a blasphemic play on the bible's isaiah 28:10; or here lies a wobbly warning--much ado respecting not a whole lot; or keep ...

a blasphemic play on the bible's isaiah 28:10;
or here lies a wobbly warning---much ado
respecting not a whole lot; or keep an eye on
naftly; or pin your hopes on sterling chocko

of [reason] and logic he chatters
as fine and as fast as he can;
though I am no judge of such matters,
I'm sure he's a talented man.

---Praed

the precept lies upon the precept,
yes, the precept rests smack-dab

on precept;

line upon the line, yes, line upon the boldest line
(which might be surely fine, just fine---

and dandy!---
naftly,

for to equal jo or andy---or even daffy candy!);

here a little,
there a little.

---

when gained, although, quite poorly,
fiddlesticks and humpty dee,

one might possibly foresee,
indeed, I say, some truthfully,

that quite passably soon it'll,
by golly! jot, and prosy tittle,

splash on one as most inept.

---

[m]ind in its purest play is like some bat
[t]hat beats about in caverns all alone,
[c]ontriving by a kind of senseless wit
[n]ot to conclude against a wall of stone.

---Wilbur

---

author's notes:

naftly (adverb) = as a matter of factly;
naturally; inadvertently

admittedly risking buckets of scornful comments
flowing from this site's occasionally wonderful
readers, herewith my further obiter dictum:

naftly arrived an elastic, quite useful word not
contained in any currently acceptable (or even
unacceptable) english dictionary; so it simply
presented itself holus-bolus to my mind's mystic
eye and sharply sensitive ear while I reclined
in a---what else?---laid-back recliner on a recent
lackluster afternoon.

to further pad the truth, naftly first suggested,
then coaxed, then whimpered, at length twisting
my right leg and kneecap into a painful tangle---
before I gave in and said I'd use it.

the abuse by naftly lasted, by the digital lights
of an atomic clock, all of nine minutes; I confess,
however, it felt like it took much longer.

(for yourself remember naftly. who knows? you
just might find a practical use for it.

or not.

I should introduce you also to chocko. perhaps.
another time maybe?)

— barbsdad2003, May 27, 2008

About the Author

Country/Region: USA

Critiques

infinite_dwarf

18 years ago

lol

Chuck - I have no idea what you're talking about, but really like this. Isn't a chocko someone who lives in either Southern Europe or Southern Asia?? Will have to read back through, and see if I can get the overall gist of what you mean. :~) ~Jess K. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

barbsdad2003

18 years ago

Thanx, Jess

I was hoping YOU could tell me what it's about. 'Twas a fun, fun write. Flights of fancy, though customarily not so fancy, are frequently silly (and thus (perhaps too) quickly dismissed), I allus say. Although I suspect the biblical spoof is evident. Thanx to the Bible I had some words to play with at the start. I guess I could describe them as toys with which to tinker. Yours in ample fun, Chuck PS: Since chocko is mentioned in the title---and then not included in the poem (actually, it was present in the body of the piece in an earlier draft, then subsequently edited out)---I felt obligated to mention it at least in passing at the end of author's notes. PPS: Odd words, real or not, do visit me from time to time. Uninvited.

infinite_dwarf

18 years ago

Thought on it s'more.....

Ok, so this is totally far-fetched but: Precept = command.... therefore, Commandment. "precept upon precept" = being overwhelmed with commandments. Humpty Dee = Humpty Dumpty? Conclusion: You're so overwhelmed with commandments and orders that you faint and fall off the wall like Humpty Dumpty. (sorry, that's the best I could come up with...) ~Jess K. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

barbsdad2003

18 years ago

Humpty dee ...

is merely used as an interjection, somewhat on the order of "fiddlesticks" (or "phooey"). The piece itself alludes, although distantly (obscurely?), to the careful writing of a logically structured poem/verse/piece by someone whose lack of carefulness in other regards becomes apparent. So I'd suggest the piece cautions someone who doesn't pay more than casual attention to other-than-logical aspects of his/her work of poetic art ... a caution that he/she may be deemed inept by veteran readers of poetry and perhaps would need a bit more practice, with maybe some competent assisting guidance thrown into the pot, to become worthy of the label poet. I think other meanings can be attached to the piece, but the above's what I had most in mind. Other than the biblical spoof, of course. Yours, Chuck PS: I'm sure a more thoughtful read might discover other messages, some very well hidden, others not so. Many of the words used are taken directly from Isaiah 28:10. At the moment I don't have a Bible beside me, so can't share with you the full biblical content referenced. PPS: There's also the matter of the spoof of myself that blows right through the piece.

whitetea

18 years ago

infinite dwarf

precept upon precept is a big big passage used in all different kinds of sermons. its generally called on when they are explaining a hefty christian topic or going the apologist route. my parents church interprets it as you have to study something over and over and the accumulated meaning will reveal itself.

whitetea

18 years ago

>

You made me smile here. Like I said above this was a huge verse I've heard sputtered out all of my life. Its used to help clothe the blunt edges of christianity. Look at it closer, oh do try to understand. I like what you bring out here suggesting that when the one who studies certain doctrines finally arrives at the peak of understanding he might even think, well what good did that do? This is the second time I've seen art spring from it.

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