Saturday, August 08, 2015
Day of Celebration and poem by James Broughton
Today is, for me, a day of celebration. Two books I have been laboring on for years are finally achieving publication.
The first one is the second edition of "Marrow of Flame: Poems of the Spiritual Journey," now published by Ivan Granger's Poetry Chaikhana. This volume is expected to appear on Amazon in a few days.
The second publication is "Some Kiss We Want: Poems Selected and New," forthcoming from Tayen Lane Publications, and now scheduled for September 15 publication date. This book is a compilation of poems written by me over many years (think 15) plus a generous presentation of more recent verses. I feel especially fortunate to find a publisher for this offering, since (as some may already know) many publishers refuse to consider poetry at all these days and this is a fairly extensive volume (over 300 pages).
Both books together feel like the culmination of a very long journey, one that has had many ups and downs, but now, finally, reaches its intended goal.
I'll say more about each of these later, when they are actually available on line.
In the meantime, I thought this playful poem by James Broughton seemed to fit the mood of the day:
Ode To Gaiety
Go gloom
Begone glum and grim
Off with the drab drear and grumble
It's time
its pastime
to come undone and come out laughing
time to wrap killjoys in wet blankets
and feed them to the sourpusses
Come frisky pals
Come forth wily wags
Loosen your screws and get off your rocker
Untie the strait lacer
Tie up the smarty pants
Tickle the crosspatch with josh and guffaw
Share quips and pranks with every victim
of grouch pomposity or blah
Woe to the bozo who says No to
tee hee ho ho and ha ha
Boo to the cleancut klutz who
wipes the smile off his face
Without gaiety
freedom is a chastity belt
Without gaiety
life is a wooden kimono
Come cheerful chums
Cut up and carry on
Crack your pots and split your sides
Boggle the bellyacher
Convulse the worrywart
Pratfall the prissy poos and the fuddy duds
Take drollery to heart or end up a deadhead
at the guillotine of the mindless
Be wise and go merry round
whatever you cherish
what you love to enjoy what you live to exert
And when the high spirits
call your number up
count on merriment all the way to the countdown
Long live hilarity euphoria and flumadiddle
Long live gaiety
for all the laity
- James Broughton
The first one is the second edition of "Marrow of Flame: Poems of the Spiritual Journey," now published by Ivan Granger's Poetry Chaikhana. This volume is expected to appear on Amazon in a few days.
The second publication is "Some Kiss We Want: Poems Selected and New," forthcoming from Tayen Lane Publications, and now scheduled for September 15 publication date. This book is a compilation of poems written by me over many years (think 15) plus a generous presentation of more recent verses. I feel especially fortunate to find a publisher for this offering, since (as some may already know) many publishers refuse to consider poetry at all these days and this is a fairly extensive volume (over 300 pages).
Both books together feel like the culmination of a very long journey, one that has had many ups and downs, but now, finally, reaches its intended goal.
I'll say more about each of these later, when they are actually available on line.
In the meantime, I thought this playful poem by James Broughton seemed to fit the mood of the day:
Ode To Gaiety
Go gloom
Begone glum and grim
Off with the drab drear and grumble
It's time
its pastime
to come undone and come out laughing
time to wrap killjoys in wet blankets
and feed them to the sourpusses
Come frisky pals
Come forth wily wags
Loosen your screws and get off your rocker
Untie the strait lacer
Tie up the smarty pants
Tickle the crosspatch with josh and guffaw
Share quips and pranks with every victim
of grouch pomposity or blah
Woe to the bozo who says No to
tee hee ho ho and ha ha
Boo to the cleancut klutz who
wipes the smile off his face
Without gaiety
freedom is a chastity belt
Without gaiety
life is a wooden kimono
Come cheerful chums
Cut up and carry on
Crack your pots and split your sides
Boggle the bellyacher
Convulse the worrywart
Pratfall the prissy poos and the fuddy duds
Take drollery to heart or end up a deadhead
at the guillotine of the mindless
Be wise and go merry round
whatever you cherish
what you love to enjoy what you live to exert
And when the high spirits
call your number up
count on merriment all the way to the countdown
Long live hilarity euphoria and flumadiddle
Long live gaiety
for all the laity
- James Broughton
