Art:Sestina Madness
- The title of this article is incorrect because of technical limitations. The correct title is Sestina? Madness!.
Sestina? Madness! was a familiar contest run in the Mariner's Muse section of the YPP forums during March 2005 as part of the ocean-wide March Madness[1] events on the Midnight Ocean. To enter, players were required to craft a sestina on the topic of caring for a monkey. The first prize of an orange monkey was award to Seatiger for his submission "Golden Cage Sestina." Runners up received custom named and painted sloops.
Seatigers's winning entry
Golden Cage Sestina
A monkey lives within a troupe, so take
Him out around the town and gaily stand
Among your friends. He?ll drink with maid and man
Alike, but rum and whiskey risk a fall
Into drunk rage or biting! Best to set
A firm ban on his drinking-table play.
A monkey keeps no schedule. Raucous play
All night will wreck your sleep and house, so take
The time to build a sturdy cage and set
Some food inside. It?s hard for chimps to stand
A night alone, but soon he?ll start to fall
Asleep, and snore as loud as a grown man.
The Pirate swarms are green with envy. Man
Your ship with faithful mates! A fraud may play
On trust, and ask to hold him. Never fall
For cordial words; the cur will turn and take
Your chimp for ransom! Firmly keep the stand:
"He stays by me, on that my mind is set."
He loves bananas, fresh and ripe, so set
Your course at dawn to seek the produce man.
Papaya, kiwi, grapes, and nuts! The stand
Has all of these, plus toys for him to play
With. Fruits are rare in winter?s chill, so take
This tip and dry a hoard to cache in Fall.
A monkey sure is filthy! Food will fall
Below the cage and make a mess, so set
Old sails beneath his pen, and weekly take
Them out and clean them well. The stench? oh, man!
An open door or two, when winds can play,
Will dull the smell to levels friends can stand.
The toughest chore? To let him go! A stand
Of jungle palms is great. His troupe will fall
Around to hear him tell of days of play;
Of kiwi, rum, and salty breeze. He'll set
The record straight: "A kind and loving man,"
He'll hoot and screech; a praise you'll proudly take.
It?s hard to stand the lone walk when you set
Your feet to fall for home. How rich the man
That learned through play: it's best to give, not take.
Runners-up
- Aelesaia - Sestina #23
- Unknown - Sestina: As Ye Would Any Mate
