| || bayou, buddy, ninety, nearly, banned (the) band.
Image from the Internet.
The opening poem contains all the words (or variations of them) from today's Jumble.
Comments are welcomed! And couching them in Poetry is definitely NOT required.
Do not explicitly reveal any of the actual answer words until after closing time, but embedding them surreptitiously in comment sentences is encouraged.
17 comments:
I kind of like this solution, homophonically speaking!
But that cartoon probably depicts a depressing reality more than a funny fantasy. Eeww!
FLN, OMK, Penny is the female protagonist of TBBT* a story of four nerds(Cal Tech Physic majors and one Engineer (who became an astronaut)) who interact with Penny, a Nebraska girl who'd come to California to pursue an acting career.
In "Man of La Mancha" Sancho Panza sings a song to Dulcinea: "I (really) Like Him". And of course she's a waitress at the cheesecake factory and dates Leonard one of the Physicists. That's just Season I.
WC
*The Big Bang Theory. Interesting sidenote. My friend Tony wrote and self published a book "12 Billion Years" in which he illustrated events in Earth and Human History. He once showed his work to a couple who really liked it and were in the "Business" and told him they could do "Something big with it". They then disappeared - rumor had it they went to California.
Then TBBT is produced and lo and behold there's the theme song accompanied by a video of the (14) billion years nearly exactly as illustrated and told by Tony in his book. Another irony. Tony swam a mile on the beach every day but died of cancer in 2009. Right after the BP oil spill. He never got to see his Life work stolen and used to make millions of dollars. Here's the song by Bare Naked Ladies
Tony was a buddy of mine, a real creative fellow
He conceived his dream in the nineties but it lay fallow
Until ten years later he left the bayou of despair
Cleaned up his act and began a writing career
His idea nearly came to fruition but the cancer took him down
Lo and behold there's his creation being sung by a renowned
Band. Ah justice, you're an elusive and fickle gal
But the truth of the plagiarism is known by his bosom pal.
WC
Thibodeaux and Boudreau were buddies in school.
Between them they tried to break every rule!
They weren't really bad, just mischievous as hell.
And the teacher who tried to control them? Well!
Thibodeaux did well, often scored ninety-nine,
Boudreau, tho as smart, he often would whine.
His scores weren't as high, 'cause he didn't like tests.
He'd answer at random, tho he knew the whole text!
At home in the bayou, small slingshots they made,
Then used them at school to launch a spitball fusillade!
The teacher, their target, nearly had a nervous fit!
Banned their rubber band trebuchets, and also their spit!
Wilbur and Owen, what terrific verses this morning! I love the way you both managed to get in all the Jumble words, but did so in such a delicate way they were not easy to find. What clever compositions--many thanks!
"Courtship"
On that lovely day on the bayou
the water was clear and sky blue.
To be with my favorite buddy
made me feel very warm and cuddly.
The weather was hot, close to ninety,
but I told you not to mind me
as I put a ring on your hand:
yes, it was a wedding band.
Since then many years we've spanned--
being married has been simply grand.
Apologies for the double. The first one was erased, and I thought it was gone, so I did it again. Then--surprise--they both popped up.
"Spanning Again & Again"
Arthur thinks of the decades as themes in this life.
It was in the 1970s that he traveled with caprice
from the Mississippi bayous he toured with his wife
to his solo adventures at Mycenae in Greece.
Each decade is colored with external signs,
like the buddies he befriended back in the '90s,
but also with a sense of his advancing lifeline.
(The '90s meant the fifties precisely for this Pisces.)
His friends know he thinks of all life as risky,
laughing that nobody gets out of it alive,
and when the new century brought him his sixties,
he wondered just how much longer he'd thrive.
Longer and heartier than he ever knew,
for the aughts brought more travel, and with a new wife,
from Alaska to Russia, Galápagos to Peru,
but it began to tell--all that physical strife!
Next came his seventies, in the 20-teen years,
about as ancient as he ever expected to be,
he determined to face new limits with good cheer
less travel, more doctors, more meds than a pharmacy!
Now the 2020s, Arthur connects with misery,
and he's in his eighties, will wonders never cease?
He's pretty sure it's the last he'll ever see,
he doubts the tally of decades can increase.
Can he survive to his nineties? In his decrepit body?
He's nearly there, but that's OK. To be eighty ain't too shoddy.
~ OMK
Wilbur ~ Thank you for the back story, for the facts behind Penny and the loss of your RL pal, Tony. A truly sad accounting.
I only saw a couple of episodes of the Big Bang sitcom, at the end of the run, so was not familiar with the characters.
Tony's tale is a sad one.
