T. Buckingham Thomas: Poetry

Poetry and Other Artistic Writings such as Stories
T. Buckingham Thomas physics Oberlin WOBC Richwood Tom Thomas Chyron Infinit Pittsburgh
I wrote most of the following articles, but several of them quote other writers. To search for specific names or events that might be listed elsewhere, use this utility:

Eli	A retelling of I Samuel 1-8. An old priest recounts his troubles with his sons and the boy Sam.
Obadiah	A retelling of I Kings 16-19. During a drought, a prophet discredits and kills his rivals.
Solomon Redner	The pessimistic author of Ecclesiastes is the guest on an interview show.
Emmaus	A retelling of Luke 24:13-35. On the first Easter Sunday, a traveler meets two despondent disciples.
The Beautiful Gate	A retelling of Acts 3-4. Outside the Temple, a man's business is ruined by do-gooders.
When You're In Rome	...wear a toga!
.	*1900*
Under the Talcott Tree	John Prindle Scott's serenade.
.	*1950*
A Mother's Garden in a New Land	My mother's poem about learning again how to garden on the windy plains of Richwood, Ohio.
.	*1960*
Vernon Thomas at the Richwood Fair	A local poet guests on my father's radio program from the fair.
Antihymeneal Hymns	Parody songs against marriage (and feminism), from an unproduced musical.
I Do Not Need a Cure	A song disclaiming the "cure for life," with music by Haydn.
Rain in November	Outside Richwood High School, a gloomy night.
To a Staple	A little parable.
Playing with Words	A family in a rut, a very long sentence, and songs about thwarted cheerleaders and noble underdogs at Richwood High School.
Prom	May, 1965: some impressions.
Sing, Sing a Song	Of sixpence, of cities, but especially of colleges.
A Freshman Crush	At college, I'm dazzled by a friendly princess. Yet I am not worthy.
Rev. Wagner's Cake	A comic song for a going-away party.
The Parable of the Lady and the Cat	A shy, longing student's blank verse.
The Prophetess	I get inside her head, in two languages. She may not want me there.
Need It Be Said?	A song for a character who cannot believe.
The Silent Dark	A poem about my parents' nighttime journey to hear me on the radio.
Promonius and Constanes	Two Shakespearian types contemplate the impending Commencement of the Class of 1968.
Item Four	Unable to love, I nevertheless pen a sonnet.
Three Bad Dreams	Versifying my nightmares.
	1970
Can You Repeat That?	I recall two comic roles, including one in which my voice broke appropriately, plus a couple of vocalists from the 1990s.
The Songs of Linda	Dramatizing a true story from my past — a story of love gone bad.
.	*1990*
Fleeing the Storm	A "quiet" week on Lake Pontchartrain.
.	*2000*
Requiem	From 19th-century music, some words for those who died on Sept. 11, 2001.
Verse Is Where You Find It	Others' prose about chilling out.
Add Drama	A few ideas for enlivening traditional performances.
Smilin' Through	Maybe Mel Brooks and I once had the same book on the music racks of our respective pianos.
Zoey and the Zekoonies	A little girl and her grandfather discuss whether dogs go to heaven.
We Are Not Crooks	I dream of Nixon, resulting in a short story.

America the Beautiful, above the enameled plain

Beethoven's "Ode to Freedom"?

Christians translate the Hebrew poetry of Job

Classic rock and holiday classics never fade away

Hair opens at a theater I'd visited

Melanie, singer (flourished 1970-72)

Mendelssohn's "Paulus" is essentially Bach

My economically ravaged home

Repeating the same phrase aids memory

Repeating the same word is avoided in English writing

Rhymes: "Hey Jude"

Rhymes: Inexact

Rhymes: Inventive

Songs from the 1890's remembered

Sonnet to a "truant" fellow student

Synthetic A's in the concert hall

The dying of the light

Understanding opera (i.e., the words)

Versions of literary works, including Shakespeare