DEC 18, defining opinion: hoot

 

Our blogpost "Defining Opinion" on the topic-based blog "Edifying Nonsense" shows a selection of similar verses submitted to OEDILF (the online Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form). You can see all of these on one visit by clicking HERE.

DEC 17, palinku (poetic novelty): reversal

  In this post, we continue with our novel form of poetic wordplay. 

  Inspired by Japanese haiku poetry, the "palinku" is a terse verse with a total of 17 syllables displayed on three lines. Unlike its earlier English-language forerunners, 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  (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. Readers will note that we have been publishing verses of this type on the 17th of each month.

 You can readily view all our verses of this type 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.)

DEC 16r, portraits of couples: mallard and wood ducks

reprise from November 2020

NOV 4, portraits of couples: mallards and wood ducks

Authors' Note: Enjoy an illustrated poem about mallard ducks by clicking HERE.

Authors' Note: Enjoy an illustrated poem about wood ducks by clicking HERE.

You can view these sample photos from our portfolio of 'Couples' portraits in a wider context on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE. 

 

b) current birdie-pic

white ibises

DEC 15, homophonous verse: corrective

 You can view our whole collection on this topic -- verses intentionally crafted with contentious repetition of the rhyming syllables --  in a wider context on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Check the post "Homophonous Verse" by clicking HERE. 

DEC 14, fabric art: abstract

DEC 13, commercial product: prostheses for male turkeys

 

Authors' Note: The male turkey's facial snood is an erectile caruncle that plays an important role in his ability to attract females. Unfortunately for domestic toms, commercial turkey breeders see it as advantageous to remove these facial appendages at an early age. The process of desnooding, and its devastating effect on turkey romance, have been versified by the author previously. Commercial development of a prosthesis to assist males in adult life, as described in this verse, is apocryphal.

    

Our range of domestic and commercial products is somewhat limited, but you might want to review our unusual prospective gifts on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE.

DEC 12, braincheck: homunculi

Authors' Note:  The homunculi (Latin, for little persons) referred to here are the representations of the human body, well-known to anatomy students, that are mapped out on the "motor strip", symmetric areas of cortex on both sides of the brain that control voluntary movement on the contralateral side of the body. The motor homunculus on each side maps the primary motor cortex, located in the precentral gyrus (fold) of the frontal lobe; analogously, there is a similarly arranged sensory homunculus located nearby in the postcentral gyrus.

You can check your knowledge of brain structure and function in health and disease by reviewing our entire collection of illustrated verses on this topic. To review 'BRAINCHECK' on topic-oriented  blog "Edifying Nonsense", click HERE.

DEC 11r-, American satire: government shutdown

 

a) reprise from December 2020

DEC 11, American satire(3): government shutdown

Author's Note:  The verse imagines an advisor or supporter picking up on an assertion by the contentious 45th US president. The latter had remained steadfast in demanding budgeting for a southern border wall with Mexico (putatively to decrease the unregulated influx of refugees), and was prepared to take the credit/blame for the pending global shutdown of government financing should it occur.

A venous cutdown is a maneuver to provide reliable access for fluids and drugs during a medical emergency. 

 We hope that you enjoyed this verse. You can find 30 more on this topic in 5 collections on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE to start! 

DEC 10, singable satire : Rick Steves sings "POSTCARD TO CHUBBY CHECKER" (travel to Limbo)

PARODY-SONG

ORIGINAL SONG: "Limbo Rock", as recorded 1962 by Chubby Checker.

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, May, 2015.

The name "Limbo" conjures up an intriguing mixture of Caribbean dancing and Dante's Inferno. In another posting here, part of the Inferno sequence, Dante provides us with on-site reporting which seems to eliminate it from serious consideration as a longterm retirement home. Perhaps it is more realistic to consider it an untapped tourist destination.  

PARODY-SONGLINK: To find ukulele and guitar chord-charts to help you accompany "POSTCARD to CHUBBY CHECKER" on your favorite instrument, click HERE.

POSTCARD TO CHUBBY CHECKER

(to the tune of "Limbo Rock")

Want to visit Limbo-land?

Rick Steves help vacation-plan

Limbo-folks are tourist-shy

Complicated reasons why. 

Limbo-visa hard to get - 

Seems that none been printed yet

I.T. system's way behind

Limbo-stuck in Dante's time. 

What to pack for Limbo-trip?

Don't need sunscreen - get a grip!

Limbo-weather always same

Sticky days, we're not to blame.

Limbo-neighbors turn up steam

Get so burned they moan and scream

Don't advise excursion there

If no Hazmat suit to wear. 

Limbo-talk in Limbo-land

Locals hard to understand

Few speak Eng., they all speak It.,

Antique Limbo-dialect.

LIMBO is the outermost complete circle

Limbo-customs might appeal - 

Walk feet flat with weight on heels

Limbo-nights - no moon or stars

Lean back in or under bars.

Got good staff at Limbo-Inns

They commit no Limbo-sins

New construction in bare feet

Projects never get complete.

Might not find a hotel room

Now or when you're in your tomb;

Limbo-book with kids and wife

For the Limbo-afterlife.

Rates discounted now.

Rates discounted now.

How low can they go?

 

DEC 9, toxic vignette: chelation

Authors' Note:

(KEE-layt) / (kee-LAY-shun) Treatment with chelates or chelating agents, has several well-recognized uses in medicine. These include removal of toxic metals from the body, e.g. lead in cases of acute or chronic poisoning, and treatment of iron overload in patients who have received repeated blood transfusions to treat their chronic anemias. The search for drugs of this type which are safer and easier to use is ongoing.
    
Review all our poems of toxicologic interest by clicking HERE. 

