Ken Gosse generally writes light poetry using simple language, meter, and rhyme in verses filled with whimsy and humor. First published in The First Literary Review–East in November, 2016, his poetry is also online with Academy of the Heart and Mind, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Home Planet News, Spillwords, Impspired, and others. He is also in print anthologies from Pure Slush, The Coil, Truth Serum Press, Peking Cat, and others. Raised in the Chicago suburbs, he and his wife have lived in Indiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Germany, Virginia, and now in Mesa, Arizona over twenty years with two or more rescue dogs and cats always underfoot. Their four children and their grandchildren are scattered around the county, mostly at long distances.

The College Musicians of Bremen

Duet To Me, Baby

They played his bassoon after school,
her fingering red-hot and cool.
His Valkyrie rode
till his steed would explode
in her French horn—his tool in her jewel.

Toot Suite

“There’s a woodwind quintet that’s brand new;
I’d sure love to play it for you.”
But when they got there,
his turntable was bare—
before the first note, they were, too.

Over the Hills and Into the Dale

A pastoral date had been charted,
but as soon as the symphony started
they dropped all pretension,
removed twin suspension,
and soon her soft underbrush parted.

A Good First Impresario

As the ending approached, they played on
and they both got to wave his baton.
A romantic duet
they will never forget
with a climax they knew was foregone.

Learning Curves

Her suitor would tutor the cute
French horn player and make her sing “Woot!”
and the way she would tease
as she tickled his keys
(they weren’t virginals) made his flute toot.

They Knew the Score

They knew before reaching his door,
they’d adlib without reading the score.
She plied his bassoon
with a lover’s sweet tune
till it rose for another encore.

Kazooled!

In their duet, they both played on cue,
but she said, “I’ll have no more of you!
Though I played you toot suite
till your song was complete,
your kazoo quit before I was through."

College Musicians Get Down

With a trio, duet, and quartet
in the orchestra pit’s oubliette,
they shed music and clothes
in their lyrical throes;
their finale, a woodwind quintet.

Intermingering

One joy that they shared as musicians,
especially during transitions,
is tonguing and fingering
kept delight lingering
through many Sutra’d positions.