Of that body part men activate
to urinate or procreate –
as the case or need may be –
it’s clinical terminology
is still considered by many
as off limits in polite society
whereas its vulgar substitutes
still more than ever constitute
the norm, though by the puritanical
are condemned as inexcusable.
And, therefore, to circumvent
their use and avoid embarrassment
they’ve been discreetly sanitized
and inoffensively euphemized
or camouflaged, whichever term
will spare you to least squirm –
like peepee, whatchamacallit,
skin faucet, little man, or whatsit.
Whereas using even the proper
or vulgar words will cause a shudder
leading to outbreaks of friction
by those who abhor such diction.
Even a French menu word like “coq”
(rooster, as in “coq au vin”) will shock,
and unless it’s correctly vocalized,
please leave that one unanglicized!
‘If you prick us, do we not bleed?
If you tickle us, do we not laugh?
If you poison us, do we not die?
And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?’
~ (The Merchant of Venice, Act 3, Scene 1)
'Tis a fair merchant that I claim to be
Lowly seller of wares and grain for seed
An honest man, but if one dares cheat me
Clobbering I shall do, until they bleed
My body is off limits, so hands off
No laughter shall thee hear if I'm tickled
Nay! A frown given to thee and a scoff
With sour brine I'll throw, thee shall be pickled!
Poison me, peasant and If I'm not dead
I shall slip Romeo's drink in your ale
In your pints be wary and live with dread
For in Venice, your body shall float pale
My merchant's wrath shall be deadly, if wronged
I shall prick thee with a fork, double pronged
Here's a laugher, pay attention
It'll make your day a whole lot brighter
Put my Jockeys on back to front
Put some tap water in my cigarette lighter
Gave the cat a bunch of the dog food
What a silly billy old me
Of course fed the dog some kitty food
He meowed and climbed up a tree
Poured red wine on my cereal
Put a bunch of sour cream on my toast
Hey that was really kinda yummy
Hot mustard on ice cream's the most
A little bit weird, a little bit strange
In my world there's nuttin' off limits
Try anything once, maybe even twice
Even M&Ms fried in my skillet
I'm grossing me out, gotta stop now
Just sprinkled my donut with vinegar
Have I gone nuts, is it love that's got me
No it's just me... go figure!
An old kitchen dresser
stood against a wall
in the shed. Its drawers were full
of things that kept a small boy
occupied for hours.
Retired kitchen gadgets,
tools, balls of string
and a treasure trove
of discarded odds and ends
hoarded just in case
something there might
“come in handy one day”.
There was a drawer off limits
for little hands,
my grandmother's place for keeping
dahlia tubers safe and dry
for their winter sleep.
Brown paper bags held
the sacred cache.
Come spring they were taken
from their dark, musty crypt
for their yearly rebirth.
Planted in a square of garden
overlooked by the dining room
window, the tubers would
begin to stir in the warming sun.
By Christmas day, the first bright
blooms would blaze
extravagant color that could
be seen from the table
as we tucked into lunch
crowned in our paper hats.
To a child, it seemed like magic,
just pure magic.
Note.
Christmas in Australia
is, of course, in summer.
Weekend hits one bemused boy
Pushing his mind to his limits.
Night comes by, blowing the devil’s joy.
Problem is, his smile’s off-limits.
Nonetheless, such rule’s quickly dropped
While tedium hits the recycling bin.
The girl whose twirls seldom flopped.
While the helping smile’s not some sin.
Crew tinted feeble wordless white lips
The few wombled up there cherished
I’m not stunned by how one dog tips
Her voice of glitter we’ve nourished
Therefore, such sweet soul we fish,
Such strong scent t’wards some guy she’s struck
Locks thy memory of thy consort’s wish.
No need for posession, nor for some buck!!
I told myself that you were off limits
I promised that I would not fall
But I lost that battle early on
With each joke and laugh we share, the less I want to hang on.
The edge is drawing near.
I don't want to fall, but I'm not ready to jump
My lifeline is growing shorter,
Each laugh is like a gravitational pull
I can't hold on much longer
The reason why I won't jump is replaced with an encouraging one.
The water is shallow and I know that
A leap of faith is all it takes
I keep drawing back, letting fear take over
I can't be scared forever can I?
