.

Books

Some say that books are obsolete,
__Preferring new devices.
But reading books is still a treat,
__No gadget quite suffices.

.

.

Tipping Etiquette

The credit card machine implied that
__I should leave a tip,
For someone who provided “service”
__No more than a blip.

The hope is surely that I’ll find it
__Hard to not be “nice,”
But my own sense of etiquette comes
__Not from some device.

.

.

Opposites

Our politics are opposite,
__So we don’t talk about it.
Such discourse might be civil but
__His nature makes me doubt it.

Our backgrounds are quite different and
__Most interests vary too,
So there are not a lot of things
__That we both like to do.

I try to find safe subjects in
__A search for common ground,
And sticking to the basics best
__Steers clear of what’s unsound.

We’re so distinct—in not one way
__Would I prefer to be him.
But he’s my brother so I have
__A strong desire to see him.

.

.

Russel Winick recently started writing poetry at nearly age 65, after ending a long legal career. He resides in Naperville, Illinois.

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22 Responses

  1. Mark Stellinga

    Russel, these are all fun pieces with thinly veiled *opinizations* I completely agree with. Nice job… 🙂

    Reply
  2. Norma Pain

    In “Books”, I agree that no gadget quite suffices as the feel and smell of an old (or young) book. These three short poems are really enjoyable. Thank you Russel.

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Thanks Norma. I agree completely about books vs. devices.

      Reply
  3. Roy Eugene Peterson

    I really enjoyed all three poems for their clarity and messages. Well done!

    Reply
  4. C.B. Anderson

    Still sharp as a tack you are, Russel. Pity those you cause to say, “Ouch!”

    Reply
  5. Cynthia Erlandson

    I really like that you didn’t reveal who your “opposite” was till the end. It made me smile.

    Reply
  7. Margaret Coats

    Russel, I quite agree about “Books,” and I am touched by “Opposites.” “Tipping Etiquette” presents the problem of begging from a device, for the purpose of gaining money for bankers. Every tip given by card or device gets money siphoned off for invisible “service” providers, with less left for the actual person who served you. If you can, let your “sense of etiquette” put cash directly into the server’s hand. It’s the only way to know he gets it!

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Thanks Margaret, and great point about tipping. I’ll do that!

      Reply
  8. Cheryl Corey

    Your “Books” piece is spot on. I’m currently engrossed in the original, uncensored version of Oscar Wilde’s Picture of Dorian Gray, complete with annotations, which would be impossible to try and read on some stupid device.

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      I’m with you, Cheryl. Thanks. My mother was a librarian, and started me on books not long after we got back from the hospital! There’s just no substitute.

      Reply
  9. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    Russel, I love each one of these shining poetic gems equally, because they all speak to me in a language I relish with messages that have me nodding in agreement. Wonderfully done!

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Thanks – high praise from the high priestess of poetry is always appreciated.

      Reply
  10. Joseph S. Salemi

    These three pieces are perfect little confections of fine verse. They are smooth, polished, and to the point. Not a syllable should be altered.

    Ms. Corey, Wilde’s book can be an upsetting experience, and the uncensored version is VERY shattering. By the way, the film version from the 1940s (starring Hurd Hatfield and Angela Lansbury) was one of the few times when a film was just as powerful as the book.

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Thank you Sir. I’m quite pleased that you liked them.

      Reply
  11. jd

    I enjoyed all three also, Russell, and was surprised and then sympathetic with the final line of “Opposites” being in a similar situation myself.

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      JD, I’m glad that you were moved by Opposites. Thanks for letting me know.

      Reply

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