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Jabberwock Revisited

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Poetry notes:
01/01/2018

Poetry form: A Flight of Fancy Rhyme

I just published this poem today in my book on wattpad.com entitled Footle Fest & Flights of Fancy.  This isn't a footle, but it is a flight of fancy. :)

FYI- This poem is an exaggeration full of satire and hyperbole.  I wrote it in response to what I read someone say concerning the use of a dictionary and thesaurus by poets. They said that if they’re real poets, they won’t need them.  I was so astonished and shocked by that statement (since I use them all the time) that I decided to write a poem extending that idea to other professions, such as mechanics, pilots, doctors, lawyers and poets.  Of course, all of these professions need to continue to keep up to date, be accurate and precise.  I conclude with the excerpt from Lewis Carroll’s nonsensical poem “Jabberwocky” to drive home the point.  The last two lines say it all.   

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Why do mechanics need manuals when they’ve fixed it before? Answer my question or I’ll walk out the door! Didn’t they attend trade schools or get OJT? Why need repair manuals? That what gets me. I just want a mechanic who won’t refer to a book. Just fix my car already, don’t give it a second look! Why do pilots run checklists and reference their charts? Just push the dang button and hope the plane starts! Didn’t they go to flight school and pass all the tests? Pilots fly most days, so who needs all the mess? I want a pilot who knows without referencing a chart. Just get on with the flying and prove that you’re smart! What about the doctors who are practicing still? Why can’t they get it right? And that includes the bill! They’re always researching new studies in journals When time’s better spent attending patients’ internals. I just want a Marcus Welby, Ben Casey or Kildare Instead of keeping up to date, I just want them to care. Why do lawyers review case studies and legal decisions? Such antics in my book leave them open to derision. All that studying in law school should have been more than enough. After passing the bar they should already know their stuff. I just want an attorney who’s a know-it-all ace, Not a book worm mouthpiece to plead my case. Finally, the poets, being wordsmiths their art You won’t see them referencing a checklist or chart But look, in their hands, just what can that be? A dictionary? Thesaurus? Are those what I see? A real poet never needs help reading Shakespeare or Keats Using Webster and Roget would make all of us cheats! If a poet is real, the words should just flow I think that all poets should automatically know The right words to use, and literary crutches forgo How dare they try better vocabulary to hone They should come up with good things to say on their own. I’m looking for poets who’ll just know what to say Like Lewis Carroll’s poems in his heyday: “Twas brillig, and the slithy toves, Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogroves, And the mome raths outgrabe.” Don’t bother looking up his words, for that would be a dumb thing. Using a dictionary or thesaurus, you might actually learn something!

Copyright © | Year Posted 2019




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Date: 4/13/2019 10:47:00 AM
This was third place and for me, one of your best for sure! I had read already some of your best poems i saw as I skimmed the list
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Mark Toney
Date: 5/21/2019 1:54:00 PM
Andrea, I'm sorry I didn't reply to this until now. I keep discovering comments from you that brighten my day. Much appreciated, even if my response is belated! ~Mark
Date: 1/10/2019 6:46:00 PM
(3) Anyone who says a "real" poet doesn't need them, is a poet with very little competency OR wisdom, and doomed to failure by their own hand. This is going to my favorites, Mark ... and tonight I'm dreaming of Jubjub Birds and Frumious Bandersnatches! Thank you for this one! :-)
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Mark Toney
Date: 1/10/2019 9:34:00 PM
Greg, I am very honored and humbled by your well-thought-out comments and by your making this one of your favorites. Webster and Roget are tools of our trade, and you sir are a master craftsman. Your "Jubjub Birds and Frumious Bandersnatches" comment is awesome! Thank you for taking time to visit several of my poems this evening. Take care, my friend. ~Mark
Date: 1/10/2019 6:45:00 PM
(2) Each and every word in a thesaurus has slightly different usage, and without understanding the word, folks give their ignorance away. I am fairly confident, (fairly is the operative word here, I'll NEVER figure it all out, lol), of my word usage, and it is BECAUSE of those books/resources, and I can't imagine being without them. I LOVE words, and love learning NEW words and using them PROPERLY, and where, at MY age, am I going to do that if not by reading?!? (continued)
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Date: 1/10/2019 6:44:00 PM
Well-done, my friend, a superb write and a view that I vehemently and wholeheartedly support! Once we put the books down we might as well stop writing, because we've then stopped LEARNING. People compliment me on my word usage, and it is ONLY because of the two resources talked about here. I can recognize many here who use a thesaurus but NOT a dictionary, and they replace words willy-nilly without studying the meaning or context or semantics ... what's the point?? (continued)
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Date: 1/3/2019 2:47:00 PM
My mind can't contain all the knowledge I have accumulated and so I do fall back to thesaurus and rhyming dictionaries when I need an extra oomph!! But for crying out loud, how can poets not know how to count syllables???
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Mark Toney
Date: 1/3/2019 5:48:00 PM
Lol... I guess that's for another poem, yeah? There isn't a week goes by that I'm not using the dictionary or thesaurus too. Thanks for sharing :) ~Mark
Date: 1/3/2019 2:44:00 PM
I really enjoyed the ideas you presented here, all done with great rhythm and rhyme. I especially relate to what you said about doctors. But I would argue that they need to keep CURRENT of new things, For example, side effects of new drugs. Since they did not keep abreast of this, I was being ignored when I told my doctor of my worrisome side effect (which it turns out is rare, and yet it IS on the internet) We should not have to look up stuff that the experts should KNOW. thought provoking!
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Mark Toney
Date: 1/3/2019 5:44:00 PM
Thank you for your observations, Andrea! Please read my poetry notes that precede my poem so you can see that it was meant to be exaggerated. Cheers! ~Mark
Date: 1/2/2019 6:44:00 PM
I love everything about this. :) Made me smile and giggle, at the same time. Thank you for that. Also, I love that words just keep going, as do numbers. A poet could never use too many words- big or small. The possibilities are endless. Brilliant writing Mark!! May your words always touch the page. ~ Brandy
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Mark Toney
Date: 1/2/2019 9:53:00 PM
Brandy, with that wonderful comment you just made my day! I had a lot of fun with this one. I’m glad you like it :) ~Mark
Date: 1/1/2019 5:08:00 PM
Oh this is good! We certainly don't want to be found guilty of learning! ;)
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Mark Toney
Date: 1/1/2019 8:05:00 PM
Lol...Exactly! Awesome comment, P.S. ~Mark

Book: Reflection on the Important Things