[Roger Slater]

Maryann, I think Dave asked if death was a fictional villain, not the devil. A closer call, I think, since death actually exists in real life, though perhaps without a scythe and a black robe.

[Maryann Corbett]

Pardon my error, Roger, and Dave. I think we can call Death the fictional villain of the various folk tale types in which he appears, can't we? Ann, thanks for the correction.

[Lance Levens]

John

Is the piece supposed to rhyme and scan--like yours? Yours did, but the others didn't. Whazzup?

[John Whitworth]

It doesn't have to be in verse, Lance, because Lucy doesn't say it does. My entry is in verse because that's the only thing I do. If I had my way ALL the competitions would be in verse, because it would increase my chances of winning. But then if I had my way nothing in FREE verse would be called a poem at all and I would be Poet Laureate. Do I live in the past? Indeed I do and very nice it is here, I can tell you. Britannia rules the waves. W.G. Grace is batting and we beat the Australians ALL the time.

But we do have computers and mobile phones.

[Ann Drysdale]

...and "the lavatory paper is better", eh, John?

[John Whitworth]

How true, Ann. How very true. And another thing that's better is the railway trains. I got on a bullet of a thing last Monday and was transported to central London in about fifty minutes. Scarcely time to sit down. State of the Art. State of the Art. Previous best time an hour and a half.

Is it Boris what dunnit?

[Jayne Osborn]

But then if I had my way nothing in FREE verse would be called a poem at all and I would be Poet Laureate.

That's on a par with Robert Frost's "Writing free verse is like playing tennis with the net down", John.