2024-02-01
One part of my day job that I'm trying to let go of, but
can't quite seem to manage is working program support for a system that
regularly gets listed in those "world's oldest functioning computer
program" articles.
This one's kind of about that. It's pretty much a sea shanty at
this point, but might not stay that way once I get around to trying to
record stuff.
for more than half a cent'ry
we've been going the same way
very little desire for change
don't fix if it's not broke
job secur'ty for our folks
we're the only ones 'can explain
sure, it's not documented
not sure how it's connected
and the programmers, they're gettin' old
it's a critical function
but if it breaks all we've got is
sixty years' worth of spaghetti code!
Inertia's a powerful thing, my boys
Inertia's a powerful thing
something this size,
you can't turn on a dime
but someday this damned bell just won't ring
when a new boss takes over
someone's gotta show her
just how close we are to the brink
She'll say we gotta fix it
stand committees to dig in
but how much it'd cost drives ya to drink
there'll be diverse opinions
but a decade and billions
is where they'll eventually settle
once her eyes stop a buggin'
at the situation that we're in
they'll start talkin' bout change incremental
Inertia's a powerful force, my boys
Inertia's a powerful force
a system at rest
is not eas'ly impressed
ev'ry thing else depends on it for support
They'll hire outside integrators
who'll mock up simulators
to show us the art of the poss'ble
cost pools and IT Towers
so many billable hours
propose functions not recognizable
COBOL and punch cards
they do have their charms
but we know they are not sustain'ble
but we keep on keepin' on
more sidecars tacked on
moving 'long at a pace that is glacial
Inertia you cannot deny, my boys
Inertia's you cannot deny
move in the same direction
resist all deflection
keep it up until we can retire
I think you have described Canadian banks!
"Keep it up until we can retire..." I know these people. I used to be one.
I know this kind of situation. and you express it well. (It's also inspirational. I have an idea forming for a different take on the subject...we'll see.)
I’ve…lived this song. Brilliant
Brilliant! "A system at rest/Is not easily impressed"
You really have some great turns of phrase in there about what this is like. It's such a real and depressing situation, and well deserving of an IT shanty
ha, great! I can see this as a real life situation, and that 'inertia's a powerful force, boys' is a great sea-shanty of our time! nice work!
2024-02-05
One of the most enjoyable books I've read recently is "Legends and Lattes" by Travis Baldree, about an Orc adventurer who retires from the D&D life and opens up a coffee shop. It's a cozy, fun little story, and this song kind of runs with the idea. #filk #folk #books
sleeping rough on the trail, actions epic in scale
We sought wealth and adventure and vengeance
for two rowdy decades, We lived by the blade
we faced whatever risks our fate sent us
Struck all challengers down, found some fame and renoun
saw the world and and sampled it's pleasures
saw exotic locales, had all senses aroused
always searching for novel endeavors
All that was getting old, no new stories to be told
I felt stuck in a rut, all tasted bland
Then in a gnomish port town, I encountered the grounds
and started hatching a retirement plan
Now Blackblood hangs lazily over the fire
wrapped in a garland of flowers
I've traded Legends for ledgers, lashings for Lattes
gnomish coffee now fills up my hours
another customer leaves satisfied
turning a new page in my book of life
one final quest, to enable my rest
get the scalvert stone and settle down
defeated the beast, the goal had been reached
next step find a suitable town
an old stable in Thune, a mess and rough hewn
though the bones of the place appeared strong
There I buried the stone, made the place home
Found Cal for the work, he won't do me wrong
"Well-nigh, to the thaumic line
The Scalvert's stone a-fire"
"drawing the ring, of fortune to me
aspect to heart's desire"
Now Blackblood hangs lazily over the fire
wrapped in a garland of flowers
I've traded Legends for ledgers, lashings for Lattes
gnomish coffee now fills up my hours
another customer leaves satisfied
turning a new page in my book of life
inside new friends stumble, Tandri and Thimble
Pendry the bard and the cat Amity
Custom starts slow, but I trust in the stone
and soon regulars form community
challenges to face, new pastries to bake
worked to overcome organized crime
It's a struggle to let go, of the habits of old
truly want to leave violence behind
-bridge-
A tale of high fantasy and low stakes
not that the food service business is easy
rebuilt from the ashes of the villain's flames
the magic's different than we'd believed
Fortune's not found in the gold that we make
but in the circle of friends, we find 'long the way!
