Words from a Teacher's Past, 78

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #16: (a) holocaust, (b) diminish

The holocaust destroyed the wood—

The way a raging fire, well, could.

All lives diminished in the blaze—

Including ours: We’re now in haze.

This earth we love we need to mind—

Neglected nature’s less than kind.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 77

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #15: (i) overwhelm, (j) intervene

You looked so overwhelmed that I

Thought it was time to intervene.

You looked as sad as I have seen—

With fallen face and tear in eye.

But when I tried to cheer you some—

With jokes and pleasantries galore—

Instead, you cried, “No more! No more!

Why do you have to be so dumb!”

Well, that was that, the end of all.

You stormed off to—well, who knows where?

I found I kind of didn’t care.

In fact, I really had a ball!

Words from a Teacher's Past, 76

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #15: (g) subsequent, (h) confound

Your subsequent description did

Do nothing but confound.

You said you’d seen a Bigfoot once,

Just wandering around.

But then you said his feet were small—

“Petite,” in fact, you said.

And tiny feet don’t add too much

To terror or to dread.

So … did you see the thing? Or not?

And did it frighten you?

And did you think to capture it

And put it in a zoo?

No, you admired its tiny feet—

As if that were enough.

Oh, I prefer my mystery beasts

To be both fierce and tough.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 75

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #15: (e) subtle, (f) belligerent

If you’re belligerent, then you

Are not too awfully subtle, Yo.

For subtlety requires a view—

Yes, cleverness, as you should know.

But you just walk around and growl—

And teach us all just who you are.

I’m telling you: You are a howl,

And your deceptions won’t go far!

Words from a Teacher's Past, 74

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #15: (c) novella, (d) superfluous

I wrote a long novella, for

I kind of didn’t know

What a novella really is.

My editor said, “No!

“A book like this should be, well, short,

To be of use to us.

So all these words? These sentences

Are just superfluous!”

So I revised, revised, revised—

And cut it to the bone.

And when I finished, there it stood:

One sentence, all alone!

Words from a Teacher's Past, 73

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #15: (a) wretched, (b) extravagant

My bank account is wretched, see?

And that’s why there’s no chance for me

To do some thing extravagant

For you. I guess I’ll have to punt.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 72

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #14: (i) plight, (j) intimacy

I think that I now understand your sad plight:

Your sad life now lacks passion and intimacy.

Well, I hope that you know you can put up a fight—

Don’t just mope all around—be creative and free.

I am sure that there’s someone who’s waiting for you—

So get out there, my friend! No more acting so blue!

Words from a Teacher's Past, 71

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #14: (g) monotonous, (h) detain

The class was so monotonous

I had no choice—except to cuss.

The teacher didn’t like my sass

And so detained me after class.

I said that I was sorry, Yo,

But still she wouldn’t let me go.

She taught me lessons (verbs and nouns)

While I zoned out and dreamed of clowns

Who carried glistening butcher knives

And threatened my tormentors’ lives.

The time goes fast with bloody dreams—

At least, to me, that’s how it seems.

Then I looked up and saw her face—

And screamed aloud—a real disgrace.

She had a painted face! A clown!

Her glistening knife came swooping down!

Words from a Teacher's Past, 70

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #14: (e) shrewd, (f) revelation

It is no revelation that

You’re clever, bright, and shrewd.

You’ve got some stealthy ways, you cat!

Yes, you’re a mystifying dude.

For though you move in subtle ways—

Although you puzzle all your friends—

Although you have a stunning gaze—

Your friendship pays no dividends.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 69

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #14: (c) pompous, (d) tyrant

A pompous tyrant? Sounds a bit

Redundant, if you think of it.

What tyrant doesn’t think that he

Is crucial to humanity?

Who doesn’t think that when you rule,

It’s necessary to be cruel?

But think of “Ozymandias,”

Whose statue crumbled in the dust.

A foolish thing, pomposity,

For fate will come for you—you’ll see.

Link to "Ozymandias," by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Words from a Teacher's Past, 68

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #14: (a) exploit, (b) apprehension

I shook with apprehension while

Your exploit moved along.

I wondered: Can he do this? And

I bet he won’t live long!

And, sure enough, his prom date with

A shark did not go well.

He ended up a messy meal—

Preceded by a yell.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 67

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #13: (i) lackadaisical, (j) preside

You are so lackadaisical

About so many things in life.

Your cup in nowhere near half-full.

You doubt me? Ask your wife!

She told me in a text just now

How you just lie around all day.

She wondered: Could I tell her how

To find a better life … some way?

And so I’m warning you, my friend.

