One Of Chelm’s Wise Me

A man who noticing, he missed

A lot of what he couldn’t find,

Determined that he’d make a list

Of whatever to keep in mind.

On top the list of things he had

He had a cap upon his head;

The clothing in which he was clad

He had to put on by his bed.

So noting down his underclothes,

Whatever else he had to wear,

With spectacles worn on his nose

So as to see it all was there;

He had his shirt and coat and hat

For going out, he had a door,

And all which was outside of that

That he’d be taking a walk for. 

There was a table and the chair;

There was a mirror on a wall;

And everything he saw was there

Which he was able to recall.

He’d have, as well, his wallet to 

Account for, keys upon a ring—

While above all he’d have in view

His list to check off anything.

He’d have his paper and his pen

And everything upon his list, 

But one thing was forgotten when

He checked it off—did he exist?

He looked about to see where he

Was holding to be at the head

Of everything—and came to see—

That he had not go out of bed.

NOW MARRIAGE IS SO POPULAR

Now marriage is so popular

They give a universal name

To those who are quite similar—

(Who really are in fact the same.)

It used to be that Jack and Jill

Who’d marry, upon being wed,

Did what so ever was their will

Once they, together, got in bed.

Now none needs to discriminate

By gender if they would agree

Whomever they select for mate

Of gender both the same may be.

If Jack and Joe or Jules and Jim

Or Jacqueline loves Jennifer

A match is made of him with him

The same as was of him with her;

Which is the democratic way

Of equalizing partners, so

No matter who is straight or gay

Nobody marriage need forgo.

And, given everybody can

Do what they want it’s possible

Camellia can marry Anne

Or Josephine can marry Jill;

Since same-sex marriage benefits

Both gender and transgender too

Nobody has to strain their wits

With what they can or cannot do.

A woman recently became

The partner of her lifelong pet,

A dog (of sex that was the same)

To make an interspecies set,

And that is taking things as far

As we may, for the moment, go

Considering that’s where we are

There’s no telling what will be so

Once we have gotten used to how

These metamorphoses take root,

Whatever the law will allow

Of matrimony with a brute

Man’s domination over beast

Or bird won’t matter anymore

If difference between has ceased

No one will know what sex is for;

That goes to show “what’s in a name”

Does matter—and what people call

A marriage between who’s the same

Might, in the end, undo us all.

Saint-Etienne-Du-Rovey

Inside a church in Normandy

A priest is taken hostage; why?

Two Muslims—for their piety—

Decided he would have to die.

How could the incident unfold—

The aged padre made to kneel;

A man of eighty-four years old—

Is death all that Islamists deal?

Before the altar when he knelt,

In Arabic, their sermon, said,

The blow that the Jihadis dealt

Cut-off the aged padre’s head.

Even, as you have heard about

“Incidents” in the Middle East,

So, Normandy’s not too far out

To slay an aged Catholic priest.

Yet, it has hardly made a dent—

(A padre giving up his ghost)

Disturbing though an incident—

Distracts a person over toast;

And, if it sent a shock between

A cup of coffee and croissants,

To hear about the bloody scene

In Normandy, away in France,

It doesn’t any difference make

For one who stays so distant to

What goes on over there to take

Your interest away from you—

For you have flowerpots to tend,

To Voltaire you enjoy to cite,

Who is your “garden” in the end

To cultivate for your delight.

The Judgment Call Of Paris

As Paris made a judgment call

On Ida’s slopes so long ago,

The town of Troy began to fall

Before anybody could know.

When he gave his gold apple to

The goddess called Aphrodite,

The little that poor fellow knew

Of what would be his destiny;

Though being promised Helen for

The fairest mortal of them all,

He didn’t know the Trojan War

Depended on his judgment call,

And had he to choose in between

Three goddesses, again, instead,

I wonder if there’d still have been

As much blood as had to be shed?

The Two Related Mice

The mouse desired company,

Inviting his first cousin, too,

“Come over, and do visit me?”

As nicely cousins of mice do.

The city mouse came over for

A look at what his cousin ate,

And, being he had a lot more,

He started to commiserate—

“Cousin, how very sad I feel,

About supplies so very scant;

A little barley’s no one’s meal

Unless it would be for an ant.

“Come visit me so I may show

You how we city people eat!”

Persuaded, he began to go,

In order to partake of meat.

While every type of tasty food

Was present in the pantry but

For every dainty which ensued

A problem would be only what

Occurred as soon as they began

To feed upon their dinner they

Were interrupted by each man

Or woman gotten in their way;

Albeit, though surrounded by,

Those luxuries the city mouse

Had boasted of such big supply

Was in somebody else’s house:

“Then, keep your life of luxury,

I wanna go where I came from;

It’s plenty good enough for me,

As I can make myself at home.”

CXCI

The bending bow for being drawn,

Reminds the arrow, to fly free— 

“Just so far as you shall have gone, 

You hit the target just for me!”

CXCIV

Better beloved in God’s sight

Are little lamps of humankind

Than all of the supernal light

Of starry galaxies combined.