Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish by David Rakoff

After finishing this slim but oh so huge novel,
of stories told in verse; I was struck, "How colossal!"
I immediately mourned the author's death to my core;
I had not read David Rakoff before.

I wish he were still here, to create another,
to write more prose in poetry, to fill one with wonder.
I found myself lost in his words from time to time,

his stories of life, all set out in couplets that rhyme.

This novel is brief, barely over a hundred pages,
yet the strange title makes sense, with all its life images.

Stories of persons, seemingly unconnected,

Come together with sorrow and humour injected.

I savoured every phrase, every clever word trick,

brought the tale to life, in a manner so slick.

Always witty and smart but never highbrow,

A magnum opus for Rakoff's final bow.

The verse form is different but it's the real McCoy.

Read the novel and I guarantee it, you will enjoy.

* written with the help of an online rhyming dictionary.