Words from a Teacher's Past, 48

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #10: (a) luminous, (b) despondent

The ambiance was luminous;

The food, well, unsurpassed.

But still I felt despondent, for

The sky was overcast.

And then the rain in torrents fell—

And all my hopes were drowned:

The lover I had hoped to meet

Was nowhere near around.

So I went home—and there she was!

My wife! Now I explain:
We’d planned to eat outdoors that day,

But then … that freakin’ rain!

Words from a Teacher's Past, 47

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #9: (h) calamity, (i) domesticated

It seemed a sure calamity—

A wolf now living in their house!

I guess they’d have to wait and see

If he would like to have a spouse?

Domesticated wolves are rare—

Or so, at least, I’ve often read.

You’d best be watchful—use some care—

Or end up being something fed.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 46

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #9: (g) aristocrat, (h) pervade

“So you are an aristocrat?

I’ve read some things about your class—

Your fondness for the looking glass—

I guess you're sick of hearing that?”

“Well, yes, I am—those things pervade

The various kinds of media.

And no encyclopedia

Can tell you more. How ’bout a trade?

“I take your place? And you take mine?”

“I don’t think I would like the change—

So much in life to rearrange!

I like my life right now just fine.”

Words from a Teacher's Past, 45

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #9: (e) profusion, (f) inadvertent

Yes, in profusion birds were there—

They came, it seemed, from everywhere.

So it was inadvertent, see,

When I made this discovery—

That birds could fly, and I could not.

(I’d just forgot what I’d been taught.)

And so I climbed a tree—and “flew”—

Though that is not what humans do.

What humans do is flap each arm

And hit the ground and come to harm!

Words from a Teacher's Past, 44

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #9: (c) singular, (d) pronounced

The situation—singular.

The menaces—pronounced.

The jaguar—in the tree above.

The action—jaguar pounced.

The tragedy—he pounced on me.

Result—I felt some teeth.

The memories—I have none now.

Your feeling—lots of grief?

Words from a Teacher's Past, 43

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #9: (a) compel, (b) chronic

He had a chronic urge, I knew,

Not to convince but to compel.

I didn’t take that very well—

And soon our friendship ended—through.

He tried to win my friendship back—

But not with kindness—not with love—

No, not with sad eyes of a dove—

But with a savage knife attack.

“You’ll be my friend!” he said and slashed,

I ducked and dodged and saved my skin.

The white coats came and dragged him in,

His friendship hopes forever dashed.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 42

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #8: (i) taunt, (j) minority

A small minority will choose

To taunt and otherwise harass

The ones who struggle, ones who lose,

The ones who fail, some way, to pass.

But people who are truly kind—

And let us hope they are not few—

Will operate in better mind

And help the ones who struggle through.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 41

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #8: (g) reconcile, (h) commend

Well, I commend you for your plan

To meet and reconcile.

You haven’t spoken to your mate

For really quite a while.

(AN HOUR LATER)

What are those bruises on your face?

Those knots atop your head?

It seems she used a baseball bat

To counter what you said!

Sometimes you homer—sometimes not.
Sometimes (and there’s no doubt)
You try your best—you really do—
But, still, you just strike out.

Too bad it wasn’t she who fanned—
Who swung and merely missed.
A baseball bat feel worse—far worse—
Than when you’ve just been kissed.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 40

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #8: (e) sordid, (f) controversy

The tale was sordid—mercy, me!

And controversy? Everywhere.

I’m glad I wasn’t there to see

The bear that stripped and went ’round ... bare.

I’m not sure why he pulled that trick—

Or why it ever did occur—

But it was really kind of sick.

Oh, bear don’t ever shed your fur!*

(It’s more than all of us can ... bear.)

Words from a Teacher's Past, 39

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #8: (c) laceration, (d) perplex

In life, there’s so much to perplex—

Like jobs and love, like food and sex.

But where’s this laceration from?

Why is it here? How did it come?

Why don’t I notice injuries?

Wait! Something’s gone?!? Where are my knees?!!?

Words from a Teacher's Past, 38

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #8: (a) legitimate, (b) oppress

His only goal seemed to oppress

The ones he deemed inferior.

I thought of plans (I do confess)

To make him less superior.

Legitimate? My plans were not—

In fact they were a wee bit wrong.

I did the deed, and I was caught,

And now I serve a sentence—long!

Words from a Teacher's Past, 37

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #7: (i) malice, (j) retaliate

Show malice? I’ll retaliate.

I’ll hurry up your sorry fate—

And show you to a flaming gate,

Where You-Know-Who now waits for you—

He’s seen the sort of thing you do

And knows you’ll soon be coming through

His flaming gate.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 36

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #7: (g) ensue, (h) tumult

The tumult surged—what would ensue?

Could I escape? What could I do?

The mob surged ’round—their faces red

With anger. Cried: “Off with his head!”

“Whose head?” I thought. “I need a sign!”

