Oh Fortuna!

[Hawkman]

Cross my palm with silver
or better yet, use gold,
pour precious stones into my hand,
although they may feel cold.

For I would have them find a home
within my wrinkled grasp,
where I can love them properly
and hoard them in my cask.

And in return I’ll tell you things
I know you want to hear;
of life, of love, of travel plans,
just come inside, my dear.

Now, are the cards your fancy,
or shall I read your paw,
how about a cup of tea?
You couldn’t ask for more.

I see your fortune is assured
proceed without a care
but steer clear of pussycats
when black, and on the stairs!

Well there he goes, the simple soul,
it’s such a shame to think
in half an hour he’ll break his neck
when falling in the drink.

[PrinceMyshkin]

As always, fun to experience your dexterity but I did not comfortably make the transition from the oleaginous lover of the first three stanzas to the deceitful fortune teller of the final ones.

[Hawkman]

Hi Prince. Well, I rather thought the fortune teller laid her cards on the table right at the start, hence the "Cross my palm with silver" which introduces the poem. Deceitful? Well maybe, but then if you can see the future I guess you get fatalistic :D Would it have been a kindness to tell a man he has thirty minutes to live? Surely better to let him enjoy those minutes in blissful ignorance...

Glad you enjoyed the fun though :D

Live long and prosper - H

[Delta40]

I can even hear her toothless cackle, Hawk. Was the tea an allusion to reading tealeaves as one of her services?

[AuntShecky]

In addition to the spot-on cadence and rhyme of this one, the ironic stance is amusing, with a payoff punchline to close the piece.

The most truthful line is that the gypsy tells her pigeon, er, "customer" what he wants to hear. She is, to the reader's surprise, the "real thing," though.

I think I may have already told you about how some relatives of mine once were neighbors of a locally famous psychic. They always got a kick out of the fact that whenever the medium left the building, she never could remember where she had parked her car.

[Hawkman]

Delta I hope you didn't find her too alarming :D and in answer to your query, most definitely!

Auntie, thanks for reading. As for your neighbours (once removed) I guess it was because she always knew where the car was going to be, rather than where it was :D

Live long and prosper - H

[firefangled]

Very well crafted and entertaining Hawk. She seemed rather benevolent.

There's a palm reader or psychic on every corner in this town. I've always wanted to go to a palm reader. I have so many lines on my palms it would make her dizzy.

[Hawkman]

Hi ff, and thanks. I agree, she's not a bad old stick :D As for the lines on your palms, well mabe you should hire yourself out to palmists as a training exercise! Interestingly it's not just the lines on the palm which are scrutinised - the shape of the hand, length of fingers, even the shape of fingertips and joints is taken into account. Also the shapes that the lines make in various areas of the palm. It seems Palmistry is quite a complicated art!

Live long and prosper - H

[blank|verse]

Another enjoyable ballad, Hawk, of the kind you write very easily and fluently.

Interestingly, I saw there was a programme on BBC4 the other night called 'O Fortuna', which was about the composer Carl Orff and his links with the Nazis, which puts a different perspective on things. (Britishers can watch the programme here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00z8v3d).) But I certainly don't think any link is intended.

However, Googling the phrase brings up this interesting Wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Fortuna) which gives us the original Latin poem on which Orff based his work.

[Hawkman]

Thanks b/v. and thanks for the links, especially, "O fourtuna velut luna..." I feel my poem is in keeping with the theme :D

Live and be well - H

[Bar22do]

What a pleasurable piece of rhyme! I come late to it and have many other poems to comment on but couldn't have passed it by without sharing my joy!
Best as always - Bar

[deryk]

Fortunes are best withheld. I agree wholeheartedly.

[Hawkman]

Sweet Bar - Thanks for your kind words. glad you liked it. deryk: I suppose it depends on the fortune :D if someone offered me one I'd take it! Futures can be a different kettle of worms though :)

Live and be well - H