Reminds me of similar stories of stolen ideas for shows, often accompanied by warnings to either copyright or at least send draft scripts or memos of creative ideas in writing to yourself by mail (and keep the dated envelopes unopened) before sharing them with anyone in or near Hollywood insiders.
It must be a cutthroat biz...
Still, you granted Tony a bit of fame today. A goodness in you brought him into our lives, if only just a little while.
For his sake, and ours, I thank you.
Dear Misty ~ There is a little box you can check in the lower left corner of the erasure screen that says you want to delete the post forever. I always check that one, and it has never failed me.
Still, your two poems nearly matched. Both versions are charming.
The scene was nicely set.
The temp being nearly ninety was quite precise; reminded me of my (and Arthur's) time on the bayou! What were the chances?
Owen ~ A lovely feeling of nostalgia for an impish childhood today.
Your choice of Cajun names--and of ammo and weaponry--is delicious! And I nearly salivated at the afterthought in your last line.
Well done, Maestro!
~ OMK
My goodness, Ol' Man Keith, you must have had a birthday recently to be so reminiscent about the decades of one's life. But I suppose we should all do that, as we reach our seniority, though I suspect I have at least one decade--my thirties--when pretty much nothing interesting happened. No problem, as long as you survive it.
I guess you're right, Misty.
Of course, the poem was about fictitious Arthur, not about me. But I see I did identify him as a fellow Pisces, so that may have suggested a touch of biography.
I don't know that it is a requirement of seniority--to reflect on the past. I just don't see how we can avoid it.
The older I get the more I ponder mortality. Not in a morbid way, but in an appreciation of all the memories I have stored.
There is also a paradox--the awareness that we know the end is nearing, and we don't know how it will come.
~ OMK
OMK, we seemingly have lurkers and Owen once had me share my "Rib Room" poem. Who knows who, out there, might be interested in the "Tale of Tony".
It's double edged in that surely that BP Oil Spill caused his cancer.
And... That surely was an identifiable panarama of life for " Arthur" and his namesakes.
As I read it the key seems to be to treasure memories rather than reenact the Mightabeens and Shouldas. Or to echo Brando "I coulda..."
I remember my Babe Ruth all-star State quarterfinal where I failed to "Seize the Day". Not to speak of a certain girl for whom I failed to dial the phone.
And Misty's bayou beau much like Penny's (She ended up marrying Leonard) looks like a keeper.
And finally Owen awakened a chapter in my life: 9th Grade French of which I was a 21 year old teacher. Oh the humanity.
Three poems in a row from Wilbur. Sandy, make me promise to wrap up Ivanhoe. I actually have to wrap up the final chapters where Scott wraps up the various vectors of his long tale.
William Makepeace Thackeray actually continues the tale in the aptly titled Rebecca and Rowena
WC
And Owen, OMK or Misty I wrote this poem about the aforementioned "Recovery" process. Ironically I titled it "H is for..." and along came a best seller "H is for Hawk". Anyway I invite you three erudite friends to edit, enhance, modify or tell me to leave it alone.
My favorite "H" word is Harmony. I added a bunch more which parallel the principles upon which 12 Step Recovery is based.
I'll post it below
Harry came to the halls one day
He said ” I've nowhere else to go".
He was met by smiling faces,
A cup of coffee, and a warm hello
.
“I'm in a bad way, I just can't cope,
Nor put down the drink, I fear”.
We're glad you came, for there is Hope.
We have a plan and it starts right Here.
For Helplessness and unmanageability
Begin now by accepting your futility.
There's hope in these halls, accept our word
It's all explained in the second and third
Steps on the wall. Ask Whomever for the gift of acceptance
Then comes housecleaning and readiness for repentance .
Humility is the guiding principle to pray for now
Honesty, too, is key. A Sponsor'll show you how.
You'll need pen and paper to make a list
Of those character defects you so love to resist
Dropping. As we all did my friend,
Recovery depends on the effort you expend .
If you're House is clean, Harmony brings bliss,
Serenity, peace and joy. That's our promise.
Is the fruit worth the effort? Wait there is more
Did we mention Higher Power? He's yours to explore.
Step 11 suggests quiet prayer and meditation
It's all in the Big Book under "There is a Solution".
But wait, if recovery and healing is given to you
We suggest helping others, it's what you'll want to do.
Keep coming to the halls, it's the best way to cope.
Listen and share: Experience, Strength and Hope.
WC
In my Docs area I have put the H words in bold. To see my .docs I need to share (Google)
My goodness, Wilbur, what an absolutely inspiring and beautiful poem about the process of recovery and support and resurrection. It really is wonderful, and I hope there's a way you could distribute it to persons who could use and need this kind of support and inspiration at this time in their lives. I was really impressed by it--thank you for posting it.
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