JUN 22, Toronto ravines: great blue heron

  

;

Both of the above views were obtained by Giorgio Coniglio in Toronto's Don Valley ravine using his i-phone 7 cell-phone.

You can review illustrated verses about waterfowl in a wider context by proceeding to 'Immersible Verse: Limericks about Waterfowl' on the full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". 


If you are interested in winding your way through an encyclopedic collection of four blogposts stuffed with photo-collages on Toronto ravines, click HERE.

JUN 21, political palindromes, C

In a third format for palindromic phrases, the dividing point between the two symmetric wings is a space between repeated letters in the middle of a word. This format is shown above with a vertical line for obses|ses and op|position; as with the hingepoint single letter in the middle of a word (like the 'v' in uneven), there is considerable puzzlement in understanding how these phrases can be constructed. Remember, that in any case, you will do best to ignore any punctuation.


From this point, you can proceed either forwards or backwards.

For FORWARD, proceed to the next set of 'POLITICAL PALINDROMES' on June 28.
For BACKWARD, return to the previous set on June 14.

OR, return to the ORIGINAL POST on this topic on May 17.

JUN 20, singable satire: the Beegees sing "PAIRS"

 PARODY SONG-LYRICS

ORIGINAL SONG: "Words", Bee Gees, 1968.

PARODY COMPOSED: Dr. G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, 2015, updated 2018 and 2020. This song is the first in a series of nine parodies dealing with Word-Pairs. The links at the bottom of this post will take you to the lyrics for the other songs in this series.

FURTHER EXPLANATION: For an illustrated slide-presentation on binomials (irreversible word pairs), and a compendium of alliterative pairs go to this post. For a more didactic take on this topic, check out the Wikipedia article here.

UKULELE and GUITAR-FRIENDLY LINK: 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". Click HERE to proceed to this site. 

 

PAIRS

(to the tune of "Words") 

Pairs -  binomial phrases. There's  (bi-NOAM-yuhl)

(Compared to single entities)

Flair, as seen in "wear and tear",

Where pairs submerge identities. 

Two nouns joined with conjunction --

AND serves that "form and function", sometimes OR.

Verb-pairs and adjectives unite;

And "fish" and "fowl" with NEITHER/NOR. 

"Shouts and murmurs": such a phrase

Explains the "ins and outs" to me.

With "back to front" I'm in a daze,

Enhancing "fears and doubts" to me. 

I cringe at "one and only" words,

No single words I voice ...
So "near and dear",

Word-pairs are what can make all "guys and dolls" rejoice. 

JUN 19, geysers: British geysers

Authors' Note: In 1894, the wealthy British distiller, James Craig of Ulster, later Lord Craigavon, purchased from a local Icelandic farmer the land around the iconic geyser, Geysir (or the great Geysir). Fences were erected, and admission charged for a brief period. Several changes in ownership were in fact required, but eventually the site was donated in perpetuity to the Government of Iceland. Lord Craigavon, subsequent to his Icelandic adventures, became the first prime minister of Northern Ireland.

 The geyser spout itself, apart from a single event in the 1930s, has remained dormant since 1916, although adjacent spouts have taken over the fanfare.

   

You can review these illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Poetry that Spurts: Verses about Geysers' on the full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense".

 

JUN 18, poetic non-sequitur: having the audacity

 

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.

JUN 17, trees: red mulberry

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". 

JUN 16, boating: g-nu (canoe) trip

You can check out another illustrated verse about the gnu or wildebeest by clicking HERE.

You can review these illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Reverse Strokes: 'Verses About Canoeing' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.

JUN 15, wordplay maps: American Scramble-towns 7,8

Same old introduction ...

Who would ever have guessed? It turns out that an unparalleled word in generating anagrams (letter scrambles) is P-A-L-I-N-D-R-O-M-E-S. We have taken advantage of that property to create this unique series of wordplay maps of imaginary American (and Canadian) locales, each one completed by its official two-letter state (or provincial) abbreviation. 

LINKS: 

Forward to U.S.A. map #9

Back to U.S.A. map #5

Let's skip all this stuff and get on to the Canadian version, eh? (stay tuned!)

JUN 14, political palindromes, B

These palindromic phrases have a hinge-point unpaired letter in the very middle, e.g. the "T in 'TRAIL' in the first example. The hingepoint is the only letter that is not reflected by its mate in the opposite wing of the structure; and the total number of letters in such examples is always odd (e.g. 9 letters for 'liar trail'). Again, the punctuation is to be downplayed.  

From this point, you can proceed either forwards or backwards.

For FORWARD, proceed to the next set of 'POLITICAL PALINDROMES' on June 21.

For BACKWARD, return to the original post on this topic on May 17.

JUN 13, pandemic poetry: cetacean advice (conversation at Shem Creek)

Hi! I'm your social distancing trainer.

Authors' Note:

cetacean: pertaining to whales, dolphins or porpoises

You can review these illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Pandemic Poetry' on the full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense".

JUN 12, boating: J-stroke (canoeing)

You can review these illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Reverse Strokes: 'Verses About Canoeing' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.

JUN 11, birdlore: toucans

Authors' Note:   This is a true story. I very recently received from friends vacationing in Costa Rica an e-mail with a marvellous attached video closeup of toucans shot with a cellphone camera. I felt compelled to pass the photo on to others.

  In fact, no toucans make a sound that would be described as a 'tweet'. With respect to sound production, members of the more than forty species comprising the family are divided into 'yelpers' and 'croakers'. The social networking entity, Twitter, on the other hand, highlights in words and with their logo the tweetiness of short, chirping birdsong communication.

