Not Poetry. Quatrain Verse in English & Swedish. Dagsverser. On the Mundane & the Arcane.
His looks sallow carotene
that shamelessly lying brawler
a sick psyche philistine
in pursuit of that next dollar
Utterly Orwellian
but that’s not by far all
a shameless chameleon
with heart and hands too small
Still those who got him elected
feel elated not dejected
Such light & lovely wheat
not like grumpy rye
While she’s so gushy, sweet
he’s reticent, wry
Shall we know their true faces
within their home’s four walls?
Hurling invectives, vases
then making up in schmaltz?
Us humans but fleetingly decorous
while we’re rarely-failing obstreperous
when spared caprice?
Blessed why
in perfect peace?
What wondrous bestowment
awake in the moment!
Found restful affinity
in a routine austere
with restrained sanguinity
across every frontier
Am at peace in episodes
when in context coheres
I mitigate overloads
by pulling in low gears
While not lounging in The Holy Trinity
perhaps loitering in its vicinity?
När tankar virrar fram-tillbaka
ens sinne inte kännes här
när både röst å händer skaka
då blev man säkert pensionär
Försent nu att sätta pli
så, så fick de bara bli!
trots sina stugsittar vanor
Bor på Stillahavskusten nånstans
å tjatar om svenska anor
Där han höres klaga å ljuga
att var svart får på släktens gård
med ynklig bil å för trång stuga
blev barndommen hans alltför hård
Nu med stort hus å bil vräkig
är han alltjämt lika mjäkig
Well anchored in the mundane
a kindly well wisher
won’t worry about methane
was never a phisher
A good parishioner
proudly pragmatic
never a missioner
vaguely dogmatic
Another human afraid & flawed
seeking shelter in a world of fraud
Asleep pain invades my hip
while cramp runs up a leg
in discomfort’s iron grip
does not avail to beg
In bed for too long a stretch
tossing, turning restless
At dawn getting up to kvetch
of hours which dragged endless!
During day I cower
fearful decrepit
of when tonight turns dour
can’t fake intrepid
Now longer ‘esse quam videri’
but rather the other way around
Of ancient wisdom we have grown weary
not letting others’ insight confound
These days largely perception
now ‘seem’ equals ‘to be’, truly!
Keeping up the deception
displaying presumption coolly
Be a showoff and act headstrong
and they may not suspect you’re wrong!
+)
-esse quam videri = ‘to be, rather than to seem (to be)’
Finding this ‘ship’ (or a perhaps a similar one)
https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/ships/gp-regal-princess/
docking in my home port of Gothenburg indignantly inspired this verse:
Those cruise ships ascensive
intrusions ostensive:
Floating (so over the top)
huge high rise city blocks
propelled by huge churning prop:
Cruising crescendo rocks!
Railed clueless passengers
grinning & gawking
they’re tourism’s scavengers
while locals mocking
Ship of schlock
please don’t dock!
+)
railed = here: lined up along the ship’s rail