Strumpet Champ 2010

Strumpet Champ 2010

She staggered onto the motorcoach
lumbering bags of fruit squeezing into her seat
almost falling out of her magenta top
fumbling around in her bag for a turquoise makeup mirror
The old man sitting next to her holding a potted fern
glanced furtively at her leopard skin costume
causing his spartacles to mist
This heated moment was nonpareil to the usual exasperation
he normally felt when being squashed by a fellow passenger
His eyes moved slowly to her open handbag where he caught
a glimpse of a silver cup with bold engravened letters
' Strumpet Champ 2010'


RWP 118
Wordle:
motorcoach, magenta, mirror,turquoise, cup, furtive
fern, strumpet ,mist, nonpareil, costume,fumble

*spartacles* is a word for spectacles used in Sussex UK
Chris H of Middenshire Chronicles ( a Spartacus look alike) introduced me to this
and I believe he also has a nice pair of spartacles.

The Flowers That Bloom In The Spring Tra La

This is inspired by Gilbert and Sullivan and also written to celebrate Spring which is on the doorstep of my northern hemisphere blog friends. It is amazing how the memory holds so many songs ( some never heard since chilhood).This took a while to write. There are more than forty songs, a lengthy poem but I enjoyed all the flash backs connected to them. Have been unwell and feverish this week.. however very conducive state for writing surreality.

RWP 117 prompt: Write a surreal poem with a VOLTA (a hinge which changes the mood of the poem towards the end.)

Three little maids from school are we
folderol diddley and nanki pea
Tying yellow ribbons round the old oak tree
Three little maids are we
Spring is coming
It's cherry pink and apple blossom white
We're flowers that bloom in the Spring tra la
as we merrily dance and we sing tra la
of roses and violets and flings ha ha
Sing willow tit willow tit willow

Ring ring
Hello is it me you're looking for?
Who's that girl?
Peggy Sue
My bonny lass she smileth
lhude sing cuccu
You've got a cute way of talking
What's new Pussycat?
sumer is icumen in
So I love to go a-wandering
along a mountain track
You'll never walk alone
Yes I can , yes I can , yes I can
with Val de ri and Val de ra
Ricky don't lose that number
Don't let me down
Meet me half way at the Sad Cafe

When Flora smiles
Don't tell her
On the third day of Christmas my true love came to me
Have you seen but a whyte lily grow
before rude hands hath touched it?
No!
Never mind, Here comes the sun
De-fer De-fer
to the Lord High Ex-e-cutioner
John Tra la VOLTA
is stayin alive stayin alive
cos he's workin for the man

What is this thing called love?
The very thought of you makes my heart sing
You go to my head like a sip of sparkling burgundy brew
I can't stop loving you
You must remember this
a kiss is but a kiss
So this is love?
A fine romance with no kisses
Alas my love you do me wrong
to cast me off discourteously

It's too late baby
I will survive
So go now go, walk out the door
and take your tan shoes and pink shoe laces
You drive me crazy ooh ooh
This is your Haitian divorce
Got the message?
Yep, in a bottle
No point in writing love letters in the sand
You're moving out today
How can I miss you if you won't go away?
I did it my way and by the way, Desperado
Who IS Sylvia?

GIlbert and Sullivan Revisited

I can't believe I use to bag Gilbert and Sullivan when I was young. I have rediscovered this music and I must say I think it is such fun and a delight. I love 'Three Little Maids'. In fact the Mikado is such a hoot ....a sort of 19th century forerunner to the Village People. I dont think there are many of us left who have even heard of Gilbert and Sullivan . I have put some you tube videos on my blog of G & S but they morph into others which I have not selected and do not recognise. If any kind dinosaur out there can suggest how I can fix this it would be greatly appreciated.

ROBERT GRAY...15 POEMS

Robert Gray is one of the most acclaimed living Australian poets. Born and brought up on the north coast of New South Wales, his poetry is notable for its visual quality, suppleness of rhythm, clarity and observation of the natural world. He has recently published a novel
"The Land I Came Through Last"
He also lives in the same suburb as me in Sydney. Sometimes I see him catching the bus.

"Robert Gray is one of the contemporary masters of poetry in English." Les Murray.

From the collection "Creekwater Journal"

Looking After A Friend's House

I wake sometime towards daybreak,
hold apart
the curtains, propping myself up
and can see the moon
setting.

It's down behind the stand
of distant bare trees-those torn bits
of flyscreen
tacked onto sticks

The moon is settling
quickly, the way an egg yolk
slides along
and off
a table top

It shines across
these paddocks with their dark
turned- over clods
In some of the hollows, in the moonlight
water lies.

