Shelly’s Tale

Hi there,

I had another idea for a poem and I decided to go back to that Irish verse style called Ae Freislighe (ay fresh-lee) that I did a while ago.

As I explained in that post, Ae Freislighe are highly regimented and have a complex arrangement of syllables and rhymes. It has stanzas of four lines each. The first and third lines of each stanza end with a rhyme at the end of a three-syllable word. Lines two and four end with a rhyme on a two-syllable word. The first and last sounds of each stanza should be the same. I also kept the rhyme scheme the same all the way through the poem using the sound -tion and -y.

Shelly’s always been one of my favourites so it was only a matter of time before I did a longer poem for her character. It’s a real challenge to find words that fit with the scheme and I hope you enjoy the result.

Shelly, heaven’s creation

This poet doth right agree

Beauty carved by magician

So luminescent is she

But junior prom rejection

Made her with Leo cosy

A brief, ill-thought flirtation

Because he seemed so hunky

Thus, a misplaced emotion

With one so cruel and angry

Wrought in her mind affliction

And caused her thence to marry

Shelly was but a flunky

Housework, daily oblation

And given the third degree

Fearful to raise objection

Daily life brought dejection

But with Norma, oh! Carefree

Fleeing her home’s damnation

To make pot pies with turkey

Oft she purveyed nutrition

And served up cups of coffee

To benefit hydration

Though in truth ‘twas quite pricey

One night, lacking protection

Her plight became more scary

Victim of an abduction

And hung up somewhere smoky

From her desperate position

Satanic mill so fiery

Catherine brought her salvation

And an outcome more happy

At last she felt elation

With handsome true love, Bobby

Her dreams come to fruition

In a much more joyful journey

by Richard Austin

Thanks for reading. Check out my other Twin Peaks poetry here:

Life’s Intersection – a poem

A Ditty for Donna

The Story of BOB – a sonnet

Palindrome for Dark Woods – a poem

The Battle of the Bob Bubble – a poem

Cinquains for Lucy, Audrey, Candie and others

The Lodge Palindrome – a poem

Two Coopers – Two Sonnets

A Sonnet for Laura Palmer

Also, subscribe to #whatthehaiku on YouTube to see more of my video poetry.

Cheers,

Richard