Double Acrostic

Some years ago, a friend gifted me a collection of poems by Lewis Carroll. Within that book, there was a large section dedicated to some of the man's many riddles. One such type of riddle is known as the Double Acrostic, and it is one of the most difficult types of riddles to solve, usually requiring teams of four or five, or else extreme dedication by focused individuals. After discovering the Double Acrostic, I took to writing my own, and would like to share one with you now.

Before that though, here is how a Double Acrostic works:

1. There are two main words you are trying to guess, which we will refer to as Word A and Word B.

2. These two words are described, respectively, in the first two stanzas of the poem, after which follows a line separating them from the remainder of the poem.

3. All stanzas following the line describe sub-words, which, when guessed and lined up chronologically, will spell out Word A with their beginning letters, and Word B with their ending letters (which means that both Word A and Word B will have the same number of letters, equaling the number of sub-stanzas).

4. For Questions or Hints, please email [email protected]

Does that make sense? Good! Then here is the Double Acrostic:

-

When all in mind seems dark

A flash of light, a bulb can fast appear

To cause the pen or brush to move

These moments, when the way is clear

-

And who can make such things occur

But one with knowledge none outmatched

From whom a lesser being calls

His own vain wisdom, greedily snatched

____________________________________________________

He called to me and said

Why do your thoughts maintain that saddest hue

That skies and water faintly catch

But cannot hope to true imbue

-

And I replied “Your son am I!

Could you show men how great am I?”

He spake “I will not give such slant

To any relative of mine.”

-

“For you are not like one I called

The rock or gates of my own land

I gave him much tis true, but ye

Shall do this all by your own hand.”

-

So I gave time, in greatest length

My thoughts an infinite number

And round and round, like circles go

Could it get any number?

-

“Could you teach me?” I did ask

And he told me “Of course”

Though in this job you shan’t be paid

You shouldn’t be off worse.

-

It was quite cheesy, I confess

Like hard and salty brine

I felt a goat or else a sheep

Was anything quite mine?

-

But still I work to make myself

I write I paint I dance

I give my canvas to the world

I take un-lucrative chance

-

But I was dirty, so unclean

And so I called “Come saint”

And he did dunk me in a potion

Strong enough to bite through paint.

-

And then thus clean, my work began

To take a value all its own

Demand for it made people pay

So dearly for all I had grown.

-

I knew the reason for this was

My work was natural and good

Like produce come untainted from

The farms that ship the cleanest food

-

And when I was triumphant thus

My teacher came and bowed his head.

“I bow to the spirit in you”

And I returned these words he said.

-

(SCROLL DOWN FOR SOLUTION)

-

Sub-words in Order: Indigo, Nepotism, Simon, Pi, Internship, Romano, Artist, Turpentine, Inflation, Organic, Namaste

Word A: Inspiration

Word B: Omnipotence