Reviews from

A Potpourri of Poetic Curiosities

Viewing comments for Chapter 299 "Bacon Bits"
A collection of poems showcasing unusual words

17 total reviews 
Comment from Linda Kay
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How valiant to sacrifice your own life by refusing the pig's organ parts. LOL. Proud of mys of that I knew porcine and could infer xenotransplantation. My brain power at work is teaching kids letter names, sounds and 3 letter words. Your poems are a great step up in brain cells used for me!

 Comment Written 28-Oct-2018


reply by the author on 28-Oct-2018
    Funny, that's two people who have read into the "sacrifice" theme something I didn't mean to be there. I can see (in hindsight) how people would, quite naturally, equate "sacrifice" with refusing an organ donation, but that thought never really crossed my mind. All I was really getting at is how we often like to refer to animals we abuse as making a "sacrifice" on our behalf, when it isn't that at all, as they have no say in it.

    Yours is up there with the most important work there is, keep up the good work!

    Cheers, Craig
Comment from LIJ Red
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A coworker had a pig valve installed in his heart. It lasted about as long as most pigs live, and he had to have another. Pork chops, tenderloin and sausage...a long line of accusing swine wait for me at the pearly gates...excellent poem...

 Comment Written 26-Oct-2018


reply by the author on 27-Oct-2018
    Thanks very much for the kind comments. Hopefully, synthetic devices will one day do a better job. Cheers, Craig
Comment from Tia Attwood
Excellent
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Hi

What an excellent written poem and who the hell uses the word: xenotransplantation
in poetry. That was a big surprise. Loved the creativity of this poem and your extraordinary poetic abilities. This was a great way to resurrect your pig on this poetic dish.

You deserve more than the 5 stars I give.

Great job.
entertaining read.

Regards
Tia

 Comment Written 26-Oct-2018


reply by the author on 27-Oct-2018
    I don't get a say in what words to use or not lol. Thanks for the lovely comments, Tia. They are gratefully received. Craig
Comment from Hugh McDowell
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Love the theme of this. As a thirteen year vegan, I applaud you. Part of our inhumanity comes from the belief that as the dominant species, we have the right to abuse, slaughter other species for our benefit. Perhaps when we become more sensitive to other species, we'll become better with our own. Enough of my rant. Good flow and pace. Love the line; I like my pork alive. Excellent. Hugh

 Comment Written 26-Oct-2018


reply by the author on 27-Oct-2018
    I applaud you, on making the switch more than twice as long ago as I did. Many thanks, Hugh, for the great comments. I heartily concur with all you said. Craig
Comment from damommy
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I'm sure Bacon Bits would be grateful for your sacrifice. As you say, it doubly meaningful because it was done voluntarily. I don't know if I could refuse such a transplant. I know a lady who had a pig's valve placed in her heart, and she lived many, many years with it. At any rate, I enjoyed this poem about Bacon Bits.

 Comment Written 26-Oct-2018


reply by the author on 27-Oct-2018
    Oops, taken that way, it comes across as a bit self-indulgent. I wasn't referring to my "sacrifice", as I wouldn't view it as such. I meant if the animal has no say in it, we shouldn't speak of them as making a "sacrifice", or doing a noble thing. They are just being used, certainly with no say in the matter, by a more powerful being as "spare-parts". Many thanks for the very kind review. Craig
Comment from --Turtle.
Exceptional
This work has reached the exceptional level

Hi, Craig,

Nice job with this poem contemplating the icy advance of medicine into xenotransplantation, where beyond forsaking another creature's life for food when there's plenty of other things to eat, the hard option of forsaking ones own chance at life is weighed at the cost of anothers, where many would weigh human life higher than a pig's, because ... well, a pig's life isn't often even considered more important than breakfast.

In this poem, there's a potent significance that the ends don't justify the means, and so, bacon bits gets to stay whole. Ironically with the name, it says alot about the scales of pigs and breakfast, when the scale isn't even tipping for the more significant scale of life and death.

Then pace and beat and rhymes of this poem all flowed nicely. Not much from me, only a handful of thoughts along the way:

Said Doctor Cruz, "I've got good news;
(I figure Cruz... pronounced Cruise? I think I pronounced Cruz more like Cruhz, initially but by the time I got to news... I was figuring I was pronuncing Cruz wrong.

