roger doger

This Friday, I'm giving one of three coming lectures/reading groups at the local library on British poet Roger McGough He's a whole lot of pun--much of his work has wordplay and/or humor. This first lecture will cover his poems on the subjects of violence, human nature, and impending Noah's Ark sorts of crisis + Philip Larkin, who was librarian at the University of Hull while McGough was studying there. Next time, his long poem Summer with Monika touching tender and EECummings. Last lecture will be the light verse & Ogden Nash. Kenneth Koch seems a major thread in this text too. McGough, is some kind of punderful:



Here's one on a relevant subject for this blogger's world:

PAY-BACK TIME

O Lord, let me be a burden on my children
For long they've been a burden upon me.
May they fetch and carry, clean and scrub
And do so cheerfully.

Let them take it in turns at putting me up
Nice sunny rooms at the top of the stairs
With a walk-in bath and lift installed
At great expense.....Theirs.

Insurance against the body-blows of time
Isn't that what having children's all about?
To bring them up knowing that they owe you
And can't contract out?

What is money for but to spend on their schooling?
Designer clothes, mindless hobbies, usual stuff.
Then as soon as they're earning, off they go
Well, enough's enough.

It's been a blessing watching them develop
The parental pride we felt as each one grew.
But Lord, let me be a burden on my children
And on my children's children too.

Here's a photo of Herself. She makes a prettier older gentleman, dontcha' think?

free as a word

Gave my first Irish reading yesterday with the Westgate Writer's Group at the local wildfowl reserve to celebrate National Wetlands Day. Read the poems from the Chicago Review--all based on Florida creatures--introduced by reading Elizabeth Bishop's poem "Florida". Sold two books! One fella just zipped up, gave me the money, and dashed away. Very much appreicate when someone doth be purchasing a book. Would like to have said a how do you do and whaz up and thank ye and such. Alas. Perhaps he'll come to another reading! We're (Westgate Writer's Group) reading for International Women's Day on March 4th at the Wexford library--maybe he'll be by.

Hey, check out this interview with the fabulousio Danielle Pafunda.