The Unexpected Steps
#1
I begged them not to buy a dishwashing machine –
we obsessive compulsives need stuff we can clean.
But computer said yes and so the nursing team
are gathered around to watch the light turn green.
“It does plates and bowls and forks and knives,
it’ll revolutionise our lives!
We won’t have to lift a finger,
we can sit down and watch Jerry Springer.
We can watch chat shows, game shows, quizzes,
we can do anything except the dishes.”

In the dining room with the brand new floor
that’s slightly higher than it was before,
above the door a sign directs
Beware of the Unexpected Steps!
I did a foxtrot and I did a fan-dance,
I did the polka and I did the can-can.
I did me a jive, a jig and a twist,
now I’ve got to see The Psychiatrist.

She sat down next to me on the couch,
pulled out a needle and I said “Ouch!”
She said “Don’t be shy or play hard to get,
tell me about the unexpected steps!
What do they mean, these different dances,
the big moves back and the small advances?
Do you hear voices? Do you see visions?
My dear, do you have any strong suspicions?”
She hitched up her skirt, cupped her jaw
and ticked off the box marked Build a Rapport.

In the best interest of my mental hygiene
I told her about the dishwashing machine,
the computer and TV that in conjunction
were disabling every human function.
“Ah, so you have a functional psychosis!”
She laughed like a drain and then I noticed
how handsome she looked in a certain light.
“Tell me about the dream you had last night!”

I dreamt I saw Jesus when his time was brief,
nailed to the cross in lieu of a thief,
imploring The Lord “Take this cup from my lips.”
But his pleas were ignored, seemed like Jesus had his chips
until a giant hand swooped down upon the scene,
stole the cup and threw it in the dishwashing machine.
I woke from the dream where I’d been immersed
with pins and needles and a raging thirst.

I glanced at her slyly, her eyes big and wide,
she said “That’s a bad dream, you’re very paranoid!
You’ve a Messiah Complex, yes, you’re grandiose,
I think a nervous breakdown could be rather close.
You’ve a morbid fear of technology
and are needing treatment that’s compulsory!”
I begged for mercy and she smiled “Well, I guess,
if you teach me how to dance the unexpected steps!”

So we polkaed and waltzed, we jived and twisted,
we broke off in the jig because I insisted –
she ain’t a bad mover, I’ll admit, for a shrink,
but my legs were numb and I needed a drink.
She said “I’ll go get some Chlorpromazine”
and pulled a cup from her dishwashing machine.

I don’t figure I’ll visit there for a while,
unless washing by hand comes back into style.
The shrink’s convinced that I’m in denial
like Pontius Pilate at that old time trial.
“Come see me some time and finish your cup”
She’s learnt new steps; she says the jig is up
and urges me to abandon retro,
but I shall never dance to Techno.
Before criticising a person try walking a mile in their shoes. Then when you do criticise that person, you are a mile away.... and you have their shoes.
Reply
#2
it's a long one for the the fun section yet it's also almost perfect for it, i was hoping it wasn't in the serious forum as i wouldn't know where to start. it makes me laugh so it works. i do want the psychiatrist
Reply
#3

Those damn mentally ill people! It it weren't for them,
mental illness wouldn't have such a bad reputation.

But then, without them, it wouldn't be as funny.


[Image: suicide.jpg]

                                                                                                                a brightly colored fungus that grows in bark inclusions
Reply
#4
Suicide aside, I really like the unexpected steps, it's just my empty cup of tea. Or maybe it's the polka, always a good way to start the day.
billy wrote:welcome to the site. make it your own, wear it like a well loved slipper and wear it out. ella pleads:please click forum titles for posting guidelines, important threads. New poet? Try Poetic DevicesandWard's Tips

Reply
#5
Thanks. I don't quite understand how suicide entered the thread but I shan't get myself hung up over it.
Before criticising a person try walking a mile in their shoes. Then when you do criticise that person, you are a mile away.... and you have their shoes.
Reply
#6
we don't usually give normal feedback in the for fun forum

plus, suicide gos well with psychiatrists
Reply
#7
(08-13-2014, 12:20 AM)ray Wrote:  Thanks. I don't quite understand how suicide entered the thread but I shan't get myself hung up over it.

As billy said "suicide goes well with psychiatrists".
(Out of deference, I made the suicide image a bit smaller.)

The poem, BTW, is well-crafted and makes some salient points.
Because of this, I think it's a better fit for misc. Putting it in the
fun category demeans both the poem and, more importantly,
it's subject. Not that I'm asking it to be moved, that's up to
the writer who posts it. I'm just putting in my 4.2 bits.

