A tongue, like jaguars’ teeth, can bite—
And those who bleed “take umbrage.”
But if we “take,” what does he “give”—
That shadow-casting scum?
Some words, it seems, are purposed for
The crossword puzzler’s sort—
For where else have you ever seen
Those “newts” and “efts” and “orts”?
Some puzzlers use great athletes’ fame—
Their legacies, their scores—
To fill deficient columns, rows,
With Otts and Howes and Orrs.
And, finally, what can it mean
When one’s insulted elf—
Rage-born—glibly asserts (with fire),
“I was beside myself!”?
(4/14/09)