Abecedarian formats for poetry, prose, and creative nonfiction. When I am not sure what to write about or how to write about what I am not sure what to write about, this handy form kicks me in the pants, contains my rants, and graciously hides the fact that I may not have a clue about what I’m doing.
But at least it’s literary, right?
Carol Burnett. My hero. When I need a lift I watch her as Starlet O’Hara in Went with the Wind. Of course, the curtain dress is epic, though not her invention. She knew how to surround herself with fellow geniuses. Geni? Her Star Trek is fantastic, too. I’m also grateful for cats, but not enough to get one now.
Doctors without Borders. Who obviously inspired Clowns without Borders. I give to both. They need our love.
Elephants. Who does not like elephants? Starting with Babar. We grew up with them. Now they need us to save them from poachers and circus maniacs. African. Indian. I like them all. Except the ones in the room, for obvious reasons.
Fart jokes. Not sure why. But someone has to be, right? And if not here, where?
Giraffes. They have the longest necks and the vastest vistas as well as the biggest hearts. No wonder Nonviolent Communication guru Marshall Rosenberg chose them for his emblematic mascot. Besides, they make giraffe headbands for the kids. Built-in merch. Lest you think that crass, these are like for when he brings Israeli and Palestinian kids together for peaceful healing connections.
P.S. ‘G’ could also be for Gene Wilder. I sure do miss him.
Humor and humidifiers. Now if we could just make a machine that tells jokes while moisturizing our outer atmosphere, we’d have both sides covered.
Ice cream. Nuff said.
Jokes. Jocularity — which reminds me of M*A*S*H, my all-time favorite TV show. Even my Dad loved it, which says a lot when you consider his politics. What a talented ensemble they were. Using humor to portray the horrors of war. Hawkeye. BJ. Radar. Hot Lips. OMG! Who’s your favorite?
Kazoos and nose flutes. Grateful they’ve made a way for musically challenged folks like me to be part of the band.
Lily Tomlin. OMG, does it get any better?
Moms Mabley. I wrote about her as well. Did not know till I did that she was an out lesbian. More power to you, Mom!
Noga. The ancient art and spiritual practice of saying no. The topic of my very first MuddyUm post. Which has the most claps I’ve gotten for a piece ever!!! So thank you, MuddyUm!
Orangutans. My cousin is the queen of Bonobos, or at least the head docent for them at the Columbus zoo. So in our family, they’re already taken. Orangutans have such inviting yet playful faces. That’s why I chose one of them to be God, AKA Thelma.
Parsnips. No, they’re not rutabagas or carrots, but they’re pretty damn sweet. We like roasting them for Thanksgiving along with beets and red bell peppers.
Questions. Where would we be without them?
Robin Williams. He changed the face — and arse — of comedy, as well as all of our lives, raised the bar into the stratosphere, where I imagine him shining down on us from. We miss you, Robin!
Sandi Toksvig, who I didn’t know about until I wrote a post about her. It’s one of my most popular ones, so of course, I’m grateful. Besides she does things like a mini-set standing knee-deep in a river, raising money and attention for Save our Streams in England. My kinda gal!
Tenderness. Cause when all else fails, try a little.
Undies. I know some of you go commando, and I respect that. But the rest of us, let’s take a moment to honor our underwear. Many of us need a firm foundation to build on, myself included. Et Toi?
Vaginas. The penis jokes and references way outnumber the vaginal. But where would a penis be without them? Or even be at all, right?
Wanda Sykes. Need I say more?
X’s. It’s time to appreciate our X’s. And our ex’s. But once a year is good enough.
Yonis. If they’re worth mentioning once, they’re worth mentioning twice. I thought the term was slang. But turns out yoni is a Sanskrit word which literally means womb or source — female organs of generation, including the sexual organs. Learn something new every day. Let’s be grateful.
Zip! Zap! Zop! And other fun games we play at my improv classes. Zounds do we have a zesty time! I miss our in-person group that never failed to meet on the Saturdays after Thanksgiving and Christmas. The only day we missed was in October when the Blue Angels flew over making supersonic noises.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Marilyn Flower writes humor to laugh the changes she wants to see and make. She’s the author of Creative Blogging: Ninja Writers Guide to Character Development and Bucket Listers, Get Your Brave On. Clowning and improvisation strengthen her resolve during these crazy times. Stay in touch!
Thank you for teaching me a new word today, Marilyn. I don think "abecedarian" has ever come up in regular conversation--or in a book--for me. Happy Thanksgiving!
Have a happy Thanksgiving too Marilyn.