WHIMSY
the madrigal, volume iii
Consider the Pompom
by dale lombardi
That fanciful fun-burst
sewn to the top of a hat
or onto the pointy tips
of Turkish velvet dancing slippers —
Oh, the pompom!
A most under-appreciated
embellishment, especially
in its most serious role
atop the shoes
of a stony-faced Greek soldier
dressed in his precisely
pleated (400 pleats) white skirt,
white shirt and embroidered vest.
Watch him as he marches
brawny and stiff-legged,
one arm outstretched,
its wide bell sleeve flaring
with purity of national purpose,
while the other arm slams
the butt end of his 11 pound rifle
into his shoulder with every step.
Each 7 pound cowhide shoe
is hand-stitched (300 stitches)
and hammered with nails (60)
to clatter on stone,
simulating the sound of battle
where there is none.
The silk pompoms at their curled tips
no longer offer toe protection
from snow and cold.
Their sole modern purpose
is to explode the gravity,
announce a readiness for fun
at the drop of a hat – or gun –
and kick tiny tufts of whimsy
into the all-too-serious air.
Dale Lombardi is a poet and conceptual artist who takes her inspiration from old trees, stone walls and daydreams in the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut. She had a poet’s heart from the beginning, but the poet within lay dormant as she earned her degrees in Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, then juggled family and careers as a speech pathologist, communication consultant and corporate trainer. Once she left the stress of careers and the vigilance of motherhood behind, she had space enough — and time — for the poet-artist within to emerge. Ever believing in the transformative power of beauty, she now spends her days walking, wondering, and creating.