Unwisely Unpicked #poem #poetry

Posted on May 31, 2018 by TanGental

A while ago I took the first line of a famous poem and then created my own. Here’s another… a sonnet of course…

Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s day

Or chocolate spread on buttered  toast?

Both sound grand, warm and cozy but that’s most-

-ly rubbish, cos one’s a mess, the other’s grey.

The thing is, you see, we’re prone to praise

Anything the Bard declaimed, even if , on

Close inspection, it’s clear to all that none

Of it makes much sense and it’s just a phrase

That fits the scan. We think we see some uni-

-versal truth when actually all he’s done

Is resort to glib cliché. See, no-one

Is beyond trite. Even the great are puny

When spread thin. My advice is: Leave the poet

To do his thing, or you’ll surely rue it.

 

 

About TanGental

My name is Geoff Le Pard. Once I was a lawyer; now I am a writer. I've published several books: a four book series following Harry Spittle as he grows from hapless student to hapless partner in a London law firm; four others in different genres; a book of poetry; four anthologies of short fiction; and a memoir of my mother. I have several more in the pipeline. I have been blogging regularly since 2014, on topic as diverse as: poetry based on famous poems; memories from my life; my garden; my dog; a whole variety of short fiction; my attempts at baking and food; travel and the consequent disasters; theatre, film and book reviews; and the occasional thought piece. Mostly it is whatever takes my fancy. I avoid politics, mostly, and religion, always. I don't mean to upset anyone but if I do, well, sorry and I suggest you go elsewhere. These are my thoughts and no one else is to blame. If you want to nab anything I post, please acknowledge where it came from.
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13 Responses to Unwisely Unpicked #poem #poetry

  1. Ritu says:
    May 31, 2018 at 12:56 pm

    You do make me giggle!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. willowdot21 says:
    May 31, 2018 at 4:28 pm

    Hummmmm. Is that a sword I see before me
    Or just lines on paper being twee.
    The washing machine gets very hot
    Still Mrs MacBeth can’t rid the spot.
    A gentle man from Verona
    Slipped and bashed his head… He’s ina coma.
    Your right Geoff old Willie Spokeshave is a big fraud….then what am I ? 😊💜💜💜

    Liked by 1 person

  3. thecontentedcrafter says:
    May 31, 2018 at 8:13 pm

    In dear old Wills defence I think even the most cliche’d statement would once have been an original thought…………. My fav lines: the first two closely followed by ‘Even the great are puny When spread thin.’ Brilliant the last one and hilarious the first two (causing yet another splutter of hot coffee!) (I have to learn to put the coffee cup down before I open your post!) Your dad would be proud!!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Charli Mills says:
    May 31, 2018 at 8:50 pm

    That’s putting Will in his place! I do love the comparison to colocate spread on buttered toast!

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Elizabeth says:
    Jun 1, 2018 at 12:04 am

    I once had to fill a page with iambic pentameter lines. They get stuck in your head and everything starts to come out in that rhythm. I can see a similar thing happened to you here.

    Liked by 1 person

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