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FLOCK AROUND THE CROPS

by Joella 

Posted: 28 February 2010
Word Count: 524
Summary: The next instalment of the Happy Bottom saga. Story about a hapless Major who inherits his Uncle Derry Ayres Bottom! It's long. Is it too long? Is there a chapter that you think could be omitted? Your comments would be much appreciated.


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FLOCK AROUND THE CROPS

‘Cockadoodleoo!’

‘Confounded bird,’ the Major said
clumsily  rolling out of bed
Up buzzed a fly - sat on his nose
the Major swiped it with his clothes.

The fly then perched upon his head
the Major warned, ‘You’ll soon be dead!’
He flailed about in vest and pants
the fly amused to watch him ‘dance’.

Bedroom wrecked, the fly buzzed off
and at attempts to splat him, scoffed
The Major cursed the wretched pest
tidied up and then got dressed.

Downstairs, sat on his derriere
by the window, in his favourite chair
whilst enjoying a view across his farm
he suddenly rose, with great alarm!

Grabbing binoculars from the drawer
‘Stone the crows,’ he cursed, ‘It’s war!’
Rooks and crows were stealing seed
that he’d not sown for flocks to feed.

The Major made himself a drink
and standing thoughtful by the sink
that kamikazi fly buzzed up
and dived into his coffee cup.

‘ Gotcha, now!’ the Major cried
It couldn’t swim and would have died
but he flicked it out, ‘Oh darn and drat it!’
The fly buzzed off, so couldn’t splat it.

The day wasn’t going as he planned
so listening to a military band
he then dozed off beside the fire
for all this stress, caused him to tire.

Dreaming - thought he’d get a gun
birds wouldn’t find that so much fun
He said it wasn’t bluff and bluster
for the only good bird was a duster!

BOOM! BANG A BANG... !

Scared by drums - awake - inspired
if music to the field was wired
would that provide the perfect way
to stop fowl antics night and day?

Testing theory, with the volume LOUD
he trust the band would do him proud
While military music tuned the air
back home, he napped, in comfy chair.

The fly buzzed round the Major’s head
remembering clearly what he’d said
and when he next drew breath to snore
he got more than he bargained for!

GULP!

The Major coughed, but all too late
with fly now destined to his fate
the sensation felt was truly awful
not at all a tasty morsel!

Housekeeper, Madam, Marie Duval
came rushing in with news to tell
Crows to his field, she said, were fllocking
and to the music, they were rocking.

They partied on from dawn till dusk
the Major frowned, the Major cussed
He poured a drink, was feeling glum
the fiasco was a pain in the ... neck!

The Major thought, it’s not a hoot
the  noise should give those crows the boot
But they used  ‘twitter’ for this deed
and advertised their seedy greed.

A media circus had begun
‘A work of a genius,’ said The Sun
Flocks jived and dived through sun and rain
now Happy Bottom’s - major pain

With roads to Happy Bottom blocked
time ‘flocking round the crops’, was stopped
So the Major pulled the plug one day
and watched the nightmare fade away. 

But crows and rooks still blight his field
which posed a threat to harvest yields
What could he do? That was the question
but Marie Duval, had a suggestion...









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Comments by other Members



James Graham at 20:20 on 03 March 2010  Report this post
Brilliant stuff again, Joella! There’s even a sub-plot in this one - there was an old Major who swallowed a fly!

I notice your joke with the missing ever-so-slightly-naughty word, and a non-rhyme replacing it, as in glum/ neck. I don’t quite recall, but is there one like this in all the poems? Even if it’s only in some, children love that kind of repetition of a joke.

Some minor suggestions -

sat on his nose

in his favourite chair

but the FLY buzzed OFF, oh DARN and DRAT it!

Testing theory, with the volume LOUD
and trusting the band would do him proud
while military music tuned the air
back home, he napped, in comfy chair.

(I wonder if you might leave out the verse ‘The Major thought...seedy greed’? It seems to slow down the pace of the avian rave.)

