Poetry collection

[corncobman]

Pg 37

Teams For Hire Agency, No Desire Or Temptation, See

Their profit use plans,
Taru has one with Trond.
With expedition demands,
Creating an agency in response.

They'll be able to hire
People right off the bat!
Their publicity inspired
People interested in that.

They all get priority,
They'll pay well to boot.
In it no desire, for she'd
Rather go home with her loot.

[corncobman]

Pg 38

A Place There'll Be, Roaming Freely

"And you, Mikkel?"
The question is posed.
Well, a new job he will
Need now, he disclosed.

Sigrun suggests, why
Doesn't he go with her?
In her town, most best, he
Could be mail-man or butcher.

Food taster positions in
Her town can be garnered?
There would, if requisitioned,
Be at least one for the farmer.

Well, in any case, there'll
Be a role if they need them.
They can go to any place?
Emil and Lalli can free roam...

[corncobman]

Pg 39

To That There Summit, It's Reynir, Dammit!

See you if we see you, bye kids,
Go wherever you want.
A mountain Emil will summit,
It seems très intéressant.

Lalli with half a mind to stay,
Or to go with him up the mont.
"Go with your friend" he says,
The owl is acting nonchalant.

Onni trudges away,
A single figure morose.
Will the older mage be okay?
He and Lalli don't seem that close.

Surprise! Hi, Onni! Hey!
It's the herder of goats.
Still long is the day,
He can't get rid of his host.

[Nellie McEnt]

Sonnet For Reynir
Adventure II, page 40

Dear Reynir, you've returned from far away,
And we, your friends, have waited anxiously.
Now we here want to hear what you've to say,
Of your adventures when you went to sea.

O Reynir, I have waited most of all,
For you have always brought joy to my eyes.
And now I see you, now your name I call,
And greet you with excited lovestruck cries.

O boy with hair so long and flaming red,
Your green eyes rival ferns on forest floors.
Such courage and such spunk! I'd like to wed
You, and to follow you to foreign shores.

My darling Reynir, tell me all your tales,
And may I come with you on all your trails.

[corncobman]

Pg 40

Did He Cry A Lot? Asks The Annoying Tot

They have time to talk,
Don't they, finally?
Onni starts to balk,
But interrupted is he.

Reynir's pals, wide-eyed,
Call him, excited and alert.
Is it true he got lost and cried?
Asks the annoying little squirt.

He didn't get lost, like
He knew vaguely where to go.
To the neighbourhood tyke,
He firmly responds with a "No."

[Nellie McEnt]

A Sonnet In The Shade
Adventure II, Page 41

Now I have sent that rude young boy away,
“Where was I?” I will ask you with a grin.
So many stories, I’ve so much to say,
So many great adventures there have been.

We stand here in the verdant summer glade,
Hands clasped, you listen, eyes intent on me.
And I remember a far darker shade,
But still I smile, that is all you’ll see.

I just want to impress, I think, but no
I also want to hide the pain—forget!
Some stories that I wanted so to know
I will not speak to your bright eyes just yet.

Some day, perhaps, in some glade not so green
I will recall the horrors I have seen.

[corncobman]

Page 41

Upset, Infuriated, Get Out Of Here, Matey!

On a boat he got hired...
Any trolls did he kill?
Of the twerp he is tired,
Conversation gone downhill.

He did banish a ghost,
Kinda, be that as it may.
Lame, his mom could do those,
Get out of here! Go away!

Now the urchin's sent packing,
He can tell tales of delight.
But Onni the shadows tracking,
He slinks away, out of sight.

[Nellie McEnt]

Sonnet to a Golden Lock
Adventure II, Page 42

O lock of hair that doth bedeck my crown,
Now severed are you from your noble kin.
A woolly beast looked over, frowning down
Upon you, and it took you--what a sin!

O golden strands, as gleaming as the rest,
Your shining presence sorely I shall miss.
Of all my locks of hair, thou were the best,
And kept my self esteem in surest bliss.

That fluffy monster and its fluffy friends
(Or fiends, perhaps, would be a better word)
Hath caused my noblest hairs to meet their ends--
And mark my works, revengeance* shall be heard.

My mournful cries, like birds, scream 'round the hills;
My heart is heavy with these grievous ills.

*Headcanon as to the state of Emil's vocabulary...

[Nellie McEnt]

Sonnet for the View and the Rain
Adventure II, Page 43

It was worth it! Gaze upon this view!
I cast my arms wide open, filled with glee
That I stand on this mountaintop with you,
And, breathing deep, look far as I can see.

The em'rald hills, the river, and the town
All spread below us in a sweeping scene.
I look up at the sky and then gaze down
At all the shades that wash Earth blue and green.

I say, dear Lalli, I could weep for bliss,
But seems the fickle sky shares my delight.
The rain pours down, with splashing and a hiss,
To drench us as the clouds waltz with the light.

Was it worth it, braving sheep and slope?
Either way, we'll simply have to cope.

(Edit: Yeah, so, only now, three or four days later, do I realize that the so-called "iambic pentameter" of the first line and the last two is actually not iambic pentameter at all. I have no idea why I didn't notice that. Sorry  )

[corncobman]

Pg 42

Sheep Chewing, Keep Pursuing

The Swede grunts and strains,
From his rustic endeavour.
One has visible pain,
The other calm as ever.

