JAN 30, singable satire: "FICKLE TWIST OF VERSE", part #3

  PARODY-LYRICS, based on traditional poetry (limericks) 

ORIGINAL SONG: "Simple Twist of Fate" Bob Dylan 1975; covers by Diana Krall and Sean Costello are recommended.

ORIGINAL POETRY: At Wikipedia (click HERE), you can find a discussion of limericks dealing with the 'man from Nantucket'.

PARODY COMPOSED: Dr. G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, July 2016; the curent collection is a followup to  earlier posts (part #1) and part #2.

PARODY-SONGLINK: To access ukulele chord-charts to help you accompany "A Fickle Twist of Verse" on your favorite instrument, click HERE.

prior offerings: (initial post of April 20, 2021)
1. "There once was a man from Nantucket" (clean version) -- 3 verses, unattributed.
2. "There once was a man from Nantucket" (dirty version) -- cleaned up by G.C.
3. "A dozen, a gross and a score" -- Leigh Mercer

4. "There was an old miser named Clarence" -- Ogden Nash

prior offerings: (followup post of August 30, 2021)

5. "There was a brave girl of Connecticut" -- Ogden Nash 
6. "There was a young belle of Old Natchez" -- Ogden Nash

7. "A flea and a fly in a flue" -- author unknown, often attributed to Ogden Nash

8. "There was a young lady of station" -- Lewis Carroll

CURRENT CONTENTS: (more limericks from the classic repertoire, as interpreted by Bob Dylan.)

 

9. "A wonderful bird is the pelican" -- Dixon Merritt 
10. "There was a young lady named Bright" -- Reginald Buller
11. "There was an old man of Peru" -- Edward Lear 
12. "There was a young fellow of Wheeling" -- traditional 
13. "Hickory dickory dock" -- traditional
Chorus. "People say it makes them sick" -- Giorgio Coniglio

A FICKLE TWIST OF VERSE, part #2

(to the tune of "Simple Twist of Fate")

9. A wondrous bird – the pelican  
His bill holds more than his belican 

I’m damned if I see how the helican 

Take all that in his beak -  

Food enough for a week;  

I guess the bird rehearses   

Weekly, for this simple twist of verse. 

10. A lady traveller named Miss Bright

Exceeded ‘c’, the speed of light, 

Returned from trips the prior night  

That she’d started the next day, 

In a relative way.  

That’s Einstein’s universe  

Reflected in a fickle twist of verse.

11. There was an old man of Peru;

One day his young wife made a stew. 

Folks thought she knew just what to

   do,

Cause from their house she ran.  

He was found in their stewing pan;  

Which triggered some alerts 

For older guys in this simple twist

  of verse. 

12. A sensitive young guy from

  Wheeling 
Found the coach-door sign revealing. 

So he jumped, spat on the ceiling; 

Rather than the floor,  

As instructions did implore:  

Train signage known for terseness  

Spoofed in this twisted lim’rick verse.

13. Hick’ry dick’ry dick’ry dock

A timid mouse ran up the clock. 

The time had come for taking stock; 

So when the clock struck ten,  

He ran down the clock again,  

For better or for worse;   

As Dylan sang in this twisted nursery verse.

 

CHORUS: People say it makes them sick

To hear too many limericks;
I fear it had become my shtick,
But now I've lost the knack,
With no good jokes to crack --
A tendency perverse;
Blame it on a fickle twist of verse.

JAN 29, hellenophilia: Santorini wines

 Other verses discussing our appreciation of Greece and things Greek can be found on our blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE.

JAN 28, pathos and poetry (gun control verse): anger and guns

 You can review our entire poetic outpouring on this important topic by proceeding to a post on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'; click HERE.

JAN 27, wordplay: Scramble-towns eastern Canada,3

Who would ever have guessed? It turns out that an unparalleled word in generating anagrams, i.e. letter scrambles, is P-A-L-I-N-D-R-O-M-E-S. We have taken advantage of that property to create this unique series of wordplay maps of imaginary American (and Canadian) locales, each one completed by its official two-letter state (or provincial) abbreviation. 

