Stripping wire, opening wine,
freeing small stones from a hoof.
Scaling fish, filing their nails,
picking their teeth clean at night.
Carrying, measuring,
sawing through wood.
(They carry not one but two knives);
There isn’t much
they can’t turn their hands to,
these versatile Swiss Army wives.
Gondolas on the Grand Canal, Venice
The Wreckless School of Motoring,
reckless with its claims,
closed down after several crashes
(couldn’t handle lanes).
I thought it was rather harsh,
locking him up for a century quarter
for having a bit of a laugh.
Until I discovered that wasn’t the crime
for which he was set to serve time.
Autocorrect
(far from perfect)
had softened the facts of the case
and not for man’s laughter
at all but manslaughter
was he confined to this place.
She asked if I wanted to watch her bat box.
I asked, ‘fly or welterweight classes?’
‘Pine,’ she said, ‘with two roosting rails,’
and she passed me a pair of field glasses.