THE CLICHÉ-HOUNDS
Heard afar
a hoarse hullabaloo of harriers
tongue-lolling, straining at the leash,
eager for the chase:
the cliché-hounds gather.
Allow me, if you please,
a modest morsel of cliché
I am replete
from an esoteric gourmet feast
of exquisite exotic verbiage
served on precious platters of cunning design
and intricate verbal decoration.
Allow me, if you please,
a common slice of bread.
Permit me, if you please,
a little piece of commonplace.
I am lost
among the peerless lofty peaks
of high pretentious imagery
fearful above the deep dark metaphoric chasms
and the treacherous sloughs of similes
Permit me, if you please,
to tread familiar ways.
Sanction, if you please,
a well-known phrase or two
I am confused
by untranslatable utterances
and outré flights of wordy fancy
reversed, imploded, combined and recombined
meaning obscured and ever out of reach.
Sanction, if you please,
some plain and simple words.
Let me, if you please,
communicate direct
I am trapped
In the convoluted, involuted
multi-clausal maze of mangled structures,
obfuscation and dilettante punctuation
and inaccurate spelling to boot.
Let me, if you please,
make common cause with common men.
Heard closer
the hollow sounds of hunting hounds,
jaws a-drool, eyes wild in the search.
In the ultimate literary critical thrill
The cliché-hounds close in for the kill.
Author notes
People whose sole critical 'skill' seems to lie in hunting cliches annoy me - particularly when they do not acknowledge that they are merely giving a personal opinion.
A contest entry
- Another Great Whine Out by pattyann4500.
1700 points, ended June 5, 2008, 14 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
-
This is too funny! I have posted a poem title "The Play's the Thing" that deals with this very subject! I agree with everything you said, and you have said it in a most enjoyable way. Congratulations on the Silver!
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Oh, do I ever agree with this one. I once wrote a cliche'-filled piece that got rave reviews because of the content. One man complained about the cliches but gave me three applauds and said how great the poem was. I thought how hipocritical he was, but I only reminded him of the applauds.
I do love this! Not only did you whine very well, but you also made me laugh with the wonderful way you played with the cliches. Thank you so much for this excellent piece. Patricia
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