* DEC 31, HOGMANAY (New Year's Eve): Auld Lang's sine

reprise from December 31, 2020

DEC 31, a brief saga: Hogmanay (New Year's Eve)

 A HAPPY NEW YEARS TO ALL !!!

Incidental photo (start of 2023):

midnight scene from our Toronto aerie

DEC 30, exotic destination: the tropical conservatory (Toronto excursion)

ALLAN GARDENS CONSERVATORY  

In the park, there's an old floral greenhouse,

Warm and humid, yet calm and serene house.

Koi cavort in its ponds

Beneath tropical fronds --

Our exotic escape-from-routine house.

Dr G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, 2023

Authors' Note: We are fortunate to have moved into an apartment building just across the street from a public conservatory whose warm, humid, glass-roofed galleries offer the visitor views and dreams of escape to tropical floral environments. Visits are especially reinvigorating on dark and depressing winter days, and admission is free!

You might also enjoy reviewing photo-enhanced poetry posts related to poinsettias, to koi, and to Leda and the Swan at the same destination.

 Other verses about 'Exotic Destinations' can be found on our blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE.

DEC 28, non-sequitur: the communist church

 

The COMMUNIST CHURCH

1840s: Idealists in Britain,

By principles Chartist were smitten,

Such as John Goodwyn Barmby,

Who asked, "What could the harm be

In a Communist Church?" So it's written.

Dr G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, 2023

Authors' Note: Liberal thinking seized Europe towards the middle of the nineteenth century. Emboldened by the partial successes of the politically-targeted Chartists, intellectuals were drawn to idealistic social movements such as communitarianism. According to Wikipedia, John Goodwyn Barmby (1820 – 1881), one of its principals, introduced the term 'communist', based on the French le communisme and founded a revue called The Communist Chronicle. Seeking a spiritual path, he later founded the Communist Church, a sect that had congregations numbering in the teens at its peak. When the church folded in 1849, Barmby became active as a Unitarian minister.

DEC 27, palinku (poetic novelty): sweet treats

 In this post, we will 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. 

 

(Ed. note:) Verses of this type have continued to accumulate, and there are now more than 50 of them. You can easily view them all  if you  proceed  to our more encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE.

(Or, if your prefer, you can view all this material on Facebook  in Giorgio's photo-albums.)

DEC 26, mammalian wildlife: gerbils

MONGOLIAN GERBIL

Honest Herb takes offence (sub-type: verbal)

When the H gets pronounced in word herbal.

"Each hour, I'm observing,

My distaste is unswerving.

It unnerves me; not so with my gerbil."

Dr G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, 2022

Authors' Note:

Honest Herb(ie), a westponder admits that pronouncing the herbal 'H' in Britain and Australia may be the norm there, but he prefers the standard American way of saying it.

The Mongolian gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus, a hardy small herbivorous rodent, has become a popular pet. Originally a resident of Asia transported for use as a research subject, it was introduced from the US to the UK in 1964; its pronunciation preferences currently remain unrecorded.
Check out this link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolian_gerbil

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 !

* DEC 25, Holiday season -- every Adventuality

reprise from December 25, 2020

DEC 25, holiday verse: every Adventuality

 

Incidental Photo:

decoration of a gingerbread house

DEC 24: holidays and celebrations: poinsettias

Happy Birthday to Trooper, wherever you are!

CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS

Pulcherrima, Euphorbia (spurge),

Joel Poinsett, Mex envoy, did urge,

"With its bracts, Christmas-red,

US cultivars bred,

Global sales are expected to surge."

(Is it toxic? Fake news, we should purge.)

Dr G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, 2022

Authors' Note: Joel Poinsett, South Carolinian physician and amateur botanist, served as the first US ambassador (a position designated as minister) to Mexico. In the 1820s, he sent home to his greenhouses samples of Euphorbia pulcherrima (member of the spurge family), then known as nochebuena, associated in Latin America with the Christmas story. Distribution of the poinsettia in the US was enhanced by other horticulturalists' development of cultivars with a more lush profusion of the colored bracts, and more recently, by variants in various appealing colors. Today, a single nursery in Texas accounts for 70% of American sales, and half of all global sales of this decorative seasonal potted plant.

