The days they go in ebbs and flows
Posted: 23/03/2026
What is an iamb? How do I put it into a meter? I read a Rudyard Kipling poem last night (specifically, The 'Eathen, how fitting given my past and future plans) and I was astonished by it. He makes it so natural. An excerpt, for you who care about my essays in these descriptions:
> The young recruit is silly - 'e thinks o' suicide.
> 'Es lost 'is gutter-devil; 'e 'asn't got 'is pride;
> But day by day they kicks 'im, which 'elps 'im on a bit,
> Till 'e finds 'isself one mornin' with a full an' proper kit.
> Gettin' clear o' dirtiness, gettin' done with mess,
> Gettin' shut o' doin' things rather-more-or-less.
Just by reading it, you get a rhythm, a beat, a liveliness! A whole new meaning, something that pops out of the page and makes you want to recite it out loud, because of how natural, how exciting it is to read! Alas I couldn't replicate it, but I'm trying.
Picture taken 19th August 2025, Castle Hill Village, when I woke up one morning feeling like I had lost two friends forever and decided to lose myself on a solo trip to the Southern Alps and just see the snow for a little bit. That was from a time when I could afford such spontaneous day trips into the country. Now that I'm unable to do them as much, I want to reminisce...