A midnight future lies ahead,

So if you want to see the end,

Just keep on hiding there in bed.

I really don't want to preside
At your avoidable divorce,
So act as if at least you tried—
Perhaps gain courage from The Force!

     — Judge Roy Bean

Words from a Teacher's Past, 66

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #13: (g) temperament, (h) inflict

He had the sort of temperament

That in a way was sort of “bent”—

Yes, somewhat evil. I predict

That soon, perhaps, he will inflict

Upon the world—or on some folks—

The sort of stuff that can’t be jokes—

The sort of stuff that causes pain.

He’ll smile—and do it once again.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 65

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #13: (e) insidious, (f) verdict

The crime was so insidious—

It bothered them—it bothered us.

And so the verdict was severe,

Its message very, very clear:

You cannot eat a taxi—no!

A car is much too greasy, Yo.

There’s lots of iron—oh, I know that?

But eat a car? You will get fat!

Words from a Teacher's Past, 64

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #13: (c) surreptitious, (d) martyr

A surreptitious martyr? Can

That even be a thing?

The phrase just doesn’t really have

That clear authentic ring.

Oh, martyrdom should be out front—

A very public act—

Or so, at least, it seems to me—

And not the least abstract.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 63

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #13: (a) vaguely, (b) submerge

I vaguely feel I should submerge

My worries. I should try to purge

Them. Keep them down below. Controlled.

I know that sounds a little … bold …

But fears can incapacitate—

Can crush a heart beneath the weight

Of what just possibly might be—

And so suppression works for me!

Words from a Teacher's Past, 62

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #12: (i) remnant, (j) lament

A remnant of his heart remained

When she divorced him—bad surprise.

She saw the tears there in his eyes,

Said, “Time that this was all explained.

“You can lament the loss of this—

But you’ve been such a total jerk—

Yes, all you do is work, work, work."

And then she left—without a kiss.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 61

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List # 12: (g) abject, (h) slovenly

I wish I weren’t so slovenly—

A state I know that you can see.

I feel abject when I inspect

The mirror—could I resurrect

My neater self? Not likely so.

I’m much too old—I’ll let it go.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 60

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #12: (e) obscure, (f) stifle

“Your writing is a bit obscure”—

So said his teacher then.

“I do not wish to stifle you,

But you should start again.”

And so he started once again—

It nearly made him sick.

But when he finally finished, he

Had written Moby-Dick.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 59

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #12: (c) deceit, (d) hoard

We are tired of your lies—and so tired of deceit.

How you do it so much is just really a feat.

So, I wish you would hoard all your dishonesty—

It would make life less awful—at least so for me!

Words from a Teacher's Past, 58

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #12: (a) diabolical, (b) rebuke

How diabolical that plan

To conquer Earth with likes and memes.

And now there is no way to ban

Those things that prompt our laughs and screams.

We could rebuke ourselves, I guess?

And vow to take a different path?

But that won’t happen—it’s a mess.

(I think I need to take a bath.)

Words from a Teacher's Past, 57

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #11: (h) innumerable, (i) sullen

The problems were innumerable:

His sullen attitude—

His language foul—his hateful ways …

I couldn’t stand the dude.

Godzilla solved the problem, though—

As monsters often do.

Godzilla had a tiny snack—

And then that dude was through!

Words from a Teacher's Past, 56

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #11: (f) isolate, (g) ingenuity

We really tried to isolate

That guy so rude to you and me.

It took some ingenuity—

But we succeeded—no debate.

We took him down below the sea—

And chained him to a heavy rock.

Gave him an iPod—Brahms and Bach—

And left him for eternity!

Words from a Teacher's Past, 55

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #11: (d) acute, (e) qualify

She knew the problem was acute—

And so she sought a doctor’s aid.

The doctor said it was “a beaut”—

The diagnosis that he made!

That doctor wouldn’t qualify

For genius or for sympathy.

Sometimes we over-simplify—

And that just really rankles me.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 54

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #11: (c) populace, (d) treachery

The populace was wary—but

Succumbed to treachery.

They would not open up their eyes

To see what they should see.

They listened to the soothing words—

They loved a lullaby—

Refused to listen to their brains—

So freedom went buh-bye.

Words from a Teacher's Past, 53

“Words, words, words.”

—    Hamlet (2.2)

List #11: (a) eminent, (b) initiative

I know you think you’re eminent—

Perhaps, you think, you’re heaven-sent?

But you have problems—countless, too—

And here’s advice on what to do:

Initiative is what you lack,

So if you want your sweet job back,

You must reboot your attitude,

For that’s why you got fired, my dude.