Intermission

Let’s take a wee poem break from my Dublin holiday. While perusalling those recently found notebooks full of older Amazing Bob ballads and verse, I found a couple paeans to one of his heroes, Dr. Seuss. He'd written these when the great man died in 1991. TAB loved Seuss' playfulness, his rhymes, silliness, straightforward wisdom and art.

For Dr. Seuss (1904-1991)

The sun did not shine
It was too wet to play
When I heard the news
on that cold, cold, wet day…

Dr. Seuss died today and blah, blah, blah

What kind of doctor was this
with no degree on the wall,
who spoke of creatures great and small
and other things (one and two)
with hearing so keen he could hear a who
without a stethoscope.

A doctor of words, he healed with a rhyme
Twisting everyday words out of time
and space
at his own pace
never a trace of a tear
on a face
but only laughter, laughter

Creator of worlds, imagined so real
He depicted each one with zest and with zeal.

HIs stories provided the perfect elixir
with silly and serious thrown in the mixer
for good measure
Each one a renewable pleasure
to treasure at leisure
whatever the weather

He spoke of The Grinch, The Gak and the Gox
The Zooks and The Yooks and Fox in Sox
The Cat in the Hat and all at once A
“Moss Covered 3 Handled Family Gradunza”
might spring out at you
when you least expect it.

Through the voice of The Lorax
He spoke for the trees
and the right for clean air
to blow in the breeze
He spoke against hatred, corruption and greed
in favor of love
which everyone,
               everyone,
                    everyone needs.

He taught us to try Green Eggs and Ham
A metaphor
for liver or Spam or
anything else we think we’ll hate
Just try it once, it may be great
If you still don’t like it
well, that’s cool
at least you know you’re not a fool
‘cause you experienced it for yourself.

Perhaps his greatest lesson of all
was teaching us to stand proud and tall
even with our back to the wall
in the face of adversity.
ugly perversity
“A Person’s a Person No Matter How Small”

And now The Doctor has gone away
He made his last house-call today
but in our hearts “The Doctor is in”
His words and pictures our prescription.

So sing a song for Dr. Seuss
And if you’d like sing with a Ying
Join me now if you know how
Could you? Would you?
Here right now?

SEUSS
LOOSE
Dr. Seuss is loose
Free to flee
this earthly cage

One Fish, Two Fish
Don’t be Blue, Fish
His spirit’s alive
on each page.   

I painted the three doors on our second floor a la Seuss for my sweet man. My original idea was to have them single, stark, vibrant colors. I also thought of, possibly, gracing them with Klimt or Matisse repros. And then my fabulous man’s health began to tank. Every year was worse than the one before. Struggle was the name of the game.

Happy art, funny art has purpose. Seuss helped.