Saturday September 15th, 2012

The exercise:

Write a four line poem about: bagpipes.

I don't know what your opinion of bagpipes might be, but I would hope that you'd agree that hearing them being played full blast directly across from your farmers market stall at nine o'clock Saturday morning, when you've been awake since five o'clock, is not particularly pleasant.

Thank goodness dude got rotated to another busker spot after half an hour. And was then replaced by my new favorite act at the market, Oceans & Lights. In fact I was so appreciative of their appearance I went and bought their CD.

Anyway. Sales were okay this week, not spectacular. Kind of an in between week for us, so it went all right considering. My greeting cards did better than usual, so that helped a bit.

Mine:

Squeeze the life out of it,
Like it's done something wrong;
Add in some cat torture
And proclaim it a song!

3 comments:

Greg said...

Oceans & Lights (at least the link you provided) remind a little of 90s indie music. It's pretty good stuff, and definitely better than a bagpiper for an early Saturday morning.
I think playing the bagpipes is a little bit like playing the trumpet: it requires skill on the musician's part to get actual music from it, though any idiot can blow into one.
I think you nailed all the usual comments about bagpipes in your poem today – good work for just four lines! Of course, what does that leave the rest of us with...?

Bagpipes
"A waterbed's a bag of water,"
Said my plumber, "Without doubt!"
So when that bag got to leaking
He whipped his bagpipes out!

Aholiab said...

Bagpipes

What drew those three tear tracks on your cheek?
A clear-voiced soprano singing “Amazing Grace” at the graveside.
A stern-faced marine bugling “Taps” from the oak grove.
A kilt-clad Scot playing bagpipes on the nearby hillside.

Marc said...

Greg - I think this particular musician was reasonably skilled, it was more the volume of his music that I took issue with.

Hah, that's a fun take on the prompt :D

Aholiab - a lovely take on the potential power of the bagpipes, when found in an appropriate setting.