Dear Antiseptic,

A few clarifications:

I was politely asking you for civility
because as Severin has told us, her mother
is terminally ill and very frail,
and Severin is selling
her home and moving to the country to look
after her mother. It's Severin's choice.

For you to call Severin's mother a "selfish
old cow," is as Severin stated -
"beyond reprehensible."
Severin did not insult you or your children on the
other thread - yet you chose to do so without
any provocation on this one.

Your comment has nothing to do with the topic of
this thread, which is "What's Your Favourite
Poem - And Why?" And to use the excuse that
"You started it," is just so weak and lame.
Then you've got the nerve to talk about honesty.
That's really chutzpah!
(chutzpah - is what the Americans call gall.
And example is when you murder your parents then
try to throw yourself on the mercy of the court
because you're an orphan).

My comment to which you refer was made to you on
another thread and it was tied in with the
recommendation that parents should plan for
their old age. It has nothing to do with
Severin's mother - which is a different case
altogether and in this case - it is Severin's
choice to be with her terminally ill mother.

Also, just for the record. I don't go to catalogues
to find books of quotations. I don't need to.
I actually have a vast
library collection at home, which includes poetry,
(as well as a Master's in Literature) so my knowledge
in the subject is quite broad.

Anyway, please in future do try to stick to the subject
of the thread and if you can't then I would appreciate
your not posting at all, rather than your continued
troll like behaviour of consistently trying to derail
threads. You've been told in the past - start your
own threads on whatever topic you want - I'm sure
you'll find plenty of like-minded people responding
to your charms.

Dear David F.,

Once again - Thanks for your input.
As I've said previously - you have
the gift of widening our mind's eye
and taking us beyond the ordinary.

Dear Poirot,

David's wife is, like him, very talented.
And I too can see a connection with the
riotous and inventive writing of Roald
Dahl. Especially his description of the
"awesome snozzcumber" in the "BFG." (1982):

"It's disgusterous!" the BFG gurgled.
"It's sickable! It's rotsome! It's maggotwise!
Try it yourself, this foulsome snozzcumber!"

cont'd ...

Dear Poirot,

Children love the gritty, earthy flavour
of Mother Goose; they savour the emotions
of lyrical poetry; they gulp down the
comic and the witty; they chew slowly
a narrative well told. Watch children
enjoy the image of the little cat in
Carl Sandburg's, "Fog." :

"The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sets looking
over harbour and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on."

Or Eleanor Farjeon's personification of
the tide in "The Tide in the River." :

"The tide in the river,
The tide in the river,
The tide in the river runs deep.
I saw a shiver
Pass over the river
As the tide turned in its sleep."

What a choice morsel! The tide runs and runs
and then it sleeps - and then it stirs and
shivers, as a sleeper does just before waking ...

And of course there's Roald Dahl's, "Jack
and the Beanstalk." :

"Jack's mother said, "We're stony broke!
Go out and find some wealthy bloke
Who'll buy our cow. Just say she's sound
And worth at least a hundred pound.
But don't you dare to let him know
That she's as old as billy-o."

Foxy,

When Jack produced one lousy bean,
His startled mother, turning green,
Leaped high up in the air and cried,
"I'm absolutely stupefied!",
"You crazy boy! D'you really mean
"You sold our Daisy for a bean?
She snatched the bean. She yelled, "You chump!"
And flung it on the rubbish dump.

I'm still using Roald Dahl's books. They were my daughter's, although she's all grown up now, my eight year-old son is now reading them. That's the good thing about books they don't wear out that easily.

Dear Poirot,

Books can be used again and again -
that's the beauty of them. My children
loved June Factor's, "Far Out, Brussel
Sprout." Especially her "off colour"
rhymes:

"The night was dark and stormy,
the dunny light was dim,
I heard a crash and then a splash -
By gosh! He's fallen in!"

Maybe this is very much a part of
growing up.

Dear Foxy,

My son was a big fan of Lynley Dodd's rhyming books - Hairy Maclary and Slinky Malinki are just two of a host of characters from her books. She is a very descriptive writer and manages to insert all sorts of delicious words into her stories.