like it. And if you don't want to write a story but just want to come along and take part in the weekly discussion, that's great too.

Hope to see you on Sunday ^^