Join Delores, MotherOwl, and I as we scribble our thoughts on little scraps of . . . er . . . computer screen . . . er . . . *analogy falls flatter than a half-cooked souffle in a cold breeze*
Never mind. We all know what happens on Poetry Monday. You, too, can be a part of this. Leave your poem in the comments or post on your own blog. Use the topic, or not. Try a two line poem, a Haiku, a non-rhyming poem, an epic thousand word poem . . . . anything at all. Or just enjoy what we're offering.
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There were so many directions to go with this topic. Delores mentioned a few in her comment here last week. She suggested musical notes, notes to the butcher, hold-up notes . . . that last one really got my attention.
Imagine if bank robbers wrote their demands in rhyme. I wonder what those notes would look like?
Maybe:
Fill the bag with cash
Or your fingers I will mash
or:
Put the money in the sack
Or your head I'll surely whack
or, if they're trying to cut down on the violence:
Please fill the bag with money
And I'll thank you, honey bunny
I have to admit, I tried to write a poem that would incorporate the sad back story of the thief, who I imagined had earned a Bachelor of Arts and was trying to make it as a poet, but, being unsuccessful, was driven to a life of crime, and poured out his talent in his hold-up notes . . . but it wasn't jelling, so I turned instead to my own stacks of notes that I can't throw away because they're ALL useful or necessary (or are they?), and this is what came out.
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I Knew What It Said When I Wrote It
My stack of tiny notes is now quite dangerously high
Most of them embody things I wish to keep close by
Ideas, thoughts, and brainwaves that will never come again
Jobs to do, and names of books, and how to reach a friend
Crafts I'd like to research, and jokes I want to tell
Things I need to mail away and things I need to sell
But some of them are useless and of that there is no doubt --
My penmanship's so awful that I cannot make them out
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It's okay, kitty. I'll read your notes to you, if you'll write mine for me.(Photo: icanhas.cheezburger.com) |
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Wishing you a noteworthy week, one and all :)
I am a chronic note maker and note keeper. With woeful handwriting these days. Did you sneak your way into my head?
ReplyDeleteHa ha! Well, at least there are two of us with the problem, EC :)
DeleteLove your funny poem. I used to have stacks of notes that would get lost, so I began using a notepad and every now and again I'd flip through it ripping off pages that were no longer relevant, or sometimes just throwing the whole thing away and starting over. Now the only note I keep is my shopping list.
ReplyDeleteA notepad sounds like a good idea for organizing. Got any ideas for better handwriting?? :)
DeleteBrings to mind an interview with Jimi Hendrix I once read where they asked him how he responded to people who said he was the worlds greatest electric guitarist and he told them "I just hope that people who say things like that understand that there is more to being a great guitar player than the technicalities of the notes."
ReplyDeleteBut, yes, to your point, notes have a way of piling up and living past their usefulness, and you have enough invested in their making that they can be hard to let go of.
When we moved, Briana had a plastic tub full of things she had written on loose sheets of paper and decided it was time for them to go, rather than be hauled to yet another house to collect even more of them, and she asked me to do the deed... I slid the tub down the hall, out the front door, down the stairs and over to the recycle bin where they filled it about a third of the way up.
Afterward, I teased her whenever I saw her putting anything in the bin: "No digging, now!"
-Doug in Oakland
Kudos to Briana! Sometimes moving is helpful like that. And I can understand the temptation to dig them back out. I tear up my notes as I weed them out. Then they go into the compost. It (usually) keeps me from rethinking the decision :)
DeleteOh so well written. We all have those notes. I was going to write a brilliant poem on the importance of notes, gardening notes, musical notes ... but my brain has turned to holiday mode. No poems forthcoming :(
ReplyDeleteHoliday mode is okay, too - our brains need time to relax! I very nearly didn't come up with my poem; there were several false starts and it was getting frustrating :)
DeleteThat sounds a lot like my life! Yes, that's the trouble with notes.
ReplyDeleteMy take on notes is over here.
Your poem sounds oh so familiar - notes everywhere! Sometimes they're overwhelming. And sometimes the important ones get lost . . .
DeletePut the money in the sack
ReplyDeleteOr I'll knife you in the back
Fill the bag with cash
Or I'll bury you in the trash
Okay now you know why I don't do poetry.
