Tweedledee & Tweedledum

I never thought that these guys mattered.
Upstaged by that other one,
That creepy snake, that hotshot,
These guys just hang there doing
Nothing except
Fueling my pizzazz.

My nuggets, my artichokes
My lollipops, my marbles
My chestnuts, my puffballs, my plums.

They say we’ve all got something
And since I’ve got them,
What the hell,
Maybe they’re important.
Maybe
They’re beautiful in a weird kind of way.
Maybe they’re the keys to the kingdom
They and not that other one.
Therefore I salute
These quiet little doers shunning razzmatazz,
Tweedledee and Tweedledum:
Blessed are the meek.

Mr. G. Whiz

Thinks he’s the Big I Am
Thinks he can jazz up the cosmos
With devilish exploits
And thunder to loosen the dentures
Of a thousand prudes:
Sperm Boy, Hot Shot, Dude
Mr. G. Whiz
Wonder Kid, the Ultimate Whammy.

Don’t be fooled
By all that me me me
The little engine that could
Because sometimes it can’t
Sometimes
Just when it’s time for
A blast of shock and awe
He’s Mr. Softie, a no show, a fizzle.
Thinks he’s so cool, so cute
But sometimes just a worm.

Recipe for Amorous Attachment

Serves 2

1 oz infatuation
2 lbs commitment
2 lbs sincerity
3 lbs patience
a pinch of mystery (optional)

Mix well, cook until tender
Sprinkle with hope
Serve hot.

Silly

In a grim world
That jolts and twists our gut
And calls for serious
We need silly.

Serious is straight-faced
Silly giggles.
Serious is deep
Silly is shallow.
Serious walks ponderously
Silly skips and dances.
Serious is intensely sane
Silly is nuts.
Serious is old oak, granite, iron
Silly is froth.

We need silly
It untwists us
Lightens us
Keeps us from despond.

Clifford Browder is a writer living in New York.  He has published two biographies, three historical novels, and an award-winning collection of posts from his blog, "No Place for Normal: New York.”  His poetry has appeared in Runes, Heliotrope, Pivot, The Same, Snake Nation Review, Nimrod, The Bitter Oleander, The Brillantina Project, The Forever Journal, Black Napkin Press, GNU Journal, South 85 Journal, and elsewhere.