'Odysseus and the Sirens' by Waterhouse‘The Oddity’ and Other Poetry by Mark Stevick The Society January 16, 2018 Beauty, Humor, Poetry 2 Comments The Oddity My pen and me set off to sea but washed up feeling useless; the cadent swell invoked a spell and story of Odysseus. While pen-wrecked there I would not hear those rhythmic words like Circe’s; this poem must be Penelope and I a new Ulysses. Seventy Seventy! Seventy! What about seventy ____calls for a metrical line? —Praise that your days with their pace and their brevity ____lengthen past age sixty-nine. Harken, a toast: you done grewed up to seventy, ____here’s to the wealths you attain. Now on this day if you’re brewed up and given tea ____drink it in lieu of champagne. Pardon our poem if its pace and its levity ____play at expense of your fun; Of your seventy years we’re an adamant devotee— ____and will be past seventy-one. Mark Wacome Stevick (Stiewig) grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in a religious community whose members scorned drinking, dancing, and dice. In his teens he left Lancaster for New England. He lives now with his family in Salem, Massachusetts, where he writes plays, gives walking tours, and teaches creative writing. Related Post A Translation of André Chénier’s ‘Elegy XX’... Born at Constantinople in 1762 of a French father and Greek mother, André Chénier grew up in pre-revolutionary France and studied at Paris. Well-read,... Tell the world:FacebookTwitterTumblrPinterestRedditLinkedInEmail 2 Responses Lenore January 16, 2018 These were lots of fun to read…enjoyed much! Reply Wic E. Ruse Blade January 16, 2018 “Seventy,” reminiscent of late Victorians, Lear and Carroll, and so many other 20th century British and American poets, with its witty feminine rhymes, and opening and closing stanzas, encapsulates a joyful insouciance. I have used the word “seventy” o’er seventy times, but ne’er once did I utilize these clever rhymes. Thanks for the treasure I’ve access to now; you’ve added four more I can plunder and plow. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Wic E. Ruse Blade January 16, 2018 “Seventy,” reminiscent of late Victorians, Lear and Carroll, and so many other 20th century British and American poets, with its witty feminine rhymes, and opening and closing stanzas, encapsulates a joyful insouciance. I have used the word “seventy” o’er seventy times, but ne’er once did I utilize these clever rhymes. Thanks for the treasure I’ve access to now; you’ve added four more I can plunder and plow. Reply
