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.

And here, courtesy of my housemaid Rachel, is this week’s suggested poem to read—a suggestion inspired by the themes and subjects in this week's story. Hopefully you will enjoy the poem, and perhaps it may give you some ideas for a poem of your own or allow you to look at Dr. Watson's story in a new way.



I Dug, Beneath the Cypress Shade

by Thomas Love Peacock


Note from Rachel: I fear that Miss Sutherland's wronged heart will take time to recover from its wounds, even though her vile, false suitor is not worth a moment's regret.



Thank you so much to Rachel. And here is my suggested form to revisit this week: the fable. (The link takes you back to a previous poetry page.)

But you do not have to use that form. 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 A Case of Identity in the comments on this post. I look forward to seeing them!


Warm regards,

Mrs. Hudson

This Sunday, 20th November, we'll be posting our 60 word ficlets for A Case of Identity.

Below 221B Baker Street, a young lady oscillates on the pavement. And "Oscillation upon the pavement always means an affaire de coeur." Can Holmes find Miss Sutherland's missing bridegroom, a Mr. Hosmer Angel..?

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. Mrs. Hudson informs me that the poetry form being revisited this week is the fable. And as always, her housemaid Rachel will be suggesting a poem for us to read, to give us added inspiration.

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: A Case of Identity
Title: The Female Form
Author: scfrankles
Rating: PG
Author's Notes: "As to the letters," he continued, glancing over them, "they are very commonplace. Absolutely no clue in them to Mr. Angel, save that he quotes Balzac once.”


“Women,” said Watson.

“Hmm…?” Holmes put down his book.

“Sometimes I do wonder…” Watson blushed. “...how well you… know women.” He looked away. “Never mind! None of my business!”

Holmes frowned. “Watson, I am not as innocent as you think. I am intimately acquainted with the female body.” He found his page again. “I’ve dissected at least three of them.”



A/N: No man should marry until he has studied anatomy and dissected at least one woman.⸺ Honore de Balzac

This week we’re having a look at A Case of Identity. I’ve typed up a few thoughts to get the discussion going—please leave your own ideas in the comments!

( Discussion continues... )