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The Shambles

by Joella 

Posted: 06 November 2009
Word Count: 243
Summary: This is the second poem in the Happy Bottom series. I would very much appreciate your comments. Thank you!


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THE SHAMBLES

Major Payne lived in a caravan
his Bottom not looking too happy 
His mood was more and more glum
and temper a little bit snappy.

The problem? - He had a chicken coop
but no comfy abode to call home
So on the day that the rain came in
he decided to pick up the phone.

The builders Allcock and Bull
were never short of a story
Though some, may well be true
none had them covered in glory.

The workers proved a lazy pair
nothing was plainer to see
So the Major kept them on task
and rarely offered them tea.

 Major Payne was a frugal man
who kept a close eye on his lolly
Painfully reminded every day
of the trauma he’d suffered with Wally.

The dye was cast, the chips were down
but anxiety soon diminished
When after some nine months or so
the pair appeared to have  finished. 

Not every row of bricks was plumb
nor every window straight
But the roof was beautifully thatched
and garden boasted a gate.

With the electrics in and plumbing done
the Major was able to bath
And moggy, Fireside, just arrived
curled up in front of the hearth.

So finally, yes finally,
The Major’s dream had come true
And everything about his home
was, brand spanking new.

Flowers were planted, lawns were laid
and past nightmares forgotten
For in all of Dimple, no-one had
a  more blooming and beautiful Bottom! 






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Comments by other Members



SarahT at 15:59 on 07 November 2009  Report this post
Hi Joella,

I think you took the last visit to Happy Bottom away before I got round to looking at it so I thought I'd get in on this one quickly!

Generally, I thought this was another bouncy installment, and I sense you are more confident about your rhythms as I couldn't really spot any huge problems with them. I did find myself wondering whether verse five should be verse three, as it relates to the thoughts the Major has before employing the builders.

Also, I wondered about whether it was wise to refer to 'the trauma he’d suffered with Wally'? I think that the poem really needs to stand alone, or else you will lose the reader who doesn't already know who Wally is. Of course, you could add a stanza in to explain this to get round this problem.

There were some lovely humorous touches, in particular, I liked.

and rarely offered them tea.

And
Not every row of bricks was plumb
nor every window straight
But the roof was beautifully thatched
and garden boasted a gate.

I was a teensy bit disappointed when, at the end, the Major was able to relax in his bath. I kept expecting something to fall down around his ears!

Just spotted a typo - 'dye was cast' should be the other sort of 'die'.

Sarah



Joella at 16:25 on 07 November 2009  Report this post
Thank you Sarah, for taking the time to read and comment. I take your point about poems standing alone, but Happy Bottom relies upon the interaction of characters and plots. If you like, the book, 'Major Payne in Happy Bottom', is an illustrated story with each poem representing a chapter. Hope you enjoy future installments and many thanks, once again, Joella.

NicciF at 18:21 on 07 November 2009  Report this post
Hi Joella

Have printed this out to read over a glass or two of wine. It's the weekend so I can indulge.

Will add my comments tomorrow. Nothing glaring jumps out at the moment, just need to read it on paper as the screen is hurting my eyes and the moment. Seeing double already and I've not taken a sip!

Nicci


NicciF at 09:03 on 11 November 2009  Report this post
Hi Joella

I finally found the print out of your poem and my notes. Sorry for the delay - I need a new filing system. Actually I need a filing system.

Anyway here are my not so wise words of wisdom. All very minor points.

1st stanza - 4th line. The "and" jarred a little. His temper would feel smoother, however, it then means a repetition of "his" at the beginning of lines 3 and 4. How about something like:

"His mood was more and more glum;
Temper just a bit snappy."

Not sure about the punctuation needed after "glum".

2nd stanza - I don't think the use of "abode" fits well here. I know that you're wanting to use these poems to increase children's vocab, however, in this instance, I wonder if "place" might fit better.

3rd stanza - the punctionation in line 3 needs to be looked at again. I think you need to move the comma to after "true" (end of 3rd line)

6th stanza - Is there a rouge extra space between "have finished" in the last line?

8th stanza - I think you need a comma after "just arrived" (end of line 3)

9th stanza - rouge comma in line 4.

10th stanza - I think this would flow better with the insertion of "were" in line 2 - "and past nightmares were forgotten". Also I think there might be another rouge space in line 4 "a more".

On a general note I think the Major might have more of a reaction to some of the shoddy work. You've up the builder's possible inadequacies in the 3rd stanza and then the Major just accepts it all in the 7th stanza. Also due to his lack of reaction it doesn't quite meet up to our expectations of the title. This could be easily rectified with another stanza somewhere around the 7th "Not every row of bricks was plumb".

As I said - little nits. The poem fits well into the rest of the book and carries on some of the themes from other pieces very well. Can't wait to see some of the illustrations.

Nicci

Joella at 21:27 on 11 November 2009  Report this post
Hi NIcci and thanks for such a detailed crit! I've printed it off so that I can look at it in detail. I think I need to amend this and add more humour, as several comments suggest. Regards, Joella.

NicciF at 09:05 on 12 November 2009  Report this post
Hi Joella

Glad it all helps. This is so close and only a little extra work is required. It already fits well into the rest of Happy Bottom and is enjoyable to read.

Nicci

FelixBenson at 11:47 on 19 November 2009  Report this post
Hi Joella

Late to this - but I enjoyed the next instalment and was glad to hear the Major finally got a comfy place to stay again! I loved the verse about the cat -Fireside - great name! - and yet another great image in my mind for the illustrations that will go with this.

I am not one of the people here who know a lot about the technicalities of rhythm - but reading this several times I found two places where I faltered for want of an extra syllable or word.
Here, in the third line:
The workers proved a lazy pair
nothing was plainer to see
So the Major kept them on task
and rarely offered them tea.


I wanted it to say 'on the job' or 'hard at work' instead of 'on task' because I had to modify the way I read it to make it work, if you know what I mean.

And in the first line here:

So finally, yes finally,
The Major’s dream had come true
And everything about his home
was, brand spanking new.


Somehow it seemed slightly short. ?

I am sure it is just my way of reading, so just ignore me if you don't feel the same way.

My favourite passages where I LOVED the effortless rhythm and rhyme were:

Not every row of bricks was plumb
nor every window straight
But the roof was beautifully thatched
and garden boasted a gate.


and

With the electrics in and plumbing done
the Major was able to bath
And moggy, Fireside, just arrived
curled up in front of the hearth.


Perfect! These just roll off the tongue and are so much fun.

Thanks for the read!


Kirsty


Joella at 20:15 on 19 November 2009  Report this post
Thank you Kirsty. I appreciate you taking the time to read and detail your comments. I agree the penultimate verse is a bit short, so I'll have a think about that. Considering a rewrite to make it funnier - more of a shambles! Will be posting next installment soon. Regards, Heather.


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