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lighting the eighth
candle on Titan
the burning sea

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Home from my first holiday dinner
of the season
grateful to have left the hospital
in time for fellowship among friends
wanting to pass this feeling along
to you

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empty wrapped boxes

one-year-old tears them open

and laughs out loud

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It's 5 days post-Chanukah, just in time for Christmas. Both offspring were very pleased with what they got: success! Spouse still asleep, so that jury's still out. Hope all of you are celebrating with kith and kin.

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It is not difficult to write a love poem. However, it is, at the best of times, difficult to write a good one. Now consider this: we have been married 37 years. That's 37 birthdays, 31 Mother's Day's, 37 Christmases, 37 Chanukahs (Yes, both), 37 Valentine's Days. I have missed a few, but in the ideal case, that would be close to 200 poems. That's a lot of endearments for someone who isn't all that sentimental. So, in recent years, I have gone with a mixture of tongue in cheek and totally unrelated to the subject. She seems to like them. And, it is the only good use for doggerel. For obvious reasons, I'm not posting any of those poems here, although I might add this year's after I give it to her

A bright sun-shiny day

Chanukah tomorrow & d2 will be here: oh joy! Designing t-shirts, rewards for the kickstarter for the trace-fossil book. And the sun is shining.

An illustrated poetry book for children

Three sample poems and a sample illustration from "The Edible Zoo," my new book of poems for small children.


Horse-radish Sandwich


When the munchies come to call,
I’ll eat anything at all,
But my very favorite dish,
Is a horse-radish sand-a-wich.

I love to nosh on lady fingers,
Cos their fancy flavor lingers,
On a cruder plane or not,
Corn dogs really hit the spot,
But when I’m King I will decree,
Horse-radish sandwiches for me!

Hot dogs are a fave of mine,
Although I hate the fur,
And for catfish oft I pine,
Specially when they purr,
Still my favorite dish of all,
Horse-radish sandwich has it all!

What I’ll readily admit is,
I think by now you’ve guessed it,
What I love the most is,
A tasty, furry, maned and curried,

horse-
radish
sandwich!



The Aardvark


The aardvark is a curious beast,
But makes a tempting furry feast,
When dipped in chocolate or when greased,
And fried with cabbage and with leeks.

Oh aardvark! Culinary gem,
I like to nibble now and then,
On freeze-dried chips of aardvark dipped,
In cheesy spread with cognac sipped.

Or aardvark cutlets would be nice,
Laid upon a bed of rice,
And garnished with a hop-toad sushi,
Left to sit until it's mooshy.




Take me out to the ball game!


Hear the roar of the crowd,
It’s getting mighty loud,
But why do all the people cheer?
Is the team out on the field?
Does the half-time show appeal?
Or is it something else without a peer?

Hot dogs! Hot dogs! Tastiest of treats!
Hot dogs! Hot dogs! Friendliest of meats!

I like them hot, with ketchup,
Relish, mustard too,
I like them in a toasted bun,
With onions … how ‘bout you?

So take me to the ball game,
I’ll go with you there tonight,
But I don’t care who wins or plays,
To me that’s all the same.

I want some hot dogs! Hot dogs!
Hot and fresh and good!
Hot dogs! Hot dogs!
Please fetch them if you would!

Buy it here: http://sdpbookstore.com/poetrybooks.htm (books are listed alphabetically by title)

a seasonal thought

The trouble with travelling close
to light speed:
soon you have to celebrate Xmas
every few minutes.
Where are you going
to find all those presents
in a closed ecology?
And Chanukah?
Forget 8 days worth of oil:
What about
3600 years worth
of candles?