“To His Lover, That She Be Not Overdressed”
And why take ye thought for raiment?
—Matthew 6:28
The lilies of the field
That neither toil nor spin
Stand dazzlingly revealed
In not a thing but skin
And in that radiant state
Sheer essences they wear.
Take heed, my fashion plate.
Be so arrayed. Go bare.
© X.J. Kennedy, The Lords of Misrule: Poems 1992-2002
(Johns Hopkins University Press).
There probably isn’t a better gift for a logophile or linguist than witticisms and wordplay – the clever kind or the chocolate version of such. Verbal calisthenics are usually more fun than the physical kind, and poet X.J. Kennedy’s wry disingenuity makes me chuckle. How can I not like a guy who published his own science fiction magazine, Terrifying Test-Tube Tales, at age twelve?
Eat. Words. Love. Yum. Found the cool chocolate at Fritinancy. More mouth-watering poetry to be found at Hip Writer Mama‘s. Have a great weekend and enjoy ferreting out the last of the chocolate hearts… you must eat them all before it’s time to hide the chocolate eggs, after all. (!)
First it was those BitterSweet hearts…and now Chocolate Scrabble! You’re killing me.
I can see this poem being posted somewhere mischievous, like a fitting room. 🙂
Chocolate scrabble! So cool! And I love the poem. (A little too cold to go bare just yet, though.)
Poets have the best (pick up) lines, don’t they?
Strip down for chocolate, I say. Strip down for chocolate…
At my age, going bare is bittersweet. Probably more bitter than sweet!
Enjoyed Kennedy’s poem. I love his “Nude Descending a Staircase.” He’s nimble with wordplay
This is a new one for me and I love it! The chocolate is great too. If it were me I would have made a few words and eaten them before the picture, of course ;). The m&ms at my blog are my son’s and I had to quick snap the picture before they disappeared. At breakfast no less!
XJ Kennedy so rocks.
And man, do I want chocolate scrabble pieces.
That’s a great poem. And I can already think of at least three people who would love the chocolate scrabble…I’ll have to make a note of that.
A new and daring take on a Bible verse… and the chocolate is calling my name. (Spelled there. Under the wrapper.)
Two Bible-related poems so far this week — yours and Sara’s — both fun in different ways.
GREAT chocolate!