‘A WORK of GENius’, SAID The SUN

Another Happy Bottom tale done and dusted!

James.

Joella at 21:43 on 03 March 2010  Report this post
Thanks again for your help, James. I've taken up your suggestions, except the removal of the verse. I like the idea of making reference to 'twitter'.

I have, however, thought of removing:

Dreaming - thought he’d get a gun
birds wouldn’t find that so much fun
He said it wasn’t bluff and bluster
for the only good bird was a duster!

I accept what you say about slowing the poem down... To be honest, I think it is a bit too long. It was a comment I expected. However, it's difficult to see what could be cut.

You've given me the idea of using - 'avian antics' instead of - 'fowl antics'.

I haven't included a 'naughty' word in every poem, but will where I can.

I'm glad you like this poem James. Many thanks, once again!

Kind regards,Joella.




James Graham at 09:38 on 06 March 2010  Report this post
You could leave that verse out - then it would go straight from the Major dozing to boom-bang-a-bang. The other verse I suggested leaving out has a nice idea in it and it would be a pity.

James.

jim60 at 16:07 on 07 March 2010  Report this post
Hi Joella, I must say that I thought this was really great, not being perhaps one for this type of work, but honestly, I enjoyed it and it made me laugh.
Regards,
Jim.



Freebird at 16:40 on 07 March 2010  Report this post
Hi Joella,

just had a thought - if these poems are going to be collected together, do you think it would be worth varying the style to keep the reader's attention and mark out the different poems from each other?
The way you've done it works really well, but I wonder if it might end up a bit 'same'y. Maybe you could alter the rhyming structure,

i,e instead of having an AABB pattern, you could have ABAB or even something more adventurous, like limericks.

Other than that, highly entertaining, as always!

freebird

Joella at 18:44 on 08 March 2010  Report this post
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Jim and Freebird. It really is appreciated. I's so glad you both enjoyed it.

Freebird, you are right of course about altering the rhyming structure. They are not all the same, but I do tend to use AABB or ABAB. I will try to diversify, as they say, but it's not easy when you stumble on an idea and it just flows. Would love to add a few limericks, but I'm pretty hopeless at these. Will have to try harder...

Thanks again. Kind regards, Joella.

V`yonne at 11:41 on 15 March 2010  Report this post
I found it funny. I don't usually go in for narative poems but I thought it worked well and it begs for illustrations

Joella at 20:08 on 16 March 2010  Report this post
Thank you, Yvonne. I appreciate your comment and I'm glad you liked it. Regards, Joella.

SarahT at 01:09 on 24 March 2010  Report this post
Hi Joella,

I laughed out loud at some of these lines, especially:

He said it wasn’t bluff and bluster
for the only good bird was a duster!


My only pick would be that a group of crows should be a murder and a group of rooks should be something else that I have forgotten. I think it only matters in the following lines:

Rooks and crows were stealing seed
that he’d not sown for flocks to feed.


You can always substitute 'flocks' for 'them' though, I think.

I think it is obvious that you are getting much more confident about these rhymes. The rhythm is great and I didn't spot any particularly bumpy bits this time round!

S


Joella at 21:22 on 25 March 2010  Report this post
Hi Sarah, thanks for reading and commenting again... I'm glad you liked the poem. Funnily enough, I took out the verse you liked. However, I've just reinstated it. Decided to include - murder of crows, so thanks for that. Sent 'Major Payne in Happy Bottom', off to a publisher today .... Waiting it for it to drop onto the mat nest week. Still, we all live in hope, don't we?
Kind regards, Joella.

Freebird at 13:17 on 29 March 2010  Report this post
Good luck with the submission - whatever happens, at least you know your work is out there, being read by a professional. Enjoy the next few weeks of daydreaming about that moment when, of course, they ring you and say they would love to publish it




Joella at 14:44 on 29 March 2010  Report this post
Thank you Freebird. I do a lot of daydreaming - more than I do writing. All the best to you too, with whatever you are doing at the moment.
Regards, Joella.


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