ysabetwordsmith: (monster house)
ysabetwordsmith ([personal profile] ysabetwordsmith) wrote2011-08-16 09:58 pm

Poem: "House Rules"

This poem was inspired by prompts from [livejournal.com profile] kelkyag and [livejournal.com profile] zianuray.  They wanted to know about interactions with more mundane folks, and things that go missing but then reappear; and that all stuck with earlier requests to see more of the daughter of the house.  So here's a list of notes taken from parental advice and one other role model.  This poem was sponsored by [livejournal.com profile] zianuray

This is a list poem.  There are various ways to write list poems; this one is a numbered set of rules.  It's partway between couplet verses and prose poetry.  Though written in a prose style, I did go back and neaten up the line breaks, and all the verses did wind up with two lines.  But I didn't change the breaks too far from where they originally fell, nor try to make the lines of similar lengths. Eh, and then I had to fiddle again when LJ hashed the line breaks.

House Rules


1) Do not say "hello" to other people's houses.  Most houses aren't
people, and most people don't know that some houses are people.

2) Ignore any monsters in someone else's house, unless the host
or hostess introduces them.  It's rude to call attention to them
if they are hiding.

3) No bringing home extra monsters from around town.  We have
enough monsters right now.

4) When other people lose something and say, "Well it didn't just
grow legs and walk away!" that is usually true for them. 
And if it isn't, don't point that out.

5) Helen Keller was right: The only thing worse than being blind is
having sight but no vision.

[identity profile] fayanora.livejournal.com 2011-08-17 04:06 am (UTC)(link)
The monster house is the kind of house that Gomez and Morticia Addams would pay lots of money to be able to live in. :-D

Yes...

[identity profile] ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com 2011-08-17 04:10 am (UTC)(link)
Indeed it is!

[identity profile] zianuray.livejournal.com 2011-08-17 07:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Heck, j'd move there!

Well...

[identity profile] ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com 2011-08-17 08:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Odd or not, it's a functional family, and there aren't a lot of those going around these days. I can see the appeal.

[identity profile] the-vulture.livejournal.com 2011-08-17 04:18 am (UTC)(link)
I'm just trying to imagine some of the incidents that resulted in these rules being created. XD

*laugh*

[identity profile] ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com 2011-08-17 07:06 am (UTC)(link)
Heh. Yeah.

[identity profile] thesilentpoet.livejournal.com 2011-08-17 04:32 am (UTC)(link)

Saw this one too. :)

I admit, my first reaction was to #5. I'm currently processing/digitally archiving collections of photographs of Helen Keller. But my second reaction was to #1. Because there's definitely some houses in Boston-area, which have personality. Houses you want to chat with, and houses you dare not say hello to, let alone look at.

Yes...

[identity profile] ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com 2011-08-17 07:07 am (UTC)(link)
Some houses are indeed inviting, and others quite scary.

[identity profile] wander-realtai.livejournal.com 2011-08-17 04:56 am (UTC)(link)
I like this. :)
ext_162519: Photo of me holding a bobcat I raised (Laughing)

[identity profile] laffingkat.livejournal.com 2011-08-17 07:06 am (UTC)(link)
This is adorable! But it does make me wonder what experiences may have indicated a need for such rules. :)

Yes...

[identity profile] ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com 2011-08-17 07:07 am (UTC)(link)
That seems to be a popular reaction.

[identity profile] aldersprig.livejournal.com 2011-08-17 12:34 pm (UTC)(link)
*giggle* <3

Those aren't that different from the rules I grew up with.

Yes...

[identity profile] ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com 2011-08-17 11:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Same here.

In particular, I think I was about eight before I realized that, to most people, inanimate objects were consistently inanimate and not prone to moving around at random. That helped explain why people tend to freak when, in my presence, stuff does move around.
ext_2888: (Default)

[identity profile] kitrona.livejournal.com 2011-08-17 10:27 pm (UTC)(link)
I love this. I have to go back and read more about Monster House... it sounds to me like an interesting place to inhabit. :)

Thank you!

[identity profile] ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com 2011-08-18 12:19 am (UTC)(link)
All the Monster House poems are now listed on the serial poetry page, in my best guess of chronological order:
http://penultimateproductions.weebly.com/serial-poetry.html

There are 20 of them now, wow! Most of those have been published online, and are linked accordingly.
ext_2888: (Default)

Re: Thank you!

[identity profile] kitrona.livejournal.com 2011-08-18 01:46 am (UTC)(link)
Oh goodness. I'm going through them now and they are AWESOME. :)

Re: Thank you!

[identity profile] ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com 2011-08-18 02:39 am (UTC)(link)
*happydance* I'm glad you like the series.
eseme: (Default)

[personal profile] eseme 2011-08-18 02:58 am (UTC)(link)
More insight on the house, too!

I love that list. It does sound like the sort of thing a child would write.

I can just see her parents making the list.

Yes...

[identity profile] ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com 2011-08-18 03:12 am (UTC)(link)
Not just the Monster House itself, but the role of houses in general in this setting. Others might be sweeter, or scarier.

Thank you!

[identity profile] ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com 2011-08-18 09:59 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm glad you liked this.