and for Big Tent Poetry Prompt: what would you shout down the street?
Card 62, Gallery 2
In The Maw of Things
Yesterday, our traveler, like a child,
wanted to run wild in street, yelling
in huge capital letters:
UNFAIR! UNFAIR! UNFAIR!
Absurd of course, just because
shower went from hot to cold
in less than a blink, and bold
black spider tried to usurp
porcelain sink.
UNFAIR! UNFAIR! UNFAIR!
Puter gremlins snuck inside, took
crazy ride through pages of post,
then hosted party for their friends.
No end to mischief served up on flat
screen platter, mucked up matters
’til most became incomprehensible.
UNFAIR! UNFAIR! UNFAIR!
How Spring refused to get sprung,
hung her head, pulled up collar,
slunk off toward hills, while giving
a holler about not coming back
for hell or high water.
UNFAIR! UNFAIR! UNFAIR!
Tried to seek redress, taking
recess from all, playing with
fresh colors. But, they turned
to mud, so with resounding
thud, threw them out into
howling wind to find Spring
under inches of snow, stunting
growth of anything green.
Really UNFAIR!
Feeling genuinely bested, rested
head in hands, then curled to bed.
Slipped into dream of snowman
dressed in denim cutoffs, beer
in one paw, Frisbee in the other,
melting in puddle of summer sun,
while grumbling with soft rumble,
“unfair, unfair, unfair,” as she woke
herself, with sound of own laughter.
Elizabeth Crawford 4/22/11
Notes: Its good to find laughter in one’s own silly behavior. Laughter is good medicine.
Good News! Sister has been told that she will probably be able to go home late this afternoon. Again, thanks for all the prayers and positive energies.
Soul Cards: both galleries may be found by clicking on the image. The Soul Cards were created by Deborah Koff-Chapin, and her site may be found here: http://www.toughdrawing.com/
Soul's Music 
Elizabeth, this is one of your best: A magnificent interpretation of the prompt.
Thanks Viv. I’m putting the magnificent in the kudo box. I had a lot of fun putting this one together.
Elizabeth
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A very enjoyable read with a smile at the end! Thanks. 🙂
You are welcome Jinksy. Smiles are good and just plain fun,
Elizabeth
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We all have days like this – but great to be able to laugh about it later..
Subtle internal rhyming scheme, present in other posts too, works particularly well for this piece.
Thank you Stan. I occasionally drop into hip-hop because it’s fun to follow the sound rather than an idea, or just the words. And I’m usually grinning when I do it.
Elizabeth
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Love the ending! Petulance dissolved in laughter, haha..
Irene, petulance really isn’t fun until you look at it afterward. Then it usually becomes an occasion for hilarity. Really glad you liked it,
Elizabeth
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Terrific piece. : )
Thank you Thingy and welcome,
Elizabeth
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Brilliant piece, great images Elizabeth.
Laurie, thanks for the vote of confidence.
Elizabeth
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And how my town woke up to several inches of snow this second day of spring break and it keeps coming down. UNFAIR, UNFAIR, UNFAIR. But it looks so pretty, and your sister is coming home soon!
But, Montana is known for snow, at least a fairly good amount of it. Glad you found it pretty, it just made me tired. And yes, there are other things to balance that. Thanks Brenda,
Elizabeth
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Good news!
and good poem. The second verse, especially won my heart with it’s gleeful pettiness. Great way to begin my day.
So glad to know it helped, Barb. This one was a lot of fun and made me feel good despite all those other things. Which means it changed my day as well. Guess it is a keeper,
Elizabeth
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You have said it perfectly. Life is like that, often when things get too hard, we realize it’s all a joke, don’t take it too serious. Someone, somewhere has a since of humor, snowman in cutoffs, tee hee.
Truth be told Annell, I didn’t know where the poem was going and then suddenly he appeared and somehow made almost as much sense as all the other. Thanks for continuing to read and comment,
Elizabeth
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I really enjoyed this. I could feel the frustration emanating from the words throughout and ending with spirited laughter!
Thank you Honeyhaiku, glad you enjoyed it. Frustration only goes so far, and then the need for laughter arises. I’m glad it works that way most of the time,
Elizabeth
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Elizabeth, I enjoyed this for its honest look at how we behave at times.The ending is perfect.
I know I for one an quite petulant at times, and when my husband says something, we both just look at each other and laugh. You have so far, taken us on an honest and enjoyable journey. Thanks 🙂 Great news about your sister, you must be so happy.
Pamela
Yes, I am, Pamela. This is about honest as it gets. Much of this poem actually came directly out of yesterday’s experience. Writing about it, just following the silly sounds, made me start laughing out loud. Then the snowman showed up in those denim cutoffs and did me in completely. Hooray for a vivid imagination.
Thanks for following the journey,
Elizabeth
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Oh I so enjoyed this one, all the unfair’s and then the hilarious dream, and you waking up to your own laughter. Wonderful!!!!!!
Glad you enjoyed and hoped you got a good laugh out of it. I was avoiding this card, didn’t have a clue what I could do with it, and then yesterday realized it was perfect for what I wanted to say. Love it when that happens,
Elizabeth
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We all have those days, don’t we? 🙂
So glad your sister is on the mend.
All of us are. And yes we all have those days. Thanks Tillie,
Elizabeth
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This, even among all the good stuff you’ve shared with us this month, is my favorite. I especially enjoyed spring slinking off, shouting over her shoulder, and (of course) your final stanza. Coolness.
Strangely enough Ron, while writing it, I thought of you and knew you would enjoy it. Thanks for the coolness,
Elizabeth
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Elizabeth, at least you found yourself laughing about the unfairnesses instead of swearing about them. I found myself nodding, especially about spring refusing to come!!!
Glad your sister is doing SO well.
Mary, you will note that I laughed afterward. I’m a truck driver’s daughter and can swear with the best of them when needed, lol. I just don’t use it in my poetry, well at least not very often. Glad you enjoyed,
Elizabeth
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It’s also good to find poetry in one’s silly behavior. Great job!
Erin, for me that is the very best. Thank you,
Elizabeth
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Joyful in that silliness, self-aware!
(I used hell or high water in a poem a while back. And it was a shouting poem, too, of a different nature. 🙂 )
Deb, I had to fight the urge to delete it because it is such a common phrase where I come from. But, nothing else worked quite as well for expressing the emotions of the moment. Thanks for that confirmation,
Elizabeth
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Great read, I needed a laugh this week.
Cathy, obviously I did as well and this one was so much fun. Thanks for enjoying it,
Elizabeth
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Perfectly perfect! Laughter is the best medicine and surely the unfairness becomes hilarious after a span of bad-time. I love this one. And glad to hear your sis is doing better.
Tumblewords, glad you enjoyed and she is doing really well. Thank you,
Elizabeth
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