Goodfellas, or: My Cousin Vinny

EPIGRAPH:

The main obligation is to amuse yourself.

–S. J. Perelman (1904 – 1979)

I. A Limerick

With limericks, I myself amuse,
Subjecting readers to great abuse;
Some opine- "David... your
Poetry's SUCH a bore;
It's quite clear! You're rhyming for views!"

II. A Reverso

Often, I write to amuse
myself, else I'd quickly get bored.
Indeed, I must enjoy the words,
for I'm my own primary audience.
Perhaps I come off as self-centered?
One ought connect to his needs
to relate well to others.
Poetry is relationship
through shared experience
way beyond the lines and
outside one's mind.

Outside one's mind,
way beyond the lines and
through shared experience,
poetry is relationship.
To relate well to others,
one ought connect to his needs.
Perhaps I come off as self-centered,
for I'm my own primary audience.
Indeed, I must enjoy the words 
myself, else I'd quickly get bored.
Often, I write to amuse.

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d’Verse: Cleaving to Antonyms in Contrapuntal Lines

At d’Verse, we are playing with opposites – cleaving them, in fact.

Thus we are encouraged to take an opposing word pair as a theme prompt and write two distinct poems, which then combine as one larger composition (i.e. while distinct, the two poems should relate to each other). For a much more thorough explanation of the prompt, check out d’Verse.

As you may have well guessed, the word pair I selected from the list at d’Verse is ‘amuse – bore’.

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Let’s write poetry together!

When it comes to partnership, some humans can make their lives alone – it’s possible. But creatively, it’s more like painting: you can’t just use the same colours in every painting. It’s just not an option. You can’t take the same photograph every time and live with art forms with no differences.

–Ben Harper (b. 1969)

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!