RodWords

Selections From

WORDBOOK II & LIFE LINES

October 1976 to December 1977 & December 1976 to November 1981

My mother took me on a cruise in 1976. Her snoring was quite spectacular, and one night, laying awake--as usual--I tried to write it into a poem. Next morning, I read the poem to her, and she adamantly snapped back, "I do NOT snore!"

The Midnight World of My Mother's Snore

A battalion of bears.

A squadron of rumbling B-52s.

A great, gurgling laboratory experiment.

The creak of a huge wooden door,
opening and opening.

The grunt and gruff of a
million-year-old mummy,
breathing deep in his tomb...

A World War Spitfire, out of gas,
sputtering and weaving
down to land
on a last-hope runway,
green with grass.

The crisp, crackling crash
of dark timbers,
falling to the thick forest floor.

Fierce gales of wind, snorts of hurricane blast!
Trains on their tracks, rushing furious and fast.

I hear all this
and so much more,
in the midnight world
of my mother's snore.

My mother, Marguerite, furiously brushing her hair.

For some reason I drew the reflection stealing her purse.

IN ROUGE

In rouge and padded compliment,
in paste and long delay.
Any man's wish is only a waiter away.

Except me,
stuffed in thickets
of plush digress
and coffee hours.

Wading through
the awful stuff of
silver diamond souvenirs.

Except me,
accepting you as
so long gone and
miles back, wanting
you as touch-close
and living here,
with me.

But living,
here I am
in velvet sneeze
and autograph,
awaiting warm return.

I grew up watching Captain Kangaroo Saturday mornings on CBS. Left to right:
Dancing Bear, Mr. Moose, Mr. Green Jeans, Bunny Rabbit and the Captain.
I still love the THEME SONG!

Ode To Captain Kangaroo

Yes, I remember

Captain Kangaroo,

with Mr. Moose and Bunny Rabbit.

His soft white morning hair

and toy-elegant jacket

with big buttons and bright trim.

Yes, I remember --

how could I forget him?

There was mild, happy day music

and Mr. Green Jeans,

with a new animal every time,