 

DEC 8, at heart: Holter monitor

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!

 

DEC 7r, photo-collage: unusual sightings, Ontario wildlife

a) reprise from December 2020

DEC 7, unusual wildlife: Ontario sightings

b) current birdie-pic (S. Carolina)

common grackle

DEC 6, pinkos (forward thinkers): the gamophobic socialist

Authors' Note:   Gamophobia is an irrational fear of getting married, or of interpersonal commitment. Gamophobic individuals, or gamophobes, whatever their political views, are people who harbour such neurotic anxieties.

The slogan "better red than dead" was mentioned in a book that British philosopher Bertrand Russell wrote in 1961, in the face of a potential East-West nuclear confrontation; it was subsequently adopted by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, an organization that Russell helped found. The slogan has been used in both directions, with hardline rightwingers sometimes proclaiming "Better dead then red".

Also, a related disorder, gynophobia, is discussed in another of our intriguing and informative verses. 

You can review all the poems in our collection "Pinkos: forward thinkers" by clicking HERE.

DEC 5, Submitted Palindromes: I, targeted at "EMBARGOS SO GRAB ME"

  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. Their profiles are indicated 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", and continuing with other well-known phrases, such as "Dennis sinned". Otherwise, their contribution will be grouped in 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 all of this delightful entertainment 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. 

DEC 5, exemplification: hooligans

 

 To review our whole collection of "exemplary exemplifications", click HERE. 

DEC 4, terminal (poetic) exclamation: DON'T TOUCH!

 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.  

DEC 3,r-: holiday verse:Advent #3

a) reprise from December, 2020

DEC 3, holiday verse: Advent #3

b) 

DEC 2, defining opinion: hole #1

 

Our blogpost "Defining Opinion" on the topic-based blog "Edifying Nonsense" shows a selection of similar verses submitted to OEDILF (the online Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form). You can see all of these on one visit by clicking HERE.

DEC 1r, sleek Greek prefixes: DYS-

 a) reprise from December 2020 

DEC 1, sleek Greek prefixes: DYS-

Authors' Note: Another example of use of this prefix is the medical term dyspareunia. Click HERE to review a verse on this intriguing topic.

Clicking HERE will introduce you to our entire collection of verses about the Greek prefixes!

b) decorative touches

 fabric art by R.C.H., presented with thanks

NOV 30, singable satire: Muddy Waters Sings "CRAYFISH ETOUFFEE (Inferno, Canto 6)

 PASTICHE WITH PARODY SONG-LYRICS

ORIGINAL POEM:  Canto#6 of "Inferno" by Dante Alighieri, the first book in the triad, "The Divine Comedy", written in the early 14th century.
ORIGINAL SONG: "Baby, Please Don't Go", Big Joe Williams 1935, popularized by Muddy Waters, used here primarily for music and meter.

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, November 2015.
PARODY-SONGLINK: To find ukulele and guitar chord-charts to help you accompany "Crayfish Étouffée" on your favorite instrument, click HERE.

In the Third Circle, Dante sees the fate of gluttons like his friend from Florence named ‘Ciacco’ (the equivalent of ‘Piggy’). No fire used for torture here; the climate sounds like Toronto in March. The poor souls confined here in the freezing mud are tormented by a demonic three-headed dog, Cerberus. I took some liberties with Ciacco’s tale; in the original, he discusses the complex politics of 14th century Florence. The details I provided re Ciacco's gluttonous exploits are imagined. Eschatology is the part of theology concerned with final judgment and the destiny of the soul.  Étouffée is a delicious Louisiana dish of seafood, usually crayfish, in a Cajun roux sauce.

"Cerberus", W. Blake

New Orleans style crayfish etouffée

DANTE, GO AND SEE 

(to the tune of "Baby Please Don't Go")

Sono al cerchio terzo,

Dov'è'l crudele Cerbero

La pena di golosi; mi veggio intorno

Novi tormentati.

Dante go and see

Dante go and see

Dante go and see what’s in Circle Three - 

They punish gluttony.

Virge led me way down here

Virge brought me way down here

Another Ring of Fear, fiend in charge appear

Be a three-headed dog.

Thermostat set low

Pelting rain, hail, snow

Sinners grovel, sit in freezing mud, like sh*t

Hounded by that cursed dog.

Guy who waves hello -

Dante used to know,

‘Ciacco’, brought so low; he’s a Florentine

He tells his story, so …..

'ALL YOU EAT - ' , sign say - 

'CRAYFISH ÉTOUFFÉE'
Stayed all day and ate food from New Orleans

Now Circle Three’s my fate. ”

Virgil’s prophecy:

Eschatology -

Our friend ‘Piggy’ sit in that freezing sh*t

‘Til final trumpet blow.

So baby, please don’t stray

Don’t pig out that way

Don’t eat étouffée down in New Orleans

Or Circle Three’s your fate.

Dante go and see

Dante go and see

Dante go and see what’s in Circle Three - 

They punish gluttony.

NOV 29: mammalian wildlife: horsing around

 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 !

NOV 28r, savoir-faire: franglais

 

a) reprise from November 2020

NOV 28, savoir-faire: franglais

Authors' Note:

en visite (ahn vee-ZEET): ‘while visiting'

les touristes (lay too-REEST):  'the tourists’

non-français (non frahn-SEH): ‘not French (speaking)’

ils causaient (eel koh-ZEH): 'they chatted‘

Québécois (kay-bay-KWAH): ‘resident of Quebec (province)’

franglais (frahn-GLEH): ‘Franglais, a mixed lingo’

 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. 

b) Decorative Touches 

 fabric art by R.C.H., presented with thanks

NOV 27, poets' corner: brief sagas (doggerel)