Friday, June 2, 2017

Swashbuckling

I don't know why we take our worst moods so much more seriously than our best.
~Tim Kreider

I read a poem that wowed me this week, but a) I don't have permission to share it, and b) it was quite dark. Darker than I'm feeling. To read it (which I do recommend), go here.

Instead, I'm sharing Ogden Nash.

No Doctors Today, Thank You
by Ogden Nash

They tell me that euphoria is the feeling of feeling wonderful,
Well, today I feel euphorian,
Today I have the agility of a Greek god and the appetitite of a Victorian.
Yes, today I may even go forth without my galoshes,
Today I am a swashbuckler, would anybody like me to buckle any swashes?
This is my euphorian day,
I will ring welkins and before anybody answers I will run away.
I will tame me a caribou
And bedeck it with marabou.
I will pen me my memoirs.
Ah youth, youth! What euphorian days them was!
I wasn't much of a hand for the boudoirs,
I was generally to be found where the food was.
Does anybody want any flotsam?
I've gotsam.
Does anybody want any jetsam?
I can getsam.
I can play chopsticks on the Wurlitzer,
I can speak Portuguese like a Berlitzer.
I can don or doff my shoes without tying or untying the laces because
I am wearing moccasins,
And I practically know the difference between serums and antitoccasins.
Kind people, don't think me purse-proud, don't set me down as vainglorious,
I'm just a little euphorious.

*******

It's June! (This made me laugh, especially when she describes what happened...)



*******

Buffy Silverman has the Poetry Friday round-up. Thanks, Buffy!

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16 comments:

  1. Linda MitchellJune 2, 2017 at 6:29 AM

    Bwa ha ha ha ha ha! I love that video clip! You are wonderful for sharing that with us. Today, I choose Ogden Nash. I have many dark moments of worry for our nations and our world. However, I must face children today. Ogden Nash is what puts me in the mood for that. Have a great week!

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  2. Mary LeeJune 2, 2017 at 9:23 AM

    Well, that's what it looks like to make lemonade! What a great laugh from Ogden to Joan. (I skipped the dark one. Don't need any more of that right now.)

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  3. KayJune 2, 2017 at 9:29 AM

    What a fun poem! I could use some of that euphoria these days.

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  4. Buffy SilvermanJune 2, 2017 at 11:48 AM

    Ogden Nash is so much fun--from vainglorious to euphorious! Thanks for sharing this one and making me smile.

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  5. jamaJune 2, 2017 at 11:51 AM

    Hadn't seen that Nash poem before. Sure needed some levity today -- and the video was funny too.

    I did read the first poem and thought of Manchester. Chilling.

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  6. Jane @ Raincity LibrarianJune 2, 2017 at 3:38 PM

    I think a lot of use could use some of that brightness and levity in our lives right now. What on Earth is even happening these days?!?

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  7. Brenda at FriendlyFairyTalesJune 2, 2017 at 4:39 PM

    That video was hilarious after the song was over. I love the Ogden Nash, too. I feel euphorious after that.

    As for the dark poem, that is ominous and dark. Because he's right, isn't he? There must be watchers who know. At least some of the time.

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  8. Carol VarsalonaJune 2, 2017 at 4:41 PM

    Tabitha, I am glad that you chose Ogden Nash's poem to set up the hilarious video. I watched it twice just to see if I could tell when the cue card and its holder fell. I want to have some euphorian days and so I shall wait eagerly for our granddaughter to be born to find the joy.

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  9. Michelle Heidenrich BarnesJune 2, 2017 at 5:26 PM

    I think I have a swash or two that need buckling thanks to laughing so hard at that video. ;)

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  10. Diane MayrJune 3, 2017 at 9:31 AM

    Yes, I have plenty of swashes in need of buckling, too. The Szymborska poem was brutal in both its subject matter and in the way the poet slowed time.


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  11. Alice NineJune 3, 2017 at 1:26 PM

    Tabitha, I grinned at Ogden Nash... and laughed at the backstory of the video... and then I read Szymborska -- and was struck by the incomprehensible randomness of terrorism.

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  12. Linda BJune 4, 2017 at 1:25 PM

    I don't know how I missed your post on Friday, but here I am checking on you, and loving that you welcomed June, too! Thanks for the Ogden Nash, so witty. I love that he makes us smile always: "would anyone like me to buckle any swashes?" Thank you!

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  13. Matt Forrest EsenwineJune 4, 2017 at 8:21 PM

    That WAS a dark one...unsettling and real. Glad you provided Ogden Nash for some levity after that!

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  14. michelle koganJune 4, 2017 at 11:57 PM

    Great take on June Is Busting Out All Over, I needed a good laugh, and got it. Wonderful waiting with Ogden Nash Tabatha, his poemst seem to slip right out effortlessly, thanks for all!

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  15. April Halprin WaylandJune 4, 2017 at 11:59 PM

    Oh, my, Tabatha ~ what a refreshing post--thank you thank you thank you!
    I was named after Nash's poem, "Always Marry an April Girl," so I have a particular soft spot in my heart for him. And he never fails me.

    And that gaffe and explanation--wonderful.

    Thank you for making my day!

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  16. author amokJune 9, 2017 at 1:52 PM

    His cleverness and wordplay are as spinny as a merry-go-round -- fun and dizzying.

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