MAY 17, palinku (poetic novelty): denial

  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 "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.) 

MAY 16r+ garden intruders: stinkhorn fungus

a) reprise from March 2020 

MAY 16, garden intruders: stinkhorn fungus

  

Authors' Note: Clathrus ruber is a startlingly shaped species of saprophytic fungus that resembles an orange plastic toy ball. Its interior surfaces are coated with a foul-smelling slime that attracts flies, which then disperse the fungal spores. The characteristic fetid odor of the fungus resembles that of rotting meat. Other common names include latticed stinkhorn, red cage (fungus), and basket stinkhorn. 

Readers, you are fortunate to have all our poetic comments on creatures (animal and vegetable), devoted to subverting your gardening plans. To view this collection our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense", click HERE!

You can also review illustrated verses about orderly garden inhabitants by proceeding to 'Poetry Praising the Charleston Garden' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE!

b) Giorgio's Lexicon of Binomials: (rhyming)

Quite a few rhyming binomials have been hightlighted in other short verses by the authors:  

Matching the selection on the above slide, these include "haste makes waste", "by hook or by crook", "healthy and wealthy", "high and dry", and "hot to trot". 

You can easily find all of these on our topic-based blog "Edifying Nonsense" by clicking HERE, and following the links. 

MAY 15, "pictures at a renovation": fifth week

PREVIOUS VIEWS:

You can follow the whole arduous undertaking by scrolling back through our earlier posts (you can also click these dates for direct transport back to see the previous views). The earlier posts show the demolition phase, and that may be of particular interest for many viewers.

May 7: reconstruction

May 3: reconstruction

April 26: reconstruction

April 18: reconstruction

April 16: demolition phase

April 10: demolition phase

April 6: demolition phase

April 4: demolition phase

March 31: demolition phase

And, check out the project-planning stage, elucidated in photos and verse, on March 19, and March 27.

vestibule (office on L, coat closet on R)

office

breakfast nook

den

LR

studio

MAY 14, holidays and celebrations: Mother's' Day xxxxxx

  A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all: 

And some personal reminiscences ...

Lil, 1951, thanks to Sarah !

at G's Bar Mitzvah, 1958

with N. and C., 1976

with L.M.; such a good friend

70th anniversary

Click HERE for more pics.

LIL's SELECTION of WONDERFUL SONGS

When You're Smiling

PlayingNotes:  F#7 = 3423;  Bm7 = 2222;  Bm6 = 1222;  D7+5 = 3223;  AmM7 = 1000

G            D7              G             D7            G               D7           G      F#7 
 I saw a blind man, he was a kind man, helping a fel-low a-long 
 Bm                  F#7  Bm7               Bm6                D                D#dim            Em7    A7   
One could not see, one could not walk, but they both were humming this song 

CHORUS: 
D7                        G                           GM7             E7                                    Am 
When you’re smiling, when you’re smiling, the whole world smiles with you. 
                        Am  AmM7                      Am7          D7                    D7+5    G 
When you’re laughing,  when you’re laughing,  the sun comes shining through. 
                                G7           C 
But when you’re crying, you bring on the rain, 
                       A7              D7 
So stop your sighing, be happy again. 
D7+5      G                                             E7 
Keep on smiling, ‘cause when you’re smiling 
        Am7              D7                 G       D7 
The whole world smiles with you!          (Coda-“The whole world smiles” X3)

 G               D7       G             D7     G                 D7             G    F#7 
 I used to worry, I used to hurry each time it started to rain 
Bm             F#7  Bm7                          Bm6                   D       D#dim               Em7   A7       
Now I see light, learned wrong from right and you’ll never hear me com – plain 

CHORUS (When you’re smiling….)

Somewhere Over the Rainbow 

C#m = 4446;  C#m6 = 3444;  Bm7 = 2222;  AM7 = 1100;  Bbdim = 0101;

D6 = 2222;  Dm6 = 1222;  F#7 = 3424;  E7sus = 1203

A        F#m    C#m      C#m6     D   Bm7 AM7  Bbdim
Somewhere over the rainbow, way up  high

D6     Dm6 AM7            F#7           Bm7      E7   AM7  E7

There's  a  land that I heard of, once in a lullabye.

A        F#m     C#m      C#m6      D      Bm7  AM7  Bbdim
Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue
D6   Dm6 AM7                   F#7        Bm7              E7          AM7  E7sus

And the  dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.

          AM7                  F#m               Bm7                          E7                     Bm7        E7

Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
             AM7                         F#m                  G#7   

Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops,

             C#m   C#m7  Bm7 E7+5

That 's where  you'll  find   me.

