Un 'Tis a challenge to always be right, To gently correct when with words one could smite. To remain patiently kind When dealing with those of small mind. Yet not be dragged down by the blight. Deux What does it take to always be right? Hands down each time, to win every fight? Steadfastly claiming to be superior, A guardian of truth, not a pain in the posterior — And when called out complain of one’s plight. Trois Lonely...

FragmentedThat title — what on Earth could it mean?Has another heart been torn asunder?No, it refers to phrases trimmed too lean,Sentences lacking substance and thunder.Fragments, as they are commonly known;Lines missing at least one vital part.Though unable to stand on their own,They oft appear in literary art.These snippets bear just part of the blame —What a minefield writers must traverse!Run-ons to wrangle, tense shi...

Oh, I don’t know just where to begin — “Where it feels right,” you’d likely advise. I smile; though merely a thought from within, It is your voice, familiar and wise. I have learned so much from you, my friend, Some of it serious, some of it silly. You’ve shown me when to stand firm, when it’s better to bend, Or more prudent yet to ponder a water lily. Yes, you make me think, but you make me laugh too. Who knew laundry co...

Oh dear, what a turn of bad luck— In rhyme, my thought process is stuck! It's my fate to find pleasure In syntax with measure, 'Til I pull myself out of this...messy situation. (Whew! I'm so relieved, I'm dumbstruck.)

Poetry and I never could get along, I grappled with the rules, and the gist of the stanza. Frozen with fear I might do it all wrong, Over poetry writing, I chose reruns of Bonanza. Part of the problem was this business with rhyming— It had to be perfect and, of course, also make sense, Keeping in mind meter, scansion and timing. And on top of all that was — or is — the matter of tense. Haiku, pastoral, limerick or free ve...

Entering the room, the wife stopped short at the door:She saw not one, two or three, but FOUR pants on the floor!What could have caused an action so rash,Four trousers crumpled like yesterday's trash? Pair No. 1 was a scintilla off-hue.Black slacks had been ordered; navy blue would not do.The next pair examined, judged unfit for display —Its slightly frayed hem had caused utter dismay. A third castaway was the oddest one...