LINKS to other nonsense in this series: 

Forward to the next Canadian map (4), eh?

Back up to the first Canadian map.

Back up to the first American map.

JAN 26, reptiles: amphisbaenians

Authors' Note: 

clade: taxonomic term, equivalent to ‘suborder’

   The amphisbaenians are a group of reptiles named for the Greek mythological figure Amphisbaena, a two-headed serpent. Superficially resembling earthworms, but with similar markings about their tails and their small heads, they spend most of their time in a subterranean environment. Although they are  widely found in South America, the Caribbean region and Africa, their current distribution in North America and in Europe is more limited, involving only Florida and Iberia respectively.

    

   The motivation for the alleged fevered search by Slovenian crowds to find these creatures is unclear.

   The suffix -paenia, or -penia, (PEE-nyuh), not infrequently used in medical terms, indicates a lack or deficiency.

You can review these illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Verses about Reptiles' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.

JAN 25, submitted palindromes: RANDOM PILES 18

 

You have reached the "Submitted Palindromes" thread on the blog "Daily Edifying Nonsense", a light literary entity that emanates through the blogosphere daily (almost), i.e. 30 times per month.

  On the 25th of each month you will find a slide-filling group of palindromic phrases submitted to the editors by a panel of 7 palindromists. These folks have all been working on this project since January 2020. The personal profiles for each of these contributors are displayed in panels published here at the start of things, and then, we have asked them to provide (palindromically, of course) their views on one of the iconic items in the classic literature, starting with "A man, a plan, a canal -- Panama", continuing with other well-known phrases, such as "Dennis sinned". Otherwise, their contribution will be grouped in monthly random piles (a phrase that you might recognize as an anagram of the word p-a-l-i-n-d-r-o-m-e-s).

You can access this delightful entertainment right here by entering submitted palindromes in one of the two search bars at the top of this post and scrolling downwards through the wordplay posts that you will discover, OR, just follow the links indicated above. 

Devotees of palindromic wordplay can further explore limericks and other short verses about the classic palindromes (and quite a few recent concoctions) that are randomly scattered on this blog after September 2000, or collected into grouped postings on our more encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense" -- start HERE.

JAN 24, dental feelings (sentimental verse): implants

Authors' Note:  'Desert' in this sense is the last refuge of an obsolete usage, meaning 'that which is deserved'. Modern writers, unaware of this ancient but persisting idiom, sometimes mistakenly write 'just desserts'. 

You can review the collection of illustrated verses on this topic by proceeding to the post 'Dental Feelings' on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.

links for any date: scroll over to the calendar-based listings of 'Past Posts' in the righthand column on this page, choose your month of interest, and then select (by clicking) the post of your choice. 

JAN 23, organic brain poetry: high-dose steroids

Authors' Note: A course of high-dose synthetic corticosteroids, e.g. dexamethasone, may be used to help bring under control a severe exacerbation of a chronic illness, e.g. asthma, inflammatory diseases, or an initial presentation, e.g. anaphylaxis, septic shock or brain swelling. Owing to the common side-effect of drug-induced euphoria/mania and other psychiatric issues, doctors attempt to taper the high doses as soon as possible.

You can view and review all our verses on the topic of 'Organic Brain Poetry' by following this link to the encyclopedic collection on "Edifying Nonsense."

JAN 22, neologism (classic): snafus at Fulton's 'Gnu-Bar'

 

If you liked this submission, you might want to refer to our entire collection of verses about human and animal denizens of bars, pubs and other watering-holes. Click HERE.

JAN 21, limerick variations: singable limericks

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                             Thanks to MMH for providing the photo, taken in Honolulu.

You can review our entire collection of poems on the topic of "Limerick Variations" as compiled on our more encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense"; click HERE.  

