Spring is coming
So is Jesus
Look busy
And God said
Go forth and multiply
Or
If you are no good at maths
Go forth and conjugate
And so, lying back
with thoughts of
green and pleasant land
I did
amo
I have produced verbs
amas
doing words
amat
expensive adverbs
amamus
birds do it
amatis
bees do it
amant
aunty did it but remained verbless
with lowered lids
and hushed tones
they said it was sad
not the done thing
she did not have her own declension
a brood of present participles
a glory box or wedding band
I never understood why it was sad
ma tante was so cheerful
not like the rest
I knew not to ask
Besides, I was secretly
being Audrey Hepburn
in a moon river of daydreams
for years on end
It took decades
for the penny to drop
the gentle arts had been a buffer
for far too long
I climbed down from my ivory tower
and with a deep breath crossed the moat
There was no turning back
RWP Prompt 119 ..Spring is Coming .Go forth and conjugate.
Hi Rall,
ReplyDeleteAs ever, you have blended humour with home truths.
I echo Derricks sentiment!
ReplyDeleteRallentanda, what a fun and spicy read! I love,
ReplyDelete"Besides, I was secretly
being Audrey Hepburn
in a moon river of daydreams
for years on end"
I also really liked the second stanza, with that wonderful rhythm!
Delightful, funny, and true. Like the Latin? in stanza 2. And we ALL pretended to be Audrey Hepburn. Who else? :)
ReplyDeleteJean Shrimpton perhaps?
ReplyDeleteRall,
ReplyDeleteLove it! Great job! Interesting you used Latin, I used Spanish in mine.
Pamela
* linguistic note for those who were spared
ReplyDeletethe Latin course.
The first lesson you learn in Latin is the conjugation of the verb amare 'to love'
amo I love
amas you love
amat he/she loves
amamus we love
amatis you love(plural)
amant they love
I thought this conjugation was apt for the prompt.
I love the poem. Very fun.
ReplyDeleteThe first sentence taught to me in Latin was, "All Gaul is divided into three parts." -- and that is absolutely all I ever retained from 4 years of Latin.
ReplyDeleteThis was a wonderful bit of writing, witty and wise -- well done...
...rob
Image & Verse
You must have done Caesar's Gallic Wars.They really knew how to torture kids in those days.
ReplyDeleteI love this! Especially the last three lines of your last stanza ("I climbed down from my ivory tower/and with a deep breath crossed the moat/
ReplyDeleteThere was no turning back"). I love how you play with the concept of conjugating verbs, meshing it with the concept of procreation. Well done.
This reminds me of a song suite... or what was that called, back in middle school when you put several songs together? Can't recall. Anyway - enjoyed this a lot.
ReplyDeleteGreat fun read and also just plain good! I love the use of conjugation throughout.
ReplyDeleteThis is great. I love the use of Latin. From start to finish I enjoyed this!
ReplyDeletefrom Therese Broderick -- A Latin lesson rolled into a Love story -- lyric, narrative, AND didactic. Well-done. (I don't read Latin, but my daughter took two years of it in high school. She can translate for me!). I love the lines about "declension...wedding band."
ReplyDeleteThankyou Poets for your generous comments and
ReplyDeleteremember, 'Modo fac' 'just do it'
Rall, the last stanza is genius. The idea of ivory tower I read as you know and crossing the moat. The sidebar pictures are also swell. Thanks for the Latin lesson.--Irene
ReplyDeleteOutstandingly clever. I am suitably in awe.
ReplyDeleteThankyou Irene
ReplyDeleteMerci Madame