Now Blackblood hangs lazily over the fire
wrapped in a garland of flowers
I've traded Legends for ledgers, lashings for Lattes
gnomish coffee now fills up my hours
another customer leaves satisfied
turning a new page in my book of life
I love this book and you've captured it well! Fortune's not found in the gold that we make but in the circle of friends, we find 'long the way! - YES! Love it!
"I've traded Legends for ledgers, lashings for Lattes" I love using the title like this!
2024-02-06
it's been kind of a struggle this year so far - third song in and I'm reaching for the #lyriCloud in #themuse...
That said, I kinda like where this one ended up; I think it's
going to sound kind of show-tune-ey, but we'll see (once again) when
life slows down enough to set up the recording rig.
Update 2/16 - one of those late-night ideas that panned out -
this totally scans to the weekly "Pachabel" challenge, and fits the
theme; so that's how this one goes down. I just had to fill things
out and write a proper chorus.
after so many years of slow declining
a scene's gradual redefining
but still the crowd began to forget Elvis
in time became easier for believing
rather tragic, but succeeding
the blue suede shoes were left to become relics
But tastes leave and then return,
things come in cycles, re-affirmed
every few years the King shows up again
Played by Kurt Russell or chasing movie mummies
faked his death, stay hid from tabloid eyes
never really gone, on that you can depend
this condition is unending,
fads swing back, it's unrelenting
there's nothing new under the sun
your original idea is surely based on one
that someone else came up with years before
the circle it is never ending
one's time under the spotlight's fleeting
but everything old becomes new again
tendencies toward bastardizing
the art and craft of advertising
have caught us in this sordid bit of trouble
it's source can be identified
self-respect and esteem swept aside
caught up in making content to go viral
social presence out of hand
new online faces in demand...
there's nothing new under the sun
your original idea is surely based on one
that someone else came up with years before
the circle it is never ending
one's time under the spotlight's fleeting
but everything old becomes new again
audiences always, they are waiting
for the new and innovating
something unique but familiar 'nough to count
novel but still belonging
set to launch the next trend coming
but not strange enough to make the Muggles doubt
like religious fervent devotion
they wait for the next big promotion...
there's nothing new under the sun
your original idea is surely based on one
that someone else came up with years before
the circle it is never ending
one's time under the spotlight's fleeting
everything old becomes new again
let what's novel be the guide
to reach the well-worn found inside...
Well this is a relatable rabbit hole of thoughts
2024-02-07
just running with all kinds of misheard lyrics...
there's a bathroom on the right
I got two chickens with parrot eyes
the ants are my friends, blowing in
the canyons of my mind
there's a wino down the road
a year has passed since I broke my nose
give the beach boys and free my soul
last night I dreamt of some bagels
Lady Mondegreen
kicking the dancing queen
the words are not as clear as it would seem
Iris has the cholera
a thousand dumps a day
then I saw her faces and I'm gonna leave her
shake it like a polar bear ninja!
your bra strap shining in the sun
gonna dress you up in nylons
it really doesn't matter if we make it or not
take your pants off make it happen
Lady Mondegreen
feel the beat of the tangerine
the words are not as clear as it would seem
it's a secret asian man
makin' carrot biscuits
doin dirty deeds in the thunder jeep
I'll never leave your pizza burning
Every Time you go away
you take a peace of meat with you
here we are now in containers
Donuts make my brown eyes blue
Lady Mondegreen
yogurt sweet, only seventeen
the words are not as clear as it would seem
Brilliantly combined!! Need footnotes for “take your pants off.”
Well, that's one song idea I can cross off my list. Way back in my LIveJournal days, I'd run trivia contests and one of my recurring themes was mondegreens, and I was going to write a song full of them. I think you've done it better than I would have!
So fun and well put together! I'd like to see an annotated version too My favorite variation of dirty deeds is thirty thieves and the thunder chief
Nicely put together. I recognize many of these, but probably need an annotated version for full effect. ("Wake up to find out that you are disguised as a squirrel.")
Omg I love this so much!