To keep fighting makes me weak, but you give me the strength
One day I will let go, but how do I know that you'll be there to catch me if I fall?
Little do I know, I fell a long time ago.
Vows made in trueness of love
Are exchanged by the two hearts
Neath the heaven’s eyes above.
Rings wrapped around their fingers
Express that they’re off-limits;
Letting all be reminded.
...I remember when it was SOMETHING.
A Lesson OR Blessing, actually BOTH.
Is blood thicker than water? Not if bad blood has formed. Was it always tainted, beneath the naked eye of a surface picture painted?
Life's moments are so fleeting...
I can't imagine partaking in unnourishing concepts and allow for the mere sake of repeating. Wouldn't that be defeating???
There's nothing can be gained, once all
GOOD energy has been drained! It can't be "returned or renamed" Retrospectively, concepts can't sustain "ideals" electively.
No fairy dust. No holiday or every blue moon so called trust...sadly there's rust.
I choose to blow it away with breath & depth protected inlay; can't allow nothing to delay, deter, "stir" my peace, for a piece of me...my heart, that part, that is my Core and Soul OFF LIMITS.
It wasn't Always like that, but Splat...
when remembering, I GAVE and thoughtfully.
Release to allow Peace.
Something had to Cease...
Now, I Am SAVED.
SELF-LOVE INCREASED!
©Renee D. Gross {GHPPR} March 12, 2023#
Everyone's talking about crime these days
So few police, it seems thuggery pays
No hotter topics than murder or theft
No matter your politics be right or left
Though in Chicago one issue's strictly off-limits for talking heads
Mayoral race apathy - 32.6% turnout - means democracy's dead
On the wings of Curiosity
rides Luminosity
Blazing new Frontiers
~ off-limits to Fear
Chance looked at me and said ‘Ok fine then.
It will be the way it has always been.
This mafia always protects its own.’
He had such a menacing undertone;
I knew I needed to stay in control
or I’d wind up paying a heavy toll;
No matter whatever happens to me,
this rule will be set indefinitely;
‘Wait.’ I said ‘I’m hungry but not insane.
I have a request now let me explain.
Regardless of his determination?
I only have just one stipulation.
You can have a patron who buys tickets,
Jordan will forever be off limits.’
In the base motor pool
See an off-limits card school-
A scheming Bilko takes the pot
Hoodwinking top brass was his game,
Fast talking his claim to fame.
NOTE:VIGNETTE is a rhymed five line light verse narrative cameo(a description that encapsulates someone or something)
In the base motor pool
See an off-limits card school-
A scheming Bilko takes the pot
Hoodwinking top brass was his game,
Fast talking his claim to fame.
| Year Posted 2008
NOTE:A vignette is a 5 line variation on a clerhew
Summer languid daydreaming stance is over.
Cooler breezes blow, and robins fear the coming blizzards.
Mighty autumn begins its reign by disburdening trees
Heavy with their many seasoned leaves of various hues.
Soon white fluffy flakes of snow will start to precipitate
As children shriek and chortle, making snowballs,
While others engineer a snowman just for laughs.
As father chops the wood prepared for days
When cold Winter starts to spread its might.
Inside the house mother prepares her famous lunch.
The pumpkin soup smells of pure delicacy,
Warm thick brown morsels dipped in the warm soup,
Ah that spicy essence, a balm to thaw numb extremities.
Despite the icicles that form on our windowpanes,
The lake can only produce dangerous thin ice.
Skating is off limits as notices appear everywhere,
A harbinger of doom with skulls and prohibition.
Anticipated winter’s wrath shows its might, as landscapes
Look threadbare since no flowers bloom, while some swans
Fly away to warmer climes, leaving behind them sullen gloom.
3 September 2015
They can tell me all day that I’m wrong,
Look at us and say we don’t belong;
Doesn’t matter what they say
I like you anyway;
You’ve been changing me all along;
Never scared me, how hard I fell
always covered in warning bells;
Doesn’t matter what they say
I like you anyway;
In your darkness I’d gladly dwell;
‘Off limits’ but you’re so on;
Gave it away, my heart was gone ;
Doesn’t matter what they say
I like you anyway;
An irresistible liaison;
Good, bad, dark, and light I feel it;
Every single time your vibe hits;
Doesn’t matter what they say
I like you anyway;
You really are a strange trip.
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