Words of Advice

Never split an infinitive, unless you

have thread, or seam

you don’t mind letting the junk hang loose from.

 

Be careful of which foot you set forth from

first, if you’re politically inclined, or

partial to port.

 

Steer clear of rye when banana fishing,

 

Remember to thank the hostess for forgetting

the lampshade you casually slipped over

the balcony to prove the existence of gravity

isn’t anything to fall back on.

 

Do not try to square your circle of friends

by dividing a hippopotamus.

 

Avoid karaoke, even if convinced

singing is sometimes a salve

for sore ears -- buds are always

the wiser choice.

 

Stay pleasant.

Keep to yourself …

 

Whenever the question arises --

what’s your poetry about? --

claim ignorance, pretend

you’re a mathematician or

plumber -- either is

infinitely more explainable.

Ken e Bujold

Reviews

[Chris Shaw]

Such an entertaining and fun write Ken, in times when offense seems to be top of the agenda.

Steer clear of rye when banana fishing.

That line is so random. Visual but so random? I have to admit that sometimes I haven’t got a clue what poets are writing about but it is great fun trying to put meaning to their words.

Karaoke - never will go there. I can’t sing a note in tune.

Stay pleasant.
Keep to yourself.

That has to be the best type of advice. Can’t go far wrong with that. Happy Saturday.

Chris

[Coyote Poetry]

I would pick plumber. Few questions, plumbers are asked.
"Stay pleasant.
Keep to yourself …"
The above lines. I try to do Ken. Thank you for the entertaining dance of words and thoughts.
Coyote

[Corset]

I would never dream of fishing for a rye banana unless I was attempting to make bread, and to (heh)split an infinitive is unthinkable even while dividing a hippo/ pot/ am /us. But stanza 6.7.8. are my fav in this as we are all guilty of not knowing what the hell we're trying to say, I thoroughly enjoyed, thank the lord poetry is subjective.

[Ken e Bujold]

thanks C. love the quick division by the way. thought of doing it that way myself, but in the end left it to the readers to do the heavy division.

[W. Barrett Munn]

This is delightful. I think the best line is the separated sentence: Steer clean of rye when banana fishing.
It is so serious and so ridiculous simultaneously. Love the entire thing. Right there with John on this one.

Winston

[Ken e Bujold]

yes this is right up JA's alley. though curious, whenever i read him and try to write something intentionally in his vein i end up throwing it away. this one just free thought

[W. Barrett Munn]

Exactly so. When I read much of my own I can spot the influences, but if I intentionally start out to copy the style it is wasted effort.

I am narrowing down my searches and have found I seems to think along the lines of Louise Gluck but I'm more inclined to read Wallace Stevens.

P?S. Is the Crane you mention Hart Crane?

[Ken e Bujold]

yes. Crane is a poet i love to read. not so much an influence as just an interesting character who penned better than average work. if you are not familiar i would save The Bridge and at Melville's tomb the places to begin

[W. Barrett Munn]

Back to this one: one of the most outstanding aspects is how you chose to format the lines. Emphasizing that one nonsensical line is master class worthy.

[Ken e Bujold]

thank you kinds sir. the line is my fav as well for a few reasons. as you observe, its an off the wall sublime riff. but it also has a little hidden inside joke in it. Big fan of JD Salinger growing up.
rye you obviously can figure out...banana fishing a riff on one of his 9 stories collection

[W. Barrett Munn]

That’s a fun thing to know. Thanks for sharing that tidbit for posterity.