This is awesome! I want to hear this in a circle some time! :) Mondegreens are so much fun. You have so many great ones here and it all flows together well! Love it!
2024-02-09
took another pass at the #LyricCloud, and ended up working out a little frustration. I'm not *always* an independent actor (in fact, I had a great one-on-one cooperative experience today), but there are a ton of idle conversations and meetings that could've been an email...
We're out of habit doing things face-to-face
collaborate with people who've never been in the same place
For some, it's detrimental, their creativity strangled
for others, empathy is dispatched
for me it sparks a flame, reveals secrets of the game
behind the veil, a completed forward pass
How to make you social butterflies understand?
I approach my labor differently, it's not that I am damned
My results have surely shown, I work just fine on my own
leave me the hell alone, if I need your help I'll ask!
I do some of my best work solitary
finding inspiration floating in silence like a monastery
problems need addressing, ideas coalescing
answers found in quiet places
feeling centered and in focus, perhaps feeding my neuroses
it works, no need for explanations
How to make you social butterflies understand?
I approach my labor differently, it's not that I am damned
My results have surely shown, I work just fine on my own
leave me the hell alone, if I need your help I'll ask!
I'm not saying conversation isn't useful
sometimes the answer is elusive, new perspectives can be crucial
but the universe is vast, so please exercise some tact
don't assume your default process is the standard
leaping blindly to the breech, no thought prior to speech
it's not the way all think it should be handled
dump the open office concept
idle chatter wrecks introvert process
it'll just annoy us, frustration spirals
why the hell do you feel so damned entitled?
yeah!
your entire outlook just exhausts us
there's just that all that much to discuss
the prattling on seems an eternity
save me from this absurdity!
yeah!
How to make you social butterflies understand?
I approach my labor differently, it's not that I am damned
My results have surely shown, I work just fine on my own
leave me the hell alone, if I need your help I'll ask!
leave me the hell alone, if I need your help I'll ask!
leave me the hell alone, if I need your help I'll ask!
leave me the hell alone, if I need your help I'll ask!
You sound a lot like my husband. And like a really valuable kind of employee if the chatty ones don’t drive you away.
The telework anthem. Huzzah!
Nicely captures the gory, often unwelcome truth that facilitating "collaboration and engagement" is often wasteful if not counter-productive. Turns out that a lot of vital work is best done in a focused environment. Good write
I can relate to this one so much - I've grappled with similar things for a long time. Adapting to a way of doing things that is assumed to be the default. Good stuff.
2024-02-12
The "education song" prompt grabbed me and my mostly-unused degree in social studies education...
I guess it hits the "list song" business from last week as
well. I'm not sure what it sounds like yet, but in my head, Yakko Warner
is singing it...
After earning indpendence, the founders laid down rules for their decendents
but the first version of those rules lacked sufficient clout
the Articles of Confederation, favored states over a nation
it forgot some basic functions, as Daniel Shays loudly pointed out.
So just a few years later, a new convention put pen to paper
passed a new constitution to address those basic flaws
Though even as they wrote it, a bunch of holes were noted
and quickly changed to fix the things that gave the doubters pause
After those first ten, we've done it again and again
and today all those amendments, number twenty-seven...
The first addresses basic rights: speech, religion, assembly, press
the second talks to bearing arms, and it's frankly quite a mess
the third one stops the feds from bunking soldiers in your house
the fourth makes unreasonable search and seizure disallowed
The fifth keeps folks from having to incriminate themselves
the sixth gaurantees quick trials that won't get dusty on the shelves
the seventh provides a jury trial for civils suits exceeding twenty dollars
the eighth blocks cruel punishment and high bail for all guilty jobbers
the ninth guarantees people rights not specifically enumerated
and the tenth says government gets only the powers delegated.
That covers the first batch known as the Bill of Rights
but that leaves just seventeen more addressing further oversights....
