A Humorous Album of Odd Poetic Snapshots

Here's a sampler of poems in Mugging for the Camera...


A Sarab& for the Ampers&

When you write a lot of words, sometimes in a list,
you’ll probably need an ampers&
or two for an assist,

because, the punctuation mark called ampers& can show
conjunction, which can come between two words or more, although
you could simply write the word 'and' - & then you'd see
it takes up much more sentence space. No practicality.

Economy of words, they say, is what's in great dem&
so choosing symbols carefully
can make books fall or st&.

I could yak on & on & on - & then perhaps exp&
the theme of this one grammar note, 'til it gets out of h&.
In truth, I think I've made my point, exactly as I'd pl&.
I'll end this chat by saying that the ampers&'s just gr&!

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Philematologists

Philematologists
study kissing everywhere -
even on the buss.

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Much More Than CVI - The Wasting Time on the Computer Sonnet
 

When in the chronicle of wasted time               
Sudoku and Solitaire top my list.
I surf the 'net for celeb dirt and slime
And email my friends - well, you get the gist.

My problem is computer addiction.       

Shakespeare really had it right when he said,
"Henceforth, I'll bear my IM affliction
But I know not what I may do instead."
(Okay, forgive me for the paraphrase -
It works when I want to procrastinate.)
Does wasted time equal a navel gaze?
I only keystroke, not equivocate.
For me, which now behold these mnemonics,
Like Whitman, I sing the body electronics.

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Insomniac Whacks Poetic

O Sleep - I suffer from a lack
thereof, I'm an insomniac.
My slumber now is much off-track;
I doubt I'll ever get it back.
Last night I had one more attack
of wide-awakeness brain hijack.
Perhaps tonight I'll get some slack.
O yawn - I'm off to hit the sack.

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Wiggle the Handel

                                       
George Frideric Handel, a famous musician,
wrote lots of concerti in the style of Baroque.
He penned several operas and a big composition
known as The Messiah - an oratorio stroke
of genius, and it is sung each year at Christmas
because it's great fun to sing harmony part.
It's belted in France and the Panama Isthmus,                 
in malls, concert halls, and all from the heart.
I remember in college we'd sing it in the shower   
and the reason for that was the acoustics were great.
My friends would perform it with gusto and power
in our communal dorm bathroom, just like an oblate.
Now, you can download it for your ringtone pleasure:
your cellphone can handel it, measure for measure.

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Cover Your Ass

"Never moon a werewolf." -Mike Binder

Never moon a werewolf - it's really taking chances
because a werewolf doesn't care
about rear-ended stances.
And if your ass is sticking out, you could be unaware
of when he's right about to bite on your sweet bottom bare.
Of course, this is just metaphor, but in real life, it's best
to never moon a werewolf. Just keep your buttocks dressed.

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Guyliner

The latest celebrity craze …  for fab males,
whether A-list or just talent minor
is make-up for men, particularly to rim
their eyes with a black kohl guyliner

Green Day, The Killers and even Zac Ephron
wear clothes by their favorite designer,
but to finish the ‘look’ that is so de rigueur
is to highlight les yeux with guyliner

(This point is especially relevant
for rockers and all metrosexuals,
since looking cool-hot in news photos
is part of their status ‘contextuals’.) 

Marketing people are utterly genius:
Their ad campaigns couldn’t be finer!
They’ve masculinized women’s products for men
with strong shadows and macho guyliner.

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A Poem for Ytterbium

I'm not terribly disturbium
by those elements like Ytterbium.
In fact, there seems to be no dearth
of elements in the group Rare Earth.
Several misnomers are present where
you see the words called earth and rare:
First, they are not earth; they're metal.
a fact that I find quite unsettle-
ing, but worse, they are not rare, or exceptional.
I guess it's scientific perceptional.
In RE, there are seventeen modus operandium
if you count a lower number like – well…Scandium
along with Yttrium. Chemists sure like their 'Y's
on the Periodic Table enterprise.
Rare Earths (or Metals) are much more widespread
than gold or silver or platinum or lead.
But back to Ytterbium, since I digress;
its metallurgic qualities, I should address.
Ytterbium's color is silvery-white
with a luster that glows radioactively bright.
But left outside, it will regrettably fare:
it easily tarnishes in the air.
Natural Ytterbium is full of isotopes
seven are stable; seven have unstable scopes.
Interestingly enough, when H20
meets Ytterbium, the going is slow.
But acids are another case
since Ytterbium reacts with them with far less grace.
Ytterbium has a low acute toxic rating
which is good to know, if you've been ingestigating
Element #70, from the Periodic Table,
and on that note, let's end this fable.
Here's to versatile Ytterbium -
as Common Metals go, it's quite superbium.

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Ish Ka Bibble


There's one word about which I'd never quibble,
and that one word is called  'Ish-Ka-Bibble'.
I know there are many such nonsense words -
but this one says so much, in whole or in thirds.
So let's take the first part, which, of course, is 'Ish'
which rhymes effortlessly with wish, dish or fish.
However, if you don't buy that - or think it merely bourgeois,
let's rhapsodize on the second word, which is, simply put, 'Ka'-aaaaah!
And lastly, that word of words, is the fabulous word 'Bibble'.
You can pen it with calligraphy pen, or use crayon and just scribble.
The point I want to make, and thereby call to your attention
is that 'Ish-Ka-Bibble' isn't just a foolish word invention.
To prove my point and show you just exactly what I mean,
let me provide the case for how it might have grown routine.


Many scholars think this word had its origin
with the expression, "Don't worry," said with a shrug and a grin.
Then, some perceived the meaning in the catch phrase, "Who cares?"
and others like the Yiddish link. Let's see how it compares:
It looks and sounds like 'nicht gelibte' or 'isch gabibble', you see?
And, Harry Hershfield's comic strip was full of bel esprit,
of Abraham Kabibble, who would sell the automobile
in 1914 - it had loads of - (You knew this one was coming...!!!) -
oh yes, 'Ish-K'appeal'!
On Kay Kyser's show, it was a role, played by Merwyn Bogue.
From there, it became the thing to say: 'Ish-Ka-Bibble' was in vogue.
Believe it or not, the term (more or less) was seen in works of Shakespeare
who said, "...leave thy vain bibble-babble."  Was he the pioneer?
Anyway, 'Ish-Ka-Bibble' feels so good to speak.
As fun words go, it's great, you know!  Say, "Ish-Ka-Bibble." Say, c'est chic! ***

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*** Author's Note:  The Ish Ka Bibble is also (as I explained it to my kids) a round, fuzzy, mythological creature with big friendly eyes, a huge smile - and also, skinny (like a stick) arms and legs which always have gloves and shoes and socks, respectively. 

Check out a couple of Ish Ka Bibbles here.