JAN 20, singable satire: "JAILHOUSE NOW", as sung by 'The Soggy Bottom Boys'

 PARODY COMPOSED: Dr. G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, March 2019.

ORIGINAL SONG: "In the Jailhouse Now", Jimmie Rodgers, 1928, recorded by many artists, including Webb Pierce, Merle Haggard, Chet Atkins and Leon Russell; a somewhat different version was recorded by Johnny Cash. Most recently the song, as performed by Tim Blake Nelson and The 'Soggy Bottom Boys' appeared in the filmscript and on the soundtrack of the Coen Brother's film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?". Check out the YouTube video HERE. 

UKULELE and GUITAR-FRIENDLY LINK: Our whole series of songs can be found in a friendly format for ukulele (and guitar)-players on our sister blog "SILLY SONGS and SATIRE" with chord-charts for both the parody and original song, as well as helpful performing suggestions. 

To find ukulele chord-charts to help you accompany "JAILHOUSE, NOW", click HERE.

JAILHOUSE, NOW

(to the tune of "In the Jailhouse Now")

I had a friend named lobbyin' Paul;

Misdemeanors? really quite small -- 

He helped out Putin's vassal in Ukraine.

Got up the nose of Mueller

His sentence just got fuller;

(He'd worked on GOP's ‘Sixteen campaign).

A witness-tamper tale; they done revoked his bail.

Those judges learned the facts

'Bout mortgage fraud and cheat-on-tax --

He's in the jailhouse now.

Paul warn't no copperator,

As Mueller found out later,

Paul figgered he'd get pardoned by the Chief.

His partner Rick keeps scattin',

There's some that call that rattin',

Rick knew that Paul's the one who'd get relief. 

Gates worked for presidents,

But turned 'state's evidence',

A short time will be spent

For launderin' and embezzlement.

He's in the jailhouse now.

Ah di o-dalee eehee hee

Ah di o-dalee eehee hee

Yode layee-hee

Yode layee-hee

Yode lay-ee.

Before 16's election

Don’s standard for selection

Was helpers that were loyal and quite tough.

They'd had some indiscretions,

But unlike Jeffie Sessions,

They wouldn't chicken out when things got rough.

Good guys like Michael Cohen,

Mike Flynn and Roger Stone,

And here I'm being blunt.

Collusion? No, it's a witch hunt.

Let’s lock up Hillary soon.

Repeat yodelling chorus.

JAN 19, poetic Panama palindrome parody: ' ... Ipanema'

 

Authors' Note: 

pizzazz: an American neologism, first used in the 1930s, for vitality, sparkle or flashiness

Carioca is a long-established nickname for the city and the residents of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ipanema is a section of that city, known for it's bossa nova music, and for its iconic beach.

As explained in the verse, we have the classic palindrome (reminiscent of the Panama concoction):
Amen, a pit — Ipanema, and its many variants.

Newer variants include: Amen, a pizza, jazz — Ipanema, and
Amen, a piece — Ipanema.

You can review the whole collection of our illustrated verses on this topic  by proceeding to 'Reversing Verse: Panama palindrome parodies' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.

And, if you are interested in seeing innumerable examples of spoofy palindrome variants on wordplay maps, you could embark on a journey through a collection of  blogposts entitled 'Tourists' Palindromic Guides: The Americas, #1 -#4'. All that's needed is to click on the link.

JAN 18, mammalian wildlife: kri-kri (Cretan goat)

 You can review the whole collection of illustrated verses about mammals (both domestic and exotic) by checking out the more extensive post on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE !

links for any date: scroll over to the calendar-based listings of 'Past Posts' in the righthand column on this page, choose your year and month of interest, and then select (by clicking) the post of your choice.

JAN 17, palinku (poetic novelty): puzzling and magic palindromes

   In this post, we continue with a novel form of poetic wordplay. Inspired by Japanese haiku poetry, this new form is used for a terse verse with a total of 17 syllables displayed on three lines. Unlike its classic Japanese analogue, this concoction does not mandate the precise distribution of the syllables among the three lines, but does stipulate that each word in the poem be included in a palindromic phrase or sentence in English (i.e. one that can be read either forwards or backwards). 