Eleven gives states immunity from suits filed by those who don't live there
and twelve makes sure the president and vp are elected as a pair
Thirteen finally eliminates slavery, the country's great founding flaw
and fourteen makes sure the formerly enslaved are held equal under law
the fifteenth says the right to vote can't be denied by race or color
sixteen creates the income tax, which kinda sucks, but y'know, whatever
seventeen lets the people elect their senators directly
and eighteen brought prohibition, so sorry folks, no drinky!
nineteen is long overdue, giving the right to vote to women
and twenty runs elected officials terms through a revision
twenty one repeals prohibition; go ahead and pour the beer
the twenty-second holds the president to two terms or ten years
DC gets to help elect the president thanks to the twenty-third,
and the twenty-fourth blocks poll taxes, which are, frankly absurd
twenty-five lays out the details of presidential succession
and twenty-six gives eighteen year-olds the vote, a necessary correction
twenty-seven finally sorts out timing of congressional compensation
one of the first proposed, but two hundred fifty years to ratification
and that's all we've got so far, though many others have been left hanging
as it's hard to get three-quarters of the states to agree on anything
This flows well - and I learned some things (or remembered some things) I look forward to hearing the music to this. One side note, if you do complete music for it, you should send it to GriffinEd. I think this would be something they would love to add to their education song collection!
2024-02-13
Saw this prompt, and immediately thought of an experience
I had a few years back. I really did get a tattoo at a place called
lucky thirteen. If you wanna know what it is, I wrote a song about it
for fawm a few years back...
I hear this one in my head; big loud guitar riff just chanting "thirteen, thirteen" over it for a chorus. Why not?
I got my tattoo at a place called lucky 13
came highly recommended in the local scene
waiting room full of funky art, and a pinball machine
and a big old sign about how they kept the needles clean
Don't think I was the usual type of client
a little too clean cut, reserved and sort of quiet
took me years to come up with an image worth applyin'
a little piece of rebellion, but still adequately private
RIFF (thirteen....thirteen....)
I was just a little nervous as I sat down in the stool
the artist was a character, damn the man was cool
my mind flashed to some people I knew wouldn't approve
but that's exactly why I did it, their opinions overruled
I told him what I wanted, he listened with attention
he liked my weird idea, the way it defied convention
he explained the way things worked, free of condescension
checked with me one last time, to be sure of my intention
RIFF (thirteen...thirteen...)
He flipped on the tattoo gun, the steady buzz providing solace
it pinched as it touched my skin, the hour was upon us
The pain made me feel alive, the future full of promise
forevermore my skin would no longer be spotless!
The image small and simple, the application routine
bandaged up, cheaply printed instructions for how keep things clean
I was forever changed, no longer as I'd been
a hundred bucks well spent at lucky 13
wanna know what I got at lucky thirteen?
RIFF (thirteen...thirteen...lucky thirteen...)
I don’t remember that earlier song but I enjoyed the story-telling of your private rebellion.
Thats a well written story. Really reads well with excellent rhythm and rhyme. Nice skirmish
I like that you mention you were making a deliberate change, so it sounded symbolic, and meaningful, and the start of a new future.
Nice Chuck! I can see this whole experience unfolding through your story.
I love this! And I love how personal and specific it is, hearing about your tattoo experience. Def hearing that kind of guitar riff...
2024-02-14
running with the random Wikipedia challenge, drew
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crataerina_pacifica, a parasitic louse
fly.
Quick and dirty punk song, nothing more.
a member of hippobscidae
informally called louse flies
also sometimes called a ked
though I have no idea why
craterina pacifica
it has no common name!
carterina pacifica
bad-ass parasitic fly, deserving of acclaim!
cataerica pacifica
can be a disease vector!
crataerica pacifica
Got West Nile from a kestrel!
a nasty type of biting fly
preys on the pacific swift
grabs ahold of a stray feather
uses the bird to catch a lift?
cataerica pacifica
can be a disease vector!
crataerica pacifica
got West Nile from a kestrel!
drinks bird blood, it's parasitic!
births live pupae, it's viviparitic!
it's entry scant and non-specific!
I don't care, this thing's terrific!
Craterina pacifica
discovered in 2001!
Craterina pacifica
don't know who discovered it, the article's a stub!
Informative, and I laughed out loud at "don't know who discovered it, the article's a stub!"
Icky buggy. But great rhymes and information. Very educational.
2024-02-19
I missed this skirmish at the time yesterday, but I found it this morning and kinda ran with it.
As a musician, I'm "good enough" after playing guitar and such
for forty years or thereabouts, but while I enjoy being on stage, I tend
to focus on the little technical errors I make along the way, rather
than just enjoying the vibe and putting on a great show, mistakes be
damned.
