Well, yesterday it was Shakespeares birthday, and therefore I thought I’d write this week’s entry in blank-verse. It’s 14 lines iambic pentameter like a sonnet, but no rhymes. My first effort made it exactly 100 words so I never touched it 🙂
Friday Fictioneers is a wonderful group of bloggers from around the world who every week gather to write a story of 100 words (more or less). If you want to know more, go to Rochelle Wissoff-Fields page and check it out. If you only want to check out the great stories click the little blue guy at the bottom.
Copyright Claire Fuller
She knew the secrets of the library
except the one he hid from prying eyes
The letters that she needed for the court
The evidence of treachery from him
Behind the shelf that kept his favourite books
she found the secret, that she knew he hid.
Some envelopes he’d tied with paper string.
With trembling hands she took the first and read
Expecting proof of infidelity,
the writing caught her with a nice surprise
she found the planning that he’d made for them
to celebrate their anniversary
and giggling putting letters back again
she made a call to her solicitor.
—
April 24, 2013
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Bravo loved the verse Bjorn
a sweet story of love that still has some surprises (tho trust seems lacking)
I agree with the lack of trust. Happy belated birthday to the Bard and good job on the poem, Bjorn. I wrote one, too, this week but I had to do a bit of editing to get it to 100 words,
Pure luck I had to admit. Usually a sonnet gets slightly above, so I tried using long words as much as I could, and when I ran the word check…. Voilá 100 words.
I’ve had the same thing happen with a prose piece and you’re right, it’s pure luck. But good luck!! 🙂
Thank you. I enjoy writing iambs.
This is sweet. However, writing is a more demanding mistress than any wife ever was.
Oh yes, I know. My wife doesn’t even read my poetry.
Oh, awful! My guy sulks when I am up late writing.
My wife doesn’t read any of my stories unless one of her friends makes a comment about it, then she may. She’s just not a reader.
I love the library scene…
Thank you 🙂
Excellent 100… liked the tie in to one of the guys with ‘most books in any library’… I’m going to steal this iambic p ideal (since you don’t have to rhyme) sometime. Clever lovely story, btw…
Writing iambic without rhymes is actually quite fun. I have written a few more poetic pieces to, but instead of rhymes I have used refrains and alliterations. Variations within the 14 line pentameter is actually very large.
What a great tribute to the master of verse. I love all things Shakespeare!
Thank you, mainly using blank verse is my tribute. Blank verse is probably the most used form of poetry in the English language.
Nice ode to Shakespeare!
Thank you 🙂
Well done, Bjorn, neat twist at the end.
Thank you 🙂
Very, very nice. I really liked this.
Thank you 🙂
I liked the structure of this very much. Sadly it resonated with me a bit to much. Sad, I know. Faith and trust and pixie dust. Nicely done.
I’m sorry to hear.. unfortunately it’s way too common, though the feelings are always unique,
wonderful tribute and that story had me smiling at the end ^^
Thank you … Love iambs
phew, glad she found it before papers were drawn up 🙂
So am I too…
Glad for a happy ending!
yes.. I’m not that used to happy ending… but every once in a while.
great iambic pentameter. Smooth – and a great tale.
Thank you 🙂
Touche. The Bard would be proud. I had to write a sonnet for a prompt this month. I think I made Willie roll over…
Nice ending.
Sonnets are more difficult. Rhymes complicates matters…
Indeed.
Lovely! I do think they’ve got some communication issues though. I’m impressed with this ambitious attempt.
For some reason iambic rhythm come easy to me. And blank verse is such a nice way to write “prose”
Good story. Libraries are always great for hiding things in…
Claire
I noticed we had the same idea 🙂
Dear Björn,
Well done. Bravo! Mr. Shakespeare would be pleased.
shalom,
Rochelle
Thank you .. I don’t know why. But I rarely count syllables any longer writing pentameter… but I find it makes it very readable,
And the moral is – don’t jump to conclusions. Lucky that she found out he wasn’t cheating. Let’s hope she’s a good enough liar herself to be able to act surprised when he tells her what he’s been planning!
I hope so too… I imagine he had acted strange to cause suspicion,
I’m glad this ended happily. Trust is everything…I hope she can finally trust him now.
I think she should be glad she never found his other stash…
Great! Bjorn, you made a nice romantic story. Very cool.
🙂
Romantic indeed 🙂 great job.
Thank you 🙂
Hey, a happy ending! Lovely, Bjorn!
Thank you 🙂 every once in a while I need to write a happy end.
Scorn not the sonnet, especially this one. Nice use of the prompt.
Thank you.. no sonnets can very nice.
This was a different attempt. And her solicitor won’t be too happy
indeed… but maybe the solicitor is happy for her anyway,
Good one.
Thank you 🙂
An ending unexpected, but an ending well received – nice job Björn!
Thank you… never underestimate a happy end.
I love the way you set this up and then turned it around. It’s left me smiling.
Thank you.. smiles are good.
I’m not familiar with this poetry form, but I like it. Loved the twist at the end too.
blank verse is what Will wrote all his plays in.. same as the sonnets but without rhymes. Milton used it in Paradise lost also I think
Very well done–and on the first try, no less. Good to read a happy ending to what could have been a sad tale.
happy ends are good for a change
Nice, full story, so compressed, yet entire.Scott
Mine: http://kindredspirit23.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/friday-fictioneers-4262013-genre-fiction-rated-g/
thank you 🙂
What a sweet surprise. And here she was thinking the worst of him. Tisk, tisk.
Me to at first. But it changed while I wrote.
Loved it – especially as it was a nice surprise!
I have so much stuffed on my bookshelves I probably wouldn’t notice if anything was hidden!
libraries are great places to hide thing in. Sometimes you even forget where you put it yourself.
What a creative way to do it. I love that ending; it’s nice to have a happy twist to stories.
Thank you. I view blank verse almost as prose. Once you get up to speed it just flows.
The only unhappy ending is for the solicitor, who won’t be able to bill her so highly! Very impressed with your ability to write in verse and make sense at the same time. Well done.
The great thing about blankverse is that it’s really prose.. No rhymes, just meter 🙂
I think you must like attention to detail in getting the meter right and the length of the lines. I don’t think I would have the patience for that very often.
A sweet, romantic ode to Shakespeare….with a happy ending. I bet he’s pleased and smiling. Nice work.
yes… next time I will write a dialogue in blank verse I think…
Love the poem, Bjorn. oh she of little faith. that’s not Shakespearean, so to honor the occasion I will leave a link to Shakespearean insults. http://www.shakespeare-online.com/quotes/shakespeareinsults.html
I would have liked the story but for some reason my like button is not loading. Please consider yourself “liked”!
Thank you… I guess betrayal exist also in Shakespeare…
That’s nice, a happy ending, but I agree with the other comments, there’s some trust and communication issues here!
There is.. And just maybe there is a second stash of letters somewhere.
Very neat job, Bjorn!
Thank you Sandra
Oh, well done. This is lovely and clever. It seems, however, that there is a serious lack of communication between the two love birds. Very Shakespearean! I do hope they each poison themselves in the end.
That would be an interesting conclusion…
🙂