Sunday, January 19, 2014

668 : Trinkets for Muddled Minds

Sunday Whirl (Wordle #144) presents a list of words
that we must incorporate in a writing piece.  

The words this week are:

twine, conjure, nest, carry, spirits, bend,
through, curl, trinkets, neglect, cap, back, sigh


Trinkets for Muddled Minds

Greek Chorus,
To be murmured off-side:
Oui, Ja, Yes, No,
Nothing but 
a shyster’s show.

Here.  Listen.
Conjuring up the dead
With strings and mirrors 
To distract, or so it’s said,
Is the way to open purses.
Twine is string, right?
Can I use twine?  Does it matter?
And, what say, the back of a tin lid?
Not a mirror but it could be worse.
Would that be just as mystic as…
What? Smoke and mirrors?  Curses!
But the lid’s fine, right?
Just need and upturned cup.
Oh, glass, cup, what’s the diff?
Please don’t sigh and curl your lip,
And don’t roll back your eyes, either,
If you help me through here, 
There’s money to be made
From people who will pay their shilling
Money for jam, 
From people who believe

The spirits are there and very willing.
Just need to flesh it out a little bit
And neglect the logic quite a bit
And bend the truth somewhat too,
OK, a lot, but you get the idea.
Should work, they’ve come this far,
Cap in hand, wanting success,
So our chances are increased,
Should be able to carry it off,
With their help, the simple dears,
Life is good, knock on wood,
When the sheep are wanting to be fleeced,
N’est pas? Understood?
.
---
© J Cosmo Newbery 2014
---

Print this post

23 comments:

  1. These fortune tellers and exorcists have always aroused my suspicion. Fooling superstitious people must be one of the most lucrative con jobs in the world. You blew a lid to their dishonesty wonderfully well with your chosen words.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Charlatans indeed..the picture is conveyed perfectly in your words..do you like Derren Brown? he did a great expose on spiritualists - cold readers in so many ways

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes, yes understood! Flesh out the truth just enough and it will fit anyone's world of hope!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would be delighted to meet this guy (what a great speech he gives), although not delighted to be smoked and mirrored by him! ;)

    Catching Sunrise, Carrying Light

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wonderful story and rhyme - Just delightful - Kudos! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think some people grasp at straws after losing a loved one. I've known a few who have paid quite a bit of money to communicate with the dead (makes me think of the movie Ghost).

    ReplyDelete
  7. I enjoyed this... life lessons wrapped in great words...the world has many charlatans with ample smoke and mirrors

    ReplyDelete
  8. enjoyable lines.. slick soothsayers fleecing money...quite a scene....

    ReplyDelete
  9. I always enjoy your wry discourses, Cosmo. Well written, as always! Happy Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I loved this!!! Your humor and word choices , rhymes and rhythms are spot on! Thanks for sharing! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sort of like sargeing for chicks . . . .

    ReplyDelete
  12. Those darned charlatans!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Loving the cadence of the piece, and the Greek chorus is perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  14. For every con man there are a hundred sheep waiting to be fleeced. Best be the black sheep and run the other way!

    ReplyDelete
  15. My mind is forever muddled...it's having to deal with the stupidity of some people that muddle it...if I didn have to deal with such people, my mind wouldn't be muddled!

    ReplyDelete
  16. They come surreptitiously with wonders of success but not quite true. The idea is to question the motives. Yes, charlatans abound! Nicely Cosmo!

    Hank

    ReplyDelete
  17. I enjoyed reading each and every word of it... :) Beautifully written!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh one of my friends would be so cross with you but I loved it.

    ReplyDelete
  19. The conversational tone and use of questions make this an intriguing and fulfilling read.

    ReplyDelete
  20. there are always plenty of sheep willing to be fleeced...

    ReplyDelete
  21. What a fun poem! I'm not rolling my eyes. :)

    ReplyDelete

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