I dread the "accidental chord", or the bum note, and sometimes,
that's all I'll focus on, even after one of the best shows of my life.
I'm trying to get over it.
Anyway - I also pulled the Em7b5 chord off of my chord-a-day
calendar from yesterday, and decided to build the song instrumentally
around that, because finding it was kind of a happy accident. 😂
[Dm]Your rehearsals were a[Em7b5]mazing
the [Gm]timing was pre[FM7]cise
[Dm]every mark hit, perfect [Em7b5]playing
[Gm]the groove, man, it was[FM7] tight!
but [Em7b5]in the aura of the [Dm]bright stage lights
is [Em7b5]where gremlins, they [Dm]excel
they [Em7b5]lie in wait to sow [Dm]showtime chaos
upon [FM7]which musicians [G6]dwell!
You [FM7]only remember the [Am7]bum notes
all [FM7]the good stuff is [Am7]ignored
fumb[FM7]led lyrics, [Am7]wrong modes
the [FM7]accidental [G]chord!
[Dm]never mind the [Em7b5]loud applause
[Gm]raucous and [FM7]resplendent
[Dm]selling out the [Em7b5]merch stock
[Gm]S-R-O [FM7]attendance
the [Em7b5]crowd is buying [Dm]what you're selling
you're [Em7b5]showered with [Dm]acclaim
but you [Em7b5]can't bask in the [Dm]afterglow
in the [FM7]face of instrumental [G6]shame!
You [FM7]only remember the [Am7]bum notes
all [FM7]the good stuff is [Am7]ignored
fumb[FM7]led lyrics, [Am7]wrong modes
the [FM7]accidental [G]chord!
[Gm]they say if you make [F]a mistake
[Gm]make it again and call it[F] jazz
go [Gm]with the flow and [F]improvise
[Gm]let it go, you [Am7]spaz!
[Gm]Abstract awareness [F]tells you
you [Gm]got it ninety-eight point [F]something right
[Gm]no else one noticed, [F]no one knew
you [Gm]fucking nailed it, but not [Am7]quite!
You [FM7]only remember the [Am7]bum notes
all [FM7]the good stuff is [Am7]ignored
fumb[FM7]led lyrics, [Am7]wrong modes
the [FM7]accidental [G]chord!
Jeez...just tag me next time!! This hits so hard. Love it!!
This is way too relatable! I feel this a lot! Well done.
It’s a real feeling, lol
Great chord em7flat5! I think most of us have been there in the sentiment of this song.
2024-02-19
another one of those things that comes directly from life (like this week). Sometimes we just want a little warning, is all!
Turns out it's kind of faux-50s rock/pop vibe? Sure. 😀
[C]browsing through the shelves at the local library
[Am]find a title that looks like a bad-ass urban fantasy
[F]rough n tumble hero against the hordes of hell
[G]protect the reincarnated scion with ancient secrets to tell
[Am]cover model's a waifish woman, straight from the Buffy mold
[Am]leather pants, tank top, sawed-off [F]shotgun with a fresh [G]reload
[F]then a few [C]chapters in
[F]character motivation [G]turns to sin [G7]
[F]oops! accidental [G]erotica
it's [C]so not what I though this book would [Am]chronicle
I was [F]seeking supernatural adventure [G]in these pages
what I [C]got instead were explicit descriptions [Am]of relations
[F]Oops.....[G]accidental e[C]rotica!
found a novel set in the future out in space
protagonists were fighter jocks, every one an ace
blurbs promise it's chock-full of tales of interstellar combat
against an alien empire both otherworldly and exotic
humans fighting to survive, preserve their way of life
tension tight enough to deflect a blow from a hard-light knife
the [F]flight trapped inside a mothballed [C]Dyson's Sphere
[F]soon strange beguiling [G]pheromones start to appear [G7]
[F]oops! accidental [G]erotica
it's [C]so not what I though this book would [Am]chronicle
I was[F] expecting raucous battles zappy [G]lasers and debris
not all [C]the naughty kinds of fun folks can [Am]have in zero gee!
[F]Oops.....[G]accidental e[C]rotica!