A         F#m    C#m     C#m6     D    Bm7  AM7  Bbdim
Somewhere over the rainbow blue birds fly,
D6    Dm6 AM7        F#7         Bm7               E7          AM7  E7sus

Birds fly  over the rainbow, why then oh why can't I 
     A                  F#m                   Bm7                   E7(sus)               A
If happy little bluebirds fly above the rainbow, why oh why can't I?

MAY 13, duplication: dilly-dally

Authors' Note: The essential appended line (L6) of this verse is acknowledged by the author to have a puzzling rhyming scheme, although the latter is partly offset by the action taking place near the palpitatingly iconic Palindrome Valley. Another redeeming feature is that, unlike the other half-dozen or so other OEDILFian poems on this topic, it is gratifyingly concordant with the normal conversational stressing of DIL-ly-dal-ly on its first syllable.

Another view of wordplay competitions in Palindrome Valley can be found HERE.

HERE is an example that we have published, involving the synonymous expression shilly-shally. 

Readers willing to go down an internet rabbit-hole can easily get to a collection of more than a dozen other short verses SHORT VERSES  in which we have dealt with specific reduplications. 

If interested you could also discover three fairly lengthy PATTER-SONGS about this fascinating linguistic phenomenon. These songs form an important part of our cycle of 9 songs about "Word Pairs".

MAY 12, patients and their maladies: colonic polyps

 

Authors' Note: The first step is to find a colonoscopist, usually done by enlisting your primary physician to arrange a referral.

You can find a poem about colonoscopists by your favorite blog-authors by clicking HERE.

You can view collections of verses on this topic by proceeding to "Nurse-Verse: PATIENTS and their MALADIES" on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!  

MAY 11, (excursions): meanwhile, back at Toronto's Riverdale Farm ...

 

TO SEE MORE STUFF: To see older or newer material  (posted daily, or at least on most 'good' days), CLICK below the Comments Section, on 'Older Post' or 'Newer Post'.

MAY 10, Canadiana : Canadian "raising" (linguistics)

 

Authors' Note:  This is a mostly true story.

The Canadian internist in question had moved south to undertake a fellowship at an American medical school.. As an introduction to potential staff mentors, he was asked to prepare a lecture on aspects of gout.

The transcriptionist, a southern woman, was victimized by her unfamiliarity with "Canadian raising", a speech variation altering and shortening the sounds of vowels in words like house, rice and out; this pattern affects the speech of many speakers in the northern US, as well as in Canada.  

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

MAY 9, poems about parasites: bedbugs

                                     

                                            

             

Authors' Note:  Details of the allegory: The protagonist needed some vacation following a busy time of downsizing and changing residences. A few days prior to taking off on Snowbird flight 203, it became obvious that a domestic infestation of bedbugs, presumably acquired during the household move, had pre-empted his search for a subtropical respite. 

  Watson, the bedbug sniffer-dog (and his contollers) to the rescue!

Watson, the bedbug sniffer-dog

You can review Giorgio's other verses about parasites, both external (ecto-) and internal (endo-) on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE.

MAY 8r, trees: silver maples

a) reprise from 2020

MAY 8, trees: silver maple

silver maple in Toronto park;
large broken-off limb

You can review these illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Uprooted Verse: 'Poems about Trees' on the full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense".  

b) Giorgio's Lexicon of Binomials (rhyming)

Quite a few rhyming binomials have been hightlighted in other short verses by the authors:  

Matching the selection on the above slide, these include "fair and square". 

You can easily find all of these on our topic-based blog "Edifying Nonsense" by clicking HERE, and following the links. 

MAY 7, "pictures at a renovation": fourth week

PREVIOUS VIEWS:

You can follow the whole arduous undertaking by scrolling back through our earlier posts (you can also click these dates for direct transport back to see the previous "pictures at a renovation"). The earlier posts show the demolition phase, and that may be of particular interest for many viewers.

May 3

April 26

April 18

April 16

April 10

April 6

April 4

March 31

And, check out the project-planning stage, elucidated in photos and verse, on March 19, and March 27.

The current status: 

front hall
(door to closet on R being closed up)

 

hall extension
(proceeding toward LR/DR)

kitchen(1) and breakfast nook

kitchen (2)
(raised ceiling re-plastered, floor tiled)

DR
(walls restored)

"new" laundry/utility room
(tiled, walls under construction)

coat closet
(expanded, 'moved') 

new office
(walls under construction)

master bath
(shower and floor now tiled)

guest bath
(walls being restored)