[Rose Kelleher]

I agree with Shaun, this is a fine poem, but I'm surprised to see it in this context. A poem can have an element of humor without being light verse. Don't ask me where the lines are drawn, though.

[FOsen]

I know this green and frisky voice, I bet, and I love this green and frisky poem. I agree that the Clintons might be trimmed, though.

Frank

[Maryann Corbett]

I know it too, and admire a lot about it, but like Rose I'm surprised to see it here. Skillful, yes; mordant, yes. Light, no. I grimace at the human traits in it rather than laugh. I suppose I should learn something from its having been submitted for this. Hmmm.

[Shaun J. Russell]

Originally Posted by Mary Meriam

E. Shaun - I see light verse in your future.

Thanks for saying so, Mary, though my "light verse" would probably be about as light as this particular piece. I thought about sending something reasonably light to John for this bakeoff, but I figured that my "light" and the "light" required for this contest would differ. Don't ask me why, but most of my artistic output (musically as well as with my poetry and fiction) is quite dark in nature. But we digress...

Maryann raises an interesting point: obviously the author of this piece felt that it could be construed as "light", which makes me wonder about his / her view of "dark" must be! There is a laughter at the human condition here, but it's a grim laughter...a shake-your-head-and-roll-your-eyes kind of laughter. Maybe the "light" in this mostly exquisite piece is at the end of the tunnel? Hmmm indeed!

[Max Goodman]

the sound (bouncy rhythm, multi-syllable rhymes)
another poem (itself a staple of light verse anthologies) used as a recognizable model
a jokey, intellectual attitude

This poem is light, light, light.

To find dark sentiments incompatible with light verse limits and disrespects the genre.

[Mary Meriam]

Originally Posted by Max Goodman

To find dark sentiments incompatible with light verse limits and disrespects the genre.

Max knows!

[Rose Kelleher]

I thought the defining characteristic of light verse was that it's supposed to be funny.

"Candle Hat" by Billy Collins makes me smile. It doesn't rhyme or have a bouncy meter though. It's also rather heartwarming, which means it does more than light verse has to. Is it light verse? I don't know, it's not obvious to me. Same with this poem.

[Shaun J. Russell]

Just FYI, I've created a thread on the definition of "light verse" down in GT. I don't want to see a general discussion (though merited) detract from comments on this poem itself...

[R. S. Gwynn]

I like this for one read. As Hon. John says, there's a lot of "Bagpipe Music" in it. "Bagpipe" is one of the most skillful modernist collages.

[Michael Cantor]

I don't have any problems consdering this as light verse. It's funny and bouncy, and if it's also mordant - so? So is Edward Gorey. And many others.

I would have a problem, however (which is academic, since I've already voted) in considering this as a competition winner. It's too derivative. I wasn't familiar with the MacNiece poem until John called it to our attention, but - even though the content is quite different - this one tracks it too closely in structure for me to award points for originality.