Incidentally, although the plant is assumed by many to be toxic, that possibility appears based on an incorrect original report, and is unsupported by other evidence.

 
rainy-day visit to the
Allan Gardens Conservatory

DEC 23, objectionable adjectives: fulsome

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to P.E.H. !!!!!!!

 

Authors' Note: Pretentiousness may be at work when the word fulsome is (ab)used by a writer or speaker who feels that 'full' is not sufficiently impressive.

You can review our editorially selected doggerel (six verses) relating to 'Objectionable Adjectives' by clicking HERE.

DEC 22, higher connections: great chain of being

Authors' Note: Originally conceived by Plato and Aristotle as a construct to explain the universe, the Great Chain of Being, known in Latin as scala naturae, organized all beings and matter in a hierarchy, descending from heavenly powers through humans, animals, plants and minerals. 

   In medieval times, the concept was expanded as a rationale for the Divine Right of Kings, and to deny unapproved social mobility.  

 

Our collection of 'Non-Sequiturs' on our parent blog "Edifying Nonsense", contains an admittedly bizarre assortment of nonsensical odds-and-ends, that don't quite fit into other topic-based offerings. But should you want to review the entire collection, click HERE.

Incidental Photo:

the holiday season is upon us ...

Our collection of 'Non-Sequiturs' on our parent blog "Edifying Nonsense", contains an admittedly bizarre assortment of nonsensical odds-and-ends, that don't quite fit into other topic-based offerings. But should you want to review the entire collection, click HERE.

DEC 21, Canadiana: seniors' hockey

 

You can review poems, pictures and diverse nonsense related to Canada on the post "Canadiana" on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense".

DEC 20, mythed opportunities: Aurora and Tithonus (immortality)

Authors' Note: Well, this is about as close as you can get to the bona fide Greek myth. In actuality, Eos became enamored of a series of mortal lovers, but wanted to get on with things, and eventually turned the formerly handsome Prince Tithonus into a cicada (which does not match the rhyming scheme). Be careful what you wish for!

The legend continued into Roman times, during which Aurora personified the role of Eos, and Jove or Jupiter the role of Zeus. Much later, the dilemma of the once-mortal hero was fantasized in the poem "Tithonus" by Alfred Tennyson.

In any case, this story fits an immutable pattern in which we mortals get clobbered in interactions with Greco-Roman deities.

As Eos's day-job was to fly across the skies announcing the arrival of the Sun, the above deities have been immortalized in human names for astronomical or geophysical phenomena.  Click HERE for another verse about Eos's astronomical protege.

You can also review other nonsensical poems dealing with 'Mythed Opportunities' in context on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE!

DEC 19, death and the afterlife: where bad Jews go

 

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

DEC 18, news-post: FIFA (soccer) World Cup 2022

 FIFA WORLD CUP 2022:

Final at Qatar venue ends in 3-3- tie. 

Thrilling tie-breaker, Argentina, Messi: What more can you say ?

DEC 17, waterfowl: flightless seabirds

 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'. 

DEC 16, patients and their maladies: gynophobia

EDITORS' WARNING: You must be at least 12 years of age to read this post (perhaps we should have listed it as a 'curtained verse')! 

 You can view these verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Nurse-Verse: Patients and their Maladies' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

If you prefer, you could view most of this topically arranged material on Facebook, in Giorgio's photo-albums. (About 20% of those offerings consist of political satire or adult limericks, and you will have to be a 'friend' of Giorgio's to view that stuff.)

DEC 15, reptiles: ophidiophobia

Authors' Note: The reptilian suborder Serpentes was previously known as Ophidia, a term derived from ophis, Greek for 'snake'. 

