The Duke and the Dauphin
two snake-oil salesmen in 'Huck Finn'
chased by folks brandishing paddles with nails
ridden plum out of the county on a rail...
Joseph R. Biden and Donald J. Trump
peddling their rancid cologne to the masses
Such a pair of stubborn mules, those two
Let's stick their dunderheads in fertilized mule-asses
cosmeceutical
hawkers put on new faces…
costly old potions
In a covered wagon he travelled west
For every ailment he had a cure
His miracle oil he claimed was the best
People he conned were the sick and the poor.
In remote towns he would set up his scam
Helped by two' friends' in the crowd for his trick
Who' volunteered' but were part of the sham
Arthur the cripple and poor sighted Mick.
But they were fed up of his trickery
And exposed him to the crowd in the town
The conman shouted" Mick what can you see"?
Mick said "nothing, I heard Arthur fall down"
Snake oilman was speechless and he went pale
The townsfolk seized him and threw him in jail.
Written on 30th December 2018
Brexit Sonnet No. 29
‘Snake Oil’
The tumbleweed rolls with silence across our set,
Saloon doors swing to access boarded walk,
As gunslingers stride their silent deadly threat,
And graveyard stones of next to greet do talk.
The Sheriff’s jail is filled with drunks and bums.
Saloon plays not its upright western tune,
While honest folk await to see what comes,
As stage pulls up in town at highest noon.
A pair of leopard-print shoes now peep out proud,
From stagecoach door as arrivals drop down stairs.
Their owner stands, surveys the gathered crowd,
And pulls from carpet bag their snake oil wares.
To sell is easy in one crazy town like this,
My snake oil offering for Brexit’s deathlike kiss.
©Keith Murphy
SNAKE OIL SUNRISE
coiled lies an oily snake
circling the rim of the cup
eschewing the softness of milk
the sweetness of sugar.
A black hole – waiting – beckoning
the bleary-eyed robot
leaving a scent trail
harsh, uncivilized,
unadulterated,
psyche popping
caffeine.
11/30/2016
submitted to WAKE UP WITH COFFEE OR TEA CONTEST – Poetry Contest
I heard all the anecdotes on antidotes
but I wanted my therapy done chemically
so much that, in an approximation of intoxication
my judgments blurred uncertainties with a whispered ‘allegedly’
spectacular vernacular, jailed - minus crime or credibility
capital cliches of an amateur poet, inevitably
a teenagers growing phases annotated in the vaguest of chosen but stolen phrases
regurgitated words and statements
the morbidity of authenticity that is lexicon-artistry
http://samnicholasharrison.tumblr.com/
"Let's spread the word of the Lord!" they exclaimed
"Knocking on doors - surely none could be blamed!"
It's simply a matter of time
Up the walls we will climb
Our inevitable ire will thus be inflamed
Inability never stopped him
It made the journey interesting
Stupidity never slowed him How could he know failure?
Time never stopped him, he simply multiplied
Salt water never stopped him he left it
Hunger hasn’t stopped him he’s devouring the earth
Who is this destroyer of Eden
This watery chemical force
Is there a cure?
YES somewhere in this exploding horde of greed
are individuals following reason
Given incentive they will set a course
For following generations to correct
This destructive multiplication
In the billions of eyes out there
a pair will open
It may already be too late
An eye opener to face the day with
Sip slowly
Un rhyming ill timed verses
Dubious Odes to Progress
Are not to be taken lightly
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