My Covid valentine,
Smart funny valentine,
You make the quarantine less stark…
Mardi Gras 2020 — The last night out
You read the news with me,
Sing the blues with me,
Always joking in the dark…
Are we locked inside this house?
Do we sometimes wail and grouse?
When our restless spirits flare,
You don’t despair…
You’re always here for me,
I try to cover you,
We’re going to make it through this plague,
To Covid vaccination day.
Charles DegelmanWriter, editor, and educator based in Los Angeles. He's also played a lot of music. Degelman teaches writing at California State University, Los Angeles.
Degelman lives in the hills of Hollywood with his companion on the road of life, four cats, assorted dogs, and a coterie of communard brothers and sisters.
Characterizations:
funny, right on!, well written
Wow, I tried singing your poem to the tune of My Funny Valentine, and it worked! I’m sure that wasn’t a coincidence. Great picture, great poem, thanks for posting!
Thanks, Suzy! Glad you could make the scan work. A bit of a stretch in places, but “close enough for jazz” as the boys in the band say.
Love this, Charles, that’s a big smile for today. May the vaccination fairy wave her magic wand over you.
Thanks, Marian. We’re doing better here in southern Cal. Got our first Pfizer two weeks back; scheduled for second next week. Car culture and sports arenas have advantages.
Three words in I was singing to the tune…slurred over quarantine okay, vaccination was a little trickier. Love the photo…did you add the red tone just for us?
That was the idea, Barbara. Sing a valentine. With a little jazz leeway, it all scans. The pic was taken at a big party at our home theater, Bootleg. The whole room was cast in lascivious red but the photographer shot thru a filter as well.
Bravo Charles!
If we hang in a bit longer I think we’ll get there (with a bit of excusable wailing and grousing).
Happy V -day!
Like Suzy, my fellow singer, I sang along and loved that it worked to the tune. Clever lyrics, a real ode to your partner and the times. Loved your red-hued photo too. We are all trying to make it to vaccination day…not going so well in the state of your birth, Chas. But thanks for this reminder.
Thanks, Betsy. As I said to Suzy, ‘close enough for jazz.’ Stay warm.
Perfect, Charles. This totally captures what my husband and I are experiencing. As I watch the snow fall on another day promising a high temperature of 9, I am grateful to be here with my Covid valentine.
Thanks. Stay warm and Safe, Laurie!
Maybe the first “covid vaccination” writing on Retrospect, but I bet not the last. Thanks for bringing some rhythm and light to ease the starkness.
Glad it worked for you, Dale. And yes, I think our Anthropocene-irritated micro/biosystems have more surprises in store. But jazz has survived many onslaughts.
Thanks, Dana. Stay safe and stay warm. Jeez!
I love that, like Suzy, you referenced “Funny Valentine” this week. And, as others have noted, your great lyrics really work on three different levels: they fit the original tune (somehow), they fit the current crisis (COVID, duh) and, perhaps most importantly, they send a loving message to your Valentine. Bravo!
Thanks, John. It scans “close enough for jazz,” as the boys in the band say.
This brought a smile to my face. Love your version. Stan Dunn was a DJ on KJAZ in the Bay Area years ago, and every February he would have a Funny Valentine contest where he would play various versions on the morning show, and the first person to call in and recognize the tune would win something. I never won, but I sure recognize the tune.
Thanks, Khati. And thanks for recalling KJAZ. Played it nonstop in my SF jazz days. I don’t think it’s survived, has it?
Alas I also think KJAZ did not survive—the nearest thing became KCSM (College of San Mateo). And I haven’t really found a replacement here in BC either. Those were the days.