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jenni
Member
since 1999-09-11
Posts 478
Washington D.C.

0 posted 2000-01-03 02:00 PM


i started this some time ago when i was dating a guy who worked for NASA; he is history now, lol, so i thought i'd finish the poem, too.  the "plot" (as well as the last line, i think) were taken from stephen j. hawkings' book "a brief history of time."

The Debate

A physicist lectured with confident ease
“The Earth is a planet, you’ll note,
That orbits the Sun, in annual run,
As wise old Copernicus wrote.”

“What poppycock,” came an old woman’s reply,
“How far you’ve gone off the right track.
The Earth is a plate, gigantically great,
That sits on an Elephant’s back.”

“My, my!” said the physicist, humoring her,
“Your theory’s exceedingly grand.
But tell one and all, enlighten the hall!
On what does this elephant stand?”

“Its plain as the day,” the old woman replied,
“As anyone learned sure knows.
The Elephant dwells on a big Turtle’s shell;
It’s there that he finds his repose.”

A-ha! thought the physicist, smug and supreme,
She’s right in the palm of my hand–
“Pray tell us, let’s hear! Oh, please make it clear!
On what does the stout turtle stand?”

“They said you’re a genius,” the woman replied,
“They said you’re the smartest around;
You still can’t trick me, you sly Ph.D.,
It’s Turtles – all the way down.”

j.p.


© Copyright 2000 jenni - All Rights Reserved
jbouder
Member Elite
since 1999-09-18
Posts 2534
Whole Sort Of Genl Mish Mash
1 posted 2000-01-03 02:11 PM


HAH!  LOL.  This was great.  And welcome back, Jenni.  Thanks for the afternoon chuckle ... always a good day when you can laugh at a physicist ... hehe.

 Jim

"If I rest, I rust." - Martin Luther


Poertree
Senior Member
since 1999-11-05
Posts 1359
UK
2 posted 2000-01-03 02:12 PM


Jennniiiiiiiiiiiiiiii  Hiiiiiiiiiiiii

Rotflmao ... truly hysterical ... missed you and your poems so much ..  .

Philip

Not A Poet
Member Elite
since 1999-11-03
Posts 3885
Oklahoma, USA
3 posted 2000-01-03 04:48 PM


Thanks Jenni, that was surely fun.  


 Pete

Songbird
Member Elite
since 1999-12-15
Posts 2184
Missouri
4 posted 2000-01-03 05:26 PM


That was really funny and it is a good change of scene to see something funny in here. Thanks for the read and the laugh!
warmhrt
Senior Member
since 1999-12-18
Posts 1563

5 posted 2000-01-04 12:09 PM


jenni,
What a great fun piece you've written here. We do need a few more laughs around here. Thanks for this one.

warmhrt

John Foulstone
Member
since 2000-01-01
Posts 100
Australia
6 posted 2000-01-04 12:18 PM


Tremendous fun. Perfect. BTW, that NASA bloke can't have been too smart to let you get away!
warmhrt
Senior Member
since 1999-12-18
Posts 1563

7 posted 2000-01-04 09:52 AM


jenni,
Very nice, fun piece! Hehehehe  Kept me smilin' for a while. We need some more "light" works around here to keep spirits up.
Goo work!

warmhrt

warmhrt
Senior Member
since 1999-12-18
Posts 1563

8 posted 2000-01-04 09:53 AM


jenni,
Very nice, fun piece! Hehehehe  Kept me smilin' for a while. We need some more "light" works around here to keep spirits up.
Good work!

warmhrt

Brad
Member Ascendant
since 1999-08-20
Posts 5705
Jejudo, South Korea
9 posted 2000-01-11 07:02 PM


Jenni,
I'm glad everyone else liked it but I already knew the joke.  Would have preferred a little more of a twist somewhere along the line, a little more imagination --  a trunk coming from below the horizon or something like that. I don't have to like everything you write, do I?

Just a note, I have a draft of a poem called tentatively the Duel that involves a scientist and a poet which I'll post as soon as I finish it.

Let's compare notes then,
Brad

patchoulipumpkin
Member
since 2000-01-01
Posts 196
Bermuda
10 posted 2000-01-11 08:15 PM


Hilarious, this is great, i loved it...
jenni
Member
since 1999-09-11
Posts 478
Washington D.C.
11 posted 2000-01-11 08:25 PM


brad--

"a trunk coming from below the horizon or something"

huh?  you DO have an active imagination, don't you?  lol

i wrote this as an exercise, to see if i could write a metered poem in rhyme.  i thoroughly disliked the experience; it took me months to get it this far, and that's it.  no more rhyme for me, lol.  

"I don't have to like everything you write, do I?"

geez... don't you have some carpet to lay or something?      

i'm always surprised anyone likes anything i write, so... no, i guess ya don't hafta like it, lol.  thanks for giving it a read, though.  looking forward to your 'science vs. poetry.'

thanks also to those with a truly refined sense of humor (or humour, as the case may be): jim, philip, pete, septsong, johnny f. and patch.  and warmhrt?  thank you, thank you, and thank you again!    

jenni

[This message has been edited by jenni (edited 01-11-2000).]

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