So I decided to write a series of poems based loosely on 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'. I realise that some of them might be obscure, so here are a few notes.
1) Eric Partridge (who had a particular interest in forces' slang) and HW Fowler were two of the greatest experts on the English language ever. I took a bit of a liberty by talking of a fowler's use of 'jesses', because a fowler actually catches birds in a net, and doesn't train them like a falconer. If only he had been HW Falconer...
2) A true story, sort of - actually it was a few days before the sales, in Debenhams in Stockport that I sat at a table next to this young woman with her child, and saw the transformation from harassed to joy-filled as her husband arrived.
3) I don't think this works - too prolix. I may revisit it.
4) I don't like this either. Too glib.
5) I'm looking forward to being at the centre Court at Wimbledon for the Men's Doubles and Ladies' singles finals.
6) I wrote this after watching a TV programme - EarthFlight - about snow geese.
7) Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Cyd Charisse, Gene Kelly, John Travolta, Billy Eliot, Darcey Bussell. A haiku seems a suitable form to evoke a swan.
8) Thomas Hardy's The Withered Arm begins with a group of milkers in an eighty-cow dairy. The description of Rhoda Brook is a far cry from the cliche of a buxom healthy young milkmaid.
9) A brave attempt, I like to think. I like the idea of the ladies dancing being flowers, but I don't think this type of visual, miniaturist descriptive poem is my strong point.
10) Pretty feeble. Needs revision.
11) A true story. Rosie and I, planning to go to church one Sunday, and then have a good two hours climbing up Ben Nevis before lunch. Unfortunately we had no idea about Scottish churches, and didn't escape till about 1 pm, and only got half way up Ben Nevis that day.
12) needs work, but I quite like some of these alliterative drummers. Make sure you read number 5 with the exact rhythm of the beginning of Mars from The Planets.
I have enjoyed popping in to read these (almost) every day, nice mix of styles and moods. I think I agree with most of your own assessments, although I did like 9 ladies. Not sure why you numbered the drummers though?
ReplyDeletePersonal favourites were 11 pipers and 2 doves.
I numbered the drummers because when I originally wrote it without numbers, the first few lines sounded as if they were telling a story - a boy in a classroom drumming his fingers while the rain beat on the roof and a sad ceremony took place outside. The numbering was really just to emphasise that these were twelve unrelated drummers.
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