Sijo with Barb Elder, April 2024
A grotesque menagerie
guards Notre Dame from vile villains.
Once almost decayed and lost,
Hugo’s novel renewed this church.
Now I gargoyle in the desert,
defended and protected.
The Organ
Who can play? Perplexing task,
bellows, wind chest, pipes pitched by length
old-fashioned, complicated;
with age we grasp, mastery reached.
Come to my organ recital:
Now, about my gall bladder.
Amazing! When I take the time to read and reread, I know that’s poetry. The “organ recital” brilliant final note to the “Who can play?” metaphor with “gall bladder” the resounding belly laugh. (I also love the use of “gargoyle” as a verb—reprise of that playful language bending.) Happy Friday!
Oh, thanks, Trish. That is a compliment to read and reread.