But when I heard the medic's words,
my face showed(flashed?) consternation.
(not that I think it has to change, just wondered if the flashed might have a pinch of nice alliteration, so shared my flash thought.)

 Comment Written 26-Oct-2018


reply by the author on 27-Oct-2018
    Not only is "flashed" appealing because of the alliteration, it's a far more "punchy" word than the bland "showed". Many thanks for this great tip. Consider it changed.

    It's probably unusual to review a review, but I just had to comment on this:

    well, a pig's life isn't often even considered more important than breakfast.

    That's just brilliant. Can I steal it some time?

    Thanks for always going above and beyond the call, Turtle.

    Craig
reply by --Turtle. on 27-Oct-2018
    : D

    Thanks for the compliment, and for appreciating my observation. Feel free to use, as it was your poem that spurred the the contemplation.

Comment from BeasPeas
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Kudos. My husband had a heart valve transplant. It was a mechanical valve. I'm vegetarian because I don't want anybody to die for me to eat it. If I was told I'd have to eat flesh, I'd vomit. (sorry) In researching AI, as I think I've mentioned to you before, with self-driving cars it's expected there will be fewer organ donors due to safer driving cars. Science is planning to perfect 3-D printed organs from a computer. Hopefully, this will happen.

BUT, back to your poem. It's great. I'd give you a sixer if I had one. Great theme, flow, presentation, rhyme and I learned a new word. Marilyn

 Comment Written 26-Oct-2018


reply by the author on 26-Oct-2018
    Yes, using our technical skills to produce synthetic organs sounds a lot better idea to me than breeding sentient creatures to become spare-parts factories. And congratulations on showing compassion for our fellow inhabitants of the planet, something most people find too difficult to do. Thanks for the wonderful review and the virtual six award, Marilyn.

    Craig
reply by BeasPeas on 26-Oct-2018
    Yes, I've been vegetarian for many years.
Comment from Dawn Munro
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Oh my friend, yer killin' me! !!
I love my morning bacon.
I read yer poetry, dear man,
and truly end up shakin',

'cuz even more than food I store
inside my Whirlpool's freezer,
I love the precious creatures who
are comfort for this geezer!

:( :( :( (*sniffle*)

('specially cute pigs. 'n puppies. 'n birds. n' little lambs, n' goats, n' kitties, n'cows, n' alla the ones that aren't plants...)

 Comment Written 26-Oct-2018


reply by the author on 26-Oct-2018
    Thanks very much, Dawn. Guess who's mum's got a Whirlpool? It was a TV ad here long ago lol
reply by Dawn Munro on 26-Oct-2018
    I love plants too, though... (LOL) I would have used "Frigidaire", but it didn't fit the meter. *grin*

    WHO'S Mom?
reply by the author on 26-Oct-2018
    LOL "whose mum"... I hadn't had my morning coffee ;-)
reply by Dawn Munro on 26-Oct-2018
    YIKES - I have had my coffee, and I missed that - mine was really a question - hahahahaha!!!
reply by the author on 26-Oct-2018
    The guy in the ad, of course. His overalls are SO much whiter than everyone else's.
reply by Dawn Munro on 26-Oct-2018
    Hahahahaha, umm....duh...took me a moment... :)
Comment from Sandra du Plessis
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A very well-written poem about the organs of pigs that can be transplanted to humans because our bodyparts and functions seem to be adaptable to the pigs.

 Comment Written 26-Oct-2018


reply by the author on 26-Oct-2018
    Thanks very much, Sandra. I appreciate the kind comments.

    Craig
Comment from Debbie Pope
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Is this for real, Craig? And my poor mother could hardly accept blood from another person.
The thought of xenostransplantation is mind blowing, as is your poem. I love Bacon Bits. What a wonderful name. I tried to name a pig for a poem lately, and I wish that I had thought about it. I bet you have such a pig. I bet you name all your animals that well.
You put your heart and love of animals into this witty post. It is really fun to read.

 Comment Written 26-Oct-2018


reply by the author on 26-Oct-2018
    It's all too real, Debbie.

    No pig of mine would have a name "Bacon Bits" although, I will confess that in my ignorance, back when I used to raise steers, we would give them creative names. These were usually based on a knightly theme, so that we wouldn't get too attached to them. Thus, we had Sir Loin, Beef Strong Enough (you have to read that one quickly), to name a couple. Thankfully, we saw the error of our ways ;-)

    Thanks for the lovely review.

    Craig