You can review photos and illustrated herpetologic verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Verses about Reptiles (don't worry! no snake-photos!)' on the full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense".

DEC 14, palinku (poetic novelty): drinks

(Ed. note:) Verses of this ilk have continued to accumulate. You can view them all at one swoop if you  proceed with a single click to our more encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE.

If you prefer, you could view most of this topically arranged material on Facebook, in Giorgio's photo-albums. (About 20% of those offerings consist of political satire or adult limericks, and you will have to be a 'friend' of Giorgio's to view that stuff.)

DEC 13: (re)duplications: harum-scarum

HARUM-SCARUM


Facing foolhardy, wild degradation?

Harum-scarum's a grand duplication,

Meaning reckless or rash,

Thoughtless, slaphappy, brash,

As when madcaps trash organization.

Dr G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, 2022

Authors' Note: The grammatical term (re)duplications is also discussed by the author in a verse about hanky-panky.

DEC 12, planet-saving verse: the climatologist

The CLIMATOLOGIST

Our pert climatologist daughter,

Wrote her thesis and change was the fodder.

Now she travels about

As an expert on drought,

And she seldom feels out of her water.

 Dr G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, 2022

Author's Note: Pretty much a true story. 

You can help save the planet by viewing all our verses in this series at "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

If you prefer, you could view most of this topically arranged material on Facebook, in Giorgio's photo-albums. 

DEC 11, poets' corner: epitomy

EPITOMY

To epitomize what could be boring:

Poets' website where pedants are storing

Half a million short verses,

Non-diverse. Mouthing curses,

Readers leave, or are silent, or snoring.

 Dr G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, 2022

DEC 10, palinku (poetic novety): diapers

 

(Ed. note:) Verses of this ilk have continued to proliferate, and there are now more than 50. You can view them all at one swoop if you proceed with a single click to our more encyclopedic 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 then month of interest, and then select (by clicking) the post of your choice.

DEC 9, non-sequitur: communitarian dinners

COMMUNITARIAN DINNERS

Modern dinners with groups communitarian

Include options both vegan and vegetarian,

'Tho some find it contrary,

Offering eggs, gluten, dairy,

All agree, best avoid serving carrion;

And, rebuff all meat-eaters barbarian!

Dr G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, 2023

Authors' Note: As pointed out by Janet McConnaughey, an OEDILF assistant editor, the term dinner, the principal meal of the day, can be used in several connotations, including assemblies of civic groups over a periodic organizational meal.

The communitarians were philosophically oriented writers arising in Britain in the 19th century, whose utopian ideas incorporated socialism, collectivism, and experimentation with communal living. Whether they had organizational meetings over meals, and the specific foods served, are unrecorded details; one imagines that most such thinkers would avoid eating meat, and would likely be vegans or vegetarians.

Our collection of 'Non-Sequiturs' on our parent blog "Edifying Nonsense", contains an admittedly bizarre assortment of nonsensical odds-and-ends, that don't quite fit into other topic-based offerings. But should you want to review the entire collection, click HERE.

DEC 8, doctors and their practices: Doctors Without Borders

This verse is dedicated to Dr. M. G., an Irish-Canadian emergency physician, now in Yemen.

DOCTORS without BORDERS

Modern heroes, Médecins Sans Frontières,

Bring resources and skill-sets to bear,

Where disastrous disorders

Require docs without borders.

Aren't you glad, readers, someone does care?

 Dr G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, 2022

(mayd-SEHN sahn frohnTYAYR)

Authors' Note: A small group of French doctors and journalists, in the wake of the horrific Biafran famine in 1971, founded Médecins Sans Frontières (occasionally for English speakers translated as Doctors Without Borders). Designed to deal with humanitarian crises in the developing world in regions beseiged by overt war, armed internal conflicts, epidemics and natural disasters, the charity has repeatedly distinguished itself, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999. It currently operates in over seventy countries worldwide.

