Christian and Muslim playing ouds Catinas de Santa Maria by King Alfonso X‘The Ballad of the Poor Troubadour’ and Other Poetry by Chris Tessitore The Society August 11, 2018 Beauty, Children's, Culture, Humor, Poetry 7 Comments The Ballad of the Poor Troubadour I’m past my prime __and I’m out of time— I never made a dime from a rhyme. There ain’t much worse __than an empty purse— I suffered from the curse of the verse. I am no more __but I leave this score— The Ballad of the Poor Troubadour. A Baby A human egg, a human sperm What else is there can come to term But a baby? Confronted with these simple facts The wisdom of our time reacts With a “maybe,” While souls of babies yet unborn Who’re from their earthly mothers torn Cry out daily, And those who hear it can’t but cringe On selfishness’s state-funded binge; They look palely And summon in their chest a voice That yells for those who have no choice: “Hear the baby!” A Children’s Tale for Amy Edward, the monarch butterfly, __a gracious king, he ruled the sky! Orange and black the cloak he wore. __It was not bought in any store. The loyal moths at his command __made all of Edward’s clothes by hand. The daisies danced, the lilies swayed __each time he passed in grand parade. But then one day a spider came __and no one knew the villain’s name! He wove himself a deadly snare __to capture Edward unaware. A fair young maiden set him free. __The king was grateful as can be. He made her queen of butterflies. __Together now they rule the skies! The Plastic Straw Ban Behold the latest cause du jour! For every ill we hold the cure! The key to open any door! The plastic straw will be no more! Joe Tessitore is a retired New York City resident and poet. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Trending now: 7 Responses Michael Dashiell August 11, 2018 These poems made an interesting use of rhythm and rhyme. I liked the ballad the best. As for no dime for a rhyme, free verse poets fortunately suffer poverty and obscurity as well. Reply Joe Tessitore August 11, 2018 Thanks Michael. Reply Amy Foreman August 11, 2018 It’s always a pleasure to read your poetry, Joe, and today’s assorted selection is no exception! I especially like the rhythm of “A Baby,” with the ending pyrrhic-spondaic lines in each stanza. I think the da-da-DUM-DUM at the end of each phrase adds a nursery room quality to the poem, which helps the reader to focus on the central figure of the poem, the one we should hear, . . .the baby. Reply E. V. August 11, 2018 I liked them all, my favorite being A Children’s Tale. For the poem, “A Baby”, have you considered using the last line, “Hear the baby!” as the poem’s title? Reply Joseph Tessitore August 11, 2018 Thank you both. I had a co-writer for the “Baby” poem; mine were the first two verses, his the last three. I was at a loss for the title and he was right on it. Reply Mark Stone August 11, 2018 Joe, Hello. 1. In “The Ballad,” the meter is a little unusual, but since it’s identical in all three stanzas, it works well for me. 2. In “A Baby,” I think L2 would make more sense if it read like this: “What else is there that comes to term”. And L11 is difficult to say, with three “s” sounds in a row. 3. In “A Children’s Tale,” I like all the lines, but especially S2L4, because of the two “war” sounds. 4. I have mixed feelings about suggesting changes to a poem that is officially published, but I guess that is the editor in me. If you don’t want this type of a response, please let me know. 5. I enjoyed the poems. Reply Joe Tessitore August 11, 2018 I’m glad you enjoyed them. It took me a good long while to get there, but I appreciate constructive criticism. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Michael Dashiell August 11, 2018 These poems made an interesting use of rhythm and rhyme. I liked the ballad the best. As for no dime for a rhyme, free verse poets fortunately suffer poverty and obscurity as well. Reply
Amy Foreman August 11, 2018 It’s always a pleasure to read your poetry, Joe, and today’s assorted selection is no exception! I especially like the rhythm of “A Baby,” with the ending pyrrhic-spondaic lines in each stanza. I think the da-da-DUM-DUM at the end of each phrase adds a nursery room quality to the poem, which helps the reader to focus on the central figure of the poem, the one we should hear, . . .the baby. Reply
E. V. August 11, 2018 I liked them all, my favorite being A Children’s Tale. For the poem, “A Baby”, have you considered using the last line, “Hear the baby!” as the poem’s title? Reply
Joseph Tessitore August 11, 2018 Thank you both. I had a co-writer for the “Baby” poem; mine were the first two verses, his the last three. I was at a loss for the title and he was right on it. Reply
Mark Stone August 11, 2018 Joe, Hello. 1. In “The Ballad,” the meter is a little unusual, but since it’s identical in all three stanzas, it works well for me. 2. In “A Baby,” I think L2 would make more sense if it read like this: “What else is there that comes to term”. And L11 is difficult to say, with three “s” sounds in a row. 3. In “A Children’s Tale,” I like all the lines, but especially S2L4, because of the two “war” sounds. 4. I have mixed feelings about suggesting changes to a poem that is officially published, but I guess that is the editor in me. If you don’t want this type of a response, please let me know. 5. I enjoyed the poems. Reply
Joe Tessitore August 11, 2018 I’m glad you enjoyed them. It took me a good long while to get there, but I appreciate constructive criticism. Reply