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Cricket and Synonyms

The recent World Cricket Cup in Australia, prompted this poem that focuses on the game of cricket as the subject and enables the writer to make multiple use of synonyms within the structure of the poem.

Fair WHACK

All the kids
Gathered in the park to play cricket
Banger Barnes was batting
WHACK!

The ball exploded from the bat
High in the sky it flew
Above the trees
Away into the dazzling sunlight
Out of the park
And over the road
It bounced beside Mrs Bradford’s cat Boofhead
Then bounced again
Before shattering Mr Stravlakis’s front window

Over in the park everyone froze
Then…

Scotty scarpered
Veronica vamoosed
Davo decamped
Skeeter skedaddled
Abdul absconded
Dominic dashed
Betsy bolted
Natalie nicked off
Flynn flew the coop
Wazza took to the woods
And Banger Barnes hotfooted it home

When Mr. Stravlakis entered the park
All the kids had split
Game over
Stumps…


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