Serpentine Old Man

The Serpent?

Silent slithered snakelike the old man from his tree,
and coiled his scaley legs below one scaley knee,
where there lurked a knotty knotty naughty problem,
not that the man were lost of thought or fallen dumb,
but that this knot awaits: the Alexander "Key."

Memories are Short, but so is Time

Timely Memories

Once had a good time by all,
but whether by autumn or fall,
or springtime or lent,
some calendric event,
I do not recall now at all.

Smelly Dog

How's That Dog Smell?

Old Extra Pound could snuff the coffied ground
and carry on because his nose was sound!
And even when hot upon the still-hot trail,
Pound managed to constrain his wagging tail!
He was a good dog, after all, as we found!

But how does he smell? Terrible! Just terrible.

Fascist Leanings

Sacramental Is-lamb for Extra Pound?

Against each monotheism inveighed Old Extra Pound,
though he held a secret feeling for the one that came around
mouthing anti-Jewish wishes
that were shared, so unselfish-ish,
such that soon as thick as thieves they'd both abound!

Says Who?

A Foisted Poem

"A toast!" Pound toasted, raising the toasted
toast extra high, as if it were a roast,
or a sin,
once again,
as if such were whereof up high to boast.

The Big Why

The Big Why

Extra Pound wondered once aloud, "Why
do my friends in this world all go by
bearing animal names
barely suiting their frames?
If I can't find out why, I'll just die!"

Cousin Cuisine

Turtles

Old Terrapin, the High and Mighty Low,
considered Cousin Tortoise Down Below.
Tortoise was the lowest of the turtles,
rumored to be tasty cooked with myrtles'
astringent berries, but who, then, would know?

Are these Kissing Cuisine?

Fallen Paradise

Paradise Gone

Terrapin, the High and Mighty Low,
dreamt of a garden where he once could go
freely, unafraid, discouraged not
from entering within that now-dark plot,
but many tears from way back when did flow.

La Rue de La Rue?

Stygian Crypt

From darkness through darkness to darkness, he flew,
with message so dark even Raven would rue
when broken in halves was the seal blooded-red,
with writing that told of the ashes of dead.
Still Pound spoke of naught what he knew to be true.

Raven's Flight

Lamp Black Flight

In the ill of night flew Raven by storm,
ignoring each import of undersea norm;
Like witch over water, depth of ink blue,
he flew and he flew, and he flew, and flew,
till last clutched his claw cognizable form.

Post Age

Out Lout

Rat Fink and Kit Cat laughed out and about
Extra propounding futility: out-
rageous, gay laughter, far lighter than air,
it entered each den and freshened each lair,
but shamed Extra Pound, imperial lout.

A Test Hard as Nails

At Ease in Zion

"It's very hard," growled roughly Extra Pound,
as hard upon the Hard-Shell Baptist round
of Terrapin, the High and Mighty Low,
on whom he struck many a mighty blow,
voice of the turtle still at ease was found.

Extra Pound Unsound

Sacramental

Closer, and closer, to the iron point,
a yearly metal meal waits to anoint
the king with blood and metal mystery,
a rite held, as each date in history,
a ritual to cleave from joint each joint.

Extra Pound dreams of a medieval mystery meal, a sacrifice turned sacrament, shrouded in time's dark miasma.

'Editional' Thought: Maybe I should title the poem "Sacremetal."

No Kidding

Extra Pound Recites

Adorno declared that poetic wits
could find no expression after Auschwitz.
The old man was deadly serious then,
more serious than any deadly sin.
Lest one hear it not: Auschwitz ist kein Witz.

Right, but what was Pound's position on all this? Hasn't he just made a joke in a poem about Auschwitz? And not just any joke, but a limerick! Hmm . . . leaves a bad taste in one's mouth.

Grammar Rules!

Damnable Words

A stupid word is stupendous,
derived from Latin stupidus,
but these two words don't rhyme too well,
so we'll end up in Dante's Hell:
yes, you and me; yes, really us.

A Pseudo-Italian like Pound is strict about rules . . .

Cold Emotions

High Life, Low Life

Extra Pound chuckled forth a snort to see how law-
like Rat Fink and Kit Cat were held in awe,
how "Terrapin, the High and Mighty Low,"
could lift himself so high and let himself, solo,
down onto the frozen hard ground land with one last (c)raven aw . . .

Virus of High Life suspends all Low Life social interaction?

Trainin'

Crying Shame

Rat Fink and Kit Cat, best of fiends,
wept dry tears from lacrimal glands.
Though Rat Fink cried for extenuation,
and Kit Cat cried from other exhaustion,
neither could wet-squeeze even a single glance.

Tears of Age?

Eyes Ergo

A Burning Question

"O Terrapin the High and Mighty Low,
who granted you this knowledge that you know?
For I've never seen you lurk
in a book or hard at work,"
said Extra Pound of mind quite sound and eyes aglow.

The terrapin is thought to be greatly wise.

Being Lost

Loss of Being?

Extra Pound lost an extra extra pound,
yet he feared utter losses to propound,
but since he'd lost only money,
and that soon seemed rather funny,
he did make a joyful noise then to expound.

So sing unsubdued, even if without a clue.

Non-Euclidean Pro-Verb

Beyond the Pro-Verbial

A wise old man once said to me
(and a very wise man was he),
"He who quotes others lacks
(though he lug a persuasive axe),
to think for himself, that rare ability."

Every student ought to memorize and quote these lines, whenever and wherever appropriate.