THESE ARE ENTRIES TO A WASHINGTONPOST
COMPETITION ASKING FOR A TWO-LINE
RHYME WITH THE MOST ROMANTICFIRST LINE,
AND THE LEAST ROMANTIC SECOND LINE:
My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife:
Marrying you has screwed up my life.
I see your face when I am dreaming.
That's why I always wake up screaming.
Kind, intelligent, loving and hot;
This describes everything you are not.
Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you.
But the roses are wilting, the violets are dead, the sugar bowl's
empty, and so is your head.
I want to feel your sweet embrace;
But don't take that paper bag off your face.
I love your smile, your face, and your eyes.
Damn, I'm good at telling lies!
My love, you take my breath away.
What have you stepped in to smell this way?
What inspired this amorous rhyme?
Two parts vodka, one part lime.