This week, I wrote a couple of haiku for a BlackBerry PlayBook contest through Twitter (hey, even if reviews aren’t great, I’ll take one for free.):
compact, convenient
communication device
BlackBerry Playbook
Talk, work, play, listen
anywhere and anytime
BlackBerry PlayBook
But I was inspired after listening to an episode of This American Life that included a segment by David Rakoff to revisit some rhymed verse again. (I highly recommend listening to the episode, “Frenemies,” just to hear the author’s delivery of his piece from Half Empty.) This poem (in its current state) was composed in bits and pieces over the last few days — not exactly a poem-a-day, but there was poetry each day.
Arthur’s Gift
The skies were grey and clouds were thick
that fateful day when Mae fell sick
and knew the end was near.
Her face was pale, her body weak
she found it difficult to speak
and harder still to hear.When all her kin were near her side
she wanted to at last confide
the secrets she’d been hiding
The room grew silent as she breathed
and to her youngest son bequeathed
a book and key providing
that to his own death bed he take
all that which caused her heart to ache
and aided her decline.
All eyes looked on as Arthur took
from frail hands the key and book
that seemed to all benign.For seven days she spoke no more
but on the eighth she simply swore,
“‘Tis done, Lord, now I’m yours.”
There’s definitely more to come in this story… stay tuned.