Keep Yer Elegy!

lillian

Quit yer bitchin’
and scratch where yer itchin’.
However-many years you’ve got,
light more damn candles
and quit yer complainin’.

Quit yer terminable thinkin’
‘bout pushin’ up daisies.
You best be lookin’
to pick ‘em instead.
Water ‘em good and
scratch where yer itchin’.

ox-eye-daisy-3454721_1920

Happy 7th year anniversary dVerse! Back from our summer respite, Grace hosts Quadrille Monday, asking us to include the word “itch” or a form of the word in our exactly 44 word poem, sans title. dVerse, the virtual pub for poets, opens at 3 PM Boston time. Come join our anniversary celebration by posting your own quadrille, or just reading the creativity of others. Photo from pixabay.com  

57 thoughts on “Keep Yer Elegy!”

  4. Glenn Buttkus July 16, 2018 / 3:42 pm

    Yes, let’s hear that down home hillbilly advice ! Like something out of Faulkner meets Al Capp. Nice to be out on the trail again.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
    • lillian July 17, 2018 / 10:40 am

      Hah! I wanted to title it Hillbilly Elegy….but that’s the name of an excellent book! Have you read it? Glad you enjoyed….and oh yes….in the a-bit-adjusted song words of Dale Evans and Roy Rogers….Happy Trails to us! 🙂

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  5. kanzensakura July 16, 2018 / 3:56 pm

    What afun poem, although I would not term it hillbilly. I would term it a universal truth among those of us that get bitten by skeeters, gnats, ticks, and chiggers. Happy Anniversary Lillian!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • lillian July 17, 2018 / 10:41 am

      Happy Anniversary to you too! Hope you’ll read my haibun just posted today for Tuesday Poetics….I’ve learned from the best and when I get to that haiku part, I’m always asking myself, would Toni approve? 🙂 ❤

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    • lillian July 17, 2018 / 10:41 am

      Yes! Daisies and sunflowers too! 🙂

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  7. Charley July 16, 2018 / 4:21 pm

    Stop counting and just water the blooms that fill the days ahead. A fun, and slightly sobering poem!

    Liked by 3 people

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    • lillian July 17, 2018 / 10:42 am

      Ah….excellent insight into my thoughts here, my friend!

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    • lillian July 17, 2018 / 10:43 am

      I thought, to open dVerse’s 7th year, it would be good to have some fun! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  10. MarinaSofia July 16, 2018 / 5:19 pm

    Couldn’t agree more – would love to hear you reading it, though! With that accent!

    Liked by 2 people

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    • lillian July 17, 2018 / 10:43 am

      Hah! I always read aloud in my editing process….and it was fun to take on this personna! 🙂

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  11. Grace July 16, 2018 / 5:43 pm

    What fun and I love the sing-song cadence ~ Happy anniversary Lillian ~

    Liked by 2 people

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    • lillian July 17, 2018 / 10:44 am

      ….and to you, Grace! And another year of fun and challenges begins! 🙂

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    • lillian July 17, 2018 / 10:46 am

      Always happy to provide some fun….especially at the beginning of dVerse’s 7th year! 🙂

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  14. sanaarizvi July 16, 2018 / 6:43 pm

    Such lovely lilt and cadence in this one, Lillian 💖💖

    Liked by 2 people

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  15. katiemiafrederick July 16, 2018 / 7:22 pm

    Hehe.. i’ve just been a Ttchin’
    For dVerse to come back and
    here you are Lillian Writing Poetry
    About Pushing up Daisies.. hAha..
    don’t know if you have access to Facebook
    Profile Pic Links but if you do this is how i Push
    Up Daisies at Super-Walmart as i’m always just
    a Itchin’ to Public Dance as Yesterday i completed a Milestone
    of 9600 Miles of Doing just that aLong with 6 Million Words
    of Long Form Poetry in close to a 59 Month Span of Dates..
    True.. i’m 58
    Now and my
    Sister insists
    that i will Be A Itchin’
    to Dance until 80.. as
    my Father’s Identical Twin Brother
    my Uncle Has A Selfie Doing it at 84..
    With all the Ladies at the Country Music Club
    where his 84 year old Wife Still Plays Piano there.. Lalla and Ted..
    His Senior Class Motto from High School was from Shakespheare..
    “I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more, is none”..
    Hehe True.. Considering i Mix a Free Style Ballet with Martial Arts as i Dance
    i Broke
    the
    McBeth ‘He’ Man Rules
    for i was/am itchin’ to JusT Do more.. too..;)

    Liked by 2 people

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    • lillian July 17, 2018 / 10:47 am

      Ah my friend, Katie! LOVE this photo you’ve posted here in reply….and oh to be 58 years young! Keep dancing m friend 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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      • katiemiafrederick July 17, 2018 / 1:15 pm

        SMiLes mY FriEnd
        LiLLiaN LiVE
        LonG
        TruTH
        FoR
        LoVE’S iTCHiNG
        JoY FReEDoM oF LiGHT
        And Thank You
        Very Much it’s
        Nice to be Fully Accepted too..:)

        Liked by 3 people

  16. Victoria C. Slotto July 16, 2018 / 7:46 pm

    There are days when I could stand to read this. Good reminder and great for a big smile that makes my face crack.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    • lillian July 17, 2018 / 10:48 am

      Smiling every day….thankful for every day….and definitely scratchin’ where it itches! 🙂
      Glad to give you a smile, my friend!

      Liked by 1 person

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  18. rothpoetry July 16, 2018 / 9:50 pm

    Great line… I too would rather pick and scratch that be folded under!!
    dwight

    Liked by 2 people

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  20. mhmp77 July 16, 2018 / 10:26 pm

    kaykuala

    Water ‘em good and
    scratch where yer itchin’.

    Agreed Lillian! Good advice and good close. Just quit the bitching and do one’s own thing!

    Hank

    Liked by 2 people

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    • lillian July 17, 2018 / 10:50 am

      You’ve got that right, Hank! 🙂

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  22. willow88switches: Pat July 17, 2018 / 12:10 pm

    a wonderful tone set (I really like the sparky, fiery element in the voice) – and the truth for the humour! LOL – wonderful word playing and such a great re-start to another season ….
    better to pick the daisies, or at least dance amongst them, rather than be pushing them up indeed!

    Liked by 2 people

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    • lillian July 20, 2018 / 7:46 am

      Exactly! Glad you enjoyed it….it was a fun one to write! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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    • lillian July 20, 2018 / 7:47 am

      Yes indeed…..aging can be a sobering thought….I prefer to think of it as a blessing and sometimes a challenge to the knees and the mind 🙂

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  24. Lona Gynt July 17, 2018 / 5:27 pm

    I’m not dead yet, I think I’m getting better 🙂
    💜the good advice!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    • lillian July 20, 2018 / 7:48 am

      Yes! In many many ways, aging is getting better. Perhaps we are like fine wine? 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

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  26. Mish July 17, 2018 / 11:39 pm

    There is something about delivering serious honest to good advice in a light-hearted way. Me thinks it makes ’em listen!! NIce one, Lil.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    • lillian July 20, 2018 / 7:49 am

      Thanks, Mish! Just catching up on reading and commenting this morning….will be hitting the trail in a bit and enjoying others’ too. Glad you liked this one!

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