How We Write – Alphabet Murder: One Prompt, Two Results
The Alphabet Murder poem was a challenge to write a poem where each line begins with the next consecutive letter of the alphabet. That’s way harder than it sounds, especially, of course, for the letters Q, X, and Z! In Orion’s, the first stanza was the crime itself and was relatively easy, with multiple words per line. The second stanza, about the aftermath of the murder, trying to use shorter lines, was way more difficult!
When Orion asked Kyros to help edit the Alphabet Murder poems, he couldn’t resist trying his hand at the same challenge, so now there are two sets of poems instead of just the original one. He set his first poem where Orion did, a boathouse, but the second poems go in very different directions. Oddly enough, the poems turned out relatively the same length, too.
See what you think.
ALPHABET MURDER,
BY THE LETTERS
by Orion T. Hunter
As everyone knows,
Benny was no good.
Come morning’s light
Down at the dock,
Even the watchman
Failed to find a
Good reason for
His presence, dead,
In the boatshed
Just beyond mine.
Knowing him well, the
Lawman summoned here
Muttered words, foul and
Nasty under his breath,
Overlooking the steel
Pipe lying nearby.
Quickly, I stumbled,
Rolled it ‘neath a bench.
Still, he saw nothing.
Taking in the scene,
Under-sheriff Uttley,
Very by-the-book,
Wished my alibi.
“Xena-watching, iPhone.”
“You? Xena? After?”
“Zs. Didn’t hear a thing.”
ALPHABET MURDER,
BY THE LETTERS
by Kyros Amphiptere
At first morning’s light,
Breakfast was over,
Casey was missing
Down at the dock,
Everyone was there, though
Few wondered why he was
Gunned down in his prime,
His body floating
In the boatshed.
Justice finally won,
Killed for his crimes.
Ladies sought revenge,
Mothers of daughters
Never forgetting his
Obnoxious exposures.
Pistol found smoking
Quietly by the boat.
Revenge so cold,
Silently plotting,
Taking its time
Until it pounced,
Visiting Hell upon
Wayward Casey.
X-rays of the wound reveal
Yards of broken
Zippers stuffed inside.
AFTERMATH
by Orion T. Hunter
At the
Breaking
Colors of
Dawn, my
Eyes
Find
Guards
Hustling
Into my
Jail cell,
Keying
Locks on
Manacles.
No
One
Pleading
Quietly for
Repentance.
Security
Takes
Up my
Veil.
Will he
X out
Yet another
Zero dead
AFTERMATH
By Kyros Amphiptere
At the
Burial,
Cremation,
Death.
Eyes watery,
Family torn,
Graveside
Hatred,
Innocence lost.
Justice?
Killing?
Loss,
Mourning,
No one thinks
Of his family,
Peace shattered
Quietly forgotten,
Ripped apart,
Shamed
Together.
Ugly
Visions,
Wind gone,
Xiphoid hurting.
Years of denial
Zapped away.