Blake-ish Poems

(original artwork by yours truly)

Instructional Poems for Young and Old 

(with a Practical Moral to Close Each Piece) 

Little Mouse so proudly sat

on kitchen table, plump and fat.

Mrs. Mouse, as mothers do,

said, “I should be so very blue

if Mr. Cat should find you there

and eat you, bone, skin, and hair.”

Little Mouse, against her fears

let her words go out his ears.

A pounce. A crunch. And then a fart:

Sometimes staying ain’t so smart.

*****

Mr. Cat asked, “Mrs. Mouse,

would you come into my house?”

Mrs. Mouse said, “Mr. Cat,

I am fine just where I’m at.”

“But look and see—it is quite nice.

A perfect place to raise some mice.

It’s warm and dry; you’ll live in style,

not like in your old woodpile.”

“All the same, I think I’ll pass”:

Sometimes staying saves your ass.

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A word about this set of poems. I actually wrote and posted them a few months ago, but since they were not linked to any online poetry groups they had maybe a dozen readers. So while they are not spankin' brand new, they are gently used and I feel justified in reposting. I think they fit what Victoria Slotto, host of tonight's Meeting At the Bar over at dVerse, is looking for. Or one can sincerely hope so.

Now, as for the literary influence, I definitely had William Blake in mind when I wrote them, specifically Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience. I've spent a lot of time with Blake, and he has undoubtedly worked an influence on my own stuff. There are superficial similarities between these poems and Blake's, such as the title. And the original artwork. (For those not familiar, Blake is as well-known for his striking "illuminations" as he is for his poems. I have my doubts whether my drawing will enjoy the same appeal.) Couched within the sometimes (seemingly) simplistic poems contained in Songs, especially those in the Innocence section, Blake deals with some deeper issues of human existence. I like the way he views things from more than one perspective, and it is this aspect of Blake I was most trying to mimic. I also admit to poking fun at the moralistic poems geared toward children that were popular at the time.

All that aside, I've written what my oldest daughter calls "sad" poems the last few weeks, so it was time for some fun. But look closely--there may be a deeper message somewhere in there after all!