Taking care of business! (by Mitch Sisskind)

So many important things happening -- but first, before anything else, here's an amazing video clip! In 2006, watching the Jerry Lewis telethon, I saw Jerry sing Al Jolson's "Mammy" -- and i knew I'd seen something I would never forget. That moment stayed so clear in my memory that I never felt the need to see if it had been presented on Youtube. But the other day, just for fun....and there it was! Or rather, it wasn't -- but it was pretty close. It's actually Jerry singing "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody," also quite unforgettable. And now that I'm on the trail, I'll keep looking for "Mammy." On this same clip you can also see Jerry reacting to the larger and larger sums of money on the Muscular Dystrophy Association tote board. If you ever want to see absolute proof of that famous precept of Donatien Alphonse François de Sade ("Nothing heats up the head like large numbers"), well, here it is! So don't do anything else until you've watched this clip:

With that out of the way, it's time to respond to the vituperation of that troglodyte who accused me of having pornographic intentions with my poetic muse contest. It's funny, but as soon as I read the troglodyte's message a quote from The Song of Songs came to mind: "The voice of the turtle is heard in the land." Yes, that troglodyte reminds me of nothing so much as a great big old turtle. And the Biblical quote seems very apt, doesn't it, despite the fact that King Solomon, author of The Song of Songs, is actually referring to a turtledove rather than a box turtle, a sea turtle, a snapping turtle, or even a terrapin.

But I do take the trog's accusations very seriously. I take them seriously out to the nearest dumpster, and I say, "Honi soit qui mal y pense!" Because smut is in the eye of the beholder, as is beauty -- and when I look at our first muse candidate, pictured below, I see beauty. And if somebody doesn't see beauty, there are two possible reasons for that. Maybe they need new glasses, or maybe they need to have their head examined by a mental health professional! Honi soit qui mal y pense!

Be sure to check in tomorrow for a fascinating interview with this young woman. And as if that weren't enough, you can also read a poem composed by her in the "Imagist" tradition of Hilda Doolittle. But now -- basta por hoy!

Comments

[Gene]

She's got my vote! Honey swat key Molly puns.