Muses All Around Me!

Fairy Tails

Svengali

"I'll make you!", he promised the lovely young singer,

"the city will fall at your feet!"

As one who'd just moved from a provincial village,

and having scant portions to eat,

the girl was seduced by the vision he offered

of glamor and money and fame;

she'd striven and practiced

and mastered her voice,

and felt she deserved such acclaim;

she could sense he had power, an animal kind,

and would battle for her like a bull,

success in the Arts, after all, comes from smarts

of a kind not acquired at school;

The lust in his eyes; well, it was no surprise

every buck in her village had shown it;

a girl who has charms that few men can resist,

if she wishes to prosper, must own it

She had no intention of being his lover,

she'd engaged in such games long before;

a girl could, she knew, to a line make men hew

that would make her more master than whore

With clinking champagne flutes, the pair launched their mission

to make her the toast of the town;

between them was more than enough raw  ambition

to knock every obstacle down

In scarcely a year since the day of their meeting 

her fame, like a rocket, did soar;

she played Carmen, Aida, Tosca,

Olympia, Lucia di Lammermoor

To her all the doors of the city flew open

with he as her mentor and guide;

he'd offered to Paris its newest sensation, 

and his heart fleetly grew flush with pride

He began to imagine that through such success

not a debt, but her heart he had earned;

One night, in her dressing room, after a show

he attempted a kiss, but was spurned

"Heartless ingrate!" he sputtered in mounting rage,

"I'm taking back all that I gave you;

from your perch you shall topple, my haughty young fool,

and nothing on this earth will save you!"

And soon, as if some magic spell had been broken

his cruel prophecy was fulfilled;

her skin lost its luster, her beauty diminished

her once dulcet voice became shrill

New divas emerged to attract the town's interest

while she became yesterday's story;

she'd have gladly become his slave, body and soul,

in exchange for her lost former glory

But, where was the man who had given, then taken

and in whom all hope for her lay?

Their last exchange closed with a  kiss and a curse,

and she'd heard not a word since that day

And no word would she hear, for the man disappeared

why, all traces of him had been scattered;

had it all been a dream? So, to her, did it seem

as her world fell around her and shattered

No aria rises to offer redemption,

there's naught but these words on a page;

Two phantoms, laid low by Desire, in silence

now tragically drift off the stage

A Menagerie Mystery Tour II

Let's take a menagerie mystery tour

through the animal songs of the Fabulous Four!

T'was one of the Beatles' most endearing features

to pen many songs about non-human creatures

So, here they are! Paul's, George's, Ringo's and John's

critters who crawled in and out of their songs!

Man's Best Friend; there's a fine place to start,

so let's meet the sheepdog who melted Paul's heart;

Martha, his love, always kept him delighted,

and yapped from on high when the good Sir was knighted

on The Beatles' White album, a black bird gets mentioned

it's Paul's allegory about racial tensions

And then there is Rocky, the feisty raccoon

who finds his salvation above a saloon

John gives us Henry the Horse, and his waltz

in his whimsical circus song, laden with shmaltz

"I Am The Walrus!", obscurely sang John

causing listeners to ponder just WHAT he was on

curiouser and curiouser the song's lyrics grow

till penguins are kicking poor E. Allen Poe!

Before "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"'s refrain

a lizard slinks by on a slick window pane

and later, to prove he was nobody's flunky

John sang that he'd nothing to hide, nor his monkey

George, feeling righteous; t'was often his wont 

penned 'Piggies', the rich upper classes to taunt

while Ringo's no wordsmith, he (begging his pardon)

still managed an octopus tending his garden

and still there were more of their animal cronies;

George followed a Blue Jay, while John dug a pony;

Elephants, tigers, a bulldog or two

The Beatles bequeathed us a musical zoo!

And though it was love songs that gave them their fame

let's recall that a crawler provided their name!

The Admiral & The Prince of Whales

The Admiral & The Prince of Whales

I'm a seafaring admiral!

well, I'm the Prince of Whales;

let's chat a bit, for - I'm sure of it -

we both have thrilling tales

I fought with sea serpents thrice your size

while my crew mates quivered in fear;

t'was how I got my admiral's stripes

and a scar upon my ear

I plunged the deepest, darkest depths

quite eager to explore, 

and there I saw a giant squid

with twenty limbs, or more!

