Schmegeges
Schmegeges everywhere. Look over yonder
Where schmegeges march down the street,
See how the schmegeges cavort themselves
Day and night, how new schmegege variations
Appear, marching, marching, tailgating me,
Telephoning me, telling me what they think,
Singing schmegege roundelays, drinking,
Dancing, eating what the schmegeges eat,
Dressing like schmegeges, raising children
As schmegeges, questioning how schmegege
Has traditionally been understood, redefining
Schmegege, and always marching, marching,
Marching, I did not think there were so many
Schmegeges and now I too begin to march.
Mister Yes and No
I called him Mister Yes and No because
When you asked him a question he always
Said yes and no. For example, if you asked
Him if today is Friday he said yes and no or
Even if you asked him if one plus one is two
He said yes and no to my great puzzlement.
Much later it dawned on me that maybe
He was making a distinction between a
Literal interpretation of the matter at hand
And a metaphorical perspective like when
John Ashbery wrote it had been raining
But it had not been raining, in 1956.
Or maybe John Ashbery was making
A distinction between objective and
Subjective realities like it was raining
Outside when he wrote his poem but
But it was a clear day in the subjective
Landscape of his poem, entitled "A Boy."
When I ran this by Mister Yes and No
He said, 'Well, maybe" which had me
Flummoxed coming from the man who
Only said yes and no and seeing my look
Of incredulity he added, 'Or maybe not.'
Haha in life there is always more to learn!