incorrigibly plural

Monday, October 6, 2008

The Professor and me

I went to the Professor’s house to stay one day
He was very knowledgeable, had two wisps of hair
Much like Einstein, if you pardon the flair
But…

When I asked for some water
For I was so thirsty
He thought I said otter
Told me there was none to eat

When I asked him for the bathroom
For I needed to pee
He showed me his mushrooms
Said “That should be enough for thee.”

When I asked for a snack
For I was indeed hungry
He brought me to his shack
Which was indeed very smelly

When I finally said Goodbye
As it was time to leave
He told me “Hello!
It’s a good day to meet”

I’ve grown up now and become a chef
But sometimes I do wonder
if Einstein was deaf

Saturday, October 4, 2008

a blade of grass

this isn't written by me, but it's so awfully beautiful i wish it was.
recommended by eewei(:

A blade of grass
by Brian Patten

You ask for a poem.
I offer you a blade of grass.
You say it is not good enough.
You ask for a poem.

I say this blade of grass will do.
It has dressed itself in frost,
It is more immediate
Than any image of my making.

You say it is not a poem,
It is a blade of grass and grass
Is not quite good enough.
I offer you a blade of grass.

You are indignant.
You say it is too easy to offer grass.
It is absurd.
Anyone can offer a blade of grass.

You ask for a poem.
And so I write you a tragedy about
How a blade of grass
Becomes more and more difficult to offer,

And about how as you grow older
A blade of grass
Becomes more difficult to accept.

Friday, October 3, 2008

quartenary consultancy

We have been born into a world, and a sad one at that, for it has, is and forever will be dominated by a fearsome species. It is this very order that has gained more influence than Bill Gates, Nicole Kidman, Thomas Edison and all of every one of the respected gentlemen carved on Mount Rushmore put together. It has power barely equaled by the Presidents of the United States, Kingdoms and whatever United else. It has a scariness unmatched since the time of the dinosaurs and before. Indeed, the existence of it is very alarming, if not disturbing.

They constitute an unfortunately large majority of our popuation, falling under the category "quartenary consultancy", more commonly known as "teacher".

Teachers are a sad bunch. They often remind us of unpleasant things such as homework, and unhealthy things such as fruits. You have the hard apple-teachers, or the sour kiwi-teachers, sometimes even the sly banana-teachers. Have you ever seen a good potato-chip-teacher? I thought so. (You see, this is the very reason why teachers are always associated with bright red apples.)

But, you may ask, what on earth is wrong with these unpleasantly fruity teachers? For one thing, they are perfectly, faultlessly square. Their mind is filled with straight lines and right-angles, which simply, plainly and oh-so-obviously do not exist! Our existence is made up of left-angles, wrong-angles and all kinds of angles, but that is too much for the square mind of a teacher to even begin to comprehend. Made to be imperfect and enjoyably fault-full, life is sucked dry by teachers who insist that you must write with a dark blue pen and tie up your hair with a very black band, but not to write with a very black pen and tie up hair with a dark blue band.

I once knew a teacher. She had straight hair, straight glasses, straight books, straight cutlery, straight pens, even straight fries. One day I served her straight broccoli on a circular plate, having neglected to possess one of those sacred straight plates. She fainted dead away and not even the Bishop’s kiss could call her up. Eventually when she finally got off her bootie of the ground, we played a pack of (needless to say, straight) cards, while she sat at the edge of her chair, prim as the yellow feather on that strange apparition of an English hat, rattling off the vitamins in broccoli.

This leads me to my next point. Teachers are often so obsessed with this impractical idea of ‘life-long learning’ that I immediately run off in the opposite direction when one comes within a mile in either direction of me. Because of this they often do not have things of much interest to say, and when listening to a teacher speak, it is often customary to close one’s eyes and nod off. Twenty years of learning is quite enough for me, thank you. In fact, it’s enough to make me feel awfully old. Certainly beats me why a person would want to feel twenty years dead.

But I suppose we can forgive them their faults – as is the nature of things. They are teachers, after all, and no one can really comprehend the inner workings of this sad, sad species.

to all teachers out there: i just hope you can take a joke - no offense intended.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

child's play

a simple pattern, a simple smile
it makes a child laugh, it goes a long while
and what we may do on a sweet summer's day
has nothing to do with their sweet children's play
for who can tell, in summer or winter
(or spring or autumn, i don't think it matters)
that the carrot's a nose, or that the stick's a gun
the dog a carthorse, for their ten bricks and one
the tree a great tower for little indians and soldiers
who shake dowh the pink flowers (on enemies) like boulders
the teddy bear a spy, in daddy's boot to fly
the milk carton a sanctuary for lizards and such
the brick be to hit the window of that neighbour you dont half like as much
the table a great podium to talk to the troops
before going to war with tomatoes and 'shrooms
the list goes on but i'm rather confused.
but who can say what goes in their Minds?
frankly speaking, i'm quite left behind.