You can view these informative verses in a wider context by proceeding to the collection 'DOCTORS and their PRACTICES' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

DEC 7, ecto-parasites: order of fleas

ORDER of FLEAS

Siphonaptera, order of fleas:

Species? Twenty-five hundred of these.

Each selects its key host,

Feeds and breeds, then can boast,

"We bring itch, infestation, disease."

Ectoparasites, sure to displease.

 Dr G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, 2022

Authors' Note: The fleas, wingless blood-sucking hopping insects, infest and make miserable a variety of warm-blooded host species including most famously man and dog. In America, the vast majority of infestations of domestic pests involve the cat flea, Ctenophalides felis.

You can review Giorgio's other verses about pesty and occasionally beneficial insects, as  collected in 'Buzzwords: Verses about Insects' on the full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE.

DEC 6, bar-fauna: Hamlet at the pub

If you liked this offering, 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.

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.

DEC 5, insects: entomologists

 

ENTOMOLOGISTS

There's no household insect that's good.

They'll eat woollens, your food and your wood.

Some so crude, they're blood-sucking.

Let's get rid of those f***ing

Pests fouling our fine, toney 'hood.

Entomologists, help us! You should!

Dr G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, 2022

Authors' Note: Fact-sheets dealing with related key information have been posted here by etymologists. These include short poems pertaining to insects that eat woollens, scavenge for food, destroy wood structures, prey on human blood and torment domestic pets.

Readers are advised to exercise care in distinguishing entomologists from etymologists.

DEC 4, pluralia tantum: 'moronics' -- unusual fields of study

 'MORONICS'

"With traditions that date back to Phonics,

And deep roots fit to mime Hydroponics,

My proposed field of study:

How clear waters turn muddy --

Raise your glass for a toast to Moronics."

Dr G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, 2022

Grandpa Greg asked us to pass on this message: "You can view the entire collection of verses about 'pluralia tantum' by clicking HERE."

DEC 3, hellenophilia: tipping on Santorini

 

DEC 2, organic brain poetry: chronic subdural hematoma

 

CHRONIC SUBDURAL HEMATOMA

"Back a spell, had a spill." Recall's hazy;

Two months passed, Hazel's ill and acts crazy.

Then a CAT-scan referral

Found her chronic subdural.

That flaw fixed, she feels fresh as a daisy.

 

Dr G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, 2022

Authors' Note: A chronic subdural hematoma is a space-occupying intracranial lesion resulting from the body's failure to resorb blood that collected between the dural membrane and the brain parenchyma, usually caused by traumatic head injury. Whereas an initial expanding clot presents as a neurosurgical emergency, smaller clots, with a tendency to absorb fluid and expand gradually, may be later suggested only by chronic neuropsychiatric symptoms. In jargon used in actual medical settings and in televised fictional series, the term for the lesion responsible may be shortened to subdural.

In elderly patients, such as Hazel, and in those on blood-thinning drugs, the trauma required to incite events such as those in this tale may be minor or even subliminal.

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."

DEC 1, mythed opportunities: Cronus

CRONUS      

Now on me falls the gruesomest onus,

To describe Zeus's dad, god named Cronus:

Maimed his Pa, this bad dude,

Then devoured his own brood.

Zeus escaped, then dethroned him. A bonus!

Dr G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, 2022    (OEDILF #113710)

Authors' Note: The nasty Greek deity Cronus, (sometimes transcribed as Kronos) has intermittently been conflated with the Father Time-like figure Chronos, but eventually merged with the more benign Roman god Saturn, for whom Saturday, the planet Saturn, and the harvest festival saturnalia are named.

In the harsh Greek version of the myth, the youth Cronus castrates his father, Uranus, at the urging of his peevish mother Gaia. Later, Cronus learns that he, too, is fated to be overturned by his own offspring, and devours them, except for Zeus, who escapes and eventually does overthrow him to become king of the gods.