Alongside one another on
the shelves, as if the two
have more in common than the space
they share. It used to be

that elves stuck to their forests and
the aliens to their moons.
Old Robin Hood was safe from napalm
and Yoda could avoid

the insecurities of height
when next to Merlin. But
the nearness of bookstore shelves
has bent the line between -

now sorcerers carry M-16s
and dragons fly the stars
on ships. The genres have been blurred,
the categories tossed.

Industrialization has
invaded fancy's world,
impossibility crept in
on reason. And what for?

Convenience in stocking? The
efficiency of bulk
identity? Well, give me back
the knights with swords, the elves

with bow and arrows. Refuse
Han's bid on Chimaera,
keep Predator out of the ball.
Draw back that line in bold.

Put science fiction and fantasy
on separate shelves again -
fun worlds within themselves, but really,
some things should never mix.

04/24/2005

Author's Note: Another for my poetry class. Imitation of poet Andrew Hudgins. He likes to use alternating lines of iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter, often uses stanzas of 4 lines, and usually picks a quirky topic, or writes about a topic in an odd way. This one was hard for me. I hate being restricted by rhythm. Bah. Oh, and by the way, I actually love sci-fi fantasy stuff.

Posted on 04/24/2005
Copyright © 2025 Amanda J Cobb