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Wonderland: Prologue

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Originally published: 23rd October 2020

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

This poem was placed 1st = in Brian Strand's "COMPLETELY YOUR CHOICE" (31) Poetry Contest and

Chosen as Poetry Soup's POEM OF THE DAY (24th October 2020)

With my thanks and apologies to Lewis Carroll and Geoffrey Chaucer.

The west winds of springtime Brought forth April showers That rained on the pavements Of Southwick for hours. It was standing room only And full to the brim As people sought shelter At the old Tabard Inn. A man with a top hat Sat staring in space. There was illness and sadness Etched deep in his face. A man with a fob watch Was seen swapping gold For a bottle of whisky Before facing the cold. A woman sighed deeply Then laughed with a guest While sipping tap water And winning at chess. There was no chef so no food Since that dark violent day When the innkeeper watched him Being stretchered away. So the sailor (being followed) Missed having his tea, And drunk five pints of real ale Before leaving for sea. Note: Southwick is pronounced "Suth-ick" Each of the characters mentioned in the poem above have back stories all of their own under the 'Wonderland' umbrella series of poems. WONDERLAND Wonderland Prologue Wonderland I: The Hatter's Tale Wonderland II: The Watchmaker's Tale Wonderland III: The Hairdresser's Tale Wonderland IV: The Chef's Tale Wonderland V: The Sailor's Tale Wonderland VI: The Preacher's Tale Wonderland: Conclusion

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Elaine George

Date: 12/4/2020 3:34:00 AM

A great story you have woven here, Gary. I enjoyed it very much. ~ Elaine

Gary Radice
Date: 12/4/2020 9:31:00 AM

Thank you Elaine for stopping by, reading and leaving your comments. It's very much appreciated. Cheers - Gary

Franci Hoffman

Date: 11/25/2020 7:32:00 AM

I read the Prologue and all the poems that followed. Brilliant rhyming and enjoyable wit. Stellar work, my friend.

Gary Radice
Date: 11/25/2020 8:18:00 AM

Thanks so much Franci. Your comments mean a lot. I was actually planning a conclusion too at one point but may just leave things as they are. Cheers - Gary

Marilene Evans

Date: 11/24/2020 11:20:00 AM

Great poems, I read them all. Humor and wit, way to go.

Gary Radice
Date: 11/24/2020 11:49:00 AM

Hi Marilene. I appreciate your comments and having the will and energy to read all six parts. Thank you. Cheers - Gary

Darlene De Beaulieu

Date: 11/23/2020 10:21:00 AM

Hello Gary Radice, so the sailor went to sea drunk. I feel for the sailor , he will have a hang over in the moronig. Enjoy your day my friend.

Darlene De Beaulieu
Date: 11/24/2020 11:52:00 AM

Hello Gary you are welcome my friend. enjoy your day my friend.

Gary Radice
Date: 11/23/2020 11:02:00 AM

Hi Darlene - Thank you for your comments. Cheers - Gary

Old buck

Date: 11/23/2020 8:17:00 AM

Gary: I read the Prologue first, then read the 5 backups. What a wonderful set of work. Ran me through a complete set of emotions. I'm nearly overwhelmed and I don't get that way easily. Thank you so much for sharing these works with all of us on the soup. Well done. oldbuck

Gary Radice
Date: 11/23/2020 9:27:00 AM

Thanks so much for the wonderful comments Old buck and thank you for having the desire and stamina to read all 'the boxset' :) Cheers - Gary

Aju Mukhopadhyay

Date: 11/23/2020 2:08:00 AM

Thanks for your narrative rhymed poem. There is a feel of adventure.

Gary Radice
Date: 11/23/2020 2:23:00 AM

My pleasure Aju and thank you for your visit and comments. Cheers - Gary

Camp Cab

Date: 11/20/2020 3:18:00 PM

Nice poem. It was nicely written.

Gary Radice
Date: 11/20/2020 11:36:00 PM

Thanks so much for your visit and comments Camp Cab. Much appreciated! Cheers - Gary

L MILTON HANKINS

Date: 11/20/2020 11:48:00 AM

Enjoyed this adventurous introduction to your series. Good job; interesting!

Gary Radice
Date: 11/20/2020 12:06:00 PM

Thank you L Milton Hankins! (Wow! Your name just shouts out "Poet") Cheers - Gary

Regina McIntosh

Date: 10/30/2020 8:22:00 AM

Love this. It's a wonderful write.. so creative and original. Much love... God bless you

Gary Radice
Date: 10/30/2020 9:50:00 AM

Thanks so much again Regina for your support and encouragement. Cheers - Gary

Kim Rodrigues

Date: 10/29/2020 12:36:00 PM

Nicely done! Congratulations, Gary, on POTD!

Gary Radice
Date: 10/29/2020 12:58:00 PM

Thank you Kim! It's the first time any of my poems have been awarded a POTD so it's a nice feeling :) Cheers - Gary

Arturo Michael

Date: 10/28/2020 6:55:00 AM

Nice...Congratulations Gary Radice on POTD...Well done

Gary Radice
Date: 10/28/2020 8:35:00 AM

Hi Arturo! Thank you for your comments. I'm happy that the poem has been so well received. Cheers - Gary

John Watt

Date: 10/26/2020 12:32:00 AM

Gary, congrats on the POTD honors for your poetic and ambitious creation. A pleasure to read! ~ John

Gary Radice
Date: 10/26/2020 1:10:00 AM

Thank you John! I'm really glad you enjoyed the read and appreciate your comments. Cheers - Gary

Sam Kauffman

Date: 10/25/2020 8:40:00 PM

What a creative piece, Gary - creative series! Enjoyed the story well told, flowing rhyme. Congratulations on your POTD.

