Ode to Keith

[keithgood838]

It isn't very edifying, Maxine, but I hope it is funny.
Anything for a laugh. Here's a witty tribute to a lovely lady:

I INTENDED AN ODE

I intended an ode, ...
And it turn'd to a Sonnet,
It began a la mode,
I intended an Ode;
But Rose cross'd the road
... In her latest new bonnet;
I intended an Ode;
... And it turn'd to a Sonnet.

Henry Austin Dobson
(1840-1924)

[Eman]

Loving all the posts Keith!!! Still waiting for that new original from you sometime!!

[maxine]

It isn't very edifying, Maxine, but I hope it is funny.
Anything for a laugh. Here's a witty tribute to a lovely lady:

I INTENDED AN ODE

I intended an ode, ...
And it turn'd to a Sonnet,
It began a la mode,
I intended an Ode;
But Rose cross'd the road
... In her latest new bonnet;
I intended an Ode;
... And it turn'd to a Sonnet.

Henry Austin Dobson
(1840-1924)

[keithgood838]

Monday 27 October is Dylan Thomas's centenary. I think it would be remiss
of me not to post a sample of the poet's uniquely flamboyant style. The following
are extracts only:

FERN HILL

Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs
About the lilting house and happy as the grass was green,
The night above the dingle starry,
Time let me hail and climb
Golden in the heyday of his eyes,
And honoured among wagons I was prince of the apple towns
And once below a time I lordly had the trees and leaves
Trail with daisies and barley
Down the rivers of the windfall light ...

All the sun long it was running, it was lovely, the hay
Fields high as the house, the tunes from the chimneys, it was air
And playing, lovely and watery
And fire green as grass.
And nightly under the simple stars
As I rode to sleep the owls were bearing the farm away,
All the moon long I heard, blessed among stables, the night-jars
Flying with the ricks, and the horses
Flashing in the dark ...

Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time would take me
Up to the swallow thronged loft by the shadow of my hand,
In the moon that is always rising,
Nor that riding to sleep
I should hear him fly with the high fields
And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land.
Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means,
Time held me green and dying
Though I sang in my chains like the sea.

Dylan Thomas
(1914-1953)

[maxine]

Wonderful stuff Keith

[keithgood838]

Maxine, Dylan made full use of his poetic licence; the adjective in his poem
Do Not Go 'Gentle' Into That Good Night should be an adverb, and I'm surprised
that he didn't give the masterpiece a title. I'm sure I could come up with several.
Who cares? Like our Matt he was a master of his craft and is irreplaceable.
Now from the sublime to the ridiculous; I'm content to let the following light verse
speak for itself:

DEMON DEFIED

Two table tennis friends frequent
a welcoming Wetherspoons pub,
but their time and money there are spent
not as you would rightly surmise,
rather in raised eyebrows surprise,
beer is sidelined by breakfast grub;
they brave the lair of alcohol
and for Circe-like lures do not fall.

No, chewing on tastebuds-tingling bites,
they put this wacky world to rights.

Keith Good

[Eman]

oh wow Dylan Thomas he was one of the poets I loved to read in College. A little complex and hard at first but when you get use to his style, you actually start to get him.

I love your new verses Keith!!

[keithgood838]

Eman, here are some heartfelt lines by a notable New Yorker:

AUTUMN VALENTINE

In May my heart was breaking -
Oh, wide the wound, and deep!
And better it beat at waking,
And sore it split in sleep.

And when it came November,
I sought my heart, and sighed:
'Poor thing, do you remember?'
'What heart was that?' It cried.

DOROTHY PARKER
(1893-1967)

PS This remarkable lady was a poet, short story writer,
critic and an acerbic, highly quotable wit. Eg:
'This is not a novel to be tossed away lightly;
it should be thrown with great force!'

'She speaks several languages, but cannot say 'no'
in any of them.'

[ROBERT M.]

[keithgood838]

I hope the following tickles your titter tastebuds, Robert:

DOGGY DELINQUENCY

As a police dog handler parked his van at the station,
the dog started barking. A small boy asked: 'Is that a dog
you've got in the back of the van?'
'It certainly is,' replied the officer.
'Crikey!' exclaimed the boy. 'What did it do?'

[Eman]

LOL Keith!!

[keithgood838]

TYPECASTING

A woman is left two parrots in her aunt's will
and phones the vet to ask him how she can
tell which is the male and which is the female.
The vet says she should creep down first thing
in the morning and catch them mating; the one
on top would be the male and the woman should
mark him with some tape.
The woman follows his instructions and on catching
them at it she puts a white tape around the male bird's
neck. A couple of days later, the vicar comes to tea
and on seeing him the male parrot ventures knowingly:
'Aha, they caught you too, did they?'

[Eman]

LOL

[keithgood838]

I apologise to you, Eman, and other forumites
for inadvertently posting jokes on the poetry
thread. Here are some serious topical lines:

IN MEMORIUM (Easter 1915)

The flowers left thick at nightfall in the wood
This Eastertide call into mind the men,
Now far from home, who, with their
sweethearts, should
Have gathered them and will do never again.

EDWARD THOMAS
(Killed in action during the battle of Arras
on 9 April 1917)

[maxine]

Very moving Keith ....brought tears ....thank you for sharing