Thursday, August 10, 2023

Sings inside us

In a completely rational society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something else.
~Lee Iacocca


Happy Poetry Friday! Thank you for coming to the round-up!


Hope you're having a nice week. I tried something new yesterday -- making crème brûlée. It was a larger undertaking than I expected, haha. Couldn't get the sugar crust to work but the custard was great.

Today's poem is a fun one by Geoffrey Brock:

Prof of Profs
By Geoffrey Brock

For Allison Hogge, in memory of Brian Wilkie

I was a math major—fond of all things rational.
It was the first day of my first poetry class.
The prof, with the air of a priest at Latin mass,
told us that we could “make great poetry personal,”

could own it, since poetry we memorize sings
inside us always. By way of illustration
he began reciting Shelley with real passion,
but stopped at “Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”—

read the rest here (you don't want to miss the ending!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


(If you're on Instagram, let me know so I can follow you.)

25 comments:

laurasalas said...

Hahahaha--that ending is priceless! Thank you for hosting, Tabatha :>)

Michelle Kogan said...

Wonderful, thanks for all the smiles— and what a great choice he made to give up math and opt for POETRY–Love it! Thanks for the poem and for hosting too!

Susan T. said...

That poem is hilarious. Thank you! And, wow, just trying creme brulee is impressive, Tabatha.

Alan j Wright said...

Cracker of an ending, Tabatha- or should I say, clacker! Had a similiar thing happen to a colleague in the early days of my teaching career. It was later immortalized in a poem- I couldn't resist. The poem you shared is a pertinent reminder to expect the unexpected. Thanks for hosting and thank you for a Friday laugh.

Karen Edmisten said...

Ha! Thanks for the laughter, Tabatha! :)
Kudos for trying the creme brulee, too!

Denise Krebs said...

Hahaha! I love that professor, and his sweet heart. Thanks for sharing it. Congrats on the creme brulee. I'm sure it was delicious! Thank you for hosting us, Tabatha, and for the work you do for the poetry swap. I enjoyed that a lot this summer.

Linda B said...

I am happy to have a big smile to read and laugh at the very end of my long, long day! Thank you Tabatha for the poem and for hosting!

Carol Varsalona said...

Tabatha, leave it to you to find a poem that is full of anticipation for an interesting ending that makes the reader laugh. Also, thank you for hosting today. Since I am on vacation with family, my post will hopefully come together by midday Friday if I find some time between the lure of the ocean and the need to pack up our belongings.

KatApel - katswhiskers.wordpress.com said...

Hahaha... And therein is my justification for not loving Maths. 🤣 Great poem, Tabatha. Great find! Thanks for hosting the link-up today. (And for all you do with your Poetry Swaps!) Also, I'm delighted to be sharing Instagram space with you. :)

Linda Mitchell said...

Bwa ha ha ha ha! I did NOT see the end of that poem coming. It's great and perfect and fun. Thanks for hosting this week. Anyone that tackles Creme Brulee for funsies really has my respect. You continue to inspire me, Tabatha.

Rose Cappelli said...

Such a fun post, Tabatha! Thanks for hosting and for the early morning smile. And creme brulee - my favorite dessert! Maybe not perfection, but delicious, I'm sure.

Irene Latham said...

Tabatha, I made creme brulee for the first time earlier this year! (One of my sons gave me one of those kitchen torches for the sugar topping...works great!) Thanks for hosting. xo

mbhmaine said...

Oh, what fun, Tabatha! I love the idea of memorized poetry singing within us and then that twist of an ending. Ha! Also, yay for créme brûlée! It's a favorite of mine, but I've never tried to make it. I even have the cute little dishes for it, but they're gathering dust in a box. I think you've given me a little culinary inspiration in addition to the poetic! Thanks for that and for hosting this week!

Mary Lee said...

Creme brulee is my FAVORITE! Keep working on the crunchy top. I'm sure it will be worth all the "failures" you have to eat! lol

You have math today (great ending!!) and I'm in with physics! We're simpatico! Thanks for hosting!

Amy LV said...

Oh, that ending! I am reminded of my wonderful poetry professor, Professor O'Brien who taught us on Thursday nights in the basement of Wells Hall. He, too, had a wonderful sense of humor. Thank you for hosting with your always generous treats. I hope you have dessert leftovers. xo, a.

Bridget Magee said...

Ha! There's no substitooth for math or poetry! You share the best poems (and poets!), Tabatha. :)

Tracey Kiff-Judson said...

Thith ith very funny. Makes me with I had a poetry prothethor! :)

Marcie Flinchum Atkins said...

hahahaa!!!! That poem is great!

Thank you for hosting!

Patricia Franz said...

Excellent! And a perfect poem to offer as a school year begins - Thanks for hosting!

Jone said...

Tabatha, thank you for hosting us. I absolutely love creme brûlée but haven't attempted it. (Mainly because of the crust).
I love this line in the poem you shared: "told us that we could “make great poetry personal,”
could own it."
Have a wonderful weekend.

Carol Labuzzetta said...

Thanks for hosting Tabatha! I'll be back to comment more later. I'm running late for an appointment.

Anastasia Suen said...

Oh my goodness gracious - I was not expecting that ending, Tabatha! Thanks for hosting!

Carol J. Labuzzetta said...

Ha! So funny! It's made especially more so for me because my eldest son was a math major (PhD) and also fond of writing. I'll have to introduce him to the work of Brock! Thanks, Tabatha!

Catherine Flynn said...

Thank you for hosting this week, Tabatha! And thank you for sharing Brock's hilarious poem. Good luck with the crème brûlée!

Karen Elise Finch said...

Hilariath! And crème brûlée! Two treats :) Thank you!