Notes on a Serviette: June 2017

Friday, June 30, 2017

1052 - Narcissus in the Steam Room

Narcissus in the Steam Room

Remedial time

Soft music and sandalwood,

Laying on of hands.

It’s because of you;

That is the reason for it.

But you are not there.

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1051 - Friends

Sunday Scribblings 2 prompt: Benediction

Friends

A small blessing on a dark night,

A hand to hold until the light.

Such are things that ease the way

As we travel forward through our day:

Amidst the gloom are pools of light,

Which help us to endure our plight

And enjoy instead the simple delight

as a stranger who may nod and say

A small blessing.

Our life can be a constant fight

Against forces who think it quite

Fun to take our rights away.

Push back against merchants of dismay

And treasure friends, hold them tight.

A small blessing.

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1050 - Class Warfare

Mid-week Motif: War & Peace

Class Warfare

Wars are just a rich man’s game

And the stakes are rather high.

But the odds are stacked against the poor:

It’s not the rich that die.

◊◊◊

Peace is what the public want;

To thrive and love and chat,

To enjoy the world in every way—

But where’s the cash in that?

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1049 - Base Pleasures

Base Pleasures

In Monmouth lived a harlot named Jacq,

Who made a living while flat on her back.

But she lowered her fees

If she could lay on your knees

As you gave her a jolly good smack.

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1048 - Off-Colour

Off Colour.

You coloured your hair.

Makes you look older than me.

I’m not complaining.

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1047 - Marrow Minded

Marrow Minded

There was a young woman from Harrow

Who had intimate sex with a marrow.

But when given a leek

She just gave out a squeak

Saying “Plenty of length but too narrow.”

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1046 - The Panel

The Panel

Located elsewhere

Both in space and time:

Imagine their words.

A mentor panel—

People who you can respect.

Ask their opinion.

Consider their views,

Tell them what you are thinking.

Would they be proud?

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1045 - Liquid Assets

Liquid Assets

Creative juices—

Going with the flow, I guess.

Fluid transmission.

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1044 - Dewey Code 306.7

Dewey Code 306.7

A librarian, sweet and good looking,

Checked out books on history or cooking

And at the back of aisle ten

She checked out the men

With no need to make a booking.

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Wednesday, June 28, 2017

1043 - Fishy

Fishy.

It’s the same old line:

Plenty of fish in the sea.

But who asked the fish?

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Tuesday, June 27, 2017

1042 - Not a Tea Shirt.

Not a Tea Shirt.

When the weather was excessively cold

Her t-shirt was a sight to behold.

While it spelled out “AA”

In an outstanding way,

It drove many to drink, I am told.

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Monday, June 26, 2017

1042 - Reflection

Haiku Horizons prompt: mirror

Reflection.

Bathroom mirrors lie.

A stranger looks back at me.

Who is that person?

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Sunday, June 25, 2017

1041 - Sit! Beg!

Mad Kane poses a regular limerick challenge.

The key word this week is ‘train’.

Sit! Beg!

Said a woman who was asked to explain

Why husbands were easy to train,

“With a beer at hand

They’ll obey your command

As the reward outweighs any pain.”

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1040 - Bum Voyage!

Midweek Motif: yoga

Bum Voyage!

A yogi, when asked to explain why

She contorted and twisted, would reply:

“So when that US boor

Starts a nuclear war

I can kiss my own bum good-bye!”

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1039 - Life Force

A North Melbourne footpath.

Life Force

Nature is a force of power,

Subtle but unrelenting;

Changes come not by the hour

But by constantly presenting.

Like a small but nagging child,

Nature is persisting.

In this way her petition’s filed

And will go on existing.

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Tuesday, June 20, 2017

1038 - Bright Lights

Haiku Horizons prompt: bright

Bright Lights.

Starry, starry night.

Winter’s sky is shining down;

A most wondrous thing.

◊

The beauty is there,

Shining brightly above you:

You must lift your face.

◊

The artists see it—

The wonder of life, as is.

But we walk on by.

◊

Too briefly they shine:

Bright lights in a grey-stone world.

We love them too late.

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Sunday, June 18, 2017

1037 - Granny

Three Word Wednesday requires participants

to use the three words of the week in a composition.

The words this week are:

pasty, revel, scent

A pasty is a type of pie,

especially from Cornwall.

Camay was a brand of soap.

Granny

The scent of Camay—

Transports me back through time.

Grandmother's bedroom.

◊

The smell of pasties.

She flaked the vegetables.

Serve crispy, with sauce.

◊

A young tearaway?

A youth of wild reveling?

I can but wonder.

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1036 - When?

Sunday Scribblings 2 prompt: When

When?

Eternal question:

When will [a something] happen?

Why are you waiting?

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Monday, June 12, 2017

1035 - Carpe Diem

Cartoon by Judy Horacek

(click to enlarge)

Carpe Diem

Impulsive choices.

Sometimes they are just so good,

Others are less so.

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1034 - Mr Dutton Regrets

Mr Dutton Regrets.

Misuse of power.

But don’t kill the messenger!

Truth is not a crime.

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1033 - The One That Got Way.

Mad Kane poses a regular limerick challenge.

The key word this week is ‘wave’.

The One That Got Way.

There was an old sailor named Dave

Who’d never been near to a wave.

He just sat on the pier,

Drinking tankards of beer,

And boasting of the fish that he’d saved.

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1032 - Theft, Pure & Simple

Haiku Horizons prompt: steal

Theft, pure and simple.

Capitalism—

Please don’t label it stealing.

It is. But please don’t.

◊

First: they steal your joy,

Second: they sell you the cure.

Choose your addiction.

◊

They steal our climate

To dump their pollution.

But not near their homes.

◊

They create our fears

And then introduce laws

To steal our freedom.

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1031 - Split Assessments

Split Assessments.

A lady with a split up her dress,

Deported with style and finesse.

All those who viewed her,

And inwardly reviewed her,

Differed by gender how they assessed.

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Sunday, June 11, 2017

1030 - La Vache Qui Rit

La Vache Qui Rit

A guru once sat on a hill,

In search of a truth to distill.

But the mantra he espoused

Confused all the cows,

And they laughed, as naughty cows will.

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1029 - Winter Showers

Winter showers

Weather is outside.

When it comes to attitude,

Showers are within.

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1028 - Don't say you weren't toad!

Haiku Horizons prompt: kiss

Don't say you weren't toad!

Never kiss a frog!

When they promise you the pond—

They're amphibian.

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1027 - You must come up!

Mad Kane poses a regular limerick challenge.

The key word this week is ‘no’.

You must come up!

When asked in for a coffee, post-show,

A choice is to be made, yes or no.

Some advise you decline

As it may make you recline,

But sadly there’s no way to know.

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1026 - The Kiss

Haiku Horizons prompt: kiss

The Kiss

The meeting of lips.

Strange, if you think about it.

So best you don’t.

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1025 - Rather Fluid

Three Word Wednesday requires participants

to use the three words of the week in a composition.

The words this week are:

murky, navigate, organic

Rather Fluid

Life is a fairly organic thing,

Fluid in so many ways;

With many streams to navigate

As we fulfill our days.

Some streams arouse and some elate,

Some are murky, some are clear,

Some make us want to rise and sing,

And some we’re wise to fear.

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1024 - Wrong Question

Sunday Scribblings 2 prompt: where

Wrong question.

We focus on ‘where’

And chase the rainbow of ‘there’

Along roads of gold.

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