The Versesmith

F ree Verse is poetry f ree from limitations, it does not follow a regular meter or rhyme scheme, poets are free to shape lines freely.  I bought this antique print, F rost Breaking , c.1850s-1880s, in 1969 or 1970 in Portobello Market, London, when I was 13 years old. Fox Terrier wants to be one of the big boys howling at dawn. His strident “yips” bring s laughter to the Huntsman as he mixes their morning pudding.                                                        ©202 6  Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved   (Hounds were usually fed early in the day. The huntsman would prepare a mix called “hound meal” or “pudding,” often boiled grains, meat scraps, and broth.)

  D ribble is the poem form of the D rabble, a 100 letter (don't count spaces for punctuation) word story.  The D eath , by Charles-Fernand de Condamy, print date 1880-1910, from Goodwill for $5.21 in frame not shown. Torn between the gruesome scene and beauty of the print, I focus on the latter, and imagine Reynard lived to see another day. ©202 6  Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved