Pet-Induced Psychosis

[Morpheus]

I once owned a gifted iguana
who could sing "On a Plain" by Nirvana.
He would toot on a flute
and write poems to boot,
in the days when we puffed marijuana.

[jisbell00]

Hi Morpheus,

Splendid limerick! That certainly was a gifted iguana.

Fine title too, but I'm not sure the two perfectly coincide - wasn't it the MJ that induced the musical hallucinations?

Cheers,
John

[Morpheus]

Thanks John

I've got to leave some things open to interpretation.

According to Wikipedia "On a Plain" is a song about writing songs.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_a_Plain

I smoked hash once in my 20s and that's the first time I came across the "induced psychosis" diagnostic terminology. It's all very chicken and egg.

I'd be very interested to hear more about what got you into writing poetry? In your interview with Fliss you dropped a hint.

[Morpheus]

John, just while you're thinking about that and before I get swept up by evening chores, here's what my pet was singing:

[jisbell00]

Hi Morpheus,

I believe in drug-induced psychosis.

I'm too old to remember what got me into writing poetry, i think. I'm a literature professor, and I imagine all lit profs write verse, it's in the job description. I wrote very little before about 1998 though, and it was in 2011 that I began writing a poem a day, which I did for about ten years. I'm a bit of a workaholic, and I just got into it, it gave me a creative outlet and some structure. I first published poetry in 1992, for money, i mean. I wa paid fifteen quid.

Cheers,
John

PS Thanks for the links! I like Nirvana fine, but have just Nevermind.

[Morpheus]

I first published poetry in 1992, for money, i mean. I was paid fifteen quid.

Cheers,
John.

John, I knew you must be in it for the money

You're outrageously qualified too whereas I've got a masters in Electronic Engineering so I don't know what I'm doing here. I realised I had a greater calling than poetry after reading Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis by Wendy Cope:

Engineers' Corner

‘Why isn’t there an Engineers’ Corner in Westminster Abbey? In Britain we’ve always made more fuss of a ballad than a blueprint . . . How many schoolchildren dream of becoming great engineers?’ -
Advertisement placed in The Times by the Engineering Council


We make more fuss of ballads than of blueprints –
That’s why so many poets end up rich,
While engineers scrape by in cheerless garrets.
Who needs a bridge or dam? Who needs a ditch?

Whereas the person who can write a sonnet
Has got it made. It’s always been the way,
For everybody knows that we need poems
And everybody reads them every day.

Yes, life is hard if you choose engineering –
You’re sure to need another job as well;
You’ll have to plan your projects in the evenings
Instead of going out. It must be hell.

While well-heeled poets ride around in Daimlers,
You’ll burn the midnight oil to earn a crust,
With no hope of a statue in the Abbey,
With no hope, even, of a modest bust.

No wonder small boys dream of writing couplets
And spurn the bike, the lorry and the train.
There’s far too much encouragement for poets –
That’s why this country’s going down the drain.

[jisbell00]

Our son's an engineer.

Yes, I've been raking it in here in the poetry scene, as you note! In any case, i enjoy turning a poem on the lathe and seeing what comes out.

Forgot to say - I do quite like Wendy Cope.

Cheers,
John

[MilesTRanter]

Hi Morpheus. I love limericks, and this is a good one!

Miles

[Morpheus]

Thanks Miles, glad you enjoyed it. I should try and write more whimsical stuff I think