I've battled pirates wickeder than

devils beyond the Styx,

took all I had to overcome

their cunning pirate tricks

my songs have brought the angels down

from Paradise to hear

a golden harp they gave me;

it's a treasure I hold dear

a wave once rose to drown my ship

'twas higher than the sky

but I'm a seasoned sailing man,

victorious was I!

I've swum from pole to pole

and drunk from all the Seven Seas

all brine upon this turquoise pearl

I navigate with ease!

  

I too! I've tasted all

the ocean's bounties and its banes;

it's made me! Why, it's brine,

not blood, that courses through my veins!

Time's never wasted talking with

a gent who knows the sea!

Likewise, good prince; yet, leave I must

my mom is calling me!

Thomas Tobias Underwear & Penelope Lingerie

Thomas Tobias Underwear & Penelope Lingerie

set out at noon to take in the views,

and receive a few, I'd say!

They headed up Amsterdam Avenue,

and somewhere near John the Divine,

they chatted away at a sidewalk cafe

and reddened their cheeks with wine

It was something of a mystery

that the Museum of Natural History

would not let the couple inside

'Why, how can this be? What's more natural than we?"

But they took the letdown in stride.

They continued their lark,

and in Riverside Park

they gazed off at the GWB;

till strong winds off the river

caused Penny to shiver,

so they went off in search of tea

Beneath the Ansonia, a touch of pneumonia

caused Tom to beg off their visit to MOMA

and thus, they ended their expedition

without checking out the Chagall exhibition

The Elephant Goddess

I didn’t make my lovely ones so you

could hack off parts;

or place in zoos, or circuses 

all painted up like tarts;

their ivory IS lovely, yes,

but made for THEM, not you;

they’re much too smart and 

social to be happy in a zoo;

to me, they are the mammal kingdom’s

fairest, finest creatures;

It took great care and patience

to design their lovely features;

with potent cosmic energy 

I danced them into being,

so honor, love and treasure them

and set about their freeing!

A City Girl!

Oh, I’m such a city girl!

I love the lights, the brights, the wining, dining divine nights!

the looks of desire, hearts set afire

taxi gliding, sky scraping spires!

casual flirtations, watering stations

galleries, fashion shows, newest sensations!

champagne, city rain, chats with strangers on a train

Tomorrow, I'll do it all again!

I love the city life!

Upon A Rhino's Lap

My favorite place for perching is upon a rhino’s lap

It’s there I daydream, sing, imagine, read and take a nap.

It’s spacious as a royal mattress, or a sultan’s chair;

and all the while the rhino's giant snout shades me from glare.

A rhino’s faulty eyesight gives a Rhino Sitter clearance

to worry not a tad about one’s looks or one’s appearance.

His mild, placid manner means you seldom need to worry

that he will suddenly aright and take off in a hurry.

I sat upon an ostrich once, but nothing’s more preposterous!

I’m taking no more chances and will stay with my rhinoceros.

And though I’m yet a youngling there’s one thing 

for sure I know;

one’s life passes most pleasantly when

perched on a rhino!

Howard Empty Pockets

This is a quick, collaborative effort, created with friends Hugh Ashton and Peter Sidell, who provided some of the verses.

Howard Empty Pockets

Howard Empty Pockets is forever 

in the red; he used to have a

bit of cash, but bit by bit

it fled.

"Whatever happened to it all?"

He asks in some dismay;

"It's flown to others' hands now, 

all I do is pay and pay!"

"I used to live a life of ease,

and dined on caviar.

But now my daily meal is peas,

and pickles from a jar."

"I drove a fancy Rolls-Royce once,

unlike the rest of us.

But now, I end up walking

or on good days, take the bus."

"I drank from crystal glasses,

and it always was champagne;

but now when I feel thirsty,

I just have to wait for rain."

"My pockets used to jingle

as I strode along the street.

There's nothing now but holes there,

and somehow, that's not so neat."

"When life was good, the ladies

used to swarm 'round me like bees!

But now the only swarms I

ever think about are fleas."

"Alas", he says, "I must adjust 

to my reduced condition."

And bidding me a sad farewell, he heads

back toward the mission.

Dancing Horse