Miscellany

Ode to Jackass Parlane

You jackass, you legalistic scold
beware of growing old and sad and stale
with repetitions of your tale,
and of your woes.
The audience will go, and find elsewhere
something that’s new, and bold, and I declare
that it won’t be too soon.

Does the full moon
incite you to these ploys?

Determined on no joys, you seek in pain
to take unto yourself some grim and awful gain.
Since none will be your friend,
why, here’s an end, you say,
to your endeavour. Let’s shut away the sun,
bring on the storms, the black
and cloudy-thundered weather, and ensure
whoever passes in and out your door
will dragons face, and wrath and rage and ire
and breathing fire.

My dear, dread Jackass, you do mistake it so.
Why, dragons are a myth:
they did arise and go some thousand years behind
- and so will you.

For you’ve become a myth and legend, too.
A mock, a warning, thing to laugh to scorn;
in those brief moments we discuss you,
morn to morn.

© Jenny Argante

posted by Jenny Argante @ 4:43 AM