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Thread: Twilight Of The Gods

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    Twilight Of The Gods

    TWILIGHT OF THE GODS

    We’re stocking up ready for Ragnarok;
    we’ve sent out for candles and gin.
    Mrs Horne on the corner has cancelled her papers,
    the parson has penned a new hymn.

    No tofu, no yoghurt, no balsamic vinegar,
    not even pizza to spare,
    no junk food, no ketchup, no nouvelle cuisine,
    just some crumbs from a mouldy Lord’s Prayer.

    No fuel at the pumps and no beer at the pubs,
    widespread rumours of flooding and drought;
    bottled water and toilet rolls triple in price
    and the Prozac’s already run out.

    Jamie Oliver pontificating once more
    on the trendiest way we can diet,
    while the Army have taken to manning the streets
    with the nation expected to riot.

    We kneel at the altar of HDTV,
    keeping tabs on events through the night,
    all those loonies assembled at Stonehenge to watch
    pagan gods squaring up for a fight.

    There’s Jupiter arm-wrestling Zeus with the Muses
    high-fiving at sixes and sevens,
    and Jehovah and Thor have declared outright war
    as their lightning bolts light up the heavens.

    The score at half-time is 3-2 to the Titans
    with Hercules held in reserve,
    every crack in the crust widening hour by hour.
    Is the government losing its nerve?

    After Stock Market meltdown, all futures suspended,
    the bankers are suffering angina,
    but God save the Queen – she’s just sent her condolences
    out to the people of China.

    Every cat, dog and pigeon is now on the menu
    as Britain attempts to stay fed,
    and there’s talk of an outbreak of cannibalism
    in Croydon as anarchy spreads,

    In my cabin I cower as ‘News on the Hour’
    records what may be our last twilight;
    with mankind defeated, our food-stocks depleted,
    I’m down to the last jar of Marmite.

    H

  2. #2
    Something's gotta give PrinceMyshkin's Avatar
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    Lots of fun trying to anticipate your rhymes - and missing at least half the time!

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    Registered User Delta40's Avatar
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    Rather witty Hill. I can't imagine Jehovah would join in the fiasco but anything can happen in Britain. I get the sense that while the Gods fight, mere man worships many other things - perhaps that is the cause of their wrath?
    Before sunlight can shine through a window, the blinds must be raised - American Proverb

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    Well, apart from the fact that Zeus seems to be suffering from multiple personality disorder (and halucinations) I thought this was rattling good fun and quite witty. However, I do feel that if the metre was a little more consistent I would enjoy it even more. There are some great moments in this poem and some wonderful ideas.

    Best, H

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    a dark soul Haunted's Avatar
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    Witty and cynical and a novel juxtaposition of ancient gods and modern people. The only quibble is I can't see Jamie the naked chef (figuratively) allowing cat in his receipes. The battle is so much of a spectator sport with a scoreboard. I suggest you get a 3D TV to watch the battle unfold.

    "But do you really, seriously, Major Scobie," Dr. Sykes asked, "believe in hell?"
    "Oh, yes, I do."
    "In flames and torment?"
    "Perhaps not quite that. They tell us it may be a permanent sense of loss."
    "That sort of hell wouldn't worry me," Fellowes said.
    "Perhaps you've never lost anything of importance," Scobie said.

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    Registered User kittypaws's Avatar
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    Enjoyed this.....

    I found your ending quite fitting as the distinctive taste of Marmite is reflected in the British company's marketing slogan: "Love it or hate it." Seemed to wrap up your poem very nicely as we are stuck with what we got.



    kittypaws
    Everyone finds himself in the world where he belongs. The essential thing is to have a fixed point from which to check its reality now and then.
    Ancient Egyptian Inner Temples

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    Waxing Nietzsche: not just for angry young men.


    J

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    Thanks everyone for your responses - this was intended to raise a wry smile, nothing more than that. I accept the mythology is ropey to say the least, as is the meter. Thanks all!

    H

  9. #9
    feathers firefangled's Avatar
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    Lots of grins and a few lol's.

    I'm especially fond of

    No fuel at the pumps and no beer at the pubs,
    widespread rumours of flooding and drought;
    bottled water and toilet rolls triple in price
    and the Prozac’s already run out.
    Reminds me of when we have a hurricane here, folks go out and fill their baskets with more of everything than they could possible use before it goes bad.

  10. #10
    Still, on a chalk plateau Bar22do's Avatar
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    Likewise, it reminded me of the assault people made on shops (in Israel, but --- also in France! would you believe it?) and how prices tripled right before 91 Golf War...
    A funny piece, hill.

    Very best, Bar

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    Thanks both of you for your comments.

    H

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    Dreamer anzki4's Avatar
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    Nice one. Goes through with a great flow, but - for me - it is broken by the 9th verse. If it (9th verse)was changed, it would be perfect; but as it is, it's still good. Also it somehow reminds me of Finnish rapper called 'Asa' - a fact that is a compliment Once again; nice work!

    -A4
    “Only life lived for others is life worthwhile.” - Albert Einstein

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by hillwalker View Post
    Thanks everyone for your responses - this was intended to raise a wry smile, nothing more than that.
    If a wry smile is all you ask for that's all I'll admit to. There may have been outright laughter here and there, but you set your sights low sir, and I refuse to admit where.

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    @anzki4 - Being compared to a Finnish rapper - well, I'll cherish that. It's a first. Honestly. Thanks so much for your feedback.....
    and @krymson - if it indeed made you laugh then that's a bonus. Many thanks for your response.

    H

  15. #15
    Employee of the Month blank|verse's Avatar
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    Err, yeah, bit late with this one, sorry hill.

    Apart from the Wikipedia-like grasp of mythology (which I'm sure is deliberate anyway ) I thought what was most successful about the poem was the tone of rather uneasy tension between fantasy and reality running through the stanzas. I like the rough-and-ready ballad form, using stresses per line rather than a stricter feet-and-metre form; that's how the form originated and works very well.

    And, Bar...
    and how prices tripled right before 91 Golf War...
    I presume they fought in bunkers... bunkers! Golf!... I'll get me coat.

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