NOT QUITE ALLERGIC TO ARPEGGIOS
two story poems about the relationship between a mother and her son
( arpeggios:production of the tones of a  musical chord in succession and not simultaneously)

STORY #1 

Berty Barter went to sleep,
he started counting wooly sheep
When Mama Barter stormed into his ...room.

Berty lifted up his chin,
he knew the ...tirade would begin,
Considered this his frightful, nightly ..doom.

*

Bertha Barter thus began, her voice .
.screeched so much louder than,
A tractor crashing into 90 crows.

"Explain why you've been very bold, as
..not to do what you were told,
To practice daily, your arpeggios?"

*

"And have you done your spelling yet?
........ You've broken rules that we have set.
The almanac is screaming to be read.

How dare you sleep with things undone,
.............your math , example twenty-one,
The dictionary's closed," his mama said.

*

"But mama," Berty Barter cried,
"I'm feeling rather sleep deprived,
I work much better if I have some rest.

"You'll sleep," his mama was quite stern,
" the pile of z's you'll richly earn,
When having done much better than your best."

*

"Remember, Berty, " mama yelled,
" in school you only can excel,
Eliminate the don'ts and keep the do's.

In order to get nothing wrong,
you must prepare from early morn,
Until your work is done, you mustn't snooze."

*

"I realize though you're in grade one,
assignments come in by the ton,
So in the future you may surely go....

To college with a status high,
the things I say you can't deny.
Charge forward with determination flow

*

"And take from mama, one more tip,
you'll get a music scholarship,
So pracice hard those short arpeggios.

You'll be a doctor with acclaim or
engineer with music fame,
A spotlight , one who everybody knows."

*

"And also, Berty, it is clear,
that weath increases year by year,
You'll end up as a multi-billionaire.

A house with many rooms,
what's more, there'll be good servants by the score,
You'll live the life of Mr .Debonair."

*

"Oh mama," Berty screamed out loud,
"I live beneath a heavy cloud,
Of pressure to succeed the way you see.

I need to tell you, it's my view,
I only eat what I can chew,
Or Berty "Bag of nerves" is what I'll be.

*

How very lucky, one might say,
that Berty Barter had his way,
He grew up in the way he thought was sane.

Berty did his work just fine,
he always said, "my life is mine,"
And only reached for what he could attain.

*

Berty's now a Chief of Staff,
he reads a lot, has time to laugh,
And keeps in mind the things he really knows.
 He amply plays two instruments,
in science, does experiements,
Each day,he'll practice those arpeggios.

*

And Bertha Barter's hounding him,
as loud as echoes in a gym,
Had no effect on Berty, not one bit.

'Cause Berty Barter was the kind,
who followed strictly, his own mind,
And lived his life the way he saw most fit.


***************************************

NOT QUITE ALLERGIC TO ARPEGGIOS:
THE VACUUM CLEANER SOLUTION

STORY #2

Bertha Barter went to sleep, she started
counting wooly sheep,
When Berty Barter burst into her room.

"Mama," Berty Barter said, "there's something
creepy 'neath my bed,
You'll need to come and shoo it with a broom."

*

"Mama won't you please come check, or else I'll be
a nervous wreck."
Then Bertha woke, her voice was slightly deep.

" I look each night below your bed, I'll tell you what I've
always said,
There's nothing there but clothing in a heep."

*

Well, sure enough, the same was true, the clothes
were there just like she knew,
Then just before she stormed out in huff---

Berty said his dinner stank, he couldn't stand the
drink he drank,
And shouted more complaints and nasty stuff.

*

Their clashes thus went on each day,
they'd pick and pull in every way,
There never seemed to be a bit relief.

The pressure mama would apply,
complaining washer son's reply,
They gave each other lots of awful grief.

*

And there was papa standing by,
what could he do, but give a sigh?
There wasn't any way to get a truce.

His son would nag his hounding wife,
it really was a stressful life,
Negotiating was of little use.

*

And then one day the house bell rang,
a salesman named Bartoli Clang
Was selling vacuum cleaners door to door.
The "best" machine that one could buy,
(his selling pitch was rather sly)
He sold his cleaner, wait... there's something more.

*

When B.C. came the Barter pair
were in a state of  sad despair,
The two were going at it --WHAT A FIGHT!

*Bartoli sold his cleaning wares,
but viewed himself the type who cares,
He talked and talked and talked throughout the night.

He wanted badly to assist,
this amateur 'psychologist,'
Had ascertained this family was forlorn.

The words flowed out like rain that pours,
he spoke about the Barter's wars,
His lecturing continued until dawn.

*

"You know," he said, "if you must fight,
you've really got,to get it right,
In conflicts you must always plan ahead.

So write a script, read every word,
make sure that what you say is heard,
A nourished fight must always be well-fed."

*

"But yelling isn't quite enough,
a fight must have some phys'cal stuff,
Some blood should really, really start to flow.

So hit each other with your fists,
with fingers, elbows ,fling your wrists,
'Cause black and blue is just the way to go."

*

"And one more thing," he said with glee,
" the outcomeis a certainty,
Your fighting will increase from day to day.

So take my tips and escalate,
these arguments will make you hate.
Hostility will be your family's way."

*

By morning he had said his say,
Bartoli Clang went on his way,
And left the Barters quite a bit confused.

Except for Papa, he heard too,
he knew at last just what to do.
The salesman's 'wisdom' left him quite amused.

*

Papa thought,"I'll intervene,
and turn around this family scene,
I think I know exactly what is what."

He told his wife and son that day,
in rather like a joking way,
" This vacuum salesman taught us quite a lot."

*

"Bartoli sold a cleaning tool,
pretended then to be a fool,
His nonsense showed the errors of your ways.

He gave some very sound advice,
for folks like you with minds of mice,
Who function in an idiotic craze."

*

"So Bertha, let me start with you,
I have a certain point of view,
When pressuring Berty, with your strong commands.

He doesn't listen anyway,
to much of what you have to say,
So think real well before you make demands."

*

"And Berty, as for you my son,
complaining isn't really fun,
It's hurtful, casues conflict as you've seen.

So make the best of what you've got,
you have so much, in fact a lot.
Get into a cooperative routine."

*

Both Ma and Son had seen the light,
they finally came to know what's right,
Though Mama gave suggestions here and there,

And Berty made complaints, it's true,
but these were far apart and few,
The two were making efforts to be fair.

*

The outcome which was holding fast,
created peace which seemed to last,
'Cause mama realized reason was the key.

And Berty lived his life his way,
with little critical to say,
It made their lives together battle-free.