.

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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18 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

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