I reach back and
press the light switch, to keep on
reading. And read
until there glides up against me what seems
an icy cat.

Drab as goat's milk
the first daylight. I hunch down and feel myself
dissolving.
And next, sunlight is heavy on the quilt,
I am under all the dust motes.

Now this light will be inside, shoved right through
the house, cycling down
onto linoleum.
And I hear the refrigerator starting up again
in the bare kitchen.

RALL'S THURSDAY WEEKLY WORDLE COMPETITION SEMI FINALS

SEMI FINALS

The semi finals have been brought forward to next week.
Professor B. Pear and his associate Buttercup had conflicting opinions on the winner for this week because of the high standard so a decision was made to have two winners;
Ms Pamela Villars and Barbra Seville.Congratulations. The contestants next week will be
Doctor FTSE
Pamela Villars
Barbra Seville aka Barbara Young

Apart from being a well known poet Pam has the distinction of being voted Ms Texas
for twenty five years consecutively.
Barbara is Nashville Tennessee's Poet Laureate and current Karaoke Champion.


Next week the semi finals will be judged by Wanda and Lawrence both published poets.
Wanda McCollar is an American living in Germany. She is the literary guru of RWP and her job is to ensure Germans are speaking American/ English with the correct inflections and appropriate accompanying gesticulations.
Lawrence Gladeview spends his time as poet /decorator in the US. He purchases bars, wallpapers them with his poems and offers free booze to anyone who can recite them by heart.

The wordle for this week is:
colourless, libretti, audience, await, splinter
bells, amateur, bland, joy,inevitable
crystal, aghast, IT, wings, derision

*IT = information technology

Good luck all!

Clarrie's Cornered RWP 116

This week's prompt is photo ' Charon ' by h koppdelaney








Clarrie's Cornered

this is my comeuppance
washed up on a poetry blog boat
swallowing oceans of verbal sludge
onanistic tortured angst ridden verse
deafened by the sound of breast beating
headed for the VIP section
of agony aunt's poetry hell

a cube in San Bruno looks good
a beach at Byron looks better
Too late
I've overdosed on classical allusion
overblown lexicon and linguistic flagellation

what's worse is that bitch Fairy Moans
nicked my Mardi Gras outfit
an art piece eight months in the making
and buried me in a three piece suit
deliberately making me look like
the Reverend Fred Nile

Hommage a Michel Serrault 1928 - 2007

Your brilliance dazzled
Your versatility enviable
But it was your warmth
Your warmth
True charm
Your compassion
Your humour
Your dignity
Your sadness
that struck chords
And sparked flints
from the hardest hearts
You were a beacon
in a sea of grey
A reassuring soft embrace
Parce qu'avec toi je suis bien
Tu me manques Michel

The following are the lyrics from a delightful duet Michel Serrault sings from the movie 'Le Papillon' (2002)
It is in question answer form.
The translation is available with the video clip on you tube. However there is no need for a translation as the music and the sound of the language have a meaning of their own to a
responsive ear.

To View the duet... You tube... Le Papillon MTV 3


Le Papillon

Porquoi les poules pondent des oeufs?
Pour que les oeufs fassent des poules
Pourquoi les amoureux s'embrassent
C'est pour les pigeons roucoulent
Pourqoui les jolis fleurs se fanent?
Parce que ca fait partie du charm
Pourquoi le diable et le bon Dieu?
C'est pour faire parler les curieux

Pourquoi le feu brule le bois?
C'est pour bien rechauffeur nos coeurs or
Pourquoi la mer se retire ?
C'est pour qu'on lui dise 'Encore'
Pourquoi le soleil disparait
Pour l'autre partie du decor
Pourquoi le diable et le bon Dieu
C'est pour parler les curieux

Porquoi le loup mange l'agneau?
Parce qu'il faut bien se nourrir
Pourquoi le lievre et la tortue?
Parce que rien ne sert de courir
Pourquoi les anges ont ils des ailes?
Pour nous faire croire au Pere Noel
Porquoi le diable et le bon Dieu?
C'est pour parler les curieux

Pourqoui notre coeur fait tic-tac?
Parce que la pluie fait flic flac
Pourquoi le temps passe si vite?
Parce que le vent lui rend visite
Pourquoi tu me prends par la main?
Parce qu'avec toi je suis bien
Pourquoi le diable et le bon Dieu?
C'est pour faire parler et curieux

Sing along and enjoy!