Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-03-25
A POETIC
DIFFICULTY
Markley Sought Aid in Rhyme
for "Loosed."

ago in writing a poem, and in the
course of the work he got stuck upon
| a verse, and it occurred to him to call
upon Rev. DR.. Potts to ask for assist
| ance. When the doctor came down to
| the parlor, Markley said:
| Doctor, | called to see you conflden-
TALLY about matter that has been
troubling me, and | want to get some
advice"
Very proper, very proper" said the
doctor. I am always glad TO find a
! Young man turning his thoughts to
serious things Now just tell me what
your experience has been, and then l
will give you a couple vi good books to
read, so as to prepare you before you
make formal application for admission
to the church,
q think you misunderstood me-"
said Markley. The trouble TO which
refer is not exactly that nature.
IL!
q see" said the doctor, you have
| committed some crime; you are a
prey to remorse. You want to unbo-
som yourself to me. Go en-, sir go
on! Tell me the whole melancholy
story Nothing can be better than for
a criminal to confess before he makes
restitution. Have you embeazled
nancy, or have you"
ooh not at ALL The fact is that l
am writing a poem and l have got to
a place where | must find good word
to rhyme with loosed.' and | can't. 1t
bothers me like the mischief"
ooh, that is it! WE'LL now, what is
the situation? What are the facts of
the case?"
Well you see, there is a girl who
has been captured by the Indians. Her
lover, who is the hero of the story,
pursues the savages. At last he over
takes them, and, after driving them
off, he finds that girl tied to a tree.
They were going to kill her. you know.
Well, now, my point is that he I'M
loosed her and tried to get her out of
the way before the Indians returned,
but can't get the right word to rhyme
with loosed'
1T seems hard that you should SUI
fer when there are so many words in
the dictionary. Hmm! femme see;
how would boost do? Would it do for
the lover to boost that girl up that
tree?
When once he had Embossed her,
Up the tree he tried to boost her.
how's that?n
1T hardly is the thing said Mark
ley. The rhyme is good, but the idea
of the lover boosting his darling up a
maple tree is not sufficiently affecting;
there is not enough poetry in it,.
perhaps not said the doctor.
We'll, then, what do you say to roost?s
'Roost' is good rhyme.
When the maiden was unloosed,
She went up the tree to roost.
Something like that, you know"
81 thought of 'roost replied Mark
ley, but upon the whole l think I'd
rather not send the girl up that tree,
and as she is out in the midst of a
trackless wilderness there's actually
no other place anywhere about for her
to roost Can't manage it anyway you
fix it,
No? Well, let's see, loosed-
loosed-noosed: how about 'noosed?'
You might make the lover chase the
Indians with lasso, and catch one
in the moose.
When his darling was Embossed,
A savage brave he noosed.
Now that seems to me to be first
rate
Don't strike me favorably,' said
Markley. The way I've got it he has
nothing with him but double bar
relied gun, and he couldn't lasso an In
: dian with that, now could he? And
S anyhow he is a salesman in mil
linery store in New York, and those
S people hardly ever know how to throw
d the lasso, any way
S We'll, what do you say to used?
You might put it:
i She was glad to be embossed,
= For TO it she not used.
+ Or suppose you take amused, for in
stance and say
:. At his efforts to get her Embossed
). She very greatly amused.
And then you might use the word re
fused and fix 1t somehow this way:
a After he got her completely Embossed
He wanted to kiss her but she refused
, Or
To kiss him she couldn't be induced
I'm afraid not" said Markley, Ten
! nyson and those other fellows never
make amused rhyme with unloosed;
and as for the others, | couldn't say
she refused to kiss him, for in the
y very next line assert that she rushes
= into his arms and smothers him with
= her endearing kisses. Blamed If l
. know what We'll do about it, I've got
notion to write to Rudyard Kipling
: to ask him
How would it do to invent new
= word?" asked the doctor. 1T would
= be original and it would attract at
: tention. Say, for instance you con-
g struct such word as 'glugoost' and ar
= range it in this way:
When his darling was Embossed
IL They leaped upon their horses and glu-
re gloost
Il "Nohody would know what if meant