Abecedarian Poem

O, Abece-what?

Sing it with me… ABCDEFG HIJK ElemenoPEEEEE!

Another blasted form? The would-be poet sighs, Blank’s drawn. “Free verse — free me!” she cries. Creativity, at first, is stifled; yet, Daring wordplay, challenged (with a bet) Emerges. Raise the stakes, she thinks. Form’s rigid structure, while constrained, Gives wiggle-room for thoughts unchained. Hang words, ideas, like hats upon a rack — Inside, tuck rabbits (for magic’s all they lack) Just so…a little sleight of hand, and wow! Kiss the air and take a bow. Less, no longer! Now, the ABC’s are so Much more than merely what you think you know. Never underestimate the power of a dare Or challenge, plucked from thinnest air. Pied Pipers, lurking everywhere, lead silly Quests. We follow, swaying, dancing, willy-nilly — Restless — unconcerned, for now, with looking Silly. Mental calisthenics — it’s not “Great poetry,” but Tests our mettle. Our thirst for praise, somewhat Unquenched, unsatisfying verdict handed down: Versifiers, all of us. No Poets Laureate are we — We do well, to mind our X Y Zs.

I was thrown this gauntlet by Bob Jasper:

I’ll get you back for this, Bob — you know I will.

A few of you I might enjoy tormenting with it, Charles Roast, Daniel Clark, Ming Qian, Tree Langdon ♾️… really, if you — yes, you, reading this — feel like trying an “Abecedarian Poem” yourself, consider the gauntlet passed to your pen, by me.

Some background reading, before you start posting word lists ripped from a dictionary:

Let’s see what you’ve got. Do tag me in your abecedarian efforts.