All hints are in the comments!

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Sept. 14, 2021

||
|Smiley face| _habit, musty, fibber, lounge, grubby.
Image(s) 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.

19 comments:

Ol' Man Keith said...

Today is September 14, 2021 (NOT the 13th),
an infamous Election Day here in California.

Voters are asked whether to recall our governor.
Polls say we're safe,
that the Gov is secure by a wide margin.
But what do polls know?

OwenKL said...

Merrily was vile, she was base, she was mean.
She had bad habits, both dirty and obscene.
She was sloppy, unkempt, and disheveled.
Her apartment so musty, cockroaches reveled!

Her closet was stuffed like Fibber Magee's
Her room was unlocked, since she'd lost the keys.
She'd not grubby her hands with what work was found;
Instead she was idle, and just lounged around.

And yet on the dating apps she was a pro!
She took on all comers, on dates they'd go!
She dined on lobster and choicest veal,
Then ghosted guys after they'd paid for her meal!

OwenKL said...

The first line was ripped from "Have Some Madeira, M'Dear".
Thanks for noting the mis-dating. I'll correct it when I add the color image.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Ah, how clever Ms. Merrily was!
She made "ghosting" an art before most of us heard of the term.
A nice character piece, Owen, thanks for starting us off.
And thank you too, for recalling Fibber Magee.

OK, who's ready girl today's dose of iambic pentameter?

The intro:
After a few nights in such a milieu, I'm ready for the showers--and for my nickname,...

"Scrubby"
I'd be a fibber to deny my habit
of lurking in a musty cocktail lounge.

(All the clue words are in the above lines. But here's the kicker:)
Although I lack the funds to pay my way,
lounges are conducive spots to scrounge.
______________________________________________

If that didn't work for you, how about a re-interpretation of the first two lines above as a haiku?

My fibbing habit
makes musty lounge attendance
a matter of fact.

Doesn't this show how Japanese form automatically guides the reader toward greater contemplation?
~ OMK

Misty said...

"Marital Reform"

Greta loved her dear and sweet hubby
even though he was messy and grubby.
His lounge was dusty and musty
and his work tools were all very rusty.
In addition, he was a fibber--
well, really, just an ad-libber.

Greta told him he had to quit
and get out of his bad habit.
And to give her threat some force,
she suggested they get a divorce.

This gave her husband much worry
and obliged him to hurry and scurry.
Their home is now tidy and clean
and Greta feels like a queen.

Ol' Man Keith said...

With Greta & hubby, Misty,
you return to a marriage theme,
but not to the happiest of your kind.

Still, it looks like he's made to toe the line
--thus extending
Greta's regal reign
over her "dear, sweet" swine.>
~ OMK

Misty said...

Thank you, Ol' Man Keith, for your praises so big--
but, really, Greta's husband is not a pig,
nor is he a prig.

Your fellow, who likes to wine and dine
at his friend's expense,
he's the real swine.

Misty said...

Speaking of bad people, Owen, they don't get much worse than Merrily, do they?

Ol' Man Keith said...

Forgive me, but I was following your clues regarding hubby's unhygienic habits.
I have nothing against swine, but I believe they are known to be rather "messy," "grubby," and often "dusty"
(although maybe more likely to be muddy than "musty").
My fellow is indeed a mooch & a fabulist,
but I don't know that he's not neat*.
~ OMK
___________
*
His nickname suggests he takes those showers seriously.

Misty said...

Greta forgives you, OMK.

Ol' Man Keith said...

I appreciate that.

Although "Queen" Greta (she of the regal reign)
is the one with whom I may take issue.
_______________________________

I hope your doctor's appointment went well today, Misty.

And let's hope the "recall" election goes well this evening.
As I wrote on the Corner, 2016 gave us enough of a shock for a single lifetime.
~ OMK

Wilbur Charles said...

"So Chet", Charles asks, "Tell us about your journey. Care to share?"
"It began in a grubby, musty lounge full of lushes, lizards and louts.
And there sipping a ginger ale sat Lois. How that came about
I'm still not sure. But at night , and I'm no fibber, I thank God she was there.

It wasn't necessarily my habit to hang out at such a place,
And Lois never went to seedy bars; it could only be God's grace

WC

Wilbur Charles said...

Merilee was quite a piece of work. And OMK has another freeloader. Did Greta mean it or would she have divorced her hubby. After all she did live the lout.

Wilbur Charles said...

And Sandy loves the latest news about Chet and Lois not to speak about Charles and Nora

Sandyanon said...

It's nice to get both Chet's and Lois' personal views.
They are both so grateful.

Wilbur Charles said...

Grateful to be sober, beyond all hope,
Grateful that today they can finally cope
Grateful that a Higher Power is in their life
Grateful for each other, future husband and wife

Sandyanon said...

Nice thoughts, Wilbur.

Misty said...

Wilbur, I hope Greta used her divorce threat mainly to encourage her husband to shape up a bit and become a better domestic partner. But if he had not responded--who knows what she would have done? You'd have to ask her.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Nice to read of the gratitude, Wilbur.
Chet sure appreciated the sight of Lois
in that filthy lounge!

But best of all,
they both felt thankful,
each for the other.
Nobody had to press a soul
to shape up,
to meet any demands,
in order to stay together.

It's best that way.
~ OMK