This was originally inspired by NaPoWriMo 3. I'd appreciate comments and critiques, especially with respect to the meters used. Thanks!
The Hunt for the Missing Words
I
When the three words went missing while playing a game
In the littlest-known corridor inside my mind,
I just knew they were up to some mischief because
No one else had gone lost just so easily (yet).
So I formed a search party consisting of thoughts
That were trained for contingencies, dangers and fear;
Each had valour engraved in his little beret
And together (with courage!) they started the search.
They secured first the doorways (for fear that the Three
Would contaminate sources of words) and then moved
To the waiting rooms, stealthily scanning the place
For those (clever, admittedly) prodigal ones.
Yes they knew that their work was all cut out for them,
But they never gave up and they never gave in.
Now they passed through the waiting rooms full of bored verbs
And emerged into bright lights for suntanning nouns.
Oh, those little determined marines! Still they press
On and on: through the mazes perplexing, and hills
Beyond daunting, in pools words can swim in and rings
They can fight in, where adjectives languish and lie.
II
When the marines were just starting their searching, our
Party of three words were hatching a plan! (Where they'd
Hide amonst allies in deep-seated tunnels, with
Gathering words forming phrases and paragraphs:
Hard to distinguish, spare words in a sentence - an
Extra pronoun that is me silently watching; an
Adverb that shouldn't be never there; and an
Indiscreet verb find in a typical stanza.) And
Thoughts may be swifter but words are more organized:
Words can form bonds and each word knows the other but
Thoughts float about and then fall to ground while the
Watching words laughs to themselves. So our
Group of marines (in their little berets!) had a
Difficult time as they scoured my head. Oh, they
Hauled up the adjectives, bribed interjections, they
Questioned conjunctions and threatened participles;
Vainly they tried to pursue the three words. While the
Minutes wore on and the hours passed by with no
Sign for their effort, the prodigals waited for
Them to grow weary; they waited so patiently.
III
Now during the scouring a noun was frustrated:
"Should we really suffer for three missing words? They
Are simple and hardly outstanding; but big words
Are better - the splendour of sumptuousness, cheeful
Regalement; I'll bet some surreptitious adverbs
Could beat them (so thoroughly) at their own game!" But
Just shaking his head the noun bided his time, and
The scouring continued and prodigals waited;
They plotted and schemed as berets passed them by, and
They worked on a plan of escape (oh, how devious!);
They searched out the door by the side of my mind where
My words, all rambunctious, emerge to their pages.
They sneaked past its guardians, propriety and caution,
Those half-asleep slobs on their cushions, but just as
They came to the doorway, that noun shouted out! And
Then chaos ensued with the thoughts' all-out rushing;
Whole stanzas and paragraphs dragged in their wake. The
Three words dashed and thoughts followed fast and the words with
The thoughts and the phrases all tumbled and flowed and
Emerged like a fount, and were penned by yours truly.
IV
The fount has ebbed and words were found;
Inside, that noun remained.
Within my head more words play games
A-hiding once again.
- Sam, 2009
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks