Sunday, January 20, 2013

CDXLVI - Pavlov's Dogs


Three Word Wednesday requires participants
to use the three words of the week in a composition.
The words this week were 'dismal', 'luscious' and 'waffle'.


Pavlov’s Dogs.

The news is bad, it always is,
We’re told that that’s what sells;
Disaster, death and mayhem rule
Like Pavlov’s dogs, with bells.

It’s hard to filter truth from dross
Within the stuff they throw us
When we only ever get to see
The bits they want to show us.

The steroid-boosted waffle spot,
The sports report, by name,
Tells us, one night, why we’ll win
And the next night calls us ‘lame’.

The highlight of the dismal show
Comes toward the very end
Where some luscious, busty blonde
Predicts a fine weekend.

At last we get the closing shot
To try to ease our pain
It is a token good-news piece
Of a kitten, rescued from a drain.

---
© J Cosmo Newbery 2013
---






Print this post

35 comments:

  1. Isn't that the truth? I think there must be some meteorologist-modelling degree I've never heard about... or a requirement to become one... = )

    ReplyDelete
  2. So true, it all seems to be bad news these day, the impact of the bushfires being the worst and saddest; nothing nice apart from kitten's being rescued. Good writing J Cosmo.
    xoxoxo ♡





    ReplyDelete
  3. If Pavlov had his dogs, surely Karenina had her kittens .....!

    xxx

    ReplyDelete
  4. Unfortunately - so true!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes, bad news sells, but at lease we get to know a dog is now safe. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. really good, I wrote a lesser poem a few weeks ago about wishing there was good news in news, yours rocks

    ReplyDelete
  7. You've hit the journalistic nail on the head and done so with poetic aplomb. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Rub it in, will you.
    Was it always like this?

    ReplyDelete
  9. such truth here... I just don't watch anymore.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh, my! What a laugh I got from this and also the shot of truth is loud and clear. I don't even watch any more. I get the news second hand.

    ReplyDelete
  11. If they ever showed us the REAL news, we'd all freak out! But I so wish they would!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Most news are dismal but death sells ~ I like your humor about the blonde predicting a fine weather ~

    Happy week ~

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yes, JC, the news is generally bad; except today we had that damned inaugaration running all day. I think they should have applied some of the money spent to the national debt. Am I cynical or what? And, hmm, a kitten rescued from a drain is human interest....more so than Michele's new hair style. Smiles. Life goes on. As does the 'news.'

    ReplyDelete
  14. I'd buy into a bit (or a lot) of good news! I'm sick of all the bad!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Ha! So true. :) Love Stanza 4.

    ReplyDelete
  16. You must be psychic..he..he...Nice to see you at the pub ~

    ReplyDelete
  17. ugh...the news can def. be depressing..good that there's every once and a while good news in it as well...and it surely is also never neutral...

    ReplyDelete
  18. ha. true on the token good news...a feel good to salve the bash they just gave us with all the death and crash....smiles...nicely done..and true...

    ReplyDelete
  19. Here they don't even bother with the token good news anymore - it's all doom and gloom. Why doesn't someone see that it becomes a self-perpetuating downwards spiral?

    I think if you changed the last line to a headline - "Kitten Saved from Well" it would improve the rhythm of the last stanza - jsut a suggestion :-)

    ReplyDelete
  20. So very true. It's hard to even know what's true anymore. Nice job.

    ReplyDelete
  21. ..this has a nice roll to it as well...thanks for stopping by my blog ;)

    ReplyDelete
  22. You've got it! k.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Grace is right..Good to see you at dverse..now I have will have someone to rap with:)I do not watch the news anymore.Too depressing
    and such insulting garbage thrust at us. If there is an outbreak of war or something world shattering that might affect me can you drop me a line. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's always a war on the go. In the unlikely event that peace breaks out, I will send you a singing telegram.

      Delete
  24. Bad news definitely sells... which only breeds more negativity.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Fox News, NPR, NYT, Washington Post --- they all spin it for their readers. So do you, so do I.
    Consumer beware.
    Two methods, I guess, avoid the consumption, or pick carefully through your food.
    I choose not to consume.
    I loved your last line -- but I'm glad to say, I don't even have to watch that -- because I don't watch.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Its true. Bad news in tv always sell. Violence and crime for the Pavlov's dogs-spectators. Nively done, i really enjoyed reading this.

    ReplyDelete
  27. great image and matching poem
    some really good work for this prompt. well done

    ReplyDelete

You've come this far - thank you.
Take your time, look around,
There is lots to see.