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I appreciate your comment, Fred. Thanks. Judy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Frederick Pollack" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, August 10, 2006 6:40 AM Subject: Re: Bea's Lovely Poetry Workshop > Very good, Judy. The last word especially witty, unexpectedly > understated. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "judy prince" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 3:18 PM > Subject: Poem: Bea's Lovely Poetry Workshop > > > Bea's Lovely Poetry Workshop > > > "We've been coming to this workshop for upwards of 6 years now," said > Evelyn Utter, "and after last week's workshop we met for tea, coffee, > crackers, biscuits and scones at the Buck and Ram. Once Oliver had gone > home, we swiftly came to a decision---not one dissenting vote!" > > "Well? And what was it?" said Bea. > > "We want to change everything we've been doing in the workshop to make it > more ... interesting." > > "I'm all ears!" Bea said, listening with only half an ear. > > Evelyn had lost her courage. After all, she had only written 14 poems in > 6 years---which the other participants had told her was because of the > boringness of the workshops. She nudged Angela. > > Immensely uncomfortable in confronting The Poetry Authority (which was > Bea), Angela nevertheless proclaimed: "We want things to look at!" > > "Like what?" > > "I should think a good start would be flowers ... " Angela said, beginning > to falter. > > "Fine. Why don't we arrange for one of us to bring flowers from home each > week? That settled? Ready to do poetry, my dear workshoppers?" > > Angela seemed comforted. But Evelyn was clearly not to be put off so > quickly. "We need more than flowers!" she yelped. "We need something > more than that!" > > Bea determined that she would not only make her participants happy, but > she would give them quite a surprise. "Tell you what. Next week I'll > arrange for you to have 'something more than that', and if you're still > wanting more, we'll discuss it again." > > The participants, in various postures and expressions, relented. They'd > give it a whirl. Nothing to be lost by seeing what happened next week. > They took up their notebooks and scribbled their versions of what had just > happened, trying to make it sound poetic. > > The following week, Bea came into the bare workshop room with a bouquet of > gardenias in a glass vase. Evelyn and Angela sat in front and exclaimed > at the flowers' beauty and fragrance. You could see that they felt it was > fine----but not enough to be 'something more interesting'. > > The other three participants came in, followed by a tech person who > brought in 5 easels. He put them in front of each participant's chair, > and then brought in a chaise longue which he placed in the center of the > room in perfect view of the workshoppers. Then he left. > > The door opened and an arm extended, its fingers holding the tip of a > black velvet something. In came the rest of the person, a red-haired man > covered with a full-length cape. He strolled past the workshoppers toward > the room's center, bent and smelled the gardenias, selected one and gave > it to Evelyn. > > Then he unfastened the braid frog at the cape's top, swished off the cape, > twirled it around and flung it onto the chaise longue. Then he reclined, > nude, on the chaise. > > Evelyn's gardenia trembled. Angela gripped her notebook. No one, not > even the naked man, moved. > > "We'll have him do 60-second poses first so that we can write or even > sketch on the easel with heightened emotions and rapid reactions. Since > we've become such a democratic group of late, perhaps you'll have > suggestions as to his poses," Bea said and waited. > > "Yes, I should think he'd be more comfortable if he had a pillow behind > his head," Angela ventured. > > She always sat on a cushion brought from home, so she stood, took the > cushion to the chaise and placed it under his head. He thanked her with a > gleaming smile. > > Evelyn stood up suddenly, walked quickly to the chaise and moved the man's > left leg up onto it. > > Angela was shocked. "Don't you think that's a bit forward!" > > Evelyn countered, "It's up, not forward." > > At last the man spoke: "I am perfectly comfortable with however you > decide to arrange me. Feel free." > > The three other participants rushed up and began arranging the man who was > beginning to enjoy himself immensely (as was difficult not to notice). > > Bea thought, on balance, that her solution had caught on quite nicely and > that her husband wouldn't mind. He was always a good sport and didn't > mind drafts. >