  To help the reader discern the origin of the lyrics, each palindrome (generally occupying one of the three lines of the poem) has been color-coded. The current post should be regarded as experimental; readers are referred to other posts in this collection for a review of the standard format.

   And, just in case you have forgotten what palindromes are about, your blogsite hosts have arranged a serial set of brief lessons on the topic ('Political Palindromes') which you can review by clicking HERE. 

palinku

palinku

The enhanced second slide shows the poetic content in the form of only two palindromic phrases -- these are both 'magical palindromes'; indeed they are lenthy , but they allow the synthesis of ideas that would not otherwise be possible with regular paindromes. You can get up to speed on this intriguing wordplay variation by clicking HERE.   

 You can view all our "palinku" verses if you proceed with a single click to our more encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE. (Or if you prefer, you can stay on this particular blogsite and look for the offerings for the 17th day of each month -- there are now more than 60 of these.)

links for any date: scroll over to the calendar-based listings of 'Past Posts' in the righthand column on this page, choose your month of interest, and then select (by clicking) the post of your choice.

JAN 16, death and the afterlife: giving up the ghost

 EDITORS' WARNING: You must be at least 12 years of age to read this post! 

 You can review more poems about 'Death and the Afterlife' in context on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE!

JAN 15, waterfowl: juvenile night herons

 

             

You can review these illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Immersible Verse: Limericks about Waterfowl' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. (Or, if you prefer, you can view them on Facebook in Giorgio's photo-albums).

JAN 14, toxic vignette: lethal drugs of abuse

 

Authors' Note: Occasionally, the shock of reality may help a victim of substance abuse, like Seth, to focus on his plight. A more professional discussion of drug addiction by SheilaB may be enlightening.

JAN 13, limerick for lovers of classic languages: yukky Roman foods

 

Authors' Note: 

gigeria: Latin term for the delicacy 'cooked bird entrails'; forerunner of the old French term gisier, from which our use of gizzard is derived

garum: highly popular Roman sauce made from fermented fish intestines, used equivalently to our catsup

Gourmands in ancient Rome were notorious for their consumption of exotic (and in modern terms yukky) foods of all sorts.

To review all of our output on the topic of classic languages, go to our encyclopedic compendium, "Edifying Nonsense"; click HERE !

links for any date: scroll over to the calendar-based listings of 'Past Posts' in the righthand column on this page, and select (by clicking) the month and then the specific post of your choice.

JAN 12, folio-entry, couples: pigeons

 

You can view all of our folio-photos from the collection of 'Couples' portraits in a wider context on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE.

JAN 11, savoir-faire: Gallicisms

 

 You can review verses on this topic in a wider context on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Check the post 'Vers Francais: Savoir-Faire' by clicking HERE. 

JAN 10, a brief saga (pill-poppin' poetry): drug development

  For the purpose of this blog, a 'brief saga' is defined as a poem, usually narrative, but occasionally expository, that tell its story in at least 15 lines. Most commonly, the format involves three stanzas in limerick form, constituting a single submission to the online humor site 'Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form'. On the OEDILF site, rigorous standards for content and format are involved in a collaborative editing process that may take several weeks to over a year. 

  Generally, OEDILF has not been enormously welcoming of multi-verse submissions, but Giorgio Coniglio has persisted, and the OEDILF number for each accepted multiverse poem is shown here on the slide with its first verse. And the good news is that almost all limerick-derived verses can be set to music!

To access the next 'brief saga' on this blog (February 2022), proceed to Attribution to Ogden Nash'. 

To access the most recent previous 'brief saga' (December 2021), back up to 'Avian Digestion'.

 To access all of our 'brief sagas' by the year of their creation, click on your selection below.

2020

2021
2022
2023.