                                                                                                                a brightly colored fungus that grows in bark inclusions
Reply
#8
(08-13-2014, 04:29 AM)rayheinrich Wrote:  
(08-13-2014, 12:20 AM)ray Wrote:  Thanks. I don't quite understand how suicide entered the thread but I shan't get myself hung up over it.

As billy said "suicide goes well with psychiatrists".
(Out of deference, I made the suicide image a bit smaller.)

The poem, BTW, is well-crafted and makes some salient points.
Because of this, I think it's a better fit for misc. Putting it in the
fun category demeans both the poem and, more importantly,
it's subject. Not that I'm asking it to be moved, that's up to
the writer who posts it. I'm just putting in my 4.2 bits.


Thanks, Billy, Ray. Nice move with the suicide image. Makes all the difference. Yeah, maybe I should have put it in Miscellaneous. Not quite sure what goes where. It's meant to be funny whilst taking a few swipes, mostly at idiots like myself. Serious subjects can be funny, though. It's well known that the loudest guffaw ever recorded occurred when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Before criticising a person try walking a mile in their shoes. Then when you do criticise that person, you are a mile away.... and you have their shoes.
Reply
#9
that was someone doing an extended fart in his direction.
Reply
#10
(08-12-2014, 05:58 PM)ray Wrote:  I begged them not to buy a dishwashing machine –
we obsessive compulsives need stuff we can clean.
But computer said yes and so the nursing team
are gathered around to watch the light turn green.
“It does plates and bowls and forks and knives,
it’ll revolutionise our lives!
We won’t have to lift a finger,
we can sit down and watch Jerry Springer.
We can watch chat shows, game shows, quizzes,
we can do anything except the dishes.”

In the dining room with the brand new floor
that’s slightly higher than it was before,
above the door a sign directs
Beware of the Unexpected Steps!
I did a foxtrot and I did a fan-dance,
I did the polka and I did the can-can.
I did me a jive, a jig and a twist,
now I’ve got to see The Psychiatrist.

She sat down next to me on the couch,
pulled out a needle and I said “Ouch!”
She said “Don’t be shy or play hard to get,
tell me about the unexpected steps!
What do they mean, these different dances,
the big moves back and the small advances?
Do you hear voices? Do you see visions?
My dear, do you have any strong suspicions?”
She hitched up her skirt, cupped her jaw
and ticked off the box marked Build a Rapport.

In the best interest of my mental hygiene
I told her about the dishwashing machine,
the computer and TV that in conjunction
were disabling every human function.
“Ah, so you have a functional psychosis!”
She laughed like a drain and then I noticed
how handsome she looked in a certain light.
“Tell me about the dream you had last night!”

I dreamt I saw Jesus when his time was brief,
nailed to the cross in lieu of a thief,
imploring The Lord “Take this cup from my lips.”
But his pleas were ignored, seemed like Jesus had his chips
until a giant hand swooped down upon the scene,
stole the cup and threw it in the dishwashing machine.
I woke from the dream where I’d been immersed
with pins and needles and a raging thirst.

I glanced at her slyly, her eyes big and wide,
she said “That’s a bad dream, you’re very paranoid!
You’ve a Messiah Complex, yes, you’re grandiose,
I think a nervous breakdown could be rather close.
You’ve a morbid fear of technology
and are needing treatment that’s compulsory!”
I begged for mercy and she smiled “Well, I guess,
if you teach me how to dance the unexpected steps!”

So we polkaed and waltzed, we jived and twisted,
we broke off in the jig because I insisted –
she ain’t a bad mover, I’ll admit, for a shrink,
but my legs were numb and I needed a drink.
She said “I’ll go get some Chlorpromazine”
and pulled a cup from her dishwashing machine.

I don’t figure I’ll visit there for a while,
unless washing by hand comes back into style.
The shrink’s convinced that I’m in denial
like Pontius Pilate at that old time trial.
“Come see me some time and finish your cup”
She’s learnt new steps; she says the jig is up
and urges me to abandon retro,
but I shall never dance to Techno.

Just great, ray....strains of Dylan's Motor-psycho Nightmare...I don't figure I'll be back there for a spell(unquote)....hell, I could sing it to the tune!
Best,
tectak
Reply
#11
(08-13-2014, 10:33 PM)ray Wrote:  ... Serious subjects can be funny, though. ...

And the most effective way to communicate politically controversial,
taboo, or just plain difficult subjects. Writers who excel at parody are
usually the first ones to be imprisoned, deported, shot... Smile

                                                                                                                a brightly colored fungus that grows in bark inclusions
Reply




Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)
Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!