For the top he can't wait,
Lying tired on the grass.
But his hair starts to be ate,
Even tearing off, what brass!

After losing a clump,
He cries: "GO AWAY, YOU BEAST!"
Now getting the grumps,
His fancy hair is no feast!

Emil ever more angersome,
They come to observe it.
Where do they keep coming from?
This idea was not worth it.

--------------------------------------

Pg 43

Suddenly Sour, Impromptu Shower

"It was worth it!", he said,
When they reach the summit.
But upon both their heads,
Then a downpour doth plummet.

Out a fair bit away, they're
Far from shelter or shade.
At the two the sheep stare,
Like two lost lambs a-strayed.

A cosy place elsewhere,
A cat sitting content.
Perched on some Danish hair,
The unflappable gent.

----------------------------------

My Hair Ain't Hay (based on So Far Away by Dire Straits)

Here I am a-hiking this mean old hill
And my blonde hair ain't hay, you beast
And there were ewe, have you had your fill?
My blonde hair ain't hay, you beast

My hair ain't hay, you beast
My hair is gone from me
My hair ain't hay, you beast
Oh, my hair ain't hay, you beast, alright (Oh my ha-air)

I'm tired of being in spots and accident prone
When my blonde hair ain't hay, you beast
I'm tired of taking shots from teeth and bone
'Cause my blonde hair ain't hay, you beast

My hair ain't hay, you beast
My hair is gone from me
My hair ain't hay, you beast
Oh, my hair ain't hay, you beast, alright (Oh my ha-air)

And I get so tired, when exercise is my bane
When my blonde hair ain't hay, you beast
See, we've been in the sun and it begun to rain
And my blonde hair ain't hay, you beast

My hair ain't hay, you beast
My hair is gone from me
My hair ain't hay, you beast
My hair ain't hay, you beast

You get out
Hair ain't hay, you beast
My hair ain't hay, you beast

Ow, my ha-air
Oh, my hair ain't hay, you beast
Yeah, my hair ain't hay, you beast
My hair ain't hay, you beast

Ow, my ha-air
And my hair ain't hay, you beast
My hair ain't hay, you beast

Ow, my ha-air
My hair ain't hay, you beast
My hair ain't hay, you beast
My hair ain't hay, you beast
My hair ain't hay, you beast

Ow, my ha-air
Yeah, ewe, my hair ain't hay, you beast
My hair ain't hay, you beast
Alright

Ow, my ha-air
Ow, my ha-air
My hair just ain't hay, you beast

[corncobman]

Pg 44

Sounded Fatter, Pointless Chatter

For supper they're late,
A hand on him gripped.
Looking like he can't wait,
The owl is equipped.

Mikkel is the one they made
To talk to him on the radio.
He sounded he weighed
More than he now shows.

What does Onni want?
His business uncertain.
Getting to the point,
He needs a favour done.

[Nellie McEnt]

Sonnet for a Favor
Adventure II, Page 44

I stride with stealthy purpose through the streets
And, slung over my shoulder, hold a pack.
I see the silhouette of that strong Dane
And go to speak with him, though tact I lack.

Just as he turns to enter in the door,
I clasp him by the shoulder and he turns.
I'm leaving, I can't stay here anymore;
But I need help, although to ask it burns.

I try to make small talk, but think I fail;
He doesn't seem to much appreciate
My manners. Under glow of streetlights pale,
I ask for help to quietly escape.

The rain has stopped, but I feel weighted down,
I need a favor, I say with a frown.

[Nellie McEnt]

Sonnet for Lalli
Adventure II, Page 45

There's nothing back at home for him, I know,
So, leaving him behind, I'll set him free.
It's by myself to Saimaa I must go;
He'll get my note too late to follow me.

I tell myself I will not mind the nights
When it is dark and cold, and they're not there.
My sister and my cousin were like lights
Which, passing in the night, now disappear.

Don't let him lose that Swede, his only friend,
For he, at least, must never be alone.
I will not stand for him to slowly wend
His way though empty streets filled with the moans

Of hollow winds. And so I turn away
From this small town, where I could never stay.

[Nellie McEnt]

Sonnet for the Banishment of It
Adventure II, Page 45
(In response to Jude Wilkins' suggestion that I could "wither It" with a sonnet. I wish. I really do.)

Get thee away, you enigmatic thing.
Don't haunt their footsteps, hear my cold refrain.
Where you go, fear and sorrow's all you bring,
And I won't let them face that, not again.

Get thee away, you shadow-shrouded creep,
You'll touch not Lalli nor his cousin now.
I am their vengeance; vengeance never sleeps,
Step off the stage, and take your final bow.

Get thee away, you creature of the night,
I tell you one more time, now, disappear.
There still is hope here, still they have some light
And you will not extinguish it with fear.

Though I wield only words, watch them take hold,
Get thee away, grim thing so cruel and old.

[corncobman]

Pg 45

Don't Want Him To Follow, Give Tomorrow

Is Mikkel decently
Dependable? It depends.
Onni'll return presently,
So this letter do send.

He is going back to Saimaa,
Doesn't want Lalli in tow.
There's nowt for him there, ya
Give it to him tomorrow.

He says "And another thing..."
Emil's the first friend he's had.
Make sure that they keep sticking
Together when they leave Iceland.

So the letter he gives,
This task Mikkel can complete.
"Thanks, goodbye." Onni bids,
Walking out through the streets.