Who Had Who When

It wasn't so much the questions
I asked then: who had had who when
seemed obvious enough. At thirteen
history needed meat on the bones.

Like a charbroiled burger, side of fries
in Worcestershire sauce.
A bit of livening
the musty tomes gathering dust

in the old folks attics.

I wanted to go diving for skeletons,
swing from the mainsail, cutlass in hand
shiver me timbers--

stand tall in the street
at high noon eyeball
to eyeball with the Kid--
ready to slap leather.

But all I got instead
was dry recitals of
very ordinary people living
dull, rather ordinary lives.

“This was history,” they said
the reality I'd have to learn
if I wished the truth
of who had had who.

Ken e Bujold

© 2022

Author's Note

This one has been kicking around in my head, and on my desk for much too long. Was originally going to be the first I posted at the Cafe, but still needed work in my eyes. A tender little bit of slicing, nip, and tuck, and I think it's ready for the light. Plus I'm exhausted revising the same 4 lines.

Reviews

[Montag]

My timbers have never been so shivered. I like the fact you've managed to include cutlasses, main sails and a high noon reference as well.

It has an exuberant language.

[Ken e Bujold]

Thanks montag. I was aiming for the voice of a 13 yr just awakening to the joys of history. With the exception of the concluding verse, which did need to bring piece to the present, I think I succeeded reasonably well in the attempt