A poet groaned and said to self,
“I have but naught to write.
I need a Muse or lively elf,
perhaps an airy sprite.”
He laid aside his pen and walked
to think of things to say.
With folks he met he stopped and talked,
and so he passed the day.
Returning to his home fatigued,
he found the lamps all lit.
By this, of course, he was intrigued,
and scared, a little bit.
He peeked through windows and his doors
then entered softly in.
With quiet steps he crossed his floors
to peer into his den.
Across his desk, on every chair
in script which seemed his own
were pages he’d not written there,
in every genre known.
From epigrams to epics spanned
the lines which someone wrote.
The themes of some were fine and grand
with some of lighter note.
He gathered all the pages up
and stacked them in a pile.
He brewed his tea and poured a cup
then sat to read awhile.
Intent on reading just a few
he sat there through the night.
That he then slept he never knew
‘til roused by morning light.
A knocking brought him to his door
where neighbors stood around.
He puzzled at the looks they wore,
each one a worried frown.
“What is it then?” he asked of them
with just a bit of dread.
They peered with some chagrin at him,
but one piped up and said,
“We hoped you were alright in there.
Your lights have been ablaze
with shadows flitting everywhere
for two long nights and days!
Through sheers across your windows drawn
we saw you in your den
as though entranced from dawn to dawn
behind your scribbling pen!”
The poet rubbed his haggard face
and felt his stubbled jaws.
“I’m fine,” he lied with facile grace,
“For worry, there’s no cause.”
From then to now he can’t recall
the misremembered time.
And yet, he has no doubt at all
it must have been sublime.
Author notes
For Legend http://allpoetry.com/Legend# . The moments spent with his work are indeed sublime.
In a list
A contest entry
- Legendary Poetry ( A New series ) by cricketjeff.
2000 points, ended November 20, 2008, 12 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - In search of new favourites by catstar.
600 points, ended October 13, 114 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
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I loved reading this one... The meter and rhyme are flawless... Also I didn't have a problem with the "of tea he poured humself a cup" But then I had a parochial, middle age feeling from the poem from the start and it blended with the way I was reading it... I just caught words like "script" and "den" and when i read "lamps" I got the image of old oil burning lamps and imagined a stubbley, stooped, pale poet in a droughty shack, scibbling through the night... I guess it could be replaced with "He brewed a pot of tea to sup" or something like that... Anyway... I loved it... Thanks for sharing.
-Grasshopper
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Oh, some while back I revised "Of tea he poured himself a cup" to "He brewed his tea and poured himself a cup".
This poem was written in emulation of and to honor Legend http://allpoetry.com/Legend# .
He is a great poet of diverse themes, all handled with equal grace and acumen.
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This is so very rhyming good.
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this is a fantastic write. I really enjoyed reading this. It was a pleasure to read. your use of rhyme made it more enthrolling and did not feel forced at all. Thank you for entering my contest. Good luck.
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Excellent
Great story in great rhyme. (I like rhyme.)
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I enjoyed reading this, it captures the fleeting moments of inspiration that we experience very well. (Except that I don't seem to experience this - I seem to be able to cook up some verse with any prompt, and have not been at a loss for what to write.)
Not sure if this piece is up for revision any longer, but the rhyme "in/den" (2nd stanza) is imperfect. If I may, I would suggest:
"...then entered in with care,
...
to peer into his lair."
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While the poet lives any of his works is liable to be revised!
Your suggestion for this poem is taken under consideration and may even be implemented some day. However, in my English influenced by a life spent mostly in the American South and West, "in" and "den" ARE perfect rhymes!
Eusebius and cricketjeff are among the more accomplished poets on All Poetry, and they suggest a person should write with his own ear for accent. That is reassuring considering the incredible variation found even among native speakers of English!
