Though Hamlet's Mousetrap shows a regicide By deadly poison dribbled in the ear, Far crueler is toxicity implied By cunning tongue believed to be sincere, A weapon won't discriminate; a knife Will slay without regard for class or wealth, But slander visited upon a wife Is an attack by proxy via stealth. For Shakespeare knew … Continue reading June 25: On Othello
English
June 23: Similes Like Metaphors
When someone called me poet, I demurred And said that what I write is really verse; When asked the difference, I then deferred To dictionary, lest I make things worse. I found that verse has meter, which I knew, And often features rhymes at ends of lines, And while a poem has a rhythm, too, … Continue reading June 23: Similes Like Metaphors
June 22: Necessarily So
B minor is they key that Gershwin chose For his sublime creation “Summetime.” But for a previous singer the band chose A full C minor chart; hardly a crime.A half-step up makes little difference To saxophones in their ideal range, But for a vocalist, it explains whence A lovely piece can end up sounding strange.And … Continue reading June 22: Necessarily So
June 21: Grow Up
When children wish that they were fully grown Adults will scoff and say they should enjoy The carefree years before they're on their own. Such sentiments are certain to annoy, For there's a fundamental misconception That toys and sweets are what they would possess Yet by that age, they're sure to take exception To inequality … Continue reading June 21: Grow Up
June 20: Refilling the Well
When asked to write a story in ten days The only way that I know to succeed Is stealing bits of time from work and play, And then converting them to what I need. But by the time the story is submitted, The spring of inspiration has run dry; To prime the pump is not … Continue reading June 20: Refilling the Well
June 19: ‘Tis the Saison
Pete Seeger's song says that to every thing There is a season, so when I drink A lovely beer, its praises I will sing As of taste and appropriateness I think- For when the sun shines hot, then hops I crave, As in the winter I love malty ale. For fall, Oktoberfest bier I will … Continue reading June 19: ‘Tis the Saison
June 18: Take the Cake
O jammed genoise whose silken chocolate coat Breaks crisply and then melts upon the tongue And radiating warmth all down the throat, For decades has your loveliness been sung; The Jaffa Cake, throughout the world renowned, Almost fell victim to its own success- Initially, a tax tribunal found The cakes were biscuits, but there was … Continue reading June 18: Take the Cake
June 17: The Fail Cycle
To be aware you've been set up to fail Does not make failing any easier. Entreaties may be from beyond the pale, But asker's confidence it will occur Infects your brain and makes you wonder why You hesitated just before agreeing. Now you've agreed to give the task a try, Your self-recrimination guaranteeing. It breaks … Continue reading June 17: The Fail Cycle
June 16: Surprise.
I'm glad I cleared my schedule for a day So when assignments suddenly appeared They caused me but a moment of dismay Before I girded loins and volunteered. Farewell, sweet slack and idleness of mind! Adieu commuting hours with Marcel Proust! Here cheer and masochism are combined, As by adrenaline I am seduced. But even … Continue reading June 16: Surprise.
June 15: Night Stroll
Come walk beneath a thousand blazing suns Whose distance renders them to sparkling points And let the the moistened grasses when we run With fallen dew my sandaled feet anoint. Let constellations witness our escape From suffocating confines of the home, The lucent firmament will make us gape, Its shifting beauty guides us as we … Continue reading June 15: Night Stroll
Libby Weber 