Saturday, March 18, 2023

Telephone

Telephone

"Six cats smoking cigarettes
watch two kangaroos cartwheeling
over three charming chimpanzees"...

words whispered, giggled, gypsied
down telephone line,
exchanged and overflowed with foolery

your face mirrored shock, 
final translation received, quite distorted 
(I made sure of that).`

Enjoyed watching you clean up 
"Sexy sirens swearing
watch two ken dolls kiss 
while chugging three champaigns"
(quite smart-ass for third grade!)

into something acceptable.  Still doing it,
helping my sorry self get out of scrapes,
you, little Scarecrow, guiding my Dorothy
down life's yellow brick road.

Big sister to my little.

by Margaret Bednar, March 18, 2023

Playing along with Shays Word Garden List - Randy Newman.  20 words use 3.  I used 13: cats, charming, cigarette, gypsies, kangaroo, mirror, overflow, sailor, scarecrows, smart-ass, sorry, telephone, yellow.

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11 comments:

  1. JimMarch 18, 2023 at 11:58 PM

    Trouble or opportunities? "You" and "little Scarecrow" have a big order to fill.
    I like using word lists, must get back to doing that. You did very well here.'
    ..

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  2. RajaniMarch 19, 2023 at 12:15 AM

    I love this childhood game extending into real life saviour... so well done with those tough word choices.

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  3. FireblossomMarch 19, 2023 at 5:56 AM

    Very cute, Margaret. I hadn't thought of that game since grade school but this reminded me of the fun.

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  4. dsnake1March 19, 2023 at 8:43 AM

    I think you did very well with that choice of words. Not really easy. And I enjoyed the imagery in the poem. :)

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  5. RommyMarch 19, 2023 at 9:05 AM

    LOL, I remember playing telephone as a kid too. The things we came up with were hysterical.

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  6. WildChild47March 19, 2023 at 9:15 AM

    the tales we tell, the troubling word warps - LOL - sometimes, in good fun indeed - you've certainly captured that spirit here - and then the turn, of using it in other ways, to secret or protect, until able to share ... makes me wonder if kids still play these games and this way

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  7. rallentandaMarch 19, 2023 at 9:50 AM

    WW did not play this game down under....the nearest thing was probably Chinese Whispers.

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  8. Rosemary Nissen-WadeMarch 19, 2023 at 11:00 PM

    Altogether delightful!

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  9. HelenMarch 20, 2023 at 11:23 AM

    I remember uncontrollable giggling as we played this game at birthday parties in the 50s … thank you for the delightful reminder!

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  10. purplepeninportland.comMarch 22, 2023 at 8:32 PM

    This really brings back memories of a fun game. Well done, Margaret.

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  11. Sunra RainzMarch 26, 2023 at 5:39 PM

    Love the surrealism in your poem, Margaret! Especially the fourth stanza and ""Sexy sirens swearing
    watch two ken dolls kiss" - that made me chuckle! :-)

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