Sunday, June 10, 2018
The Reason Why
The Surreal Responses of Childhood
Cocktail, Ginger Ale
Ten Cents a glass.
If you don’t like it,
you can shove it up your
Ask me no questions
I’ll tell you no lies!
If you get hit
with a pail of shit,
be sure to close your eyes!
(Or our more direct neighborhood variant--Starr and Winchester, New Haven--for most games, especially Jump-rope ones.)
Cuz I got hit
with a pail of shit,
and that’s the reason why!
Labels: children's games, children's rhymes, neighborhood, surrealism
Friday, October 20, 2017
Found a Peanut
Found a peanut, found a peanut
found a peanut last night
last night I found a peanut
found a peanut last night
Jeannette Lillian Delser
It was rotten, it was rotten
it was rotten last night
last night it was rotten
it was rotten last night
from the Jump Rope gang
at Starr and Winchester
Ate it anyway, ate it anyway
ate it anyway last night
last night I ate it anyway
ate it anyway last night
whose jump mates and
grandparents called her Kikky
Got a tummy ache, got a tummy ache
got a tummy ache last night
last night I got a tummy ache
got a tummy ache last night
and went to Hillhouse High School,
later Cornell, for Bachelors and
PhD, there marrying Jess “Jester”
Harborough, killed in Korean War
Went to the hospital, went to the hospital
went to the hospital last night
last night I went to the hospital
went to the hospital last night
married Mack Brodsky of the Biology
Department of West Chester University of
Pennsylvania where she also taught.
Three daughters.
died anyway, died anyway
died anyway last night
last night she died anyway
died anyway last night.
Labels: children's games, death, jumprope, obituary
Thursday, July 06, 2017
The Animating Games
What’s your name?
Puddin-Tane.
Where do you live?
Down the lane.
What’s your number?
Cucumber!
Rhymes increasingly surreal
hold off terror a time.
So, a breathless result!
But in KICK THE CAN
one might
send it chattering infinitely
down an endless hill,
and really hide thus
from murdering adults.
Labels: adults, childhood, childhood rhymes and songs, childhood surrealism, childhood terror, children, children's games, kick the can
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Buck Buck! How Many Fingers Up?
One leans against a wall,
as far away from it
as he can.
Another leans against him in
the same pose, gripping him
around the waist and presently,
another one or two or more. Then
a player takes off running,
leaps upon that chain with
as much might as possible,
(Big one gets the whole chain
groaning) followed by members of
his team piling on. Whereupon,
buck question gets asked.
And if the one against
the wall answers correctly,
his team becomes runners
and the failed leapers must
assume the interlocked mules’
positions. That’s the kids’ game
and variations abound.
Metaphoric comparisons too,
many, of course, in politics.
Labels: children's games
