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Tuesday, February 18, 2014

HATS



d'Verse Poets Pub


When I wear a baseball cap,
I'm not wearing it seriously--
like someone who wears a baseball cap.

When I wear a cowboy hat,
I'm not wearing it seriously--
like someone who wears a cowboy hat

I'm masquerading as you
for a little while
while I'm in the neighborhood.

And
you
know
I can talk the talk
and walk the walk
if I want to. 

Funny
how a hat
can change everything.

In the 30s and 40s
everyone wore them
and it told you nothing.
A sea of conformity
hiding the deformity
that was your head. 

Now
for those who do
it's like slapping a bumper sticker
across your forehead
displaying to the world
what you're made of.
I can see what's in your heart
by what's on your head--
and I can pinpoint it all
from the kind of wheels you drive
to the radio station you listen to.

I can even tell 
if you're The Queen.

But tipping my hand, well
that's not my style...

I'd rather you not see me comin'
(like a stealth bomber)
and just keep all of that
under my hat. 

38 comments:

  1. makes me think of all the youngsters that wear their cap to belong somewhere..and hey..i got a burger king cardboard crown...but unfortunately doesn't make me a queen...but says a lot about where i buy my burgers..smiles

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  2. CLAUDIA: Ha ha...I said that I could recognize The Queen...and you ARE The Queen!

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  3. ... keep it under your hat then ... see who cares ... I sure don't, Mr. Catnip ... Oueen or Princess or Frog ... kiss them ... kiss them all, if you like ... bring it on ... kiss away ... see if I care ... like I said before some time ago: "You only live once, so live it (wisely)" ... hmmm? Purrrs to you, cat.

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  4. i rather stealth as well...and if i got to wear an opinion on my hat just so i can remember it what is it really worth you know...smiles...

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  5. BRIAN: I hear ya...I'm not ready to declare just who I am because for one thing I'm still deciding it!

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  6. I don't wear hat, and you know it could be worse, imagine wearing a red one ?

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  7. Clever one, kiddo! A stealth bomber, hey? Oops, careful, there are Security People raising warning flags when such words appear online these days ;).

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  8. Hahaha, so true. I loved every bit, excellent write!!

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  9. LORRAINE: Guess you won't be joining The Red Hat Society any time soon!
    SHERRY: "...paranoia strikes deep..."
    BUDDHA: I tip my hat to you, sir.

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  10. Oh excellent, Tim (you even included the Queen!) These are the lines that hooked my eye (a painful occurrence but one that stays with you)

    A sea of conformity
    hiding the deformity
    that was your head.

    Always a pleasure to see your work shared on Real Toads.

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  11. SO true. I do not like hats, nor look good in them. Only wear them when there is a need to protect that area where hair used to be from the sun.

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  12. you have such a unique outlook on life...

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  13. Slick, Timo. Remind me not to wear my hippie head rag when you're on the case. It's very true too, choices produce appearances, and appearances are all clues, some blatantly deliberate, some unwitting. That's why people used to scream "Get a haircut!" They hate defiance, even non-verbal.

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  14. That is one way of looking or gauging a person specially during summer and spring ~ Here, it would be the sports jersey, but that is another story ~

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  15. KERRY: Like the humor in your comment. And always much appreciated.
    AWAKENEDWORDS: Yes, there are practical applications as well. Smiles.
    EVELYN: Here's lookin' at you, kid.
    HEDGEWITCH: I'd like to see you in that head rag, actually!
    HEAVEN: If anybody has a Ryan Leaf jersey, I will buy it!

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  16. I love this view and it is so true~
    Great ending by the way :D

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  17. How wonderfully you take a light cover for a masquerade and go deep down inside of it! "Funny / how a hat / can change everything."

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  18. how perceptive! a hat really can change a lot. first impressions, big thing, hat changes that. thanks for this!

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  19. I tend to feel that way in a hat...just haven't found one that "fits" quite right. Great poem.

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  20. and who wants to keep changing hats too...smiles..

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    Replies
    1. ha. good luck keeping it under your hat...i used to wear a hat...i dont anymore....

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  21. I were a jesters hat....does that make me a fool?....lol. I liked this, a brazen social comment that made me smile. Great job.

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  22. You are such a clever writer--every time I read your work I am struck by that--and always an entertaining message--

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  23. ELLA, SUSAN, MARIAN, KEN, BRIAN, HEROTOMOST, AUDREY:I take off my hat to you...and anything else you want as well!

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  24. Just yesterday, I sat in a restaurant and noticed a man wearing a cowboy hat thinking to myself that he most likely never rounded up a herd of cattle in his life. I never did like hats, myself. Perhaps they do prompt one to become judgmental. I guess it's more important to consider what's beneath the head than what's topping it. Yes, this is a very clever piece indeed!

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  25. KAY: Yeah, what's in the head rather than what's on it--because you never know when someone like me puts on a hat just to goof on people. Thanks for dropping by!

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  26. You are always sure to make me laugh. How can I not love you for that! hugs, pat

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  27. Hat--- yes it's fun to wear sometimes... a real hat. Like the one my father had in the 60s... and probably a bow-tie as well

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  28. Oh, too much to love in this one. Love the tongue in cheek and also truth conveyed with humor!

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  29. Loved this immensely! Hats off to you!

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  30. Love it! You have such a great way of revealing so much of the world in your fun poems.

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  31. I am very attached to my akubra. Someone stole my favourite one.

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  32. Wise man - sliding through with no announcement. No bumper sticker for you. Well played.

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  33. __I very rarely wear a hat though I own two softhats (ya know,,, the OLD stuff) and most recently I've donned them accordingly.. No advertising or promotional ball caps, but, if I found one that said... "Just-In Beaver" what a firestarter that would be!
    __New bumper sticker: - Stop tailgating me! I'm Texting! -.
    Smiles! _m

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  34. BJORN: No bow ties or neckties for me...can't breathe with them things on!

    DAWN: So glad you liked it!

    BUDDAH: And a tip o' the cap to you, my good man!

    RAZZAMADAZZLE: Appreciate your insightful comments.

    RALLENTANDA: I'll bet you look stunning in your akubra! (Note to self: Find out what the hell an "akubra" is.)

    BEACHANNY: Sliding through...that's what it's all about!

    MAGYAR: Just-In Beaver...ha ha...I know some kids who don't know that isn't his real name! Love that bumper sticker...how about: "Stop texting me--I'm tailgating."

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