T. Buckingham Thomas: Poetry

Poetry and Other Artistic Writings such as Stories
T. Buckingham Thomas physics Oberlin WOBC Richwood Tom Thomas Chyron Infinit Pittsburgh
I wrote most of the following articles, but several of them quote other writers. To search for specific names or events that might be listed elsewhere, use this utility:

An altar bursts into flame? Somebody set it on fire. A lame man takes a few steps? He already had that ability. A woman who has been unable to conceive finally does so? This sort of thing happens every day.

When Biblical writers tell these stories, they attribute the "miracles" to divine intervention. However, I tend to suspect that there may be other explanations that rely less on the supernatural. So I decided to retell the stories my way. Here's my list, in Bible order.

Let Us Make Man

A god foolishly starts creating things.

The Burning Bush

Aaron's magician helps him speak for God.

Nun's Tale

A son destroys dad's livelihood and plots genocide.

Eli

An old priest has troubles with his boys.

Obadiah

During a drought, prophets are killed.

Nineveh

Jonah tells a tall tale about a whale.

Cana

For my first illusion, see these water jars?

Transfiguration

Jesus turns on his disciples.

Entombed

Lazarus rehearses Jesus's resurrection.

Emmaus

On Easter, two despondent disciples meet a man.

Doubting Thomas

Did a ghost appear in a locked room?

The Beautiful Gate

A disabled man's job is disrupted by do-gooders.

Solomon Redner	The pessimistic author of Ecclesiastes is the guest on an interview show.
When You're In Rome	...wear a toga!
Talking with Paul	The famous letter-writer, a confirmed bachelor, is the guest on an interview show.
	1890
All Minds are Little	Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. And a God. And you're going to heaven.
.	*1900*
Under the Talcott Tree	John Prindle Scott's serenade.
.	*1950*
A Mother's Garden in a New Land	My mother's poem about learning again how to garden on the windy plains of Richwood, Ohio.
.	*1960*
Bumm Dum Tillium	Nonsense lyrics for a Beethoven piece played on a speeded-up piano.
Vernon Thomas at the Richwood Fair	A local poet guests on my father's radio program from the fair.
Antihymeneal Hymns	Parody songs against marriage (and feminism), from an unproduced musical.
Moon through the Night	As chairman of the Decoration Committe, I plan for the Junior-Senior Prom and write a melancholy poem.
I Do Not Need a Cure	A song disclaiming the "cure for life," with music by Haydn.
Rain in November	Outside Richwood High School, a gloomy night.
To a Staple	A little parable.
Bill Doodle	Set to the music of a Brahms rhapsody, the story of a young man who willingly puts himself in harm's way.
Playing with Words	A family in a rut, a very long sentence, and songs about thwarted cheerleaders and noble underdogs at Richwood High School.
Prom	May, 1965: some impressions.
Sing, Sing a Song	Of sixpence, of cities, but especially of colleges.
A Freshman Crush	At college, I'm dazzled by a friendly princess. Yet I am not worthy.
Rev. Wagner's Cake	A comic song for a going-away party.
The Parable of the Lady and the Cat	A shy, longing student's blank verse.
The Prophetess	I get inside her head, in two languages. She may not want me there.
Need It Be Said?	A song for a character who cannot believe.
The Silent Dark	A poem about my parents' nighttime journey to hear me on the radio.
Promonius and Constanes	Two Shakespearian types contemplate the impending Commencement of the Class of 1968.
Item Four	Unable to love, I nevertheless pen a sonnet.
Three Bad Dreams	Versifying my nightmares.
	1970
Can You Repeat That?	I recall two comic roles, including one in which my voice broke appropriately, plus a couple of vocalists from the 1990s.
The Songs of Linda	Dramatizing a true story from my past — a story of love gone bad.
On Your Wooden Anniversary	Choosing a sufficiently animated gift.
Great Songs of Broadway	Listen to me play the piano for my parents, recorded live to eight-track tape.
.	*1990*
Fleeing the Storm	A "quiet" week on Lake Pontchartrain.
.	*2000*
Requiem	From 19th-century music, some words for those who died on Sept. 11, 2001.
Verse Is Where You Find It	Others' prose about chilling out.
Add Drama	A few ideas for enlivening traditional performances.
Smilin' Through	Maybe Mel Brooks and I once had the same book on the music racks of our respective pianos.
Zoey and the Zekoonies	A little girl and her grandfather discuss whether dogs go to heaven.
We Are Not Crooks	I dream of Nixon, resulting in a short story.
To Boil a Frog	A horrific drive down a hill.
	*2010*
It Ain't Us, Babe	Congressman, it ain't me you're workin' for, babe.

Albaugh: "Play like we are beautiful and brave"

America the Beautiful, above the enameled plain

Beethoven's "Ode to Freedom"?

Christians translate the Hebrew poetry of Job

Classic rock and holiday classics never fade away

Come to the fair, heigh-ho!

Dark curtain descends across continent

Hair opens at a theater I'd visited

"Jingle Bells" and other songs of romance are for February

Land ain't sure, mount do!

Melanie, singer (flourished 1970-72)

Melanie and the candles in the rain

Mendelssohn's "Paulus" is essentially Bach

My economically ravaged home

Palin-dromes illustrated

Partridge? Pear tree? Perdrix?

Repeating the same phrase aids memory

Repeating the same word is avoided in English writing

Rhymes: "Hey Jude"

Rhymes: Inexact

Rhymes: Inventive

Songs from the 1890's remembered

Songs from the 1960's learned late: "Soul Man," "Angel of the Morning"

Sonnet: "Exasperating Janet," to a "truant" fellow student

Synthetic A's in the concert hall

The dying of the light

Understanding opera (i.e., the words)

"Update the poor Image, before it gets grumpy!"

Versions of literary works, including Shakespeare

Yacht dispatched! (Does that rhyme?)