It's vexing when the body's frailty, Which cannot bear a paucity of slumber Without succumbing to a malady, Brings symptoms whose diversions will encumber. For who has time to sleep when there is singing Be it a Haydn mass or classic jazz, Or musicals that leave the spirits ringing- Experiencing fully what one has? Alas, … Continue reading November 22: Eve of Travel
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November 21: No Problem
No Shakespeare text is wholly problem free, For even Hamlet must be saved at sea By too-convenient pirates at their pleasure- A text is not a play by any measure. A play's comprised of choices beyond number To smooth the moments that the words encumber, Defining character, gestures explaining In ways both truthful and yet … Continue reading November 21: No Problem
November 21: Are We There Yet?
A fearsome and delicious spirit, gin, Which soothes the tongue and warms the weary head, When mixed with quinine, makes a medicine Whose thaumaturgy's well-known and widespread. At least, that's what I'm choosing to believe, Unwinding from tonight's demanding show, But from my writing I get no reprieve- I cannot quit with just a month … Continue reading November 21: Are We There Yet?
November 19: Sportive Tricks
Dog A, once bred to hunt, now pulls and pushes To search for cats- she would have been aghast To know that while she hunted we had passed A cat on leash beyond her well-sniffed bushes. Dog B, a ratter, bred for killing pests, Relentlessly pursued discarded food, And when discovered, pulled from jaws half-chewed, … Continue reading November 19: Sportive Tricks
November 18: We Built This Citrus
Five years ago we bought a lemon tree And put it in a smallish square of dirt Never suspecting that the BBC Its usefulness with silly would subvert, Whose groundwork was laid out on our vacations, With Smotherses and Freberg ever playing, Developing my aural inclinations For humor I had small hope of repaying. But … Continue reading November 18: We Built This Citrus
November 17: Sudden Stop
First it's the preparation, then the work, Then shifting gears when circumstance requires. Alas, it is not possible to shirk Responsibilities when one desires More sleep or entertainment, but it's not Maturity that ranks ought over want- In calculating what, if I get caught, Will be the penalty, I'm a savant. So if I disengage … Continue reading November 17: Sudden Stop
November 16: Nick of Time
The faithless hound hides underneath the bed, Thus showing more sense than mistress and master, For Dashiell Hammett hit it on the head- Nora and Nick are quick, but Asta's faster. My parents, married thirty years and counting, Diverted by the antics on the screen, Are laughing, now, as always when surmounting Their troubles, filling … Continue reading November 16: Nick of Time
November 15: God Head
It's thanks to John and John I know the word That's used when martyrs are in art depicted With their own severed heads in hand: absurd, Yet somehow dignified are the afflicted. It's thanks to Schwartz and Menken I possess A favorite cephalophore at all. My past pet peeves they handily redress, While cleverness and … Continue reading November 15: God Head
November 14: Clique Claque
When one knows members of the audience, The show will inexplicably feel fraught, And one feels one can tell the difference Between an friendly crowd and one that's not. Your ears are tuned to laughter and your eyes Are drawn to those with hands against their faces Contorted with despair or with surprise, As they're … Continue reading November 14: Clique Claque
November 13: Reviewing
When one performs a musical's premiere The wait for feedback seems well nigh eternal Will critics rave? Will audiences cheer? Will chipper chatter spread or rants infernal? Will people sense the spilled ink, sweat, and tears That brought the show so suddenly to life, Comprised of Broadway vets and volunteers All balanced on a sharpened … Continue reading November 13: Reviewing
Libby Weber 