Adventures in Literature

a 20 line contest entry

Adventures in Literature
By: J. A. Stevens


I wish I lived in middle earth,
With wizards and hobbits and elves.
Just give me a sword and a quest to fulfill,
Like the heroes in the books on my shelves.

I wish I had a dragon to slay,
A hideous fire-breathing beast.
Or a princess to save from an odious fiend,
Or a tall ship to sail nor’ by nor’ east.

I wish I had a battle to fight,
With archers and pikemen and knights.
Or be a sultan with a harem of shapely young maids,
In a garden of earthly delights.

I wish I had a magical lamp,
Or a walnut that would turn things to gold.
Or live in a castle with portcullis and moat,
In a kingdom a thousand years old.

I wish I had a windmill to tilt,
Or a brave army of champions to lead.
But alas modern life affords nothing like this,
So I curl up with a good book and read.

(20 lines)

© Copyright 2012 J.A. Stevens

Reviews

[Wendy Seames Garner]

Rereading this. Ah, but you do have all those things, just pick up a book, and be transported!

[Barbara Walker]

I enjoyed reading this, very much. Great syntax, flow and rhythm. A fun read!

[emmajoy]

'
I wish I had a battle to fight, ~ With archers and pikemen and knights. ~ Or be a sultan with a harem of shapely young maids,~ In a garden of earthly delights.' That stanza made me laugh aloud - would be most men's dream! Apart from the great metre running through your poem and the fine use of words, you're so right about being anything or going anywhere when you have a book to hand.. and i do mean one of those items with covers and paper in between!

[not here]

Hi J. Thanks for sharing.
I liked reading this poem. Seemed very easy to follow (rhythmically), a winner of a theme, and I admire the subject. Funnily enough I wrote a poem just two days ago about the very same thing. (I haven't shared it at WC yet).

[John]

Your delightful poem says that we can go anywhere and be anyone simply by picking up a book.

[Ufi Auttorri ~ UfoAutho..]

It left me smiling... that genuine smile of satisfaction. Thank you! :)

[Elwyntreasa]

I loved this from the very first line forward. It's fun and has a great rhythm. To me, this is exactly what fictional literature is.

[Heather Maria]

This poem is very witty and fun! I don't know much about the technique of writing poetry, but I liked your poem.

[Dean Kuch®]

Hah, love the ironic twist at the end! This was such a fun poem to read. It made me harken back to those days of my youth, when the world was a much larger and more adventurous place that it is for me today. Still, I love to be engulphed by a good book and be whisked away to a magical place...even now.
Fantastic write!

[MOON]

What beautiful rhythm, a delight to read.