The Last Abecedarian
"Betrayed. Forgotten. Abandoned." – Viktor Reznov
Alone
because my
companions have
deserted me.
Everywhere, I
find that the
gold rush
has subsided.
Is it that I am
just another tool,
knowingly discarded for
less mentally taxing forms?
My moment has gone.
No challenge calls for me anymore.
Only the echoes of glorious
past remain.
Quite the fate:
relegated to the dust.
So I reside until
time sees fit for my return.
Until I break away from my sisters.
Villanelle, senryu, acrostic, epistolary, tautogram, limerick:
we all make up the
xylophone of forgotten bars
yearning to escape from the
zoo of Vocal obscurity.
About the Creator
Stephen A. Roddewig
Author of A Bloody Business and the Dick Winchester series. Proud member of the Horror Writers Association 🐦⬛
Also a reprint mercenary. And humorist. And road warrior. And Felix Salten devotee.
And a narcissist:
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2014
Author's Note: I wrote this poem at the end of 2014 after reflecting on how the Vietnam War era that I was learning about in a college history class seemed so much more eventful. Then I realized that the past year had just as much tumult; we just don't have the luxury of reading a neat summary of events in a history book. "2014" is an attempt to capture some of the key moments of that year and to offer some perspective on how we tend to tune out bad news in the age of social media.
By Stephen A. Roddewig4 years ago in Poets
Comments (8)
Stephen, this was a beautiful entry to that challenge not only am I so upset it didn't place but also that I missed it!! I love that it reads with a certain level of melancholy but also has a sprinkling of your zany sense of humour!! Great work my friend and thank you for sharing this with me!!!
Oh how true this is, “the zoo of Vocal obscurity.” You established a wonderful metaphor with your x line to deliver the z line. The “bars” and “zoo” create such a visceral emotional place to end on, makes me feel the poem isn’t just about the poetic form. Dude, also, the flow you achieved here is awesome. I probably wouldn't have noticed it was abecedarian if you hadn’t named it as such.
What a gem! The gold rush line was really catching. I did enjoy the abcedarian form more than I thought I would, cool to see it personified in this piece
Nicely done, Stephen.
Great job… I really like the Abecedarian poems!
'Xylophone of forgotten bars'🤣 Keep hope alive, my friend! Until then, I will thoroughly miss the Abecedarian...
Love it!
Damn well done!