POETRY PARODY
Oh Caftan, My Caftan!
A drafty dig through Walt Whitman’s closet…
1 O CAFTAN! my Caftan! our fearful outing’s done; I found you on the sale rack, the prize I sought is won; My home is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, Their eyes follow my head’s appeal, my body not so daring: But O heart! heart! heart! This long gown of berry red, As around my body, my caftan flies No longer hidden in the shed.
2 O Caftan! my Caftan! rise up and ring the bells; Rise up-for you’re the flag that’s flung-around us the bugle trills; For us, shawls and ribbon’d scarves hide me from folks a-crowding; For us they call, the judging mass, their eager faces turning; Here Caftan! dear friend! Love me beneath my frock; It is some dream that has no end, As folks look on in shock.
3 My Caftan does not answer, his lips are sweet but still; My Caftan hides my charm, protecting me, he always will; My virtue's anchor’d safe and sound, this outing closed and done; From fearful trip, without a slip, come home with object won; Exult, O bedroom, and ring, O bells! Now I, with delight tread, Safe in the closet my Caftan lies, As sleep I naked, in the bed.
What a bother it is to leave the house nowadays…one never knows what to wear. Too bright and tight and everyone stares. Too lose and dull, no one says hello. What’s a poor poet who wants a little love — but not overmuch — to do?
Thankfully, a solution is at hand. A lose and flowing Caftan to the rescue. And what a hunk he is! Soft and silky, loose and flowing, and all of a deep cranberry red. One of my vibrant colors — me being a winter after all. So doing what any good and honorable poet does — I wrote an ode to…my lovely Caftan! ~w.w.
Thanks to me matey in rhyme, Bob James for the impromptu prompt:
Marilyn Flower writes political humor and satire to delight socially and spiritually conscious folks. She’s a regular columnist for the prison newsletter, Freedom Anywhere, where she writes about faith and prayer. Five of her short plays have been produced in San Francisco. Clowning and improvisation strengthen her resolve during these crazy times. Stay in touch!