From the Archives: Variations on "Roses are Red"

As you all probably know, I like to buck the system from time to time. I especially enjoy this when it comes to a certain heart-infested holiday used to force consumers into purchasing as many obnoxiously sweet gifts as their little pocketbooks can afford.

So one year, I cut various organs out of construction paper and wrote these little diddies on them. And they were my Valentine's cards.

Written on kidneys

Roses are red
Violets are blue
I give vital organs
To no one but you!

Roses are red
Violets are not
My heart is beating
My kidney was not.

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Who needs two kidneys?
I'll give one to you!

Roses are red
I like my heart
It's very nice
And my kidney is not.
(The above kidney was drawn to have an eye patch and a knife.)

Roses are red
Violets are stupid
Here is my kidney
Instead of a cupid.

Written on spleens

Roses are red
Grapes can be green
I'm using my heart
So here is my spleen!

Roses are red
You need a joint
I need a heart
But a spleen has no point.

Rosen sind rot ~Roses are red
Veilchen sind nicht ~Violets are not
Ich brauch' ein Herz ~I need a heart
'ne Milz hat kein' Pflicht. ~A spleen has no duty.

Written on a sad heart

Rosen sind rot ~Roses are red
So ist mein Herz ~So is my heart
Ich gab es zu dir ~I gave it to you
Deshalb hab' ich Schmerz. ~And that's why I hurt.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sally Anns and a Can of Spam

Image
Sally Anns are one of my favorite cookies. By their taste alone, they evoke a sense of home and comfort, reminding me of the kitchen at my grandparents' place and the simple happiness of mid-afternoon sweets. They're the only food that evokes the thought, This would be better with a cup of coffee. Making them was a good Easter activity, especially as I was stuck away from the family due to unpacking (the books are now free!) and yard work shenanigans (such as finding a dead mouse in the yard, which was lovely). With help from my mom, I found the recipe in the family cookbook (my great-great-grandparents are on the cover, and other awesome old pictures are scattered throughout). I decided that the transgression of buying a can of Spam (just once) was worth it for the sake of the cookies. Poke holes in the bottom of the can to allow for air flow. I didn't have enough butter for a full batch, but half of one made 18 Cookies of Unusual Size. I made the mistake of...
Read more

The Beatles' Help! Scarf

Image
Remember when I posted about making Beatles-themed crafts after seeing Cirque du Soleil's performance of Love? I've finished the first one. Here's a refresher of the original Help! scarf. Source And here's my version: a massive thing that I gave my sister for her birthday. In these shots, it's wrapped around her neck twice. I didn't measure the beast before I sent it to its new home, but it's probably about 8 feet long. Made with Caron yarn on size 8 needles, this tube scarf was 40 stitches in the round. Each block of color is 20 rows. The only tricky parts are getting a smooth transition between colors and what to do with the yarn ends inside the tube, but they are easy problems to solve. When you transitioning, knit a normal row with the new color, then pull tight the last stitch of the previous color. That last stitch shouldn't disappear entirely, but it will be close, and your problem will be solved. Then, because this scarf ...
Read more

Leavetaking by Eve Merriam

Image
Vacation is over; It's time to depart. I must leave behind (Although it breaks my heart) Tadpoles in the pond, A can of eels, A leaky rowboat, Abandoned car wheels; For I'm packing only Necessities: A month of sunsets And two apple trees. I'm packing today. What are you doing?
Read more