abecedarius

in poetry, an acrostic is a poem in which the first letters of successive lines form a recognizable pattern. one specific type of acrostic is an abecedarius, which is an acrostic in which the first letter of each line follows the order of an alphabet. this literary device is found in several places throughout the old testament of the bible (psalms, proverbs, and lamentations). this is only evident when read in the original hebrew text since it uses the hebrew alphabet.

well, many years ago when i first learned of this poetic device i immediately had to compose a poem using it. of course, i don't know hebrew so i just used plain ol' english. i had to cheat on the third from last line. i didn't want to be forced to use xerox, xenophobic or x-ray, so i decided that as long as the word started with the 'ex' sound that i'd let it slide. here is what i came up with:

a constellation of memories
blowing, tangled, through the breeze
catching wind and racing leaves
dancing through the maze of trees

every twist and turn is planned
far beyond the dawn of man
gods and goblins 'cross the land
have yet to fully understand

if knowing is really half the battle
just give me a mind, a horse, and saddle
knowledge is the road to bliss, and
love is more than just a kiss

memories condensed and scattered
never speak of high hopes shattered

only certain frames of mind
perceive the images of time
quietly they chant in rhyme

rebellion is the nature of these
self-degrading tendancies

though never seen with conscious eyes
understand these are not lies
vicious screams and tender sighs
whispered dreams and heartfelt cries

extremely real yet you can not see
you can not touch eternity
zestfully you plea to be free