[Am]Cold war espionage turns to forbidden cross-cultural romance
with [F]descriptors smutty, lascivious and [G]carnal
A [Am]horror story filled with monsters sharp of tooth and claw
but[F] who thought the final girl'd sleep with [G]werewolf?
[Am]I'm no prude, I'm fine with it, it's just not I'd concluded
I [F]just wish that I was reading [G]somewhere more secluded![G7]
[F]oops! accidental [G]erotica
it's [C]so not what I though this book would [Am]chronicle
I an[F]ticpated high adventure and intrigue [G]that's engrossing
but [C]got prose framing devices meant to lead to [Am]people boning!
[F]Oops.....[G]accidental e[C]rotica!
The girl always sleeps with the werewolf!
How could I resist this title? Congrats on rhyming 'erotica' with 'would chronicle'! Who needs "brother against brother" when we can have "bosom against bosom," right?
I’ve had the opposite problem 😅
The changing two lines that end the choruses are all ace. Hard to choose a favorite line.
this is HILARIOUS and I wish it happened to me. amazing storytelling from your part too, not just from these accidental eroticas.
2024-02-24
In peeking at the "Totally Titular!" skirmish I totally missed the first time around, I saw the title "For The Frog" and got drawn right back to my current adventures playing Baldur's Gate 3, and meeting the Addled Frog in the swamp. So this became a kind of epic ballad of some low-level D&D characters fighting a hag to win the little guy his freedom (and, I guess some other folks too...but mostly the frog).
We walk into the sunlit wetlands
taking in the gorgeous view
the path laid out with apple baskets
speckled with the morning dew
Water's clear and air smells fresh
reeds rustle in the gentle breeze
We ford the channel toward the grotto
nestled betwixt the mangrove trees...
Turned the corner, crossed the stream
stepping 'round the fragrant bog
in among the bright green rushes
we came upon a small red frog....
The one of us who speaks with nature
thanks to a convenient spell
approached the bright amphibian
who frankly, looked up close, like hell!
"Green Leaves. Shallow Waters"
he spoke in nervous tones
"Green Leaves. Shallow Waters"
don't be fooled by this biome!
We backed away, and sought our goal
the healer's skill, she meant to share
but with the frog's obvious distress
our steps were taken with more care
We found the house, invited in,
found the missing girl the brothers sought
the healer was much less cordial
as she berated the girl 'bout her lot
She kindly offered us her service
but named a strange, enduring price
She asked for my eye in return
no other barter would suffice
Not wanting to give up half my sight
I refused the healer's bargain
displeased she was, she showed her truth
A disguised hag! The shadows darkened!
"Green Leaves. Shallow Waters"
the hag controls this place
"Green Leaves. Shallow Waters"
take care, for danger waits!
She'd taken many prisoners
Abused so she could gather strength
even the door into her lair
feared retribution in her wake
We could not save the tortured victims
but perhaps the girl, and of course the frog
Pressing deeper down into the tunnel
and set upon by masked beasts from the fog
The beasts were but more tortured souls
whose minds were muddled, bound and gagged
we did our best to spare their lives
Though offered no quarter to the hag
The hag defeated, the girl was saved
intent to offer her man the same
Leaving, we met the frog again
relieved, it's freedom was reclaimed!
Green Leaves Still Waters.
the hag is gone! Happy!
Green Leaves Still Waters
thanks for saving me
Green Leaves. Still Waters
take these things left behind
Green Leaves. Still Waters
Here! Shiny! Bye!
I love this! Yay for the frog!
Wow; this sounds like a very interesting series of encounters!
Great story song! I can totally see this quest. (I haven't played BG3 yet but it sounds like I should!) All for the frog! The ending made me lol.
2024-02-26
was futzing around with #lyricloud again this weekend,
and got a mix of words like "detonate" "explode" "anatomic" and "bomb",
along with "winter" and "summertime". Apart from latching on to the
delightful phrase "anatomic bombs," I got the whole idea of exploding
things conflated with the seasons.
Four little vignettes that follow different rhyme schemes and rhythms, but still hold together...BOOM.
