Mike Dailey Poet Heroic Couplet

Public Warrant

Joplin Missouri, May 22, 2011

It came out of the western sky they say
In darkest dark before the morning day
The wind, then rain, then calm, then came the storm
The trees, the cars, the house all in deform
For Joplin and the people of this town
This storm has left them all on shaky ground
For looters who go searching they attest
The court will issue warrants of arrest
The debris field is guarded by the cops
The searching goes on till the death toll stops
A babe was pulled right from a lady’s arms
A house was spared it leveled all their barns
The people huddled in their cellar rooms
For some it just became their final tombs
Then came the light the storm was finally past
And rescuers could get to work at last
They set to work to search out every pile
Of cars and trees all heaped along each mile
The hospital had taken quite a hit
The doctors all still worked in spite of it
They set up tents to treat the injured folks
For broken bones on up to major strokes
The paper said the storm registered four
The paper said the deaths could rise some more
The TV said that most the town was gone
The people of the town would carry on

8th place finish in contest.


The assignment - "Poetry Assignment# Form: ((15 set or more )) Heroic_Couplets 
Poetry ~~ Category: Natural Disaster, business, passion, and art ~ Title: * Public 
Warrant *"
If I understand the form; it refers to poems constructed from a sequence of rhyming 
pairs of iambic pentameter lines and iambic pentameter lines are lines with 10 
syllables with each grouping of two syllables having stress on only one of the 
syllables. I am not sure if I got this exactly as assigned.  It was hard to do and took 
some time to come up with what I entered.  Do I have enough lines or should there 
be more?  I am probably too late as I did not find the assignement soon enough 
and had a bit of chemo side effects  to contend with along the way.

♡Like0

Share Poem

---

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Jack Horne July 13, 2011 at 2:27 PM Many congrats on all your recent wins, Mike : )

Carolyn Devonshire July 12, 2011 at 11:21 AM Wow! This is awesome, Mike. I could see the tornado, its devastation and the affect on Joplin so well in your poem. You sure had a tough form assignment with the heroic couplets (I've never tried this form) and your poem is among the best entries I've read for this contest, hands down! Congratulations on your win in PD's contest! Love, Carolyn

Linda-Marie Sweetheart July 12, 2011 at 5:09 AM congrats mike on your spectacular win with this dazzling assignment .. u met the challenge well and now enjoy your great big win luv..

Carol Sunshine Brown July 12, 2011 at 5:08 AM Congratulations Mikwe on your win in the "Assignment" contest of P.D. Love, Carol

Dr.Ram Mehta July 12, 2011 at 4:12 AM My congratulations on this win in the contest of p.d., mike

Poet Destroyer A July 12, 2011 at 12:53 AM awesome,..Mike,..,Congratulations on a poem well done! Thank you for supporting my contest~ I sure enjoyed every entry,..p.d.

Don Johnson July 4, 2011 at 3:58 PM Tragedie abounds there n here, nature doesn't hold us dear, is the planet heating up, watch out for his sip n suck. great poem mate, Don

Elizabeth Wesley June 25, 2011 at 3:16 PM Well written description on the frightening wiles of nature.

Carol Sunshine Brown June 19, 2011 at 5:38 AM Inspiration has filled the pages of poetry over this weekend here at PoetrySoup. I am happy to have been able to read your poetry here today Mike. Have a wonderful Sunday I will be back soon to read more. Love, Carol