A PARODY OF "THE RAVEN" BY E. A. POE ENTITLED "THE PIPER" BY S. S. POWELL On a noontime bright and cheery, as I studied hard and clearly Over several famous magazines of "gals" As I studied almost drooling, I heard a distant "yu-hooing" A far off distinct cooing, cooing towards my beach-front towel Tourists I envisioned, "yu-hooing" towards my beach-front towel "Not Again!" was my scowl Easily I recall, the warmness of that Indian Fall The foam from each spent wave cast upon the beach's brow Content inside this scope---I studied for a way to coax From these magazines an epoch of hope - hope for my boat "THE POWL" So sleek and majestic a yacht as she, which I would name "THE POWL" That that name,that hope, is embroidered upon my towel And the breeze and spray of each wave upon my cheek Excite me -- delight me with such passion I could howl Now is Now, my racing pulse, it is that you are facing Tourists approaching my beach-front towel "Lost, picture-taking tourist approaching my beach-front towel: Not again." was my secret scowl My impatience hated their crudeness, and I relying on rudeness "Listen You!" called I, "I don't know where you get ceramic owls! I was studying when you began cooing And so loudly you were yu-hooing, yu-hooing at my beach-front towel That how could I ignore you!" - as I turned around upon my towel -No one there, an empty scowl Long I looked around the shore, I was alone when I was not before! And the yearning of my hopes made my pulse begin to howl As I gazed into the mists of ocean, the shadow of a ship I notioned My dreams, my hopes, my love could not be unmotioned, as I uttered the words "THE POWL!" Self-induced anticipation brought back the mist's reiteration, "THE POWL!" "Simply hallucination?" I scowled Upon my towel I was shaking, were my dreams within the making? Once more came the cooing, cooing even closer to my towel I know, thought I, I know this is not imagination I will seek this riddle, this charade to uncowl Quite my racing passions this charade I must uncowl It is fact, and not a liar's scowl I scanned the skies, then the shore with my anxious eyes Up strut a pompous piper as if some deity revived Without a pause nor turn of head she strolled upon my towel And stopped and stood upon the letters embroidered on my beach-front towel This bird of Kali, this sign of things to be So sleek and majestically---she posed in time perpetual "I know you're here to find her," said I, "and you could not hide her Oh beautiful and lordly piper, upon my humble towel Give the name that you are called from Tib's Eve's very bowel" Proclaimed the piper, "Eventual" As I gazed upon the piper, my anticipations grew riper When I saw about her neck, a rare and ancient amulet; Reason seized my thinking as I began to have an inkling That some zoo or man of breeding, had lost this stately fowl And this master had placed upon her neck that golden jewel Which would hold the name and number of the man who had lost the wonder Of the bird named, "Eventual" Yet the piper stood so boldly, on those letters I held holy As if that one word she spoke coldly was in itself an avowal My dreams, my love began renewal, as reasoning lost a duel She stood there quite contently, then she stared at me intensely My dreams she was knowing, as if put out for showing upon my beach-front towel The bird said, "Eventual" Encouraged by what was spoken, I looked for a simple token That this piper was not here for feeding, or simply just repeating A set of endearing vowels which she has spoken upon my towel That she learned with great pursual at her master's words continual This word, "Event - Eventual" My reasoning now failing, my dreams began their sailing I slid upon my towel even closer to the speaker of the vowels And I began to ponder of this piper of such wonder Had she come from the great Yonder, this sign of things to be What meant this magic bird of Kali, with ancient amulet and golden jewel What meant she, "Eventual" As my passions inside grew hotter and my brow began to sweat I saw the sun grow brighter inside the ancient amulet And through the mists I heard the break of a ship upon the wake "Tell me! Tell me! Oh great and magnificent fowl! Tell me you are here to bestow "THE POWL" You are here to fill the wishes of that luxury "THE POWL"" Proclaimed the piper, "Eventual" "God!" said I, "by all that's holy don't lead me into folly She's all I ever dream of, she's all I ever scheme of If ever I was worthy to sail her for eternity! Will I sail that ocean maiden, whom I would name "THE POWL"? Is she woven in my destiny, the sleek majestic "THE POWL"? Proclaimed the piper,"Eventual" And from the ancient amulet, from inside the golden jewel A beam of light it did emit, and the piper use it like a tool And carved the air about the mists into a yacht, as sleek as it was bliss Then the piper beckoned me to raise up from my beach-front towel And she lifted me upon the beam and set me upon the prow Proclaimed the piper, "Eventual" And now we sail in time relentless, the piper and I and all our senses Upon the mast my embroidered towel, as we sail the future from the past And although the piper changed her vowels to the sound of something knaven I will always believe that within my heart that hope is worth the saving Proclaimed the piper,"Aren't you glad I'm not a raven!" A Brief Critical Discussion Stop! Stop! My ethics are bleeding, from the words that are proceeding I feel like a plagiarist, which I truly believe is a crime And I only submit this, because I'm simply out of time But when we finally meet beyond The Styx, we will share a glass of gin And I'll beg poor Edgar to forgive me, as he kicks me in the shin What's done is done and being done is submitted line for line I should of taken his advice, and begin where it all ends But being in the mode of parody I began where it begins And having begun I thought the end would follow, well it did but it was hollow And being hollow would not suffice, to please the man who had spent his life Designing words that begin at the end and last into tomorrow. ByS.S.Powell 97/05/14
As Always - your comments and feed back are welcome. My thoughts to your thoughts. May the Palintar leave them undistorted. May I see you as you see me. Contact the AUTHOR
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