Ironic Distancing (with bonus haiku)…redux.

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Ironic Distancing

The mind wanders
I think of a word that rhymes with ‘banker’
and marvel at how
in the middle of a global crisis
my brain still tilts
towards the trivial, the juvenile.
I try a sound poem
panic, pandemic, pandemonium
but it’s missing something,
panache, perhaps.
I make up a joke involving Peter Pan
but decide now is not the time to share it.
I detect the late onset of maturity
and feel depressed.
I text some friends,
we try to out-snide each other
but after a while
we are all chewing on the same bone.
I’m besieged by an idiocy of idioms –
the whole nine yards
the whole kit and caboodle
and that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
I re-assess my relationship with surfaces
I can no longer count on
that counter to lean on,
and as someone inclined
to whistle past the graveyard
walk past the writing on the wall
I have to admit
that the object in the mirror
was a lot closer
than it first appeared.

I write a haiku

four in the morning
moon shining on toilet bowl
porcelain pathway.

Eat your heart out! Basho!

Victoria over at dverse asks us to write a soliloquy incorporating one or more poetic devices, this one is heavy on alliteration with a bit of internal rhyme. It was previously published here, mid- pandemic last year.

39 thoughts on “Ironic Distancing (with bonus haiku)…redux.”

  5. The Cheesesellers Wife

    Oh, such fun. I was reading it aloud too — much to the bemusement of my other half. I enjoyed this poem the first time and it’s welcome again!

    Youngest son is currently on his knees before the porcelain god — too much cheap cider I reckon.

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  6. Masa

    Basho would likely have appreciated the results.
    As for the larger works, I can’t say anything more than “Brilliant”. I often find it hard to make something truly “stream of consciousness” look right, but you’ve done a phenomenal job yourself. Very entertaining, very relatable, a little sad, but in keeping with the times, chuckle-worthy. Well done.

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  12. msjadeli

    I appreciate your blunt honesty which is also a great vulnerability. Your poem brought tears to my eyes. This one is a keeper, Jim.
    My favorite line:
    “I detect the late onset of maturity”
    I also think that Basho would be smiling as he reads your haiku.

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  15. Sunra Rainz

    This is a fantastic musing 🙂 I so enjoyed getting carried along with it and I also shared your sentiments. My favourite lines:

    “I try a sound poem
    panic, pandemic, pandemonium
    but it’s missing something,
    panache perhaps.” – great wordplay.

    “I text some friends,
    we try to out-snide each other
    but after a while
    we are all chewing on the same bone.” – so true!

    “I can no longer count on
    that counter to lean on,
    and as someone inclined
    to whistle past the graveyard
    walk past the writing on the wall” – great visuals.

    ❤

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  18. Pingback: Ironic Distancing (with bonus haiku)…redux. – Nelsapy

  19. Steve Simpson

    A very clever piece that is so real, too real, Jim. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I need an instant distraction, but I can’t rhyme. I know, I’ll email that US company about the EEG headset I don’t need. I wish I was making this up.

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