Wordsearch

Find the emboldened words, hidden across, down or diagonally, forward and back. The letters left over, when read from the lower right corner, spell out one possible definition of this sort of story. Parabulous!

G      S       T      O       M       A       C       H       G        P       H      N

E      S       D      L        I        W      S       N       I         S        S        I

V      I        P      R      O        D       I        G       A        L        L        F

I       K      N       R       O       D       S        C       A        E       A       A

L      M      T       P       E        S        I        R       A        S       D       T

A      H     D       E        G       N      O       L        E        Y       N      H

Y      U      F       C       Y        R        I        N       L        D       A       E

D      G      A      O      E        T        S       M      G        E        S        R

A      M      L      G       S        E        R       V       A       N       T        S

E      A      N       T        S        N       C       A       L        F       O       A

D     O     C       O       A         T       N       E       P        S       O       M

L       I      V        I        N       G       N       I        R       U       K       H

(Cross out the words in bold as you find them in the grid, and then use the convenient space below to write down the letters left over to reveal the hidden message. What fun!)

The prodigal son took his father’s cash and spent it all on wild living. Famine struck, and the boy was feeding pigs; he longed to fill his stomach with the pods.

He came to his senses: ‘I will arise and go home and say I’m no longer worthy to be a son; I’ll ask to be one of the servants.’

But his dad met him on the road, gave him a hug, a kiss, a ring, a coat and sandals. He slew the calf and threw a party. He said ‘My son was dead, now he’s alive!’

Endletter acrostic

trochaic pentameter, with rhymed first words (four couplets & a triplet)

Took        the cash from father’s desp’rate count u P;

Look!               he goes and spends yet soon is lone R

(Saw               his friends abandon him as coins g O).

Forty                 thousand starve as famine bites an D

Send                         for gainful work to earn denariI.

                  Endured         pains to watch the trough of wartho G

                  How                       he longed to eat their pods! Ide A:

                  Now         he humbles heart and bows to dad’s wil L. 

                  Scanned…              at distance father runs to kiss hi S

                  Hand;              adorns it (gold ring); Dad cries out ‘O

                  Band             play! Calf on spit. Alive! My dear so N!’

Rhyming acrostic

iambic pentameter

T    he Lord has told this tale didactic’ly…

H   ow gracious dad respects our bended knee.

E    xtreme anticipation gains boy’s fee:

P   ursuading wads of cash into his hand;

R   uns off to fritter all in foreign land.

O   h dear, now all the money’s spent so free —

D   ecidedly (ennui) disgracefully..

I    n pigsty brightly came an humble thought

‘G  o home to serve my dad, that’s what I ought.’

A   rose and made his way but, nearly there

L   ook! Faithful, loving father’s worthwhile stare

S   ees boy, and runs. So gifts are quickly shed

O  n wayward lad. He said ‘This boy was dead,

N  ow lives! My son, restored, both born and bred!’

Sans the 25

the top 25 most-commonly used words in written English [1] are: the, of, to, and, a, in, is, it, you, that, he, was, for, on, are, with, as, I, his, they, be, at, one, have, this

Second-born son addressed his father thus: ‘Please give me my share.’

Father agreed, so his son left, setting off towards Dissipation City, where his cash becomes quickly squandered through wild living. Famine struck. So this wayward son took employment tending pigs, watching them enviously. 

Suddenly, son had remarkable revelations, saying inwardly ‘My father’s hired hands usually eat well, yet here’s your truly, starving! Must go home, making requests favouring becoming servant-like.’ Son returned.

While son was still greatly distant, his father saw him. No speeches were permitted.

Father gave son clothes, shoes, jewellery, kisses; additionally, happy father ordered roast beef, throwing an all-night party.

‘My son was dead; now my boy lives! Hallelujah!’

[1] source: http://www.world-english.org/english500.htm

Rainbow colours

Boy took greenbacks and painted town red.

Famine struck; feeling blue, he wished to eat an orange, but pigs had none.

On road, he was yellow, but showed bravery.

Father welcomed him with ring, indigo coat, shoes. ‘My son had suffered a violet death, but now he’s alive!’

Lipagrem

made-up name; avoiding the letter o

Kid demanded inheritance cash early and spent it all in a land far away.

Wine, parties, girls — imagine the scene. But famine struck and all suffer. The lad fed pigs with discarded vegetables, and wished he might eat their dinner.

Suddenly, he received a revealing insight. ‘I shall arise and return father’s-farm-wards. I shall humble myself; thus I’ll give up being be a family member, but perhaps I can be a servant.’


But while he was still at a great distance, his father saw him and ran all the way. He kissed him, gave him a jacket and a ring and hugs and sandals.


He insisted that his servants kill the fatted calf and arrange a party. ‘This my lad was mislaid, but latterly we are assured where he is; he was dead, but suddenly he’s alive again!’

Free Verse

Boy stood stolid, jaw jutting, fingers fully

Flexed.

Father tearfully, lovingly

gave,

freely,

generously.

But

the boy left and took the cash.

Dancing, girls, dancing girls,

yeah, yeah, yeah,

food and drink and immorality.

But soon

the money had all been spent, gleefully, extravagantly, enthusiastically, unthinkingly, wildly.

Dark, grim, macabre unforgiving famine

Gripped the land by the throat and

Squee-ee-ee-ee-ezed life f

                                                       r

                                                              o

                                                                      m

                                                                                      i

                                                                                           t.

The boy sat

hunched, hungry, hopeless as the hogs

swallowed their swansong swill, swashingly.

Dayight dawned dramatically in his troubled mind;

he recognised the depth of his

great sin, humiliation

and need.

He took a decision, and made a resolution.

It was a revolution, on account of a revelation.

‘I shall go home.

I shall ask to serve.

To serve.

I cannot expect to be treated

as a son

any longer.’

Yet as the boy approached,

       His pa (at Shangri-la)

                Saw him from afar!

                         Ran to him with gifts for

                                  Every part of his boy:

                                             Lips, finger, arms, body,

                                                        Feet, stomach.

                                                                  And heart;

                                                                          Of course, his heart.

‘My son was a fading memory; now he’s a present reality!’