Gary Radice
Date: 10/26/2020 1:06:00 AM

Hi Sam! I'm grateful for your valued comments over the series of poems. I'm really happy how it all turned out. Cheers - Gary

Brandy Nicole

Date: 10/25/2020 4:40:00 PM

I am following these moments carefully, as every word wraps gently around the next. This is filled with so many emotions. "West winds of springtime brought forth April showers" I like this thought. Congratulations Gary, on Poem of the Day. ~ Brandy

Gary Radice
Date: 10/26/2020 12:53:00 AM

Thank you Brandy for your comments. The opening lines of The Canterbury Tales' General Prologue has the narrator describing the 'gentle' coming of Spring with its showers so I put my own spin on it..and made it a storm.. the words just flowed like the rain from there. :)

Mark Koplin

Date: 10/25/2020 3:23:00 PM

That was very enjoyable to read. Well Done on this incredible poem!! Congratulations on honor of POTD!

Gary Radice
Date: 10/26/2020 12:41:00 AM

Hi Mark! Thank you for reading and for your comments. Much appreciated. Cheers - Gary

Tania Kitchin

Date: 10/25/2020 1:57:00 PM

Gary, congratulations on POTD, I enjoyed this and will be reading your other Wonderland poems!

Gary Radice
Date: 10/25/2020 2:14:00 PM

Hi Tania! Thanks for the congratulations. I'm as surprised as I am proud. I hope you enjoy the other poems in the series. Cheers - Gary

Victor Buhagiar

Date: 10/25/2020 1:23:00 PM

Looks like Chaucer has a competitor. Congratulations for your POTD. Must read your stories. ~~

Gary Radice
Date: 10/25/2020 2:13:00 PM

Hello Victor and thank you so much for your compliment and comments. It's all very much appreciated. Cheers - Gary

JAN ALLISON

Date: 10/25/2020 1:18:00 PM

you are a wonderful story teller in this excellent rhyme Gary, many congrats on a very well deserved POTD, so nice to see another different name getting the award:-)hugs jan xx

JAN ALLISON
Date: 10/25/2020 5:11:00 PM

yes comments and reads are like hen's teeth at the moment, contest wins and getting POTD or POTW do tend to garner more attention to a poem before it disappears off the radar.

Gary Radice
Date: 10/25/2020 2:10:00 PM

Hi Jan! Thanks for your comments. I have to be honest and say that one year in to PS I'm still a little ignorant when it comes to POTD but I need to pay more attention to it - I think I've had more comments today about this one poem I've written than I've had over a month for the rest of my poems :) Cheers - Gary

Paula Goldsmith

Date: 10/25/2020 11:12:00 AM

Congratulations on your POTD win. What a cute write/story. I really enjoyed it. Enjoy your win..................

Gary Radice
Date: 10/25/2020 12:02:00 PM

Hi Paula. I'm not sure how Poetry Soup determine which poem gets POTD but, hey, I'm not arguing. :) I'm glad you enjoyed the read. Thank you. Cheers - Gary

Sunlite Wanter

Date: 10/25/2020 8:18:00 AM

So much fun to read! I think you should compose a book of these. Congratulations!

Gary Radice
Date: 10/25/2020 9:19:00 AM

Hi Sunlite! Thanks for dropping by and reading - I really appreciate it. Thank you for the lovely compliment regarding a book too. I'm 100% sure, that in my case anyway, publishing on Poetry Soup is a more sure fire way of having people come across my work than me paying to self publish. I can dream though and like I say, I really appreciate your comments. :) Cheers - Gary

Belle Bellevue

Date: 10/25/2020 8:01:00 AM

Fantastic storytelling through poetry, interesting and rhythmical to read. Congratulations on poem of the day. Belle

Gary Radice
Date: 10/25/2020 9:21:00 AM

Hi Belle! Thank you for your lovely comments. I love my poems to tell a story so I'm really happy you enjoyed reading it. Cheers - Gary

Constance La France

Date: 10/25/2020 7:29:00 AM

Gary, congratulations on your POTD with this part of the series, wonderful _Constance

Gary Radice
Date: 10/25/2020 9:24:00 AM

Thank you Constance - I'm unsure the poem stands as a piece in itself because - as you say - it's part of a series but I was really happy to find that it was POTD. I truly appreciate your comments. Cheers - Gary

Linda Alice Fowler

Date: 10/25/2020 6:23:00 AM

Vivid characters Gary. I quite enjoyed this poem. :) Congratulations on POTD! Linda

Gary Radice
Date: 10/25/2020 9:25:00 AM

Hi Linda! Thank you for taking time out to read the whole series and leave your comments. It means a lot. Thank you. Cheers - Gary

Tom Cunningham

Date: 10/25/2020 1:21:00 AM

You took us to bustling inn full of colourful characters Gary, enjoyed your verse. Congratulations on POTD, enjoy the honour. Tom

Gary Radice
Date: 10/25/2020 1:42:00 AM

Tom, thanks so much for your comments and alerting me to the fact that this is POTD. I had no idea. It certainly is an honour and I will enjoy it. :) Cheers - Gary

Carol Louise Moon

Date: 10/24/2020 11:17:00 AM

Gary, this is brilliant. Congratulations on your win of this well-crafted, rhymed masterpiece. a fav+ for me.

Gary Radice
Date: 10/24/2020 11:58:00 AM

Wow! Carol - Thank you. There was a point putting all these parts together that I was debating whether to scrap the whole thing. I'm so glad I didn't. Comments such as yours and Regina's below are testament to that. Thank you :) Gary