Such a pettifog, he
Scheming and placating,
Somehow forgetting the gods
Who foreclose on borrowed truth
Such an obsequity, she
Parroting upstairs melodies
Forgetting there are no loopholes
For heads tucked in the noose
It begins as sweet stuff
Everyone on the line
Everyone plenty good enough
Graham crackers and story time
Dreams on wind dried sheets
Stories with morals to be learned
Yet the cash machine must collect
Between the crib and the urn
Such a cynic, me
Listing and berating
Laughter without smiles
And when my phone rings
It kills without style
Saragun Springs 
He Leila
Certain words like pettifog and obsequity, make this a higher art. I’ve noticed Emily Dickinson wrote with unusual words in these winning combinations. I love this kind of writing!
After reading this again letting these two particular words set the stage. it’s almost chilling. I felt the dawning of the poem sink into me.
This is an example of writing changing a perception or saying what the perception is. Clearly defining a thought or a whole philosophy that may just be lingering in the mind.
These complaints to the Gods. Who have their own plans for us.
“Graham crackers and story time” Who wouldn’t want to be there. Everything was okay back then–even wonderful. But…
“Between the crib and the urn” Show me the money and what people will do for it.
I’ve had a few of those phone calls. The reaper has a cold blade.
Great
CJA
PS: I want to watch “The Dead Poets Society,” again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello CJA
Thank you for your fine comments.
I do love words like pettifog, obsequious, toady and others for their sounds, and use em everytime I get the chance. I find them especially good for verse.
Always more coffee!
Leila
LikeLiked by 1 person
CJA
Brilliant analysis of L.A.’s poem, and fun to read, too!
Before I forget I want to mention a book in case you’ve never heard of it.
It’s called REMEMBERING RAY, published by Capra Press (somewhere in California) in the 1990s.
This book is loaded with material on and about Carver, the three P’s, prose, poetry, and photographs.
It has work in it by almost 40 different people who knew him. Some who knew him well, some who didn’t know him all that well but had encounters with him.
Some of the writing is really good, and some of it is even not that good. But it’s all about Ray. The photographs are really cool too. Probably available on the internet for five bucks. I have personally never used the thing named for the giant river in South America so I’m not sure about that. I wish the river was more famous than the other thing.
DWB
LikeLike
Hi Leila not He Leila (Mental not: read before send.)
LikeLike
not not– note more coffee please.
LikeLike
I love Pettifog
this piece says a lot in a little. Loved it – dd
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Diane
Thank you
As I told Christopher pettifog makes such a wonderful sound in my ear–despite the lackluster meaning.
Thanks sgsin
Leila
LikeLike
Leila
I admit that I had to look up the word pettifog again but in my defense I claim that I did once know what it means (I think)! One of those words one has heard that one also doesn’t know what it means without research (for some of us). And you have a poet’s vocabulary even in your prose. Poets should use everything if they can, from the simplest (“to be or not to be”) to the weirdest, wildest, and/or most arcane language. In Bukowski’s best work, he can nail the reader to the page with the simple use of a word the reader hasn’t seen forever or never knew.
This poem captures something, a mood about the world that the reader may perhaps feel before they understand exactly what it is on a rational level. The same way Emily and Walt wrote their best lines, where what comes after actually came before even though it comes after.
Emerson said that the job of poets is to hand us back our rejected thoughts, now made clear. Wallace Stevens called it “the hum of thoughts evaded in the mind.” Wallace pushed it so far that much of his work reads like gibberish even. He was trying to capture the hum of thoughts evaded in the mind.
This poem really captures that kind of fluid essence! Great rhythm/s too…
Dale
LikeLike
…..I also want to throw the fact out there that the English Language has almost 200,000 words in current usage according to the OED….
And almost 2 billion people speak it…..
When it comes to size, the English Language dominates in a way that’s almost unimaginable….
(Many linguists speculate that the actual totals on both those numbers are much higher….)
LikeLike
I was about to quote some lines from this but soon realised I’d end up quoting the entire piece! Once again: what a superfine readaloud it makes.
Geraint
LikeLiked by 1 person
Geraint
Thank you kindly. I would blush but I was out in thecwind for about an hour and my blood has solidified, but your comments are truly appreciated! (thus they earn an exclamation point).
Leila
LikeLike
Yes pettifog and obsequity. The former I know, the latter I infer from another form of the word obsequesous (spelling?).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Doug
Yes, it is a made up word from obsequious. Don’t believe it is considered standard. Poetry is outlaw territory for such things.
Merry Christmas
Leila
LikeLike
Leila, I knew what it meant, so it worded (do you know what I mean, huh, do you?).
LikeLike