The Ballad of Time and Space

by BasiliskRules

"We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh? Because it was, you know. It was the best. The daft old man who stole a magic box and ran away. Did I ever tell you that I stole it? Well, I borrowed it; I was always going to take it back." - Every story ever told really happened. And some stories, like this one, are important. Would you like to hear it again?

1. Chapter 1

It's been too long; have a poem.

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oOo

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I.

.

He stole the box and now he runs

Away from friends and kin

To see the world, to see the stars

That was a little sin

With sentence bleak his future mars

And does so with a grin.

.

The fourth dimension his to roam,

The universe's call,

Beneath wide heaven's coloured dome

It sounds: "Come see them all,

The clouds, the moons that shine like chrome,

The worlds that rise or fall!"

.

And all he needs, a hand to hold

Her laughter in his ears

This young, young man who looks so old

And has no time for tears

The frightened one who acts so cold

And laughs when danger nears.

.

And then he learns to love as well

And grumbles all the way

With friends he'd never thought he'd need

While hiding with the lost

To fight for those who need him most

He'd come to save the day.

.

The child grows up, they do, you know

-That's only the first blow-

One day he will, he shall come back

He leaves, his oath he swears

With patient hearts his burden bears

("One day, one day" they'll crack).

.

And on he goes through time and space

Righting the wrongs he can

From Mexico, to Troy, to France

Or planets shunned by man

Sometimes he can't, but still he flies

And rarely has a plan.

.

They often ask –they always ask-

About the old blue box

How can it work, what is its task?

How it defies all clocks!

Beneath his mystery-woven mask,

He smirks and boredom mocks.

.

What is your name, what of your past?

What made you run away?

Where is your home, had you there friends?

Why won't you ever stay?

He'll shrug, he'll sigh, he'll even smile

But he will never say.

.

He's not a legend (yet), he'll claim,

But the numbers still grow fast:

The monsters beaten back, the unjust,

Cruel tyrants of the past

Vanquished; and many unhappy ones

Know happiness at last!

.

Through passing years they come and go,

They come and go (or die)

Companions, (friends), beloved brave souls

With bright and wondrous eye

Adventure calls, and he won't share

Rare dreams of an orange sky.

.

The planet Mondas spells his doom

The Tenth, and Time's slow knife,

He's learned by now: One cannot win

Without pain, loss and strife.

At last to well-earned rest he goes

And death brings forth new life.

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Published this on my Deviantart a while ago. Inspired by and based on (when it comes to the form, the rhythm and the rhyme) The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde, which is one of my favourite poems. It is an underappreciated masterpiece in my opinion; go read it right now if you haven't.

One of the things I like the most about it is its musicality and style. (Stanzas of 6 lines, 8-6-8-6-8-6 syllables, and rhyming usually a-b-c-b-d-b for those who are interested). So, because I am slightly insane, I have decided to embark on an insane, epic quest: write a long narrative poem about ALL of Doctor Who, basically tell the entire story, while mimicking the style of the Ballad and using this particular form.

But this is 52 years we are talking about, people, and I'm a perfectionist. I can't do it. If you waited until I finished all of it, you'd probably get the damn thing around 2020. Therefore, I decided to divide it into cantos, one for each Doctor, and start (very gradually) uploading it in parts.

Enjoy, and patience for the rest.