Archive for January, 2008

Rest In Peace, Dad (Updated)

Monday, January 21st, 2008

I just got word that my father has died.  He was a wonderful man, and I’ll really miss him. I love you Dad!

Ernest Begun (1915-2008)

Update: Thanks so much to everyone who posted and emailed such kind comments on my father’s passing.  I really appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Here’s the somewhat unorthodox eulogy I read at my father’s funeral:

My father, who was very into politics, always enjoyed my political limericks.  I’d like to think he’d  also enjoy this limerick about him:

My dad, known as Ernest Begun
Will be missed by his wife and his son,
And his daughter, of course,
Cause our dad was the source
Of much joy and support and, yes, fun.

Street Metal (Limerick)

Sunday, January 20th, 2008

Street Metal (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun Kane

While I drive, I espy something bright.
To avoid it, I swerve to the right.
People honk. (It’s New York.)
Then I see — it’s a fork
In the road.  That’s what made me uptight.

(Prompted by Writers Island.)

And speaking of poetry prompts, there’s still lots of time to participate in my latest prompt.  My topic is decisions and indecision. (Although I usually post prompts every Friday, my current prompt will remain open until February 1 because I’ll be traveling.)

Planning To Travel With Friends? Are You Sure That’s Wise?

Thursday, January 17th, 2008

Years ago I wrote a humorous joint travel contract for the Philadelphia Inquirer. I’ve been meaning to post it on this blog, but I keep forgetting. And Sunday Scribblings’ post about fellow travelers has prompted me to finally do it: 

Revel With A Clause
By Madeleine Begun Kane 

Your closest friends keep badgering you to join them on a trip. You’re running out of excuses and may be forced to go along. Can friendship survive seven days of constant contact? Will you loathe each other by the time you return?

Joint vacations can be a challenge to any relationship. But with patience, a sense of humor and the help of this agreement, you can take that trip and keep your friendship intact.

AGREEMENT entered into this __________, 20__ by two close couples who would like to remain friends.

WHEREAS, Couples A and B are about to embark on a shared vacation;

WHEREAS, Couple B would rather stay home, but has agreed to give this trip a try;

WHEREAS, Couples want to work out ground rules so their friendship won’t self-destruct.

NOW, THEREFORE, Couples agree to the following vacation terms:

1. The trip shall commence on a date determined after consulting Couples’ children, employers, and baby-sitters. It shall not involve backpacks or a tent.

2. Once a date has been chosen, Couples shall enter into vacation spot negotiations. The following factors shall be duly considered in the course of site selection:

(a.) Wife A burns if she glances out a window.

(b.) Wife B loves to sprawl out on the beach.

(c.) Husband A considers himself an art aficionado.

(d.) Husband B admires prints of large-eyed tots. … (Revel With A Clause is continued here.)

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions (Limerick and Haiku Prompt — Open Until February 1st) (Updated)

Thursday, January 17th, 2008

Today’s limerick and haiku theme is decisions and indecision.  First, my limerick:

If there’s one thing I cannot abide,
It is people who cannot decide
What to eat, where to go,
Hot or cold, fast or slow.
Do you think I should take it in stride?

And now, my haiku:

Postponing decisions
Eliminates your options:
Fate accompli.

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write a limerick or haiku (or both) about decisions or indecision. When you’ve posted your verse, please return here and add a direct link to your themed poetry.

(If you need some tips on limerick or haiku writing, I link to some helpful sites here.)

NOTE: Thanks to the few of you who have been joining in on the limerick and haiku prompt fun. But I’m beginning to wonder if it makes sense to continue these prompts, with so few people participating.

I’m not sure what the problem is. Lack of publicity? The themes? The difficulty in writing limericks? If anyone has any suggestions as to how to widen the appeal of these prompts, I’d appreciate your posting them in the comments section. Thanks!

UPDATE: Although I usually post prompts every Friday, my current prompt will remain open until February 1st because I’ll be traveling.

If you want to keep up to date with my poetry prompts, you can subscribe to either my entire blog feed or just to my limerick and haiku prompt topic feed.

