This is National Poetry Month, and I have written a poem to celebrate Day One. This is from the NAPoWriMonth site: https://www.napowrimo.net/ . I am participating through Story Circle Network.

Day #1 Prompt: Write a poem that recounts the plot, or some portion of the plot, of a novel that you remember having liked but haven’t read in a long time without consulting the book.

The Scarlet Letter

Hester knew she was in trouble
No blood surely meant a child was on its way
Though love was shared between them, the Reverand cowered
Too afraid of losing face to admit his role
Her husband, long-disappeared, was surely dead
If not, this would twist him into someone unknowable.

Hester was labeled a wayward woman
Forced to wear the scarlet letter A, to declare her adultery
But no one cared about the father of the child
Just her, the one required to wear the symbol of shame
She named her baby Pearl and loved her purely
She also cared for those around her with kindness.

Hester's husband returned but lived anonymously to all except Hester
He soon surmised the father and quietly exacted his revenge
The Reverand, already living in private shame, welcomed suffering
Hester loved her daughter and offered solace to others
Stripped of all ego, she flourished as the two men withered
A scarlet rose in a thorn-filled garden, bringing beauty to a gray world