The Gnomes of ABC

By Makis
- 263 reads
It's long been a total mystery to me
that when posting an oeuvre on ABC
you attract enthusiasts from across the land
in search of the exciting, the fizzy or the grand
They scan their screens in readiness to address
the latest offerings hot from the press
stories and poems newly concocted by writers
who, like hungry prize fighters, just yearn to finesse
But as one work arrives another slips away
falling from view in descending order
slowly but surely crossing the border
until coming to rest in some distant dossier
But hey, the readership numbers continue to accrue
like rhubarb or mushrooms bathed by the dark
they slowly but surely put on weight and spark
into life, deep in the bowels of writers' HQ
You had sixty two reads when you switched off the light
and sixteen more if you'd checked in the night
but the following morning there were a hundred and two
and you were completely baffled as to when, how and who
The secret lies in underground rooms, catacombs
where tiny beings with immaculate taste read every work,
absorbing the content of every piece at insatiable pace
millions of words hour by hour, deep underground beneath ABC tower
Here, secret and unseen, gnomes work through the night
hundreds of them scanning every single word
manning the barricades against neglect or slight
ensuring hope for the treasures interred
By morning your writing will have grown in esteem
the number of readers expanded unseen
and if your words delighted the gnomes
they'll be rewarded with fruit from the catacombs
So the moral of this story is pick up your pen,
put word to paper and when you've finished
post it on here for all to read, especially the gnomes
with insatiable need and a slavish devotion beyond our ken
https://image2url.com/r2/default/audio/1769508610160-ffd10c4d-727a-4766-...
Audio track of the author reading the poem
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Comments
This was fun to read. Jenny.
This was fun to read. ![]()
Jenny.
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OK then, who smuggled you
OK then, who smuggled you into the catacombs?? Those gnomes would have had you on tea and biscuit duty for eternity if they'd spotted you.
Wonderful audio as well. This has really brightened an absolutely horrible, grey, soggy day. Thank you!
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Pick of the Day
This completely factual bit of reportage is our social media Pick of the Day! Please share if you can!
Image uploaded by author, free to use at FreePik. (The gnomes are paranoid about copyright, so they check an image's source if not already referenced.)
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Oy, Elf Liberation Front
Which of course means I dip in and out with wisp and whim of weather, and over arch alliteration.
This made I larf :)
best
L
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