Libby Weber's Blog, page 11

October 30: Dreams and Schemes

The sheeting nimbus, redolent of rain,

And crowns of cumulus turned fiery rose

Beneath the wispy cirrus entertain-

Illuminated structures that compose

A sunset of confusion, all ablaze,

With altocumulus in fluffy grids

And cirrostratus fading into haze-

The sort of thing Occam’s Razor forbids.

And yet the sky and I are of one mind

Too many wonders live beneath the sun

To be to dull sequential tasks confined;

So bring on everything at once for fun!

So I progress through wonders that abound

Buoyed by hope t...

October 29: A Change in the Weather

When one is pounded by a hurricane

Awaiting the arrival of the eye

While buffeted by wind and soaked by rain,

Enduring for the promised calm nearby,

It’s quite dismaying when that longed-for peace

Fails to arrive and callously implodes,

An unexpected hurricane’s surcease

Chaotic, savage thunderstorm forebodes.

But weather cannot be controlled by yearning,

So batten hatches down as best you can.

It’s really more annoying than concerning

To make impromptu changes to your plan.

So keep a weather eye and don...

October 28: Observation

As families dependent on a member

Whose work, at any time, may call them in,

Regardless of the time and day remember

It’s not the date; it’s what’s observed therein.

An anniversary may see delay

Until it can be nicely celebrated

And any gift, regardless of the day,

Will be enjoyed and much anticipated.

Observances are simply that: observed

At times in which they’re deemed to be convenient.

Provided that the spirit is preserved,

Do not condemn the letter, but be lenient.

I celebrate three hundred sonnets...

October 27: Poor Me Syndrome

When naps are insufficient to restore

One’s equipoise and sordid things enthrall,

And each contentious point makes one’s pride sore-

The calendar illuminates it all.

When copious caffeine gives one the shakes,

From snide remarks it’s harder to abstain,

And twaddle seems to have the highest stakes-

The calendar endeavors to explain:

Daily routines obscure the passing time

And pharmaceuticals can regulate

Sans deference to nature, and so I’m

Oblivious until I see the date.

And once I’ve clarified my skewed...

October 26: Simple Gifts

“Ask: it shall be granted unto you,”

Is something I was told when I was small.

Internalized through song, I therefore knew

That wanting was sufficient wherewithal.

I quickly learned that it was perilous

To yearn when perspicacity is lacking,

As those who listened could be querulous

And wear when one anticipated tacking.

Philosophers would argue without blinking

Such bargaining’s a formal fallacy

Or an example of magical thinking,

And yet my simple heart cannot agree.

When need turns into money in the ban...

October 25: Putting It Together

The sitzprobe for the first time let us hear

The contribution we choristers make

And how in scenes of drama we appear

To underscore precisely what’s at stake.

Tonight’s invited dress, our first time through

Without a pause and for a friendly crowd,

Plunged us into the darkness without view,

But we with great perspective were endowed-

For though there was new music to be sung

That we’d scant opportunity to learn

It slid into its place when bells were rung-

We did our part to help make Paris burn.

Our fait...

October 24: Table Read

Today, I tried to see if I was able

To write a sonnet in a new location,

Specifically, our humble kitchen table

Upon which we enjoy games and gustation.

One might not think that space has an effect

On whether one can do cerebral work,

But here desire and habit intersect,

And it’s enough to make one go berserk-

For in my my deep blue bedroom or the bus

Aural and visual cues bring focused calm.

But here distractions will demand of us

Attention, and ignoring them’s no balm.

Success is but a Pyrrhic victory

T...

October 23: Fangirl’s Progress

My seven year old self would be amazed

To know adult me met C-3PO,

Sat at at his feet appearing pleased but dazed,

And then sang backup for him in a show.

Obsessive teen-me, Disney superfan,

Would envy adult me as she disports

While Alan Menken gives notes on a plan

To add new choral songs to Stephen Schwartz.

To see my youthful yearnings grow and bloom,

Some decades later, makes me rather thrilled-

It makes me certain I should not presume

To guess which current dreams may be fulfilled.

Tonight, I need n...

October 22: Corvid Composition

Four ravens sat upon a branch’s vee

Attempting to usurp the prime position,

All croaking in four part polyphony

As if rehearsing for a crow audition

In which their size conferred no special edge,

Requiring the quartet to hone the skill

That might just help their common dream to fledge-

But feuds for fame are always fought uphill.

As I admired their robes of shining black

That whispered as if made from finest silk,

My close attention took them all aback,

Appropriately distrustful of my ilk.

If they retain...

October 21: Still I Rose

From barren soil a tender tendril sprouted-

To coax it into blooming I did yearn.

What sort it was; I never thought about it-

The plant’s survival was my chief concern.

When one leaf-swaddled bud began to swell,

My joy unfurled, and in those ardent throes,

I hoped my wishes blossoms would compel,

And -finally!- appeared a large pink rose.

Pink roses? Those clichés of trite romance?

That’s what my careful tending has produced?

No fragrant lily gave my plot a glance-

Nor fragile orchid my designs seduce.

Y...