Susie Muse's Uses

An accompaniment to "An Appealing Peel Appeal", where I just let my mind run free. The challenge I set myself was to see if I could use the same end-sound (with variants) throughout the entire length of a poem. Twenty-five years later, it still makes

SUSIE MUSE'S USES

A Muse is amused
When your thoughts come in two's

When couplets are used
And brain cells are bruised

She finds it amusing,
This Muse of my choosing

When, by syntax abusing,
My words come a-schmoozing

Amused is that Muse
When she can make me lose

My best Grammar shoes
(And thus, give me the blues!)

This same Muse, though, is who's
Helped me to my words choose

As, from the deepest ooze,
She arrives! She rescues!

So, sop not that booze,
And to your Muse, pay dem dues!

A fickle mistress, she, it's true
But when your thoughts are like Kudzu

(Woody, tangled, greenish-blue),
THEN should thee thy Musie woo!

I've never queried if my Musie
Was a trollop or a floozie;

She, unlike they, is choosy�
And I'll bet her name is Susie!

So, Susie-Musie, Here's to you-sy!
I'll quaff your wine until I'm woozy,

And ask all my fellow Poets, "Who's
Here fit to my Muse amuse?"

Not a pen rises; thus I'm "choosed"
To keep my choosy Muse amused!

And ever I'll her gifts be using
(As long as She finds that amusing!)

If Susie wishes to imbue
Me with the urge my nails to chew,

As long as I her hints accrue,
I'll not her motives "Museconstrue"!

And I'll anon, my Musie woo,
And hope, to come she'll continue!

Mark Teague
c. 8-24-84, rev. 1985

Reviews

[Shelley Holt-Lowrey]

This owns man! My head wound up bobbing to the rhythm of this all the way down. And I was happy it kept going on and on. Impressive that you found all of these words. IMPRESSIVE. Suzy is a keeper fer sure.

[Mark]

Thank you Shelley, for this review, and the other you gave yesterday-- not remembering that title right now. I will get back to reviewing soon, I know I have been lax. Thanks for stopping by--I love your gracious comments! I had forgotten how often I used a version of "amuse" however!

[Dr. Wood ?]

painfully good, is what i say....

[David Lewis Paget]

This reminds me very much of my father, who used to drive us kids crazy with his puns. My sister and I would groan and run for cover once he started, so that's what I'm going to do right now Mark.

[bob, small b. aka invs]

i'm not sure if your muse deserves credit or blame for this one. i give you lots of credit for creativity and nerve. not just anyone can find rhymes for kudzu and 'choosed'. way to go, susie.

[Jola]

This muse is funny ... grammar and spelling is like my knowledge of English :)
Very light and funny poem ... so happy and playful ...
You are a master of words!!!

[Helen Crutchett]

Oh bravo Mark! You have summed up our fickle muses to a T!
What a thought provoking poem....as set me thinking about mine.
Haven't thought of naming her yet.....maybe "Will-o-the Wisp!
She comes unexpectedly and then scampers off to who knows where!

Love to Susie woo LOL and Mark too!

Delightful!

[An owl on the moon]

I loved this piece! So very playful and musical! Thank you for having a bit of fun and sharing this amazing musing write with all of us... :)

[Brokensoul]

After a really long time I am reading something really funny and amusing. I like the way you have ingeniously rhymed the words. It will become a good song if set on a tune !

[Samuel Dickens]

My tongue feels abused from mouthing all those U's! A good one, Mark. Now to unwind with some Dr. Seuss. (Would you eat them with a lamb, Sam I am?)