Jigsaw Puzzles & The Hobbit

Saturday, September 18, 2021

Sept. 18, 2021

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|Smiley face| _glitz, ladle, hermit, throat, all-time high.
Image(s) from the Internet.

The opening poem contains all the words (or variations of them) from today's Jumble.
Comments are welcomed! And couching them in Poetry is definitely NOT required.
Do not explicitly reveal any of the actual answer words until after closing time, but embedding them surreptitiously in comment sentences is encouraged.

9 comments:

  1. Reverie

    Andy lived a life of glamor and glitz,
    Of hustle and bustle, of living by his wits.
    He sometimes thought about a conversion
    To a new lifestyle, a contemplative version.

    He could become a monk, to live in poverty.
    Devote half his day unto praying somberly.
    The other half in service, in the kitchen,
    Ladling soup to the poor, as a way to fit in.

    Or maybe a hermit, out in wilderness remote.
    In constant meditation, no words in his throat.
    But ratings were at an all-time high on the list,
    He was too successful -- as a televangelist!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting (to me) that when I saw the cartoon, no clues were up, no blanks indicating word arrangement of the solution - but it leapt right out at me, it was so obvious.

    Then, next time I looked, there was Owen's poem, and it confirmed that I'd guessed right!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Two blank verse lines, leaving out an element commonly found on this page...

    "As Rhymes Go By..."
    The old hermit took thought to glitz up his cave, then to add
    to its lure by hot-ladling out wassail to all our parched throats.
    ~ OMK
    ____________
    PS.
    To be sounded aloud as ALL anapests, except for one iamb at "to glitz."
    Pause at the comma.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This one's a bit of a mutt.

    "Puppy Love"

    Henry was a bit of a hermit
    who was not really into glitz.
    He had trouble with his pet permit
    which stressed him and gave him fits.

    He was lucky to have a sweet pup
    who slept in a comfortable cradle
    and Henry would feed him dog-food
    out of a cup with a ladle.

    Last Fall Henry got a sore throat
    after taking a ride on a boat.
    So, while wrapped up in his coat
    his sweet dog did on him dote.

    That kindness made Henry happy
    to be his little dog's pappy.
    It almost made him cry
    and brought his love to an all-time high.

    ReplyDelete
  5. A nice surprise, Misty! I hadn't expected to see you back until tomorrow.
    And a number of surprises in your stanzas, too.
    The first two quatrains run ABAB CDCD, alternating expertly. Then come four lines with the same tag (E), followed by a fourth stanza of your more familiar rhyming couplets, FFGG.

    Just why the scheme jumps about isn't clear. It's not exactly "free verse," as the trimeter rhythm holds steady throughout--except for four beats in the very last line. Happily, this gives a feeling of conclusion--a punctuated finale--to the whole.

    It's a sweet theme, "Puppy Love," one that always appeals to this sentimental reader. Nothing much happens to a hermit, Henry, who seems to have a problem keeping his paper work (rabies certificate, registration?) straight. The major event is his boating sore throat, a calamity that evokes the canine affection of the title.
    And also provides the piece's gentle arc.

    Enough mansplaining for one day.
    Sweet.
    ~ OMK

    ReplyDelete
  6. I thought the solution readily apparent as well, Sandy.
    I liked the cartoon, though I couldn't see any "scaffolding" at first. Then I saw that the street seller's dialogue obscures most of that portion of the picture.
    Way back in the early '60s, when I was in my first student year in England, I liked hearing the sound of Big Ben every night on my portable radio. The BBC played the famous chimes "live" throughout the country at midnight.
    It is hard to express how "unifying" that felt--an entire country in the same time zone, everybody hearing their same old clock.
    ~ OMK

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a generous and kind response, Ol' Man Keith--as always. My son got up a little later than I did this morning, so that gave me time to do the Jumble and even to produce the verse. But I did it so quickly I hardly noticed my rhyme scheme so it was wonderful to get you analysis! Thank you, thank you, for that gift!

    Your own verse, as always amazed me: there they were, solution in the title and all four Jumble words worked into your tight, terse, great verse. How kind of your hermit to ladle out hot drinks for us all--verse drinks, greatly appreciated!

    ReplyDelete
  8. And, Owen, how wonderful that your Andy has such spiritual depth behind his kindness which prompted him to distributed soup to the poor. I hope he stays a monk and continues his good work, so cherished by everyone (including his readers!).

    ReplyDelete

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