FEB 29, (28b), poetic non-sequitur: "college of knowledge"

 

"MY EDUCATION" 

Early life? Still quite young (after crawlage) 

I attended a college of knowledge,  

Took Logistics; that course 

Upped my skills, helped enforce 

My career-choice as driver of haulage.

Giorgio Coniglio

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FEB 28, photo-collage: Carolina lowcountry treat -- boiled peanuts

 

store display, in cellophane bags

ready to eat (a somewhat messy finger-food)

ramikin with empty shells. Delicious!

Check out our previous post on this topic with an illustrated poem, song lyrics and more photos. Click HERE.

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FEB 30, (28c), singable satire: "PEN OF RABBITS" (non-hunters' martial melody)

Harlech castle, Wales,
web-photo

 Today's Offering, Feb 30 (28c): SINGABLE SATIRE

ORIGINAL PARODY-LYRICS

MUSICAL UNDERPINNINGS: "Men of Harlech", a traditional Welsh hymn

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, August 2013; performed at the Corktown Ukulele Jam.

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 and guitar chord-charts to help you accompany "PEN OF RABBITS" on your favorite instrument, click HERE.

You can also view the lyrics and commentary (without images or chords) displayed on a parody-lyrics website where they were first developed at AmIRight.com. 

Charlotte Church, child diva
 sings "Men of Harlech"

PEN of RABBITS

(to the tune of "Men of Harlech")

Welsh 'rarebit';
no rabbits harmed 

Singable Introduction:
Still today caer Harlech perches,

Dominating YouTube searches - 

Startling, stirring [1], song of Church's

Steals your breath away.

Here’s a song about Welsh Rare-bit, 

Squarely dealing with the hare-bits --

Seen on fare-bills quite a fair bit,

Patrons seem perplexed.

Rabbit Welsh –- offensive nomen-

-clature used by Saxon foemen ?

“No Welsh eats, but cheese and dough, man,

‘less they poach some game.” [2]

Meat-free choice? Just ask your hostess,

Beer-and-cheese-melt over toast; its

Celtic fans applaud and boast, it’s

Cambria’s national dish.

Some meat-shunners might eschew it

Thinking it a hunter’s stew –- but 
It lacks lagomorphs [3], that’s true –- Bugs

Outwits Elmer Fudd!

Rare-bit search is Brasch’s [2]

Hare terse-verse is Nash’s [4]                 

‘HoJo’ wrote the spoof ‘Woad Ode’ [5]

Coniglio [6] penned some flashes.

Hail a dish that harms no hopsters;

Not how Newberg hassles lobsters,

Fwycassees can fweak out sqwabsters --

Free the Cornish hen!

Easter rabbit hunt, New Zealand

Sadly, elsewhere, butchered rabbit

Satisfies game-lovers’ habits;

Easter special –- Braised Brunch-Basket:

Bunny-love abused.

Hard life in the burrows,

Where bereavement’s thorough.

Peters sad, their mom or dad

Got skewered for lunch ‘al burro’ [7].

Hail a world that harms no hopsters,

Fricassees make quail no squabsters,

Calves should escape escalope, sirs !

Peace in field and warren !

[1] Charlotte Church aged 13, recorded the traditional ‘Men of Harlech’, 1998.

[2] Dr R. Brasch discusses the origins of ‘Welsh rarebit/rabbit’ in ‘How Did It Begin’ , MJF Books, 2006.

[3] herbivorous mammals in a zoologic order which includes rabbits and hares.

[4] Ogden Nash’s well-known 2-line poem, ‘The Rabbits’

[5] Best-known spoof on the song: a Boy-Scout song based on the tradition among ancient Britons of fighting naked in woad dye, by Eton housemaster W. Hope-Jones, 'HoJo', 1921

[6] Coniglio: name derived from the Italian word for rabbit 

[7] culinary term in Italian for 'prepared in a butter sauce'

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FEB 27, high standards

TODAY'S POEM (17-syll. 'haiku') 

my standards set high,

mediocre performance -- 

my disappointment.

Giorgio Coniglio 

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FEB 26, mythed opportunities: Aurora and Tithonus (eternally)

 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 Tithon/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 (Dawn), 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. Also, the involved deities have been immortalized in human names for astrophysical phenomena.

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

"Dawn", bronze sculpture, Tuck Langland,
Brookgreen Gardens, SC

 Click HERE for another verse about Eos's astronomical protégé.

