you ripen well, babe/as is your wont

you’ve felt the cool dawn, honey/on the flimsy cloth you flaunt

you stir well, and all’s swell,/and seems less pale and gaunt

and if angels sing, well,/let’s use italic for our font.

.

can’t the cat be so cute now/when we say knock it off

and the indecisive hat-hand/first a don and  then a doff

it needs to hear a few bars/written by rachmaninov

then it will freely gesture/however skeptic posers scoff.

.

seasonal allergies/stopper up the throat and nose

sprung spring stuns, hon/and the tearduct floodgate flows

you be my je ne sais quoi/and i will be your quelque chose

and we’ll dance away the Springtime/wearing fishnet pantyhose.

.

Afterword: the prompt suggested writing new lyrics to an existing melody. I chose Bob Dylan’s tune “It Takes a Lot to Laugh/It Takes a Train to Cry.” When I finished I realized that I hadn’t written the verse that would reference the title. So here is a bonus verse:

you coming bearing gifts, doll:/frankintense and myrrph and gott

for the bananas, thanks a bunch/thanks a mil for the ground-wheat spot

and now i can park my car/dusk to dawn and on the dot

and for that, sweetie darlin/what can i say but thanks! a lot!