NO I DO NOT KNOW! Those are hilarious! And more realistic in their higher level of violence, I think :)
DeleteSounds like we have the same note/list writing problem. Problem is our fingers can't keep up with our brains and the writing starts to look like chicken tracks. I've tried slowing my writing down but then I keep forgetting what it was I was going to write. Maybe shorthand would help? Next week...things that cool us down.
ReplyDeleteYou have described the conundrum exactly.
DeleteIf you learn shorthand, let me know how you get on, will you? :)
Things that cool us down - great choice!
That is an excellent poem, Jenny. I am a note person also. Things to do, things to plan, and without one or two, I feel my day is lost. Yes, I put notes onto my iPad, but it is the notes on paper that get things done.
ReplyDeleteYES! I need my paper notes, too!
DeleteI don't do lists but have little scraps of paper with notes. It gets a little messy and requires a good sorting out from time to time.
ReplyDeleteLists don't really work for me, either, except for the lists that are short enough to fit on a post it note. I wonder why.
DeleteHa! I love your poem - it's so true! In my case it's not only the penmanship that's the issue - I can usually read my notes. The problem is that I scribble a couple of disjointed words and think, "This is all I need to jog my memory." No. No, it isn't...
ReplyDeleteWe can't have it all - good handwriting AND coherency are just too much to ask, apparently! lol
DeleteLol. Great poems!
ReplyDeleteSometimes the list is a mental one and I can’t remember it. Or
The list is on the post-it note And at home it does sit.
Other times I have the list and lose it in the store.
Let’s face it I keeping track of a list is just another chore.
Ha - true! And well done, Marie. Yeah . . . I leave my grocery list at home ALL too often :)
DeleteLove your poem. The problem with my notes isn't my penmanship. It's that I write them when I'm sleepy or I abbreviate too much. Either way, I don't know what they mean.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
That IS a problem, isn't it? You need to get one of the pups to be your secretary and jot the notes down on the computer! If they can post, they can take notes :D
DeletePenelope would probably love to have that responsibility, but she's so critical! Franklin's spelling leaves something to be desired.
DeleteIt's so hard to get good help, eh? lol
DeleteHaha the "Thank you honey bunny " brought out laughter of me dear Jenny ;)
ReplyDeleteYou are incredibly intelligent with dealing of such topic
God forbid if I would have to rob someone my words would be same as you said here lol
Oh poor poet !
What life has made him to do
I enjoyed the funny poem A lot
You are so good at humor :)
My late mom was intensively careful about her visits to doctors and market
She would ask us to write lists and notes for her usually when she would lay down after chores
Hubby has almost same habit almost
I am totally opposite to them
It makes me happy that you got a laugh from that line! It made me smile to write it, too :)
DeleteI write notes for doctor visits and to remember what is most needed for food, also, like your mom. I couldn't remember everything if I didn't. Your memory must be very good!
Please fill the bag with money
ReplyDeleteAnd I'll thank you, honey bunny
Very funny bank robber!
So glad you enjoyed that one! lol
DeleteHa! I guess that's an advantage to notes on an iPhone -- no penmanship to worry about!
ReplyDeleteVery true!
DeleteWhat a nice post to come to at the end of the day.
ReplyDeleteBank robbers writing notes that rhyme. That world would be so fun to live in. Who would have the heart to hit the alarm when such a request comes from a robber ? I for one would give money from my own pocket book, may be?
Thank you, Munir. A polite bank robber would be refreshing, wouldn't it? :) Thanks for dropping by.
DeleteNicely done on this week's poem, jenny_o. I also really enjoyed the cat meme. It made me LOL. Hope you have a noteworthy week as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mr. Shife - I love that meme and was so happy to be able to tie it into a post!
DeleteNotes
ReplyDeleteThe day my mother died
A violin cried
Wailing A minor up in the air
Its plaintive sound was everywhere
But looking back it was just in my head
A note to self
That Mum was dead.
Indeed. Nice play on "note to self", YP. Thank you for contributing this week.
DeleteLove your poem! I haven't written a humor poem in a while. You've inspired me!
ReplyDeleteOh, good! And humour poems are pretty much the only kind I write these days. Some people say they're doggerel, not "real" poetry, but if it was good enough for Ogden Nash, it's good enough for me :)
Delete