They grabbed me. Oops. The head was mine.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 35

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #8: (c) laceration, (d) perplex

In life, there’s so much to perplex—

Like jobs and love, like food and sex.

But where’s this laceration from?

Why is it here? Why did it come?

Why don’t I notice injuries?

Wait! Something’s gone?!? Where are my knees?!!?

Words from a Teacher's Past, 34

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #7: (e) disconsolate, (f) conjecture

It’s merely a conjecture why

You seem so sad today.

It could be that your school’s resumed?

Your children gone away?

But do not be disconsolate—

Just think—and then you’ll see

That school’s soon out, and back they’ll come

A little after three!

Words from a Teacher's Past, 33

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #7: (c) impromptu, (d) pious

The pious fellow could not stand

Impromptu talks of any sort.

He thought they all should just be banned—

And even tried to go to court

To see if he could get them stopped.

The judge just laughed—told him to walk.

Believing he could not be topped,

The fellow spoke—impromptu talk.

Again the judge just laughed and said—

“You’re contradicting your own plea!”

The fellow scratched, then used his head:

“Uh, oh,” he said, “my bad—on me!”

Words from a Teacher's Past, 32

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #7: (a) presume, (b) cretin

He called me “cretin” many times—

It was among his viler crimes.

He was so cruel—I presume—

Because he’d stayed inside his room

Where his sad parents often sent

Their bully son. And so he went

From loneliness to cruelty—

And focused much of it on me.

Then years went by—and we were old.

Forgive me if I sound too bold—

I later won a Nobel Prize,

But he cried, “Cretin!” No surprise.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 31

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #6: (i) inevitably, (j) cremate

So, inevitably, all we humans will find

That we’re not all that special—not some “other” kind.

Though it seems that we rule all the sea and the earth—

And we’re taught to believe this not much after birth—

When we die (as we will), and they’re choosing our stones,

Well, the fires will just roar—and they’ll cremate our bones!

And so like other creatures, we’re mortal, you see?

At least you are, I know—though I’m not sure of me!

Words from a Teacher's Past, 30

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #6: (g) transient, (h) vain

All life, they say, is transient—

All pride, they say, is vain.

In age we wonder where Time went—

It’s not hard to explain.

It’s gone the way of every dream,

Of each preceding breath.

It’s lost along the route we take

From birth to age to death.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 29

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #6: (e) gaunt, (f) pandemonium

It was pure pandemonium

When we saw all the aliens come.

Their saucers opened on the field.

They stepped outside, and then they kneeled.

Their leader, who was tall and gaunt,

Said they would like to take a jaunt

Around our planet—just to see—

Which seemed a little strange to me

Because they’d had, well, quiet a view

From up above. So what was new?

Well, as they toured, they took control

And now rule all—not part, but whole.

And we're now filled with pure regret—

Our brains are frying … I forget.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 28

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #6: (c) cheechako, (d) sourdough*

So, that cheechako didn’t know

About a thing called sourdough.

And so there in the Yukon freeze

Starvation brought him to his knees—

Until he learned of sourdough,

And found his gold—so cool, Yo!?

*Cheechako is a Northland Indian word from the Yukon Gold Rush (1896-99), a word that referred to a newcomer in the North; sourdough is the substance--but also a word for a Yukon veteran. These words appeared on my list because I was teaching The Call of the Wild.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 27

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #6: (a) allege, (b) sequential

So you allege that I did what?

Say that again, I’ll kick your butt.

Yes, it’s sequential, how you act:

You lie, I whup—and that’s a fact!

Words from a Teacher's Past, 26

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #5: (i) dwindle, (j) wistful

I felt my hopes then dwindle, for

The sky was dark—a twister there?

I’d hoped to have a day more fair

To celebrate my new pet bear.

A wistful silence fills my heart

As I recall that fateful day.

The days my hopes all went away—

That day my bear tore me apart.

(And there was a tornado.)

Words from a Teacher's Past, 25

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #5: (g) impregnable, (h) contempt

The fortress seemed impregnable—

Atop it perched a human skull.

But we were full of pure contempt—

And knew that we would soon attempt

To storm the place—to conquer all!

Oh, pride, indeed, precedes a fall.

And in a very little while

That skull would show a grisly smile.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 24

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #5: (e) corrupt, (f) maneuver

His vile, corrupt maneuver

Caused the creep-o to be fired.

He’d tried a ruse to get her—

But such ways have now expired.

A clueless guy to make a play

In these, our time of #MeToo.

It’s better now—he’s gone away.

And I feel better—how ’bout you?

Words from a Teacher's Past, 23

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #5: (c) florid, (d) coherent

His face, full florid in the heat—

His incoherent speech—

His recent hungers—yes, he loved

To eat a lowly leech—

Convinced us that he’d lost his mind—

That he was truly mad—

Had lost all the acumen that

He recently had had.

When we suggested he get “help,”

He laughed—and nearly fell.

“I don’t need help! No, what I need?

You all should go to hell!”

And so we did … it was hot …