You can take advantage of the whole spectrum of illustrated poems dealing with 'Mythed Opportunities' that we have collected on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE!

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FEB 25, submitted palindromes: RANDOM PILES 55

 

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 scholarly blog "Edifying Nonsense" -- start HERE.  

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FEB 24, Canadiana: Alberta dinosaurs

 a) Reprise of material posted on December 2 in previous years ...

2020: OEDILFian verse, Advent #2 (collated verses)  
2021: hellenophilia, Heraklia (illustrated poem)

2022: defining opinion, hollow (poem) 
2023: defining opinion, hole #1 (poem)

To access the details of any item in slide format, type its title, as displayed above in red font (e.g. ... hollow), into one of the two search bars at the the top of your blog-page. Underneath the slide(s) for each entertaining delight that you discover, you will find a clickable link that lets you easily explore a more widespread collection of wonderments (verse, photos, wordplay, song-lyrics etc.) on the topic of your choice. 

b) Today's Offering (Dec 2, 2024):

Authors' Note: The above poem was inspired by recent newspaper articles reporting that there are places in Canada where people approve of the comments and attitudes of the current US president, despite widespread national disapproval.

Drumheller, a town of some 8,000 inhabitants located 110 km northeast of Calgary, has a number of distinctive features. Once the largest coal-producing site in western Canada, it can boast, due to aggressive amalgamation with neighboring communities, its status as the largest "city" geographically in the oil-rich prairie province of Alberta. Located two hours drive from Dinosaur Provincial Park, Drumheller's Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology has the largest collection of fossils in Canada, and the town vaunts this tourist attraction with a fiberglass statue of a Tyrannosaurus rex measuring over 80 feet in height.

Binomial Linnaean names for extinct species can be a source of confusion, and that is certainly the case in this instance. But many experts apparently feel that the Tyrannosaurus rex is equivalent to the Tyrannosaurus rump (T. rump), and that the genus-name Trumposaurus may represent a preferable designation for the fearsome predator.  _______________________________________________________________________

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FEB 23, travel reviews: INN-dulgence

 

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FEB 22, at heart: atrial fibrillation

 

Authors' Note: Atrial fib, also abbreviated to a-fib or AF, is medical jargon for atrial fibrillation. Causes for AF include various heart and lung conditions, particularly valvular heart disease, but half of cases occur spontaneously.

AF may be symptomatic or not, and may be intermittent rather than sustained, particularly in its earlier phase. In any case, it is associated with the formation of clots in the atria of the heart, leading to an increased risk of brain stroke, caused by emboli.

To reduce the risk of stroke, patients with AF may be asked to take blood thinners for life.    

You can view more poems on this topic by proceeding to "Cardiologic Tracings: AT HEART" (parts #1 and #2) on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

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FEB 21, terminal (poetic) exclamation: ANYTHING BUT!

 

You can review our collection of poems on the topic of "Terminal Exclamation (Limerick Variations)" as it evolves on our more encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense"; click HERE. 

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FEB 20, singable satire, original lyrics: "TTC VOICES"

 Today's Offering (Feb 20, 2025):  SINGABLE SATIRE

ORIGINAL SONG (music and lyrics)

MELODY: generic railway song (chorus similar to "New River Train")

LYRICS: Giorgio Coniglio, January 2013; performed at the Corktown Ukulele Jam. 

 PAODY-SONGLINK: To find ukulele and guitar chord-charts to help you accompany "TTC VOICES" on your favorite instrument, click HERE.

GLOSSARY of TORONTO INTERSECTIONS:
AVenue Rd and DAVenport Rd 
CARLeton St and PARLiament St
GERrard St and SHERbourne St
YORK St and Queen's QUAY
KEELE St and STEELES Ave
UNIVERSITY Avenue and COLLEGE St.
KING St and QUEEN St, main streets that run parallel through the downtown, then intersect where they cross the Don River

TTC VOICES  

(Chorus)
We're riding the Red Rocket - TTC
It's the urban transportation mode for me.
When I die, don't make a fuss
Waive the hearse I'll take the bus !
I'm a discount-senior transit devotee.

(Voice #1)
Near my penthouse flat at Av and Dav
Castled hills and toney shops and trats are what you have.
To avoid those traffic fines,
I speed up Spadina Line,
 And save my dime for trips to Waikiki.

(Chorus) 
We're riding the Red Rocket  - TTC
It's the trusted transportation grid for me.
I would only jump on GO
To get west past Mimico
I'm a discount-senior transit devotee.

