Abraham Tolley


Abraham Tolley 2nd Form (Year 8)

 

Sonnet number 2: What is...

Abraham Tolley

 

 

A house without a door

A lion without its roar

Bread without butter

The nervous without a stutter

 

A king without a crown

The angry without a frown

What impossible things these are

Maybe occuring somewhere afar

 

A building without blocks

Boats without docks

A farm without a hen

A fox without a den

 

What impossible things these are

I do wonder if they occur, somewhere afar

 

The Ballad of the Baskervilles

Abraham Tolley

 

It was around the Michaelmas time
The white snow was falling
In dead of night I saw a sight
that truly was appalling

 

A great black beast with dripping jaws
Stared down red eyes aflame

My father Hugo of Baskervilles

In these parts a cursed name

 

Next to him a dead maid lay

Her eyes were round with fear

Pale hair and dress were stained with blood

The beast then did disappear

 

'O how came this to be?' I ask

A dreadful tale it is.

'O how my father damned our name?'

The tale passed down is this:

 

By chance old Hugo fell in love

A maiden young and pure.

Cruel Hugo was profane and vile

Rejection he couldn't endure

 

Se he and five wild henchmen

Stole down to the farm

Stole down in utter silence

Grabbing her by the arm

 

Her father and brothers being from home

He brought her to his hall

They locked her in and went to sin

In drink they had a ball

 

Left alone she tried for home

Down ivy she did climb

Three leagues o'er desolate moor

Fleeing just in time

 

When Hugo found his bird escaped

The devil snapped his calm

He forced his horse and started away

To do that maiden harm

 

'Set all my hounds upon the lass

They will find her anywhere!'

The drunken squires reacted slow

The chase for maiden fair

 

The moon shone clear above them

The chase it did begin

Thirteen men in hot pursuit

Making a raucous din

 

They came across a madman

A shepherd crazed with fear

At last he told them what he saw

The devil on his mare

 

As they continued onwards

They saw Hugo's mare

Empty saddle galloping away

Face scared beyind compare

 

They came upon a gorge so deep

Most frozen with fear

But three men bold or drunk

Continued, riding near

 

The moon shone down above them

Two stones marked the spot

Sacred stones beside them

On him backfired the plot

 

The moon shone clear above them

The lass alas was dead

My father beside her

The hound's eyes were fiery red

 

It was around the Michaelmas time
The white snow was falling
In dead of night I saw a sight
that truly was appalling

 

A great black beast with dripping jaws
Stared down red eyes aflame

My father Hugo of Baskervilles

Forever cursed that name

 

Time

 

Everything is controlled by it,
Measured by a small circle.
It’s not even an actual force,
Yet the ruler of the universe.

 

Call it what you like;
Samsara, age or time,
Nothing can avoid it,
Everything crumbles in time.

The greatest civilizations will sink
It doesn’t matter if the battle is won or lost
Life will soon be over

The inevitable force will quash

 

My desperate words do not matter for they to will be forgotten time,
But savour every moment of your existence as your bells will soon chime.

 

A Haiku: The cold 

 

Frozen to the bone

An unstoppable power

It overwhelms all