The Puissance In American Adverbs
The cake of opportunity must be eaten whilst it's fresh
Or else it may be sliced up and distributed to the creche;
For it quickly loses savour if you do not eat it warm
And no longer typifies its pure and true Platonic Form
If thrust at once into the mouth its taste is surely best,
Just as the sun is brightest ere it sinks into the West
But leave a bit for later and it goes a little stale
Like the pie of procrastination you cannot eat today
Sweet rinds of serendipity lie there scattered through the cake,
And the seeds of anticipation are added when it's baked
In Romsey Town, hard by the fen, where Nero blew his top,
Where the cheese of disappointment is unappetising slop
The plat du jour of politics is seasoned with false truth
It's flavoured with mendacity and just a touch uncouth
Its aftertaste is noisome, like a sickly, spoiled vermouth
They only say it's "new" so they can market it to youth
To eat the rind is not a task that many will endure
It's like a kind of cross between stale toenails and manure
But, for French gourmets, it has irresistable allure
And minor Cabinet ministers swallow it, for sure
The stew of indecision is (well, I really don't quite know -
As I'm not sure - should I leave it, try it, eat in or to go?)
Should I cook it a bit longer? Should I share it with my friends?
Will the thing be even ready by the time the dinner ends?
Contributors: | Hamish, dkb, Apsley, Grayman, fester, Madge, TG. |
Poem finished: | 22nd May 2000. |