Trash Day (Limerick and Haiku)

Saturday, January 12th, 2008

Trash Day
By Madeleine Begun Kane

On  trash day I set a tv
On the curb and before I could flee,
A neighborhood jerk
Yelled, “How well does it work?”
Guess he wanted a signed guaranty.

Streets lined with garbage:
Discarded chairs, broken lamps.
Scavengers’ treasure.

(Prompted by  Easy Street’s To the Curb and Writer’s Island Treasure.)

Miss Dating? Not Me! (Limerick)

Friday, January 11th, 2008

Miss Dating? Not me!
By Madeleine Begun Kane

Before I was married I dated
Hardly ever, cause dating I hated.
Then I met hubby Mark,
Which created a spark.
Elated, we dated and mated.

(For more date-related poems, visit Sunday Scribblings)

NOTE: If you like to write limericks or haiku, give my new poetry prompt a try.  My latest topic is right on the money.

Banking On Money Poems (Limerick and Haiku Prompt)

Friday, January 11th, 2008

Today’s limerick and haiku theme is money. First, my limerick:

I once balanced my checkbook with ease.
But, alas, it’s no longer a breeze.
Where is each canceled check?
Banking statements are dreck.
Are they trying to hide all those fees?

And now my haiku:

“People want change,”
Claim presidential candidates.
I’d prefer twenties.

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write a limerick or haiku (or both) about money. When you’ve posted your verse, please return here and add a direct link to your themed poetry.

(If you need some tips on limerick or haiku writing, I link to some helpful sites here.)

Shower Demons

Saturday, January 5th, 2008

As I shower
Poems pour out from parts unknown,
Demanding to be shared.

Still, I linger.
Verses taunt me: “Write us down.
Your thoughts, they must be bared.”

End of shower.
Laptop beckons. Towel’s dropped.
I’m free — my poem’s been aired.

New Year’s Resolution Haiku

Friday, January 4th, 2008

My resolution:
No more resolutions
I can’t keep, like this one.

If you missed my satirical New Year’s Resolutions Contract, it’s here.  And I hope you’ll join in on my latest haiku and limerick prompt, whose theme is lies and deception.

(This haiku was inspired by Sunday Scribblings and by Read Write Poem, which is back in business thanks to Deb of Stoneymoss.)

View my New Year’s Resolution Haiku image here.

Lies And Deception (Limerick and Haiku Prompt 5)

Friday, January 4th, 2008

Today’s limerick and haiku theme is lies and deception. First, my limerick: 

“Your excuse simply can’t be believed.
You’re a liar! I feel quite deceived,”
Said the gal, as she wept,
To her lover, who’d slept
With her mother. (I guess she was peeved.)

And now, my haiku:

People who maintain
That they are always honest
Are surely lying.

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to write a limerick or haiku (or both) about lies and deception. When you’ve posted your verse, please return here and add a direct link to your themed poetry.

(If you need some tips on limerick or haiku writing, I link to some helpful sites here.)

UPDATE: April 23 is Lover’s Day

Mum’s The 3 Words

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008

I love 3 Word Wednesday! Just like last week, it presents three words to be used in a poem, and a haiku immediately writes itself in the word order presented.  Weird, huh?

This week’s words are button, luck, and pretend:

Button up your lips
And, with luck, we can pretend
This never happened.

Ode To A Greedy Squirrel

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008

Ode To A Greedy Squirrel
By Madeleine Begun Kane

A squirrel who wanted some food
Did something I’d call rather rude:
He squeezed into a cage,
Ate the bird feed — not sage.
Now his tummy’s too fat to extrude.

Note: This limerick is based on a British news story about a greedy squirrel that squeezed through the bars of a “squirrel-proof” bird feeder and “gorged on so many nuts it could not squeeze back out through the bars.” The squirrel remained trapped inside, until an RSPCA Inspector used a crow-bar and grasper to widen the gap between two of the bars. 

(You can find more of my pet and animal humor here and you’ll find more animal related poetry here.)

UPDATE: Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day, January 21st!