a childish assignment

pearlmutt

o-key-dough-key. i thought it might be fun to do a childish assignment. a really assinine one, like for instance, something you might do in . . . middle school. So if anyone would like to do a childish, assinine, middle school assignment with me. that would be great. if not, the cheese will stand alone.

Assignment:
What does summer mean to me?
I am offering an alternative assignment for those who don't like summer assignments:
What does squiggledy miggledy mean?


Summer Gardening

It’s summer again.
The heat of it hits my garden,
A hammer, a hand grenade
Knocking my gladiolas down.
They lay
Their heads on the ground.
I pick them up, prop them up,
Pour water near the root.

Over to the callas, I wander.
One leaf, spiraling inward,
Holds the beetles
In a little cocoon of death.
These Japanese beetles have fought their war
Killing the callas and themselves
In the process.


Comparative Degree

Your thumb upon the open book
Held a pen.
At an angle,
“A five degree rake.
The stretch is longer,”
You explained.

My fingers, smaller than yours,
Followed your movements.

In that moment,
I saw your motorcycle
As you conceived it,
As he conceived it.

And were constructing it
In your mind
And mine.

FinsburyParkCarrots

Here's one from last summer, before I write something new for this thread. The maggots are squiggledy miggledy:

Old Frank Goes Fishing

Old Frank, the college porter ends his shift
at dawn; these summer months he likes to bike
out from the Tudor grounds and greet the lift
of morning mist along the Cam, and hear quick pike
streak shearing slits in water or the tweet
of blackbirds in horse chestnut flowered trees,
trees he sees in pink cone bloom. His feet
push his pedals faster. His old knees
creak, but as he speeds upon the long
river towpath, he feels young, and sings
a snatch from last night's choral evensong.
He rides to Bait's Bite Lock. His fishing things -
His rod, his maggot tin, his sandwiches -
are balanced on his basket as he steers
along through Stourbridge Common, past the Bridges
at the Dragon and Fen Ditton, till he nears
His spot. He leans his bike down on the bank
and sits down on the river kerb, and stares
long upon the dawn red river. Frank
takes out his fishing gear, prepares
his rod and hook, then holds his maggot tin
and opens it. He sees the little pink
curls of thriving life shining within
His silver box. He always likes to think
Just at this moment how these maggots seem
Quite like the bright young things he's had to keep
all night at work. He loves the river gleam
about this time. He stares for pike. There! Deep!

Ali

This summer,
I will learn how to talk to boys.
And not the yucchy ones either
who throw bubble gum in your hair,
but the ones who like to stay up past dark,
to play in the fields-baseball,soccer,and basketball.
Mommy and Daddy don't like it when my sis and I
stay up past dark and play,
cause we's gotta take our showers,
but this Summer,
We're goanna do it anyway,
and sing all the way home.
ADV-In my Childhood Today

pearlmutt

thanks y'all that was fun. fins i can't wait to see the new stuff, i mean really i guess i can and will have to wait; that's a silly expression, but that's okay.

ali, you're the best. if i had half of your kiddie self, i'd a lot better off, so

i decided to have a
squiggledy miggledy day
no homework
all play
laugh out loud
in the book store
without buying the darn book
god bless you
you ornery
van morrison
and public libraries
where you don't have
to pay
to play!
now i'm off to the used
bookstore
where i'll pay
to read
where others have played

pearlmutt

what a god damn good day it was. It's 12-o-2, and i think today is going to be even better.

Happiness is waking up one morning
In your trailer
And realizing that it was
a trailer, I mean,
Your trailer
My trailer
On a dirt road
In the middle of a dirty place
With dirt poor people
Who have soul
Happiness is waking up
On the other side of the American Dream.
And saying I made it.

Happiness is you building a bike
It is me building a garden
It is waking up on the other side of the American Dream
And saying I made it.

Happiness is having nothing
And saying
I made it
Nothing
I made nothing
Other than you smile
I made her smile
I made him smile
In spite of the busted mouth
And bruised beyond repair spirit
I made it to the other side
And I am free.