Poetry Form: Examples of Harry Gilliland's Storoem

In the post on August first, poet and author Harry Gilleland explained
what a storoem is. Today I present two examples of storoems from his
newest poetry book, Poetic Musings of an Old, Fat Man.


Guarded By Lions

From Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, comes this report
of a twelve-year-old girl abducted by seven men.
One man wanted to wed her, but she refused to court.
The men stole her away, determined to beat her then.

For there, young girls are often severely battered
and raped to make them accept an unwanted marriage.
This girl was repeatedly beaten, left blood-splattered
and whimpering in pain…of justice, a true miscarriage.

After a week an unlikely trio of saviors happened by.
Three male lions, their thick, black manes resplendent
in the African sun, chased away the men, who didn’t try
to save the girl but abandoned her to her fate attendant.

She lay before the lions -- a defenseless, easy meal.
But, and many call it a miracle, the lions did her no harm.
Instead they stood guard over her, a happening surreal.
Half a day the lions watched and waited, ready to disarm

any danger that approached her. True guardians they were!
When rescuers arrived, the lions turned and walked away
with no look back. These unlikely saviors became but a blur
as they disappeared, leaving behind wonderment this day.

Authorities explained the girl’s whimpering had possibly
sounded like the mewing of a lion cub, keeping her safe.
Male lions kill cubs they did not sire; her scent would ably
make her human -- all logical explanations merely chafe…

…maybe miracles truly do occur due to the hand of fate.


A Soldier’s Goodbye

It’s a scene oft repeated throughout history,
from Greeks sailing away to faraway Troy,
Romans marching off to lands of mystery,
continuing today whenever troops deploy.

A soldier must say goodbye to his loved ones,
be it his parents, his girlfriend, or his mate.
He’ll soon encounter explosions and guns,
with his destiny placed in the hands of Fate.

His loved one hugs him tightly, with tears
streaming: “I love you. Come back to me.”
The soldier acts brave, camouflaging his fears.
Neither knows what the outcome will be.

He must join his unit; his wife says, “Wait!”
She clings, fearing never again seeing him alive.
Reluctantly, he pulls away: “You’ll make me late.
Don’t worry, dear. I promise you that I’ll survive.”

Now all assembled, the warriors set off to war
with hearts heavy, yet ready to answer the call.
Leaving loved ones is something they abhor…
homecoming will be sweet, if they return after all.

PS: Please find an explanation of storoem on this blog's August 1 post. That post also serves os an example of how poets can contribute to literature and use their contribution to promote poetry and their own art.

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These storoem and others were published March, 2008: "Poetic Musings of an Old, Fat Man", a new collection of poetry and a 2008 Reader Views Literary Award winner (Honorable Mention in Fiction, Poetry category).


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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.