Leftovers find their way
To a paper plate in the microwave;
The container finds itself
Filled with soapy water.
Peach looks good,
Though bruised.
Paring knife supplied
Leaves bruised flesh behind.
And I’m near ready to eat.
But lo! There in the sink,
Another’s bowl soaks,
Now with leftovers and peach flesh.
The choice seems simple:
Do nothing, and risk that this other
Gets her feelings distressed;
Or, wash and deliver it to her desk.
I choose the latter,
Not wanting to hurt her,
Not even in the most harmless way;
Bright and fresh and clean,
I bring the bowl her way.
But she’s not there.
I kindly place the bowl on her desk
And return, unlike a house-elf,
On my own two feet, to the lunchroom.
I hear her voice as I depart,
Turning, I see: several yards away, she saw me leave.
“No matter,” I think,
“She’ll see the bowl and know.”
Quest completed,
I’m now seated;
My mind begins
To haunt me again—
Exploring possible thought paths
She might have started down.
Racing, racing around in circles,
A frenzy stirred up inside:
Fearing her wrath,
Or a giant frown;
An injured porpoise, I see tail heterocercal
As HR pulls me aside to chide.
Oh, to have been that house-elf,
And snapped my fingers to avoid this bind.
“Silence! Let me eat in peace!”
I yell into the void in my mind.
© 2014 H.K. Longmore
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Musings of a Kunderian Monster 
If I Were a High School English Teacher…
Darwin city skyline from East Point Reserve by Bidgee
If I were a high school English teacher, I’d have my students write a compare and contrast essay on the Hoodoo Guru’s song Tojo (lyrics) and Santa Never Made It Into Darwin by Bill Cate.
First I’d have them listen to Tojo, with a printed version of the lyrics in front of them, and write their initial impressions of the meaning. Then I’d play for them Santa Never Made It, with the lyrics to reference. Then I’d ask them:
The relative sizes of the United States, Cyclone Tracy and Typhoon Tip, the smallest and largest Pacific tropical storms recorded, respectively
Hideki Tojo
I’d award some bonus points to students who accurately describe who Tojo is; slightly less points for making a good guess. I would also possibly award various levels of bonus points for various levels of answering the question, “What would be required for a computer to understand either song?” It’s probably a good thing I’m not a high school English teacher: my students would have too much fun. Or I’d get fired for not following Common Core.
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Posted in commentary, others poetry, videos
Tagged analyzing lyrics, analyzing poetry, Bill and Boyd, Common Core, Cyclone Tracy, Darwin, Hoodoo Gurus, Santa Never Made It Into Darwin, teachers, Tojo