Wednesday, January 24, 2024

MAKING THE FLOWERS JEALOUTH

by Gordon Kippola






Of a sudden, I remember, or seem to, 

anyway, when mom and dad were doing

some community chorus thing together 

through Bremerton’s Olympic College,

wherein they sang a lovely madrigal entitled:

“My Bonnie Lass, She Smelleth,”
being a Renaissance parody of a ballett

written by English composer Thomas Morley

back in 1595 (and who among us isn’t

a Morley fan?). Peter Schickele has died.

P.D.Q Bach, that most awesomely pretend

alter-ego, perishes alongside. In his book

(published in ‘77 as I finish high school),

The Definitive Biography of P.D.Q. Bach,

Professor Schickele introduced the concept 

of — Originality Through Incompetence —

I like to think I lived those words with honor

in each of my own small creative endeavors.

As I texted, reminiscing, with my sister last night: 

It’s going to get even worse when Weird Al goes.



Following a career as a U.S. Army musician, Gordon Kippola earned an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Tampa, and calls Bremerton, Washington home. His poetry has appeared in Rattle, Post Road MagazineDistrict Lit, The Main Street Rag, Southeast Missouri State University Press, and other splendid publications.