St Patrick

St Patrick

Taken from home
by raiders from the emerald isle,
Patrick served as shepherd
to sheep at first,
his nubble of escape,
granted six years later.

His faith had grown in exile;
he longed to spread the Word
among his captors and their kin;
he heard the call,
returned determined,
a shepherd of their numbers.

With sensispect he wooed them,
they heard and changed their ways;
awgregious deeds behind them,
the gospel tamed them all;
Patrick, their sainted leader,
devised the Celtic cross.


Line count: 18
Form: Free verse
For: NEOLOGY Writing Contest, March 2023
Prompt: Write a free verse poem about Leprechauns, shamrocks, Irish, or anything related to St. Patrick. Your poem must contain at least one (1) word and at most three (3) words you created.

Nubble
Part of Speech: Noun
Type and Origin: A contraction of the words nub and humble
Definition: The rather unimportant point or heart of the matter
Sentence usage: “The nubble of Jerry's argument impressed no one."

Sensispect
Part of Speech: Noun
Type and Origin: A contraction of the words sensitivity and respect
Definition: Consideration for others’ beliefs
Sentence usage: "Only with sensispect could Jerry avoid offending them."

Awgregious
Part of Speech: Adjective
Type and Origin: A contraction of the words awesome and egregious
Definition: Extremely bad or evil
Sentence usage: "Jerry's awgregious plans to rule the world were thwarted."