You can view an encyclopedic collection of illustrated poems on this topic by proceeding to the post 'Poems about BIRDLORE' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE. 

JUN 10, a brief saga: life as a loon

Keep more to yourself for a while, wash your hands frequently, remember to laugh on occasion, and stay well!

 

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. Your blogging team has been presenting these concoctions at the rate of one per month, mixed in with shorter poems, wordplay and other offerings.   

 

To access the next 'brief saga' on this blog (July 2020), proceed to 'broken arrows (nuclear weapon accidents)'.

To access the most recent previous 'brief saga' (May 2020), back up to 'fluoridation'.  

 

JUN 9, Ontario nostalgia: Algonquin Provincial Park

You can review the entire series of illustrated poems about the good old days in Ontario by checking the post 'Ontario Nostalgia' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE. 

JUN 8, garden intruders: glossy privet

Readers, you are fortunate to have available 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!

JUN 7, wordplay map: r-i-c anagrams (R-E-P-U-B-L-I-C-A-N-S in Canada) #1+#2

You can view the entire collection of 18 wordplay maps of 'R-E-P-U-B-L-I-C-A-N-S in Canada' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense" by clicking HERE.

JUN 6, wordplay maps: new world palindromes(#23,#24)

a) reprise

       

You can view the entire collection of these 50 wordplay maps, by accessing the collection 'Tourists Palindromic Guides: The Americas'. Start by clicking HERE! 

b) Giorgio's Lexicon of Binomials

JUN 5, wordplay maps: sister-cities anagrams (19-21)

JUN 4, national and multinational verse: Armenia

Authors' Note:

neurasthenia: obsolete term from psychiatry, implying general debility attributed to exhaustion of the nervous system, as discussed here

Armenia, the first country in the world to adopt Christianity, has had disputes with its neighbors for most of its existence. The revered Mt. Ararat is now located geopolitically in Turkey, but is still considered a national symbol of Armenia, and dominates the view from the Armenian capital of Yerevan. Armenia's borders to the east and west currently remain closed owing to hostile relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey.

You can review our collection of verses about various individual nations, and about the groupings to which they belong, on our topic-based blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE. 

JUN 3, poets' corner: the problem of scansion

 

You can find lots of other verses on this blog under the listing "Poets' Corner".  Click HERE.

JUN 2, insects: beer bugs

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.

JUN 1, American satire: Sharpie-gate (hurricane season reminiscence)

Keep more to yourself for a while, wash your hands frequently, wear a mask in public, remember to laugh on occasion, and stay well!

Here's a relevant recollection, given that June 1 is the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season.

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! 

MAY 31, curtained verse: gull and buoy

 EDITORS' WARNING: You must be at least 12 years of age to read this post!

You can review other mildly scurrilous illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Curtained verse: Faintly Obscene (Selected) Limericks' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.

MAY 30, 2020: exotic destination: Cappadocia (troglodytes)

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

 

MAY 29, etymology: 'havoc'/'haven'

For fans of etymology, we have three blogposts with collections of verses about word-origins such as the one above on our more encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense". You can start to review some of this intriguing material by clicking HERE, and then following the links!

MAY 28, a brief saga: fluoridation

Authors' Note:    A controversy over fluoridation of public water systems peaked in the 1940s through 1960s in North America. Municipal water-suppliers with low ambient levels of the natural mineral were motivated to adjust that in order to reduce childhood tooth decay. Despite initial vocal opposition, fluoridation was adopted by many municipalities in North American and elsewhere. In Europe, in contrast, fluoridation of municipal water-systems has never achieved wide support as a public health measure.

 “Do you realize that fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous Communist plot we have ever had to face?” Brig. Gen. Jack Ripper, a character in the 1964 film classic Dr. Strangelove”.

  You can review the collection of illustrated verses on other dental topics by proceeding to the post 'Dental Feelings' on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.

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. Your blogging team has been presenting these concoctions at the rate of one per month, mixed in with the usual shorter poems, wordplay and  other general offerings. 

   

To access the next 'brief saga' on this blog, proceed to 'Life as a Loon'.

To access the most recent previous 'brief saga', back up to 'Claire's celerity'.  

 

Re Medical-Related Verse: Altogether, a hundred or so intriguing verses on medical/dental topics can now be found on various posts in collections, including:

Patients and their Maladies (parts #1, #2 and #3)

The Bottom Line of Medical Humour

Funny Bones (parts #1 and #2)
Doctors and their Practices (parts #1 and #2)

To Clot or Not to Clot

The Scopes of Modern Medicine

Handbook of Medical Testing Statistics

Pandemic Verses

Poetry of Healthcare

STD Poetry

Diagnostic Imaging (selected topics)

Toxic Vignettes

Sleek Greek Prefixes

Dental Feelings

and in 'brief sagas' including:

Drug Development

Radiation Exposure

Methylated Spirits

The Gastro-Esophageal Junction

Workplace Pollution

Food Intolerance

MAY 27, classic palindrome: Mr. Owl

Keep more to yourself for a while, wash your hands frequently, wear a mask in public, remember to laugh on occasion, and stay well!

Authors' Note: The original classic palindrome stated,

"Mr. Owl ate MY metal worm."

 Ms. Nan is an eight-year-old proto-recycler. Readers are asked to sign her 'Recyclers' Pledge', and thereby help protect creatures in our common environment.

You can review these illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Reversing Verse: Limericks About Classic Palindromes' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.