JAN 10, a brief saga (pandemic poetry): squid in the time of COVID

 

 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. 

 There are now over 40 of these lengthier bits of doggerel featured at OEDILF in Giorgio's "Author's Showcase". The OEDILF number for each accepted multiverse poem is shown here on the slide with its first verse. We have been blog-publishing these poetic adventures here monthly since January 2020. 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 2023), proceed to Newfoundland 'Potato Famine'. 

To access the most recent previous 'brief saga' (December 2022), back up to 'Hemianopsia'.

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

2020
2021
2022
2023.

JAN 9, mythed opportunities: Cronus

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.

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!

JAN 8, mammalian wildlife: hoary marmots

Authors' Note: Living in the US Pacific Northwest, generally in sites 2500m (8,000 feet) or more above sea-level, and at lower elevations as well in British Columbia and Alaska, North America's largest ground squirrel (a relative of the prairie dog and woodchuck) lives an apparently idyllic life. An herbivore, it emerges to survey the mountain views while dining on vegetation, and spends its morning sun-bathing on the rocks. It avoids the inhospitable part of the year by hibernating in communal well-hidden burrows for seven months. The downside is provided by several predators, most notably golden eagles; unfortunately, its characteristic high-pitched alarm call (underlying nicknames like "whistle-pig") does not give complete protection when these dangers are present.

Whistler, BC, is a destination whose name is linked to this local mammalian resident. You can check out an illustrated verse about this town by clicking HERE (link available at the end of November 2023). 

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 !

JAN 7, objectionable adjectives: flaky (floccular)

 

Authors' Note: 

ovine: adjective pertaining to sheep
ovular: adjective pertaining to egg

A broad spectrum of adjectives, many abstruse and pedantic, are based on Latin roots. A few of these, like bovine and regular, have been fully adopted into modern speech patterns. Others, such as the pair ovine and ovular, are a source of confusion. A minority, including the relatively obscure floccular, do rhyme with each other, providing a benefit only to poets. Is floccular snow falling? The author finds that use flaky.

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

JAN 6, American satire: anniversary reminiscence

 

 Authors' Note:  If you were going to sing a limerick, this modified 6-line verse (a 'limerrhoid') would be a particularly good one to sing to the tune of Gershwin's 'Anniversary Song'. Readers are invited to check out the possibilities for singing limerick verses with a variety of tunes on a blogpost on "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE. 

We hope that you enjoyed this verse. You can find dozens more on this topic in 9 collections on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE to start! 

JAN 5, ambulatory verse: pre-amble

 You can review all our verses on this topic, accumulated for you on our companion blog "Edifying Nonsense", by clicking HERE. (By the way, the next verse in this collection is about ambling.)

JAN 4, lexicon of word-pairs: alliterative binomials C to D

Giorgio's lexicon of binomials (alliterative)

Quite a few alliterative binomials have been highlighted in short verses by the authors:  

Matching the selection, these include "cash or cheque", "cool and calm", and "down and dirty". 

And, for those with a musical bent, we have a song-cycle of 9 songs displaying the spectrum of these binomial expressions. They have lyrics stuffed with word-pairs, arranged to familiar tunes. You can readily access this singable treasure trove of binomial expressions of various types by clicking on the link for the first song, "WORD PAIRS", HERE. 

You can proceed to the next blogpost in the lexicon series (alliteratives E to G) by clicking HERE.

JAN 3, bottom line of medical humor: anorectal disorders (proctology)

Authors' Note: In North America, many proctologists now prefer to be known (professionally) as 'colorectal surgeons'. 

You can view these informative verses in a wider context by proceeding to the collection 'The BOTTOM LINE of MEDICAL HUMOR' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

JAN 2, lexicon of word-pairs: alliterative binomials A to B

 

Giorgio's lexicon of binomials (alliteratives A to B)

Quite a few alliterative binomials have been highlighted in short verses by the authors:  

Matching the selection on the first slide, these include  "birds and bees" and "betwixt and between". 

And, for those with a musical bent, we have a song-cycle of 9 songs displaying the spectrum of these binomial expressions. They have lyrics stuffed with word-pairs, arranged to familiar tunes. You can readily access this singable treasure trove of binomial expressions of various types by clicking on the link for the first song, "WORD PAIRS", HERE. 

You can proceed to the next blogpost in the lexicon series (alliteratives  C to D) by clicking HERE.

JAN 1, Toront-oases: the old conservatory (poem)

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! Readers should note that the buiding, partly closed,  is undergoing a structural renovation that will be completed in 2025.

You might also enjoy reviewing photo-enhanced poetry posts related to poinsettias, koi, red-eared sliders(turtles), Canadian cactus, and Leda and the Swan at the same destination.