Couldn’t Resist = “Not A La Vongole”
Not Quite A La Vongole
Pearl and Oyster came to shore
in a ruffled and ridged canoe.
It was made of shell
stretched all pell mell
but at least it well fit two.
Oyster smiled the smile of a clam
tight-lipped and circumference-wide
while Pearl just beamed at all that sand–
the possibilities it implied.
To culture the beach like a music class
introduced, let’s say, to Puccini–
that’s how Pearl thought, so very fast,
while Oyster got caught in linguini–
Some folks don’t know about oysters;
all bivalves, to some, are the same.
Pearl wore her very best necklace
when she thought of Oyster again–
And when she heard the tenor Rudolfo
sing of Mimi’s ice cold hand–
tears pale as waves of milky froth
washed her once more onto that strand.
**************************
Okay, okay. I couldn’t resist. I AM taking a mental blog break. But with Kerry O’Connor of With Real Toads AND Edward Lear, as an inspiration, the old wheels just started spinning. On my behalf, I have started re-working an old fantasy novel so I am making a sort of progress. (The drawing above is kind of awful but meant to be a pearl and an oyster.) Also, for those who don’t care for opera – Rudolfo is the tenor hero of La Boheme, by Puccini; he sings one of his greatest aria’s about the cold hands of Mimi, the soprano.
Tags: Canoe for Two, Inspired by Edward Lear, La Boheme with Oysters, manicddaily, Not A la Vongole, Pearl and Oyster, Pearl Washed onto a Strand
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ManicDDaily 
May 4, 2013 at 6:02 pm
“Oyster smiled the smile of a clam
tight-lipped and circumference-wide”
That is so delightfully vivid!
May 4, 2013 at 6:26 pm
I’m laughing like crazy here, k. Bivalves and Puccini’s most dramatic opus, all intermingled with canoes, sand and linguini. I’m sure Lear would be either shocked or delighted if he could see us now–maybe both–and this has his wink and nod attitude, with an overlay of present tense. Much fun–and I for one am glad you strayed,( but glad also that you got some noveling done, too.)
May 4, 2013 at 7:42 pm
ha. what a fantastical poem k….fun with the pearl and the oyster, it wearing its necklace and washed back to the strand…glad to hear you are getting some work done on your novel…
May 4, 2013 at 10:49 pm
K, I liked the picture, just out of pixilations, I guess! Loved this take on Oyster and Pearl, how Pearl was literally “stranded on the strand” and eventually washed back to sea by her tears. Hey, Puccini, I’m with her all the way. Too bad for Oyster! Great, great write. Cheered me up. Thanks, Amy
May 4, 2013 at 11:23 pm
..this is wonderful, perfect in fact; out of a storybook like ‘owl and the pussycat’…
May 4, 2013 at 11:32 pm
Great fun here. I love shellfish, and I love pearls, and I love your nod to Edward Lear and to Puccini. A “ruffled and ridged canoe” is a delightful sort of watercraft!
K
May 5, 2013 at 12:11 am
THOUGH IT WAS WRITTEN FOR FUN, BUT IT BEAUTIFULLY AND GIVES A VERY INTENSE FEELING. LOVELY
May 5, 2013 at 12:32 am
Brilliant! Both poem and painting! Love them 🙂
May 5, 2013 at 3:00 am
I love everything (illustration, word choice, rhymes, rhythm, story galore) about this.
You are a genius at this kind of nonsense!
May 5, 2013 at 4:41 am
Mimi’s cold hands and the oysters are brilliant together, for me evoking the dichotomous senses of coming closer and moving apart. (Mimi un-healable and oyster unfriendly to the touch, however tastily throw with linguine.)
So fun to read your word frolic here,k. I imagine it must be overwhelming to assimilate all of the experiences of your past month. This lighthearted poem is just the thing. I esp. love Pearl’s eye on the sand.
May 5, 2013 at 6:12 am
I loved this luscious poem laced with all things Italian. Clever and enjoyable.
May 5, 2013 at 9:34 am
Lovely! It’s delightfully in the Edward Lear tradition and firmly in the groove.He’d have been proud of it, I’m sure!
May 5, 2013 at 1:10 pm
I’m in awe of your writing and imagination and knowledge of opera! Great illustration too. If that’s yours, it very much resembles Lear’s style!
May 5, 2013 at 3:53 pm
To write opera into this piece is so creative and then to make it so much fun was delightful!!
May 5, 2013 at 9:26 pm
thank goodness you didn’t leave us without this brilliant piece!
May 6, 2013 at 5:47 am
Ha. Thanks, Deb. k.
May 7, 2013 at 9:04 pm
Awe… amazing, fun and classy too!