Libby Weber's Blog, page 8

November 28: Kumbel

It’s a particular species of writer

Whose poems makes my sonnets seem loquacious,

And for their brevity shine all the brighter,

Each filled with wit intensely perspicacious.

For who needs fourteen lines when four express

Eternal wisdom on preparing toast,

Then followed by the key to artlessness,

And giving old folk proverbs a riposte.

The facile leaps from silly to profound

Are in the DNA of Piet Hein‘s grooks,

Which started in the Danish underground,

Now found online and in out-of-print books.

But like...

November 27: Good Day, Sunshine

This week has been the time for gratitude

That things like health and love I’ve never lacked,

But thankfulness for those does not exclude

Appreciation for things less abstract,

Like sleep and sunbeams prime for warming,

And wearing shorts while at Thanksgiving feasts

Prepared by those with whom I am performing,

Whilst quoting lines from gypsies, imps, and priests.

For breaking bread with cherished friends and new

While raising voice and glass with equal cheer

The body’s strength and spirit will renew,

S...

November 26: Circling

When thinking on inevitable ends,

It’s easy to neglect the new beginnings,

Just as a focus on one loss contends

With gratitude for one’s plentiful winnings.

While evolution doubt will predispose,

Through instinct and a bias negative

That makes us see the spot and not the nose,

We shall endure- we know what makes us live.

So welcome, Dot and Charlotte! Bienvenue

To Enid, Mia, Zoe, and to Thomas!

Shalom, Olivia and Sonia! To

Serena and Penny I will give this promise:

Though sorrow may be part of every day,...

November 25: Bequest

Four flights to cross the country, none delayed

Except for one that minimized my wait-

The pros and cons, so carfefully weighed

Stayed static, as if part of an estate

That left behind good fortune during travel.

It seems a luxury, yet in this case,

One snag would make the complex trip unravel;

Thus serendipity I did embrace.

When needy, I was given company.

When sorrowed, I had ample space to cry.

When weary, I found rest and reverie.

Now grateful, I accept, not asking why.

Though windfalls pessimists su...

November 24: Memoriam

A celebrant quartet, three sects comprising,

United by their love for the deceased,

Sent offerings of ancient words arising,

In celebration of her life surceased.

A choir of friends, their voices raised in song,

Gave of their music, hallowed ministry,

While consecration with congregant tears

And laughter celebrated memory.

A heartfelt homily, solemn communion

Of which all hearts were welcome to partake,

Clasped hands, sang harmonies, joyful reunion,

And blessed by sudden sun through clouds opaque.

In lin...

November 23: Red Eye

Ten minutes prior to boarding did they say

That I would really, truly have a seat.

At last, my lengthy trip was underway:

Phase One I could potentially complete.

Phase One concluded in the pouring rain,

When hurried ambulation to the gate

Ensured that I could board the Phase Two plane,

Though once onboard we had hour’s wait.

And now I sit, three hours in advance

Of home until the blessed hour of four

At which the TSA won’t look askance

When I pass by as they had done before.

For sustenance and Phase Thre...

November 22: Eve of Travel

It’s vexing when the body’s frailty,

Which cannot bear a paucity of slumber

Without succumbing to a malady,

Brings symptoms whose diversions will encumber.

For who has time to sleep when there is singing

Be it a Haydn mass or classic jazz,

Or musicals that leave the spirits ringing-

Experiencing fully what one has?

Alas, how easily one runs aground

When unexpected obstacles arise,

And habit makes one simple to confound

By those things more complex than realized.

If only my dismayed, exhausted stare

Could...

November 21: No Problem

No Shakespeare text is wholly problem free,

For even Hamlet must be saved at sea

By too-convenient pirates at their pleasure-

A text is not a play by any measure.

A play’s comprised of choices beyond number

To smooth the moments that the words encumber,

Defining character, gestures explaining

In ways both truthful and yet entertaining.

And when the concept unifies instead

Of highlighting the broken story thread,

We understand how Pericles can be

A trial to read and yet a joy to see.

For thoughtful, cleve...

November 21: Are We There Yet?

A fearsome and delicious spirit, gin,

Which soothes the tongue and warms the weary head,

When mixed with quinine, makes a medicine

Whose thaumaturgy’s well-known and widespread.

At least, that’s what I’m choosing to believe,

Unwinding from tonight’s demanding show,

But from my writing I get no reprieve-

I cannot quit with just a month to go.

Though that remaining month is so congested

That dieties would have to intervene

To make me, midst the gigs, properly rested,

At least until we start twenty-fifteen...

November 19: Sportive Tricks

Dog A, once bred to hunt, now pulls and pushes

To search for cats- she would have been aghast

To know that while she hunted we had passed

A cat on leash beyond her well-sniffed bushes.

Dog B, a ratter, bred for killing pests,

Relentlessly pursued discarded food,

And when discovered, pulled from jaws half-chewed,

While wholesome sanctioned breakfast he protests.

And Me- I don’t know for what I was bred-

Ostensibly, it’s not to sit and write,

Producing nothing tangible each night,

And yet, by looking one...