Member Poem

Straighten Up 

Your spine juts out, dear. Stand up straight.

You hunch as if you’re ninety-two.

You’re like a stick. Put on some weight.

Who claims you’re human? Only you.

Please wear a shirt on the avenue;

it’s not a pleasant sight. Update

your wardrobe so your charm comes through.

Your spine juts out, dear. Stand up straight.

The giraffe’s a beast to imitate;

you’d have a panoramic view

of all the vistas in the state.

You hunch as if you’re ninety-two.

I’ll bet a bowl of oyster stew

would rapidly rejuvenate

your bounce. You’d be a kangaroo

and not a stick. Put on some weight.

Impossible to overstate

how much the ape down at the zoo

would give in figs to have a date

with someone barely human: you!

You need a shave, hon. Don’t eschew

your friendly razor. Concentrate

and straighten up. Don’t misconstrue

my good advice. Cooperate!

Your spine juts out.

_______________

(Appeared in Some Treasures of Contemporary Rondeau Poetry)