The Ravin'

Inspied by Jack's Poe assignment, it began it's life as a review, but it so tickled me I knew it had to be a poem in its own write...I hope you agree!

THE RAVIN'

April 2, 2013

Once upon a keyboard bleary
While I read work dull and dreary
And strove to forget the stanzas that fogged my mind and made ears roar
Suddenly, I came to Jack's page
Emulator of a finer age
And thought of earlier, sorrier scribbles not again, nay, Nevermore!

As though they were a mist, they vanished
(Would I could have sooner banished
Them from my memory, with their grammatic gaffes galore!)
And I read then with much gladness
Poetry which assuaged my sadness!
Longing then for longer days in which this scribe to read the more...
But Alas!, am limited yet to these lonely twenty-four!

(July 11, 2014)

Nervously my neck knew nodding,

As their pap, so puerile, plodding

Lay its formless, pointless paws athwart my heart and slammed its door.

The sickness that suffused their stanzas,

As graceful as a hippo's dances,

Sophisticated as Tony Danza's have left my cerebellum sore!

And urged my poetry processor its arms to ope, Nay!, Nevermore!

Yet as it seems they'll no more ope,

As their ability to cope

With that proliferation of mediocrity that they abhor,

Then, once again, with but a click,

My screen and soul cease to be sick;

I wade once more through meadows thick with fragrances and hues galore!

And pluck again bouquets of phrases I would read, Yes, Evermore!

Jack's Iambs, Trochees and his Dactyls

Engage the page like flowing fractals;

His tear-duct titillating verses caress my heart, yes, by the score!

(September 15, 2014)

As more sophisticated stylings surface,

Then once again, proved to be worthless

Are those the word "poetry" besmirches, whose "work" in diaries belong. not more!

I'll sing his praise, Yea, Evermore!

But for now I must contain my blather;

In generalities I'll speak rather

And unto my soul I'll gather those profound few whom I adore.

We'll strive to start a trend, a groundswell

Encourage those who choose their nouns well

And their verbs, from whom the tones knell more rarely, but yet never bore

For whom the work's a challenge, but not a burden sore!

And yearn bad poetry to endure, No!, not a single stanza more!

Then shall I, from my bust of Pallas

Desist from my beratings callous

And retire to my home in Dallas to read and think of fair Lenore!

For though I am but lowly Raven

My pal, Ed Poe, thought me not craven

His peace he sought in manner brave, 'n often write his fingers sore...

But Edgar sleeps now, Ever more!

Author's Note

The stuffed raven and the bust of Poe were imaged by me, during a recent visit to the home of E.A. Poe, in Baltimore, Maryland, where, though he was not born, lived, wrote the vast majority of his better-known work and died under appropriately mysterious circumstances. My thanks to Lisa and the remainder of that home's excellent staff for their enlightenment and co-operation.

Reviews

[emmajoy]

Laughed and wondered at your amazing ability to combine great meter with .. errrr .. umm.. unusual methods! As ever you show how and why or why not, use phrases that belong in the best book of quotes et al.

' (Would I could have sooner banished ~ Them from my memory, with their grammatic gaffes galore!) ' You always have made me think or giggle.. thank you for doing both at the same time, Mark.

[Allen Smuckler]

You are amazing...
what a way around words you have, young fella
even when only an empty warehouse exists...
you find a way and a message to tell...
EAP couldn't hold a candle to you...
Great write Mark...really.
allen

[Mark]

Good hearing from you again Mister---It's been a awhile, and I rather thought I'd lost you! Thank you for your kind comments. Please excuse my slowness with Read Requests as well as miscellaneous reading. Devoting full-time to the job-quest yet again, and have no 'puter at the house, so available hours are limited by Library policy! What's the latest on the book?

[Jack...]

Very cool Mark. This came to me as a review which you mention and my thoughts at that time were, others need to read this too. Very cool.