.

Boomerang

He was a very handsome guy,
Cute girls would stick to him like glue,
And his interest in them was high,
But only for a night or two.

Eventually he settled down,
A pretty young wife came one day,
And he loved having her around
Those few months till she went away.

.

.

Conversational Conundrum

With someone’s words erroneous,
_We quickly must decide:
Should we be disharmonious,
_Or simply let it slide?

..

.

Diktat

They proudly paint the green grass blue
_Then dictate you and I
Must countenance their righteous view
_That it is now the sky.

.

.

Just Talk

Two talkers took great pains to get their points completely out,
_Both making sure to emphasize each word,
Repeating the positions they’re so passionate about,
_But never giving thought to what they heard.

.

.

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

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24 Responses

  1. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Russel is a thinker.
    We all can plainly see.
    His poems are so short
    But they tickle me.

    Reply
  3. Warwick

    The sky-strewn stars
    Who sky-borne fly
    Along unstinted ranges
    Instill in me, a spirit free
    A hope it never changes!

    Warwick Butler 1967

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Thank you Rohini, for your generous comments. Much appreciated!

      Reply
  6. Joseph S. Salemi

    “Boomerang” is a great he-got-what-he-deserved poem. Like a boomerang, what goes around comes around.

    The three poems that follow it are all governed by a single theme: the difficulty of arguing (or even just talking) with other persons these days. Frequently one faces a blank wall of ignorance (“Conversational Conundrum”), arrogance (“Diktat”), or deliberate deafness (“Just Talk”).

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Thank you Professor. You can probably guess which prominent issue of the day “Diktat” derives from.

      Reply
  7. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    Russel, I always love your mellifluous morsels of wisdom. For me, the standout here is “Just Talk” – often the art and the benefits of listening are swept aside in favor of getting a point across at the expense of the bigger picture. Having said that, I quite like this quote: “Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.” ― A.A. Milne

    Russel, thank you!

    Reply
  8. Cynthia L Erlandson

    Russel, you are a keen observer of the human creature. And your poems contain both wisdom and humor; I find myself both nodding and laughing.

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Thank you Cynthia. I can’t imagine a sweeter comment than that!

      Reply
  9. Adam Sedia

    A nice collection of aphorisms. “Diktat” is my favorite and encapsulates the modern world’s greatest problem.

    Reply
  11. Mary Jane Myers

    Dear Russel

    Your poems are tiny gems. A reader enjoys the clever rhymes, and experiences that “ah-hah, so true” moment of recognition! I especially like “Conversational Conundrum”–this “conundrum” must happen to me at least a dozen times daily.

    I note you live in Naperville. My family lived in Naperville in my teenage years, and I graduated from high school there. Here’s a little ditty:

    In Naperville, there’s no there there,
    no place for poetry.
    Withal, two rhymesters hail from there:
    Russ W — and me!

    Sincerely
    Mary Jane

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Thank you, ex-neighbor. I’m glad that the poems resonated with you.

      Reply
  12. Margaret Coats

    Russel, both of your conversation poems have special meaning to me for conversation in Japanese. Harmony is ALWAYS the aim, and if one sees that the other person looks as if he does not agree, there is a convenient way to let it slide. The verb usually comes at the end of the sentence–and the speaker can simply negate it as he pronounces it. That means, of course, that “Just Talk” doesn’t happen at all. It would be the height of rudeness not to listen to another’s points, and give signals of comprehension and agreement if at all possible. If agreement is not possible, the signs in eyes and face and posture tell the speaker to turn aside or let it slide. This is not the American way, but it achieves that all-desirable harmony, at least on the surface of the words!

    Reply
    • Frank Rable

      So Margaret, you have explained something that I wondered about for years. In one job, my firm occasionally hosted business associates from Japan. Although their English was quite good, I never heard them say “no” to a proposal or a request. What they did say was, “Rable san, that would be very difficult, and perhaps you might consider a different proposal. May I suggest…..”
      So if I didn’t realize that in effect it was a firm “no” left unsaid, then harmony was achieved. I just thought that they were better negotiators. Well, I guess they were.

      Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Thanks Margaret, for this interesting feedback. I’m glad to hear that those poems were meaningful to you.

      Reply
  13. Frank Rable

    Russel, I guess the poem “Diktat” could describe a person who dwells in a world of fantastical beliefs, who must have your complete agreement, otherwise the name calling begins. No negotiation is possible.

    Another might be simply be a negotiator who starts from an extreme position and works toward the middle, except that it won’t get there. You might suspect you have such a negotiator when they produce a shoe and pound the table with it to show they are serious. Better check to see if one of their feet is actually missing a shoe. By the way, this group looks at the former group, and calls them “useful idiots”

    But, you said all that. Your poem just used a lot fewer words.

    I liked “Just Talk”. You must have met my, oh, never mind. That won’t end well.

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Thanks Frank, for your comments. I had a particular current issue in mind with “Diktat,” but I didn’t identify it, as I preferred instead to let people apply it as they saw fit.

      Reply

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