Sherlock Holmes: 60 for 60

Welcome once again to my poetry page!

I hope each week you will read Dr. Watson’s delightful narrative and then go on to write a poem related to it in some way. All forms of poetry are permitted, and further down the page there is a selection you might like to consider using over the coming weeks.

Unfortunately there is no contribution from my housemaid Rachel this week. She has been very busy lately with her Women In Service Poetry Group, and I believe today she is holding a meeting titled ‘Brainstorming Your Ballad’. I am sure you will join me in wishing her well with that, and we will hopefully see her next time.

Instead, here is a new poetry form to try. I understand some distress was caused by my most recent choices of form and so this time I thought we should attempt something a little more flexible: free verse.

Shadow Poetry gives this definition:


Free Verse is an irregular form of poetry in which the content is free of traditional rules of versification, (freedom from fixed meter or rhyme).

In moving from line to line, the poet's main consideration is where to insert line breaks. Some ways of doing this include breaking the line where there is a natural pause, or at a point of suspense for the reader.



Here is my example poem:


Run free, little verse
Through 221B!
Over chemicals, a violin, a consulting detective…
Over moustachioed doctor, medical supplies (a bottle of brandy)...
Over curtains, over mantel, over…
(Great heavens)
An enormous pile of papers left in the middle of the floor.
You jump!
And trip!
And fall.
Yes, sadly, little verse—this is where the line
Breaks.



But you do not have to use this form, if you do not wish to. Any form of poetry is welcome this week—and every week! Here are a few suggestions for you:

221B verselet, abecedarian poetry, acrostic poetry, alexandrine, ballad, beeswing, blackout poetry, blues stanza, bref double, Burns stanza, call and response, chastushka, cinquain, circular poetry, clerihew, colour poems, concrete poetry, Cornish verse, curtal sonnet, diamante, doggerel, double dactyl, ekphrasis, elegiac couplet, elegiac stanza, elfje, englyn, epigram, epitaph, epulaeryu, Etheree, fable, Fib, florette, found poetry, free verse, ghazal, haiku, In Memoriam stanza, Italian sonnet, jueju, kennings poem, lanturne, limerick, lyric poetry, mathnawī, micropoetry, mini-monoverse, musette, palindrome poetry, pantoum, Parallelismus Membrorum, poem cycle, quintilla, renga, riddle, rime couée, Schüttelreim, sedoka, septet, sestina, sonnet, tanka, tercet, terza rima, tongue twister poetry, triangular triplet, triolet, Tyburn, villanelle



Please leave all your poems inspired by The Boscombe Valley Mystery in the comments on this post. I look forward to seeing them!


Warm regards,

Mrs. Hudson

This Sunday, 30th October, we'll be posting our 60 word ficlets for The Boscombe Valley Mystery.

With his wife's blessing, Watson abandons his practice to accompany Holmes on a trip to Herefordshire. But this is no mere holiday, of course. Mr. Charles McCarthy has been found dead and his son is suspected of his murder. Can Holmes discover if the young man is indeed the guilty party?

If you haven't tried 60 for 60 before, full information - including our schedule - can be found on our profile. But in essence: you read ACD's story and then you write a 60 word story inspired by it! You don't have to post a story every week - just join in whenever you feel like it.

Each Sunday we will also have our weekly discussion post, where we discuss a topic inspired by the canon story. And there’s Mrs. Hudson's Poetry Page too - any poems written about this week’s story can be left as a comment on her post. Her housemaid and contributor Rachel is unfortunately not available this week, but instead there will be a new poetry form to try: free verse.

You can choose one activity, or have a go at everything. Or just come along and read the 60s! (And have a chat in the comments.) All options are absolutely fine.

Hope to see you on Sunday. But don’t worry if you can’t join us then - we stay open for posting and commenting all week!

Canon Story: The Boscombe Valley Mystery
Title: The Cloth Vanishes
Author: scfrankles
Rating: G
Warnings: Truly terrible pun
Author's Notes: “...the incident of the vanishing cloth.”


Holmes’ new client owned a gentlemen’s outfitters.

“Our stocktaking showed that twenty rolls of fabric are missing,” he said. “You must find the thief!”

Holmes investigated and reported back. “I have considered the evidence…” He smirked. “You’ve been placing your orders for the rolls incorrectly.”

“Damn!” said the proprietor.

Holmes tutted. “Such language. And from a man of the cloth.”

This week we’re having a look at The Boscombe Valley Mystery. I’ve typed up a few thoughts to get the discussion going—please leave your own ideas in the comments!

( Discussion continues... )

This Sunday, 1st March, we'll be posting our 60 word ficlets for The Boscombe Valley Mystery.

A telegram arrives for Watson, and soon he's abandoning his practice once again in order to assist Holmes on a case. Is young James McCarthy truly his father's murderer..?

If you haven't tried 60 for 60 before, full information - including our schedule - can be found on our profile. But in essence: you read ACD's story and then you write a 60 word story inspired by it! You don't have to post a story every week - just join in whenever you feel like it.

Each Sunday we will also have our weekly discussion post and Mrs. Hudson's Poetry Page. Any poems inspired by this week’s story can be left as a comment on her post.

You can choose one activity, or have a go at everything. Or just come along and read the 60s! (And have a chat in the comments ^^) All options are absolutely fine.

Hope to see you on Sunday ^^