I enjoy reading the poetry of native speakers of English from around the world, and also that of poets who have English as their second or third language. Not only is the usage often very different from what I might expect to hear from another American, it is delightful to "hear" the accents in the written words of others. -
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Good point, I always forget to think of how others might hear the lines. It can be impossible to tell whether a rhyme or accent is misplaced, or just sounds different because of accents. How frustrating
On revision, I know that beyond a certain point in time I would not want to make any changes to my old work. I want it to stand as a record of how developed my writing was at that point in time, though I would still want to see what improvements others would suggest. At the moment, this point is somewhere in the last 20 poems I have written.
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This was a really wonderful piece of poetry, the rhyme and beat was quite clever and pleasing, the story amusing and thrilling. And who of us poets has not felt so swept up that even time escapes us?
He gathered all the pages up
and stacked them in a pile.
Of tea he poured himself a cup
then sat to read awhile.
He thought he’d read but just a few
but sat there through the night.
He fell to sleep but never knew
till roused by morning light.
This particular stanza I would suggest revising, simply because you use the word "but" three times, it seems like it would flow better if you replaced one or two of those "but"s with a Yet or a Then or And... or something.
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I think that troublesome stanza is better now. All the "but"s are gone, and the most awkward line is revised to read more smoothly. Thanks!
(Now there is only the proliferation of 5 "he"s to fix!) -
Thanks for your comments. I had not noticed the proliferation of 'buts' until you mentioned this. I can think of several ways to revise the lines with conjunctions other than 'but'.
I've also never been comfortable with the line: "Of tea he poured himself a cup." I think I missed all the 'buts' because the phrasing of this line is such an irritation!
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I love rhyme done well and with class and oh this is done well and with well class =)
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Every so often one reads a poem which is utterly memorable, this is one of those poems, everything is incredibly good, rhythm flow imagry, and so completely intriguing
Bravo my poet froiend, and thanks for brightening my day
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Thank you! Each of us has a few poems we feel are about as good as we can do, and this is one of mine. It is especially gratifying to have others receive it so well. The poem was written for a contest honoring Legend http://allpoetry.com/Legend and it is inspired by some of his more whimsical poetry. He writes with humor, but also with intensity and sincerity on many themes, and his work is quite compelling. You cannot go wrong in losing some time with Legend!
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only a little bit scared! - got more bottle than I have!
Wow, this layout of 8 line stanzas with interchanging rhyme reminds me of Rakerman1 and that is a very good thing
The flow and rhyme are absolutely flawless. I love the title, this really is a gem. Good stuff, it deserves more than just an Honourable Mention
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There are some poems one reads , and thinks Wow now why didn't i write something like this?
Anyone reading this must think that (myself included) Everything is done to perfection melody, Rhyme, flow.and story.Who would not love this piece. That you did it for a contest about myself is indeed an honour I thank you so much Excellent
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Wow ! !
This is a brilliant write. Your rhyme and flow are flawless. Indeed a very enjoyable read
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The very essence of Legendism!!!
I loved this, we loved this, and we hope Legend will too, great entry and thanks for doing it for one of our favourite poets.
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Thank you for this wonderful tribute to an amazing man on AP who we have all come to admire.You have captured the essence of the man well and we know he will enjoy reading this.
Sue and Jeff
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A great poetic reflection
... with imagery galore and an ear for meter. Add to that a good sense for fiction and you have created a most endearing poem for the Legend. I can see him smiling now! Very nice! jy
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Well, there is Legend's own whimsical poetry of huffy pens and critters in the fridge, the Brothers Grimm's shoemaker and elves, and the Twilight Zone's fantastical twists of time and space for inspiration. About all I had to do was find some elementary rhymes to string together a few lines from thoughts already imagined by others, but this was about as much fun as I have had with writing in a while!
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Excellent! What a wonderful piece of writing. The story,the imagery,the intrigue. Thoroughly enjoyed, many thanks for sharing and good luck in the contest...mal
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Oh WOW this is wicked kewl
what a awesome story how he wanders off but hes actually home writing poems. Shweeeeet! The rhythm is perfect and the meter too which made it even more fun to read. A+
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