(Voice #2)
Beside the hillside farm at Carl and Parl 
Where streetcars veer toward the Valley, squeal but seldom snarl
As at other petting zoos
You'll hear bleats neighs, oinks and moos
But look down and see stalled traffic from afar.

(Chorus)        
We're riding the Red Rocket - TTC
It's the urban transportation mode for me.
I would only take a cab
To get laid out on a slab
I'm a discount-senior transit devotee.

(Voice #3)
I camp out in the park near Ger and Sher
Where what we smoke and drink and introduce ain't always pure.
I can't dance that shelter jive,
I'm just trying to survive,
Please spare me change for lunch and TTC.

(Chorus)
We poor folks, we may still need to commute,
Though paying higher mil-rates you taxpayers may not suit -
Homeless, school-kids, unemployed,
Nanny for great-uncle Floyd,
 We're all discount urban transit devotees. 

(Voice #4)
I perch above the Lake at York and Quay (kway? kwhy?) 
Where yachts are docked you see so many towers block the sky,
Angels, Orioles, Jays and owls
Watch for Sky-Dome balls hit foul,
While the Mariners, Rays and Pirates sail the seas (the harbour?)

(Chorus)
We're riding the Red Rocket - TTC
It's the urban transportation mode for me.
I could start up my old tank,
But I'd rather walk the plank,
Or even watch old ballgames on TV.

(Voice #5)
Back home in my large garage near Keele and Steeles
Where life, as it rolls on, is sure dependent on 4 wheels;
SUVs and mowing grass,
I could use relief from gas,
Earth and I would fare much better - TTC.

(Chorus)
You too could ride Red Rocket into town.
It's the eco-friendly way to keep those greenhouse gases down.
You'll reduce your income tax,
Just submit your Metro-Pass
Labelled " new suburban subway devotee"

(Voice #6)
It's our Physics lunch at University--
College-cars accelerate, but seldom approach 'c'.
 We learn "Think, therefore I am",
Munch your sandwich on the tram,
It's where Einstein dreamed up relativity.
   
(Chorus) 
Looking down the track what can we see?
A better system for posterity.
We should work on frequent trains, 
And forget the 'gravy-stains',
Let's perfect our city's gem, the TTC.

(Voice #7)
My Queen-, your King sees how it ought to be,
It's signed and sealed and witnessethed in my last Will-and-T,
When my time is done and gone,
Strew my ashes cross the Don,
Donate my last token to the TTC.

(Chorus)
We're riding the Red Rocket - TTC
It's the urban transportation mode for you and you and me.
When we die, don't make a fuss
Waive the hearse we'll take the bus !
We're all discount-senior transit devotees.

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FEB 19, avian talking heads, H to M

 

 TALKING HEADS

 This tongue-in-cheek collection is a followup to earlier blog-posts "Avian Talking Heads", as divided into easier to swallow sections alphabetically.

Photos of this ilk and other posts displaying mammals and 'lower' animals, were obtained by Giorgio Coniglio, using an i-phone camera, at various locations, mostly in the 'wild'; a minority was obtained at zoos, museums, aquariums and wildlife sanctuaries. The first post in this extended collection can be found on January 19th, 2025.

prior avian participants 

(January 19 -- click HERE): anhinga, black-crowned night heron, black skimmer, black swan, blue jay, brown pelican.

(January 29 -- click HERE): California scrub jay, Canada goose, cardinal, cedar waxwing, chickadee, chicken, city pigeon, common cormorant, crow.

(February 9 -- click HERE): domestic duck (pekin), domestic turkey, emu, flamingo, gallinule, grackle, great awk, great blue heron, great egret, greylag (domestic) goose.

CURRENT PARTICIPANTS: Harris hawk, herring gull, housefinch, laughing gull, little blue heron, loon, magpie, mallard duck, marabou stork, military macaw, mute swan. 

Harris hawk

herring gull

housefinch

laughing gull

little blue heron

loon

magpie (Eurasian),
excerpted from Audubon painting

mallard duck

  

marabou stork

military macaw

mute swan

If you enjoyed this foolish collection, you might want to proceed to several more posts featuring avian talking heads. Eventually, there may even be posts featuring mammals and other life forms! 

Click here for avian talking heads N to R.

Readers who would like further information on the subjects, locales or technique of these photos are asked to leave a query in the Comments section. 

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