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The Human Alphabet, published in the Strand Magazine in 1897

Spell a word, or hang a man!
Hang a spelling, spell a man!
I’ve drawn the noose, a man to harm,
Goes first the head, and then the arms!
I’ve drawn the dashes—draw your lots—
Could the word be ‘juggernaut’?
Are two legs to dangle? Is a man to die?
I insist you try letters from ‘dragon fly’!
Demand a hint, pray it dawns—
Else, I might quarter this man we’ve drawn!

Aratrika Mitra

Ever curious, contemplative, and creating, Aratrika lives on debate, literature, history, and the fine arts. When she isn’t composing villanelles, or scribbling into her diary about her well-cherished dreams, or attending Model UNs and debates, or perusing through the memoirs of long gone rulers, she is trying to make the world a better place, one good deed at a time.

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