When he'd finished his poem the bat waited for the mockingbird to say something; he didn't know it, but he was holding his breath.
"Why, I like it," said the mockingbird. "Technically it's quite accomplished. The way you change the rhyme-scheme's particularly effective."
The bat said: "It is?"
"Oh yes," said the mockingbird. "And it was clever of you to have that last line two feet short."
The bat said blankly: "Two feet short?"
"It's two feet short," said the mockingbird a little impatiently. "The next-to-the-last line's iambic pentameter, and the last line's iambic trimeter."
The bat looked so bewildered that the mockingbird said in a kind voice: "An iambic foot has one weak syllable and one strong syllable; the weak one comes first. That last line of yours has six syllables and the one before it has ten: when you shorten the last line like that it gets the effect of the night holding its breath."
"I didn't know that," the bat said. "I just made it like holding your breath."
"To be sure, to be sure!" said the mockingbird, "I enjoyed your poem very much. When you've made up some more do come round and say me another."
The bat said that he would, and fluttered home to his rafter. Partly he felt very good--the mockingbird had liked his poem--and partly he felt just terrible. He thought: "Why, I might as well have said it to the bats. What do I care how many feet it has? The owl nearly kills me, and he says he likes the rhyme-scheme!" He hung upside down, thinking bitterly. After a while he said to himself: "The trouble isn't make poems, the trouble's finding somebody that will listen to them."

Labels: children's lit, MFA, poetry

Posted at 5:17 PM // 0 comments

3.24.2008 - Ebay/True Confessions

From ebay:

Here is a rustic windowbox just bursting with plump Fly Agaric Toadstools (Sorcerer's Hat). Fly Agaric are used in Elf-World as the main ingredient in a Magical Potion which promotes hair-growth in prematurely balding and vain Wizards of Elf-World, when taken as a homoeopathic dose (wizards should not try this at home as the Sorcerer's Hat variety is only seen in Elf-World).

Also, I have a poem up at Night Train! It's an oldie, but a goody.

Labels: oddities, poem

Posted at 10:18 AM // 0 comments

3.05.2008 - Sonnet for the State Fair/Generation

Poems online at umbrellajournal.com. Go. Consume. Enjoy!

(Thanks to Brooklyn Copeland for bringing to my attention that I was remiss in bringing this to your attention)

Labels: poem

Posted at 6:36 PM // 0 comments

3.04.2008 - Shrimp Update

First, Filomena died--it was a slow, painful death. Her feelers were still wiggling, but she couldn't stay upright. The other shrimp tore her head off, and ate her.

Now, two days later, I peeked into the sphere to find Eunice and Hermie feasting on little Lacie. They seem energized. I just hope that they don't eat one another.

Labels: photo, shirmp

Posted at 5:15 PM // 0 comments

About Phoebe, Eating.

Phoebe is an omnivore. Her favorite foods include chili dogs all-the-way, dark chocolate, savory soups, swiss cheese, raspberry sorbet, Fuji apples, tangellos, soft pretzels, onion rings, dragon rolls, tuna sandwiches, steamed broccoli, her mother's matzah ball soup, and kettle corn.