a lingering why

a lingering why

common wisdom is not
so common after all.
---barbsdad

why, oh why must roosters crow
and crows caw?

why does not a horse cow---
and I mean the sound of cow---

or a cow horse?
it would, methinks, make at least

as much sense.

and---beside the point---would
an optimistic horse

neigh or yea?

(I detest that spelling; it should
be yay---or even yeigh.)

I imagine prismatic roosters
now cawing---

but crowing?!

and of course an oft-preening
crow will roost in or out of

its sloppy nest, but it doesn't
rooster. unless it is one

that roosts.

and why tag a barnyard cock
in particular as a rooster?

most birds will roost---including
a farmer's hen.

I think that entitles her to be
termed a rooster (that is, one

that roosts).

roostering seems awfully
gender-inclusive (and not

properly restricted to male
roosters) in the exercise of it.

ah, the warped perceptions that
accompany living amongst

a mostly dizzy, logic-defying
humanity.

— barbsdad2003, Apr 28, 2008

About the Author

Country/Region: USA

Critiques

infinite_dwarf

18 years 1 month ago

Bravo!

This falls in line with the whole "why do they call it a building? Shouldn't it be called a built?" type of thing. It makes you sit there, and go ya know... good point! I love how it almost teeters on nonsensical (though I think you're being serious), and might make for an amusing children's poem. My little red pen has a question: Did you purposefully not capitalize everything? (including title) ~Lynn (Dwarfie) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ~ "Bush is listening.... use big words!" ~ "Your inferiority complex is better than mine..."

barbsdad2003

18 years 1 month ago

Thanx

I did not capitalize in this particular piece---on purpose (for a change of scenery, I guess). It seems to be common among current poets. Although I do draw the line at the pronoun I. I think I looks terrible as i. On the other hand, for consistency's sake, why don't we normally capitalize other pronouns, like We, Us, You, He, She, Her, Him, Them, and even Their, His, Hers (maybe even, in some cases, Its), etc.? The English language is considered among the more unwieldy ones. No wonder non-English speakers have difficulty with it ... and with its many oddities, twists and turns, and apparently nonsensical exceptions. (Even Americans that insist they speak it have trouble, one example being the too-common use of lay for lie.) All of which makes it much too easy for someone like me to poke a little delicious fun at it all. Yours, Chuck

weirdelf

18 years 1 month ago

But delicious fun it is

and if we can't have fun with words, we are lost indeed. A personal particular peeve is the too frequent, nay almost inevitable, error between there, their and they're. cheers, Jess

barbsdad2003

18 years 1 month ago

Thanx, Jess, for your read ...

and comment. I must confess my personal particular pet peeves add up to too long a list; in fact, to do them justice here, I'd just pointlessly clog/clot the site. Yours, Chuck

weirdelf

18 years 1 month ago

LOL, my friend

lets jam the site with peeves on language inaccuracies! It would give us both a job for life! Unfortunately it would also deprive us both of a source of joy and goodness... ah well, back to the red pen. Well actually, mine is kind of purple pink. And only applied to those most willing. cheers, Jess

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