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| Cora and Mimi be crazy rappin' fools, yo |
So last Thursday was our first meeting of the year in which we talked about Long Lankin by Lindsey Barroclough. If you weren't there, you missed out - the discussion was awesome! Convo went WIDE, from Slender Man to ancient Roman methods of execution, scary movies to the meanings of English slang words (non-profane ones, anyway), poverty in post-WWII England, and the real meaning of honor - and shame. Also Doctor Who. I know. Whut.
Did we like Long Lankin? Consensus sez: it was a bit too long with the scenes in between the spooky bits, but YES, we liked it and would recommend it to our friends! So if you haven't finished reading Long Lankin yet, get on it! It might be hot outside, but it's cold and creepy inside that book. Then...
We also played a Long Lankin-y game at the meeting!! And if you missed the meeting, you can still play here on the blog!
First, some back story: so the premise of Long Lankin (the book) is based on this old English/Scottish legend, which you can read in the form of a ballad (look here for the whole thing). In part of the ballad, the lord of the manor is warning his wife about the dangerous Long Lankin (this is the bit of the ballad that's printed on the front cover of your copy of Long Lankin):
Said my lord to my lady as he mounted his horse,
'Beware of Long Lankin that lives in the moss.'
Said my lord to my lady as he rode away,
'Beware of Long Lankin that lives in the hay.'
So here's the game: create new stanzas for the poem by re-writing the ends of the first and second lines of the stanzas above! Here's how to do it:
"Said my lord to my lady as he _____________, {an action he might do - in 4-5 syllables, if you can!}
'Beware of Long Lankin that lives in the _____.'" {a place that Long Lankin could live - it needs to
RHYME with line 2(!) in 1-2 syllables}
Confused? Here's an easy example:
"Said my lord to my lady as he put on his shirt,
'Beware of Long Lankin that lives in the dirt."
You can also break the formula for the fourth line of the stanza if you want; instead of filling in a play that Long Lankin could live, just re-write the entire fourth line and replace it with some dangerous fact about Long Lankin - making sure it rhymes and that the line has about five (5) syllables, of course:
"Said my lord to my lady as he combed his moustache,
'Beware of Long Lankin - he'll steal all your cash!'"
We went back and forth in the meeting: one person would come up with something to fill in the first blank (the action in line 2), and then everyone else tried to come up with something that rhymed for line 4!
CHECK OUT OUR SWEET RHYMEZ FROM THE MEETING!
Said my lord to my lady as
he put on his socks,
'Beware
of Long Lankin who
lives in...
« ... a box
« ... a mosque(?)
Said my
lord to my lady as
he combed his hair,
'Beware
of Long Lankin…
« He lives at the fair! (like, inside Big Tex or something?)
« ... hey, do you see my socks anywhere?
Said my lord to my lady as he ran down the street,
'Beware of Long Lankin -
« He's got stinky feet!
« He ain't got no beat! (he's a terrible rapper, really)
« He ain't got no… beets?
Said my lord to my lady as
he put on his pants,
'Beware
of Long Lankin -
« I
think I'll do a dance!'
Srrsly, you guys are hilarious. Now it’s your turn! Try it out yourself – leave us a rhyme in the comments! If you can’t think of how to start, try completing the rhymes below and leave a comment with your answer (that means you too, library staff! I know you've been reading this - just comment anonymously!). If you were at the meeting and want to take credit for one of the SWEET RHYMEZ above, email me or comment. Thoughts on the book are welcome, too!
And now, some RHYMES TO GET YOU STARTED:
Said my lord to my lady as he sipped up his tea
‘Beware of Long Lankin, … ____________
Said my lord to my lady as he buttered some toast,
‘Beware of Long Lankin, … ____________
> BONUS POINT!:
Said my lord to my lady as he put on his dublet,
‘Beware of Long Lankin, … ____________
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