Sound & Sense 2

Just this moment I uploaded to KindleDirect the 2nd volume of doggerel based on homophones, pieces that I wrote from September 1 to December 1. Also included are some other doggerel (most of which appeared earlier on Facebook) and some of what I call "wolferel"--see explanation below.

The book will be available later today on Amazon--for the staggering price of $2.99, the lowest price Amazon allows for such things. I know the value of my doggerel!

Anyway--a little taste: The Foreword ...

For Rick and Bella Dyer,

dear niece and nephew.

 

 

Foreword

Who knew?

Not all that long ago I commenced a series of poems—okay, doggerel—exploring the phenomenon of the homophone, a word that sounds like another but is spelled differently (like one and won). I filled an earlier volume with them (Sound and Sense) and have now filled another—but (it’s okay here to sigh with relief) the end is now visible. Light at the end of the tunnel and all that. (Every now and then a cliché is the best way!)

I should acknowledge that I found a wonderful list of homophones on the web (link), and if you check out that site, you will see that I have not used nearly all of them. So … be grateful for favors of any dimension. I chose homophones that seemed to me to offer opportunities for a quick story—one, I hoped, that would allow for some humor, as well—or, maybe, some groans.

I have not included all the ones I originally wrote for the simple reason that some of them, well, sucked. So if you think the ones in this volume are problematic, just imagine the ones I did not include! If you are masochistic and want to see them all, they’re available on my blog Daily Doggerel (dailydoggerels.blogspot.com).

I’ve also included two other (smaller) sections in this volume. One I call “Desultory Doggerel,” which features light (very light) verse on assorted subjects, all originally appearing as Facebook posts for my FB friends. (Again, not all are here: Some deserve death by inattention.) The subjects vary from holidays to dead animals on the road. A pretty impressive range, wouldn’t you say? Almost … poetical?

The final category I call “Wolferel” (a word I’m proud to have coined).  These are doggerel that aspire to Poetry but don’t quite make it. So … they’re a little more robust, less tame and civilized, than doggerel, but they still cannot convince the officers guarding the gates at the Land of Poetry to swing wide those gates. (I’ve tried bribery and other forms of dishonesty. Hasn’t worked thus far. Maybe I should try good old-fashioned hard work? … Nah. Violence is easier.)

Careful readers (are there any other kind?) will notice that there are some missing dates here. This occurs for two reasons: (1) I didn’t do a post that day (illness, lethargy); (2) I did post a doggerel that day, but it was so … doggerel … that I took that dog to the pound, though I knew there were precious few who would adopt such a creature.[1]

A reading suggestion. These lines are like pretzels and potato chips. One or two—even a handful—can be fun. But eating the whole bag in one sitting is never a good idea. You hate yourself afterwards. Read these lines accordingly!

Daniel Dyer

November 30, 2016

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[1] Yes, the word can be both a noun and an adjective.