Anjali+Wadhwa+and+Becky+Cardinali

The Musician’s Tale By Anjali Wadhwa and Becky Cardinali

Outside the old town stood a bystander He was known to wander and meander. On this one special and delightful day He came into town in the month of May. Intriguing and unusual a man for he came just with a watering can. His face full of misery and sorrow and his body so scrawny and narrow. Why did he choose to live on the outside? Maybe he was a man with much to hide. In spite of his solemn and formal look There was more to him __like a covered book__. (1) He neither harmed nor frightened anyone but still people believed he was no fun. His doleful tragedy lies in his past which is why he wore such __a forlorn mask__. (2) It was a dismal and gloomy event that he wished, but sadly couldn’t prevent. This lone man went by the name of Adam who was wed to a kindhearted madam. They jovially __danced and laughed and sung__ (3) and always felt exuberant and young. However the good times came to an end, as he had lost his dearest, bestest friend. Adam was devastated and upset He could not come to terms with the loss yet. An intruder was the cause of ordeal for he wanted silver and gold to steal The intruder grabbed a sharp, shiny knife and stuck it in the heart of Adam’s wife. Adam came home to the horrific sight. From this day, he would never know delight. Holding the water can with his weak hand, He planted flowers at the sacred land. Bending down to sit next to his past love He patted the soil with his old glove. Adam had spent hour after hour, placing each and every pretty flower While Adam was sitting at the grave He witnessed a kidnapping by a knave. The lonely victim but a girl of ten Who would never see her parents again Her mother had just taken her last breath Her father previously plagued by death Nothing left in the child’s soul but tears Abandoned numbness undermined her fears Unaware and glum she wept by the grave Unbeknownst to her, nearby lurked the knave Ready to steal her pure and tender heart Rip the last bits of childhood apart What kind of vicious malevolent soul Could harm a bashful girl just ten years old Dark eyes fixed on her white and tattered dress Her golden curly hair in quite a mess What __repulsive soul, cruel soul, evil soul__ (4) Could kidnap an orphan, empty and cold Carrying a bleak heart of dirt and rot He watched and prowled where she could see him not With crimson bloodshot eyes and tear soaked face She felt a sudden unwelcome embrace And let out a __shrill, piercing shriek of pain__ (5) __Upon her dreary world poured yet more rain__ (6) Stirred and woken from his isolation Adam turned, beheld the situation A demon akin to an intruder Exploiting a girl weaker and younger Within Adam a fury exploded A fate, like that of his wife, unfolded __One million triggers__ went off in his breast (7) Rekindled pain for his wife burst in chest He must not let the beastly knave succeed In carrying out detestable deed Aware his position hid him from view Of the monster which he had to subdue Adam’s __mind began to race, run, and whirl__ (8) With ideas to save this pure, bright, sad girl __Surreptitious, sly, stealthy like a snake__ (9) A circuitous path he went to take Adam crept behind the struggling monster And with all the might that he could muster Struck the devilish beast upside the head With the watering can made of strong lead The knave unconscious, the girl now set free She gasped and groaned and turned to quickly flee But something inside made her want to know Who had saved her: the brave noble hero When Adam looked into her youthful eyes His huge heart suddenly began to rise Warm and light as a feather was his soul Knowing he’d accomplished __no easy goal__ (10) Of saving the girl and setting her free To live her life, be who she wished to be But virtue in Adam made her believe In his goodness; she could no longer grieve For she had found a family at last With Adam she could leave behind her past A gentle home like she had never known Adam cared for her until she was grown __The death of a flower causes despair__ __Loss is not an easy burden to bare__ __But in its place other flowers will bloom__ (11) In one’s heart, for love there is always room

1. Simile 2. Metaphor 3. Polysyndeton 4. Epistrophe 5. Auditory imagery 6. Inverted syntax 7. Hyperbole 8. Personification 9. Alliteration 10. Litote 11. Symbolism