These Are My JOTtings, Part #2

The Woven Life

Exercises:

1. Internal rhyme:
"The days of Time, a gift so prime
before we live the final state.
How wet the face within His Grace,
that feels the pain of life down here."

2. Linked, or run-over, rhyme:
"This life of deepest hoping,
coping with every day.
Trials ring the tears,
the fears of what may come.
But Time is short.
The pain will not last long."

3. Interlaced rhymes:
"'The Day of Grace is fading fast' as sung the preacher late.
The Good News hath been broadly cast, though never out-of-date.
The mind, that's hard of stubborn will will not discern what's true,
until the Lord's great Word fulfill with Day of Grace then through.
Oh, list to hear the thunders roar as tribulation rolls.
They were not loud, like this before with bells long pealing tolls.
'We missed the Way, God's open Door, His Word's oft spoke extolls.'"

4. Initial, or head, rhyme:
"My thoughts from youth are really quite a mess.
Why ought these deeds to burden me each day.
Accusings by my enemy too oft.
Refusing's peace would help my mind to change.
One Day the fires of Judgment Seat will cleanse.
Soon say, 'The peace of rest will be for e'er.'
These taunts of mind will nevermore have teeth.
These haunts of death will fade into the mist."

5. Compound rhyme:
"Perfection is quite over-done.
My goodness is all of the Son."

6. Apocopated rhyme:
"The tuba paired with piccolo's
great music we should pick."

7. Amphisbaenic, or backward, rhyme:
"How great the goals of a little slug!
'I'd fly on wings, like white sea gulls.'"

8. Sight, or eye, rhyme:
"Johnny English needed help enough.
That's why he called on Agent Jeremy Bough."


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So many threads of life are in each soul.
Good many times we ask, "How can this be?
Do we need years of childhood to be whole?"

They make of each the one the world can see.
The days we live right now are working years.
We earn the funds, that help us to be free.

The freedom crafts our days, direction steers.
Our free days come when much of strength is spent.
Retire we do amid our work friends' cheers.

What free days now as checkbook's fully rent!
We sit and wonder, "What can I do? How?"
The title had, but out the door we're sent.

Return to play in childhood's long-gone Now.
My days with others molds the lasting goal,
until my life takes bedtime's final bow.

by Jay O’Toole
on February 17th, 2026