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Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. Leonard Cohen

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Ph.Demons


A dissertation's never done
You work and work from sun to sun
You've never had so much production
But it's just the introduction!
Why did you think this would be fun?
A dissertation's never done!

A dissertation's never done
You cannot play; your friends you shun
You do not sleep; your skin is pale
You're sure that you are going to fail
Perhaps you should become a nun
A dissertation's never done!

A dissertation's never done
Advisor's near, nowhere to run
He asks you if it's going well
You want to tell him "Go to Hell!"
You stand there like you've just been stunned
A dissertation's never done!

A dissertation's never done
You think you may just buy a gun
But you hang tough and finish it
Committee says "Revise a bit!"
Don't ever think that you have won
A dissertation's never done!

13 comments:

Scarlet said...

The line: A dissertation's never done, is very effectively used. Made me recall my student days; still its only a small revision, and you you are done ~

Wonderful form ~

Happy weekend ~

Susie Clevenger said...

Love the repetition..The ending so typical of what happens no matter how hard you work to give them what they want.You have done so well with the challenge. I am not good at rhyme..sigh. I wrote mine in the open letter form.

Kerry O'Connor said...

Oh this is brilliant! You have worked the form with flair, and provided this reader with a good chuckle this morning.
The second to last stanza was my fave, and the bathos of the last certainly proved the validity of the refrain.

Great fun!

Marian said...

wow, you make it look so easy! hah!

hedgewitch said...

Can't do anything with this one but laugh out loud. Hilarious, and no doubt distressingly true to life, because I can feel the teeth gnashing from here.

JustRex said...

I have too much trouble controlling my mouth to make it very far in academia. I've had friends who went that far. They were all pasty faced and near death by the time they finished. I didn't envy them.

Once again, you have described it to a tee!

Adura Ojo said...

I can feel the frustration dripping off the page. And quite rightly too. A dissertation is hard work. Hang on in there. It would pay off eventually.

Sherry Blue Sky said...

This is brilliant! Humorous, witty, zingy - and you have made light work of a most difficult form. Applause! Just wonderful to read, it lilts.

Maude Lynn said...

Love it! This is incredibly clever, but, um, shouldn't you be working on your dissertation?

Mary Ann Potter said...

Your repetition here really works beautifully!!! You created such a task-oriented mood here - great!
A couple of thoughts on committees of any sort:
A platypus is a horse put together by a committee.
We need a committee to plan a committee to plan a committee...
Give me liberty or give me death; just don't give me another committee!

Kay L. Davies said...

Fabulous! I love the way you handle this form.
K

Anonymous said...

Wonderful! My daughter is currently in grad school! A lot of fun. Unlike the disserta--tion. K.

Margaret said...

I imagine you formulating this in your head as the "dissertation" was happening. :)