Unwitting fruit of a low-hanging bough,
Took curtain call (permitted height reason
Unveiled ‘twas last act of tall story now).
Marched against Elder; less sapient sapling,
Near folly’s age, now in foliage wreathed:
Absalom absolute power would have, grappling;
Lopped as a sheaf by a sword that‘s unsheathed.
Fallen in battle; gone out on a limb;
Enticed by glory to gory-garbed end;
Locks locking horns on a dilemma grim:
Little fringe benefit in heir’s wild wend.
O that these tresses were distressed by oldness...
Were he more bald he’d not suffered such boldness!
Talk about vain attempts at the throne... Absalom's billowing mane meant he corpsed in a copse!
(See 2Samuel 14v25-26 &18v9-18, The Bible)
Far from being a cautionary tale to myself back in the days when I sported Byronic locks as befitted piratical fancy dress, this poem is a throwback to my fascination with the story of Absalom that grew from a much earlier age. It was a children's picture bible with a beautiful illustration of a woodland much like the one outside my cottage that endeared me to the character. In reading a pictureless bible more recently I noted that he was a popular prince who committed high treason against his elder... the fact that he, like David, was of the root and branch of Jesse cemented the idea to subvert such terms with wooden witticism.
ReplyDeleteOops! Was just reading through old material and accidentally published this one afresh... New material will appear within the week though, promise :0)
ReplyDeleteFound your blog yesterday while searching for haikus.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant haiku about the pigeon by the way...
Brilliant. Amazing. Inspiring.
These words seems minuscule compared to your talents. Love your work.
Wow! Thanks pretty.in.ink! Not sure I'm deserving of such high praise when I haven't gotten round to publishing a poem for over half a year now. Sometimes it happens you start working on more than one epic at once and then before you know it you're dabbling back-and-forth without any consumation beyond private offerings. Would be interested in any appraisals of specific poems you might offer as this site seems to get lots of views for having been so dormant of late but much less feedback? Do you write yourself?
ReplyDeleteI have not read everything, but so far my favorites (in no discernable order)
ReplyDeleteDainty Inferno, Humid Ditty, The Dashing Haberdasher Unrequited, Aphorism, and Haikus.
"They speak in haigh coos!"
I was hooked from that line, as I am a lover of puns.
I really appreciate your work, and love the sense of nostalgia that it brings me. I am curious about you, and wonder if you are actually a time traveler from the 19th century?
I have thoroughly enjoyed writing for as long as I can remember, though I choose to share it with only a select few. I lack the confidence and the ability to handle criticism to share with the masses. So in addition to enjoying your writing, you also hold my praise in putting it into a public forum. Kudos to you!
*high coos
ReplyDeleteI rather dislike when I making a spelling error.
You saw how magnaminous I was about your country's bad 'spell' of weather, so I shouldn't worry about such pedantries! ;)
ReplyDeleteGlad you like Dainty Inferno especially, some recent feedback on that one was more beffudled than I'd hoped for.
Maybe my style is a little anachronistically archaic in some ways... My littlest brother thinks I'd belong better in another century (not that he wants to get shot of me)!
Would love to read some of your work too if you'd care to send any to jamiekkwright@yahoo.co.uk
Will have to blog some more of mine again soonish... Not sure which of the 9 I'm working on simultaneously on-and-off at the moment I'll complete first though?