The Best Bits
Howard’s to be married Saturday
Family watches the Oscar show
Hometown winner claims he’s gay
Howard becomes the town floor show
He insists his loafers are heavy
Sweet, slim bride, a fellow teacher
Media stalks the little town
Finally, before the preacher
He says he’s gay; bride belts him and
his dad says, “Was it that Streisand?”
© 2013 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
Imaginary Garden With Real Toads’ Izy asked us for a ten-line “Cliff’s Notes” version of a favorite movie, book, or play. One of my favorite movies of all time is a little comedy called, “In & Out.” Kevin Kline is the groom, Joan Cusack (an amazing physical comedian, sister of John) is the befuddled bride-to-be, and Tom Selleck plays a reporter with a secret… Debbie Reynolds and Wilford Brimley are his folks.
Best moment: After being jilted at the altar, Joan Cusack emerges from her hiding place and yells at the congregation, “Do you have ANY IDEA how many times I’ve had to watch “Funny Lady”? Loads of Streisand references, great for little “fruit flies” (LGBT allies) like me. See it. Glenn Close almost steals the show with a single scene.
National Poetry Writing Month, Day 25, still going strong! Amy
Was a Time When…
Was a time when
nothing was shelved for another day
When, lacking A.C., our windows allowed
the cacophony of Manhattan traffic
to ferment with our Streisand on the stereo
into an ethereal, essentially New York brew
When heartaches were daily doings and
lovers’ promises abstract
When Chinatown was
a neon-spangled dragon,
delicious, exhilarating, smelling of
sesame oil and sweet rice wine
When we’d shimmy on the sidewalk
to every lowrider blasting reggae
Now those days in the City
are an exquisite origami swan
swinging from the ceiling on a ribbon,
suspended over my head
over my half-closed eyes
from the drop ceiling
over my hospital bed
as my life reaches the coda of
its jazzy, dizzying blur
Slowly, veil upon veil of blissful,
mystic, magic memories featherfall
upon my last moments…
but not a single regret
© 2012 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
For the Sunday Whirl: Exquisite, abstract, spangling, ethereal, ferment, dragon, shimmy, origami, cacophony, coda, aches, shelved. FYI, it’s The Sunday Whirl’s first anniversary this week, so click on the link and check out what others have done with Brenda’s weekly “dirty dozen” words. The variety of thoughts, of what springs to mind and splashes on the page of each poet or writer, is quite amazing. Brenda Warren, BRAVA and thanks!
Also at my poetic nest, Poets United! Peace, Amy
Sharp Little Pencil 