Bruce Niedt

Thief of Time

 

I stole a moment, then stole two,

a petty bit of larceny.

I promise they'll come back to you.

 

I had so many things to do;

instead I chose to shake them free.

I stole a moment, then stole two

 

and maybe more—it may be true

I shirked responsibility.

I swear, I'll make it up to you.

 

I need to do this to get through

these days of stress and anarchy.

I stole a moment, then stole two,

 

and soon my time bank would accrue

enough for creativity.

I promise they'll come back to you.

 

Time management I may eschew,

but I wrote you some poetry.

I stole a moment, then stole two;

I promised they'd come back to you.

Odd Couple

He’s so slow and she’s so fast,

They’re opposites, one may presume.

So will this marriage ever last?

Methodical, he’s fly-fish-cast;

She sweeps like a brand-new broom.

His style is slow, while hers is fast.

He’s half-done the night’s repast,

When she clears dishes from the room.

How can this marriage ever last?

He measures twice, with notes amassed;

She’s kitchen-sink and sonic-boom.

He takes life slow; she likes it fast.

Her fuse is short, his patience vast;

They were not knit from common loom.

Why should this marriage ever last?

And how much time together passed?

Sixty years as bride and groom.

She loves him slow; he loves her fast.

They made this marriage ever-last.

(Previously published in the journal Sunken Lines.)

One Dish

(Inspired by my Word spell checker which, while I was transcribing Elizabeth Bishop's "One Art" into a Word file, tried to correct the word "losing's" to "lasagna's".)

The art of lasagna’s not too hard to master;

it can be done with culinary bent.

Good recipes will save you from disaster.

First boil the noodles – if you want them faster,

you may prefer to cook them till “al dent….”

The art of lasagna isn’t hard to master.

Then lay the noodles in the pan, and plaster

ricotta cheese on top (a lot, I meant!).

This recipe will save you from disaster.

Tomato sauce – no jars will pass the muster!

If it’s homemade, it’s worth the time you spent.

The art of lasagna’s not too hard to master.

Add layers – make this dinner vaster!

And top with mozzarella – heaven-sent!

This recipe will save you from disaster.

And then I will appoint myself your taster….

To eat it all was never my intent!

Lasagna’s art is not too hard to master;

This recipe won’t look like (Bake it!) a disaster.