Spring reeks of possibility, both for small pleasures and big events
flowers bloom in arid deserts, attract pollinating insects
A shadow in the blue sky, creatures skitter somewhere safe
just before the makeshift device detonates...
summertime is not a time for temperance or penance
the anatomic bombs explode, polaroid flashes incandescent
days in the sun, nights in the clubs, joy is omnipresent
our final chance before the fallout makes us thermoluminescent
Autumn breezes carry leaves and scatter seeds across the land
it's a tiny piece of heaven, this little corner of the planet
the sun hidden behind shadows that continue to expand
enjoy it now before it's too radioactive to inhabit
harvesting honeysuckle blossoms in the cool and fragrant air
pining for the sweetness of your arms
waves of radiation shimmer in the dusty, ashy atmosphere
I guess this nuclear winter has it's charms
Cool concept. Lots of alliteration and internal rhyme and near-rhyme and repetition makes this seems like it would give a lot of ways for a musician to set it. And what twists you bring us through as the stanzas unfold. Very neat. Glad I found this.
I particularly enjoy the phrase "anatomic bombs" and where this has all taken you, with a verse for every season. Nice write!
2024-02-27
this one's pretty much entirely true....
Every week like clockwork
Chewy drops a box
full of cat litter and chew toys
all to support the flock
Too many pets! humans are outnumbered
Too many pets! there's fur shed everywhere
Too many pets! on every chair they slumber
Too many pets! how did we get here?
there's cats and rats and fishtanks
but funny, not a dog
there's a cage in every corner
prob'ly another before long...
Too many pets! the fish always breeding
Too many pets! rat poop on the couch
Too many pets! the cats always competing
Too many pets! animals in my house
my wife volunteers at the shelter
for strays she advocates
but mostly she's got a line on
the best new candidates!
Too many pets! two more rats just showed up
Too Many pets! they just add to the throng
Too Many pets! I'm drawing the line on a pup
Too Many Pets! but likely not for long
Always feeding, always cleaning
did that one just poop in my boot?
Always purring, always snuggling
okay, fine, they *are* kinda cute
Too many pets! I guess I surrender
Too many pets! this cat might be my best friend
Too many pets! no point in being a dissenter
Too many pets! too many pets to the end.
Great day in the morning! If this is a thing at your place, you've literally got a zoo! Haha! A buddy of mine once told me once could never have too many pets. Wasn't buying it then, and uh, with this affirmation of such, yes - there can be a thing as one pet too many! Great write. If a demo every springs forth, let me know!
I like the writing and can appreciate the situation that inspired it. (We've generally kept with number of cats == number of laps, but I understand the temptation.)
2024-02-28
once again, just drawing from life...and with this one, I knock out one more deadline...until the next one.
I think I might want to change up each of the choruses a bit to
include some more examples, but that, I think, is the next deadline. :-)
dealines, chasing deadlines
the latest project coming due
or that thing I owe to you
deadlines, always deadlines
pay the bills, return the book
you are never off the hook!
self-imposed or contractual
both imagined and actual
there is always the next thing that I owe
casual, transactional
each little thing's impactful
but in the end there'll be nothing I can show
dealines, chasing deadlines
the latest project coming due
or that thing I owe to you
deadlines, always deadlines
pay the bills, return the book
you are never off the hook!
get the documents submitted
finish the sweater being knitted
send that gift off to your favored spinster aunt
to that committee you're committed
check with the team that you assisted
forever trying to catch up even though you can't!
dealines, chasing deadlines
the latest project coming due
or that thing I owe to you
deadlines, always deadlines
pay the bills, return the book
you are never off the hook!
return that training registration
don't forget the child's graduation
keep your head above the water that's the goal
finally submit your resignation
to that problematic organization
create for yourself the illusion of control
dealines, chasing deadlines
the latest project coming due
or that thing I owe to you
deadlines, always deadlines
pay the bills, return the book
you are never off the hook!
you'll never reach the end
on that you can depend
you'll be at this until your old and grey
you can at least pretend
that someday you might transcend
until then do your best to keep them all at bay!
dealines, chasing deadlines
the latest project coming due
or that thing I owe to you
deadlines, always deadlines
pay the bills, return the book
you are never off the hook
I love the wide variety of examples you've included. Like the contrast between the deadline of paying a bill and knitting a sweater. I could hear the music gradually getting faster as you ramp up your efforts but the deadlines never go away.
Helloooo! Looking forward to your musical adventures!