Welp, it is a New Year, and I think we have done all of Ogden Nash that exists on the Intertubes, so from here on out I will use a variety of other poets. I will, of course, stick with the odd and whimsical, nothing too srs for the pootie diaries. For those who might like to revisit Ogden Nash at some point, I will keep a link to my last diary of 2019, which has links to all the other Ogden diaries, and start a new linky list for our new poets. I will still let you know what today is, because we need all the holidays we can celebrate, right? OK? OK! So here we go!
Today is many holidays! So I will pick out a couple, and you can click the link above if you’re curious about the rest. This is an open thread, so please feel free to add your favorite illustrated pomes for today in the Comments!
[This is the day when women get back to work after the 12 days of Christmas! Yesterday was Plough Day, the day when men get back to work. Did anyone have 12 days off for Christmas?? I wish!!]
The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half-submerged balls.
I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again….
“Have fun with that; don’t get me involved!”
[Marge Piercy is a very prolific writer, having published poetry, novels, plays, nonfiction, and a memoir. She is also a political and environmental activist and feminist. Much more at the link above!]
