WITH A BOW TO DOROTHY PARKER
WITH A BOW TO DOROTHY PARKER
When his fingers sped along the keys,
I'd need to sit. I'd such weak knees.
I thought him charming, tall, and able,
then he overturned the table.
Chili, crackers, cheddar cheese
crashed on me-he'd been displeased.
I screamed and sighed, cried and cried.
To keep me home, he rhapsodized.
He sweetly played a Chopin etude
and cursed himself for being rude.
I forgave him, (oh, yes) and took a bath,
soaped off the food that sparked his wrath.
We again enjoyed unwedded bliss
as long as nothing went amiss.
Light toast and eggs, once over easy,
no cats or dogs--they made him sneezy.
But it seemed to me that stray he might-
sex had slowed to once a night.
One day I woke up twenty-two,
in broody mood tinted navy blue.
I'd found a note that he'd been smote
by the pulchritude of another.
Now I'm on my way to Santa Fe
to find without much bother
a man with flair in the western air.
Why not? A cowboy lover!
Why not indeed.
I love the way this breeziness covers up a multitude of hurts.
Ditto what Carol said. My favorite: I forgave him, (oh, yes) and took a bath,
soaped off the food that sparked his wrath.
It's peppermouth Parker, alright. And the breeziness, of course. Hard to fight someone so blithely cagey. Fun to watch, tho, from a safe distance. *
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The rhymes are clever and great fun.
Got Parker's edge. Love the characterization of the roue'. *
A fun read.m*
Fun but with Dorothy's bite.*
*, Nonnie. I love the pace and humor.
Fun.
All couplets until the last six lines. Why the change?
She'd like this one, I'm sure!
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A very fun read indeed--but what got me was the very sure hand of it. Neatly made!
Good music.
I really liked this. It reminds me a bit of Stevie Smith. Completely lacks the sort of cliched sentiment or self-aggrandising quality I've come across in similar types of poems. Nice metre too.
Nicely crafted, Nonnie!