Thursday, February 2, 2012

Test the Water

You'd rather live with that silly little fool who can't open her mouth except to say "yes" or "no"…. ~Scarlett, Gone with the Wind


Yes is easier than no…
Yes, I’ll write for no pay
Yes, I’ll be there at nine
Yes, I’ll take that position
Yes, I’ll design a new sign

No is much harder…
No, I can’t ‘cause I’m broke (no, I’ll do it!)
No, I can’t ‘cause my dog threw up
No, I can’t ‘cause…hmm… I don’t want to
No, I can’t ‘cause I’m beat-up


It’s like hot and cold
this yes and no
from one extreme to the other
so take the time and think it through
dip your toes in the water;
no need to go undercover.

@laurie kolp


Prompt inspirations:
Poetry Jam- Cold and Hot,
Ella's Edge at IGWRT- line from movie,
Poets United Thursday Think Tank- Yes

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lovely - yes is indeed easier...

Brian Miller said...

smiles...some playful wisdom in that one laurie...yes is easier until we have too many of them...a no is a yes to what is important...

Mary B. Mansfield said...

3 prompts in one? Great take on all of them. Very nicely done! I actually find that yes can be a lot harder than no at times.

Buddah Moskowitz said...

I like the ease of reading your poems, makes for joyful reading.

Thanks, talented one,
Mosk

Kat Mortensen said...

I'm pretty good with no, most of the time. My cats throw up ALL of the time. Yes, I'm the one who cleans it up!

Anonymous said...

wonderfully written, Laurie! and SO true ~ i love the

"No, I can't 'cause the dog threw up."

thank you for the smile!
dani ♥

Cathy Feaster said...

I hate telling people no, but it is necessary at times if I wanna keep my sanity-what's left of it, anyway :)

booguloo said...

I always love to ask questions that requires a no for a positive answer.

Maude Lynn said...

This is the absolute truth! And, that's one of my favorite movie quotes.

S.E.Ingraham said...

I am also impressed that you incorporated 3 prompts into one succinct, clever poem ... yes is definitely easier than no, yes?

Scarlet said...

Great take on the 3 prompts...

I agree, we say YES more than we can do it ~

Marian said...

oh great sigh i know what you mean! SIGH.
no! i mean, yes! ugh.

Peggy said...

Ah yes the extremes are hot and cold and it is always best to test the waters!! Thanks for writing for Poetry Jam!!

Ella said...

Well done Lori, it felt like a song. It carries such a moral of thinking it through~ I really liked your take on the prompt! :D

Janet Martin said...

Great work, very innovative too. Now I really want to see Gone with the Wind again...that is such a great quote from that sassy gal;)

Ella said...

I meant to say on the prompts ;D
Clever!

Kerry O'Connor said...

I have never had the slightest problem saying No. Guess I'm just not a people-pleaser, so I relate to stanza 2 very easily.

Kay L. Davies said...

The older you get, the easier it is to say no, I've discovered.
Wonderful poem, Laurie, and I really like "It’s like hot and cold this yes and no from one extreme to the other" — so true.
I laughed at the Scarlett O'Hara quotation. She sure didn't want anyone saying no to her.
K

rch said...

I like the constrasts and really enjoyed the ending on this one.

Dave King said...

yes! YES! YES!

Christine said...

I have a retro fridge magnetic that says "stop me before I volunteer again". This year my motto is to tell someone FIRST, "I'll think about it", before I say yes.
Enjoyed this.

Helen said...

As a person prone to saying yes all too often, I can appreciate the value of a well chosen no. Very nice poem for the Jam this week.

Margaret said...

ha! Very, very cute. I have learned to say no... I blame it on my little guy of 4 "Oh, I'd love to, but I have a 4 year old". I don't have much time left to use that one, though! :)

Laura said...

so true Laurie...I pretty much always say yes...sometimes diving in too deep...but yes can be a good thing too...yes to love, yes to the sweetness and the salty bitterness too, yes to each day unfolding anew. Still once in a while, i'd like to say no and not have to explain why...no just because.