Born an Englishman in eighteen hundred and sixty two,
He was a wonderfully imaginative and intelligent little lad.
Disfiguring tumors began to grow before he was two
And the boy became grossly disfigured by the age of five.
His mother, Mary Jane, loved him as only a mother can.
She was full of compassion for she was handicapped herself.
But she died of bronchial-pneumonia by the time he was eleven.
His father did not care for him and took another woman for himself.
His step-mother despised and rejected him.
To her, he was embarrassment and inconvenience
And soon he was forced to leave to fend for his own.
Odd jobs here and there earned him a meager pittance.
Taunted and ridiculed, he did only what he could do:
He became a successful circus side-show freak - The Elephant Man
Under the tender care of a kind entrepreneur who
Helped him amass a fortune of 200 pounds for being a elephant not a man.
When his livelihood became outlawed in England,
He took his act across the channel to Belgium
Where a showman robbed and left him destitute.
Acrimonious adults taunted him for being gruesome.
Children and adults chased him at the London railway station.
Crumpled on the floor in a heap, staving and out of breath
He was found the by the police in June eighteen eight-six.
Suffering from bronchitis and malnutrition, he looked to be near death.
He was taken to the hospital to the isolation ward
So as not to frighten the other patients there.
News traveled far and wide of the disfigured man
And kind folk felt compassion for his despair.
At the hospital the man found respect and love.
There he died not as an elephant but as a man.
Author notes
I did my best to turn the story into a poem, but to me it still reads to much like prose. Any helpful suggestions will be appreciated.
Written April 1st, 2005
In a list
A contest entry
- Poems Tell Stories by Virgoan.
300 points, ended April 5, 2005, 10 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 10 of 10
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Dynamicly a masterpiece
Truly it is implied that we can tell a great man by the way they show compassion for the least; and I would say that you've not only proven that here, but also this is a cleverly ascribe historical muse... Consequently, it is not easy to rhythmically ascribe vast amounts of history as such; well done, this is quite brilliant…! -
This is a good piece. A semi-biographic tale! I did see a film of his life...I think. You did tell a good story here. I know how sad was his life. Full of social agony. Anyways, nice write and I wish you goodluck in this contest!
---"I dont know what to say. Do read my mind." VIRGOAN--- -
I think this does read like a story, but the subtle rhyme and flow also work as a poem! I am really enjoying reading what I call story poems, especially those that take inspiration from a picture or a historical account.
Good job with this write! My only critique would be in line 4:
And became grossly disfigured by the age of five
I'm wondering if you mean to write "And he became grossly disfigured by the age of five". Or was it the tumors that became grossly disfigured? Just a thought!
Overall, a very well-written piece! Thank you for sharing your writing, and thank you for your kind comments on my poetry! I always return the favor! -
Your work and information is commendable. The Tribute to such great and admirable struggles such as John Merrick is written with grace and a humbling quality, that our society, most certainly needs to be reminded of. You've made wonderfully fresh word choices and the structure is commendable as well.
Good Reading and learning... well done!
Best Regards, Liz -
Great story. It was very descriptive and very enjoyable. Pretty nice rhyme scheme, but I'm sure you could do better.
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AMAZING
Goosebumps formed across my skin as I read the last two lines. I touched me somewhere deep inside and I will never forget it. -
well,humans have been mistreating humans for a long time,haven't we.this was very well written and it was interesting and educational in contents.i don't know what you can do to get it to read less like prose because rhyming may not have worked either.i would leave it like it is because it does work in this format.
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great
nice work. interesting poem there! -
I'm really interested in Joseph Merrick. People were so cruel to him, and that was wrong. You did a good job on writing this about him. Nice work.
Always and Forever,
~Kendal -
hey this is just wonderful i really am interested in this piece! i like it!
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