Napowrimo pom Day 23
Prompt: The Odd Couple
"A Supermarket in California" Allen Ginsberg
meets
"Troilus and Cressida "William Shakespeare
We strode down the open corridors together
in our solitary fancy tasting artichokes
I have the Gallant Trojan seen thee oft
I have seen you Walt Whitman poking among the
meats in the refrigerator eyeing off the grocery boys
Labouring for destiny, making cruel way
Through ranks of Greekish youth
The doors close in an hour
Which way does your beard point tonight?
I have seen thee as hot as Perseus,
spur thy Phyrgian steed
I wandered in and out of the brilliant stacks of cans
following you
I heard you asking questions
Who killed the porkchops?
What price bananas?
I knew thy Grandsire
And once fought with him
He was a soldier good.
But, by Great Mars the captain of us all
Never like thee.
O, let an old man embrace thee
Downright awesome. ^_^ Bet they would've had a hot and bothered ten in the poultry section.
ReplyDeleteWhat price, indeed.
ReplyDeleteNice work!
Great imagination and a very believable exchange.
ReplyDeleteVery, very nicely done!!!
ReplyDeleteYou must have an encyclopedic memory to blend these together, Rall. Doesn't everyone have such conversations over the frozen foods?!
ReplyDeleteTwo of my faves! Yay. Well done.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant! Love the way your mind works!
ReplyDeleteWhat an idea...and so wonderfully executed. Great post!
ReplyDeleteBTW, never been to We Write Poems but will check it out in May. I started writing regularly (once/week) in Dec or Jan and was posting on One Single Impression, which is also a nice poetry blog, and occasionally to Haiku Bones.
I love this! Well done!
ReplyDeleteI once also wrote a parody of "A Supermarket in California" when I was in college and was working in a supermarket, replacing Whitman with Ginsberg...
(btw, what pink square?)
Brill!
ReplyDeleteWho killed the porkchops? - I really like this line.
ReplyDeleteThe doors close in an hour, but that doesn't stop the roll of your images. Great!
ReplyDeleteFantastic idea! I toyed with the thought of Shakespeare as narrator, but had already done that in the Twitter thing. Yours is very sophisticated indeed - enjoyed it. "Who killed the pork chops" - funny. Good pair, here.
ReplyDeleteThe odd couple indeed! I really like the idea of Al and Billy Shakes hanging tight. Word.
ReplyDeleteRall this is excellent and so imaginative!
ReplyDeletePamela
This is brilliant. My muse was on strike today.
ReplyDeletea most enjoyable observation of two wonderful characters you caught them both perfectly in their elements
ReplyDeletenicely stitched.
ReplyDeleteI'd never read the Ginsberg, so thanks for the introduction. You do him justice
Quite the scandalous pairing... just keep those grocery boys and Greekish youth away from the clergy ;).
ReplyDeleteThe clergy is hiding under the pineapples Francis.
ReplyDeleteThankyou everyone for your most generous comments.
Truly a keeper and the first time I've officially written: LOL. Did you know that today is Will's birthday. He is smiling between bites.
ReplyDeleteI am honoured you are officially writing to me .Who are you?
ReplyDeleteLove your literary journey through the grocery store. It reminds me of a lione years ago:
ReplyDelete"To beans or not to beans, those are the vegetables. Whether tis nobler to suffer the spoiled fruits of indignation..."
Nice job!
~Mark
'Something is rotten in the state of Denmark'
ReplyDeleteI was walking down the aisles with Allen...with Shakee behind....you had me there Ralll...couldnt be better....thanks for this
ReplyDeleterallentanda
ReplyDeletegreat concept
more cultured than
biodynamic yoghurt =)
I try to keep the k word (kulcha) well hidden
ReplyDeleteespecially in Austraya!