Poetry by H. Tucker Rosebrock
—
So the exercise is called “N+7″. You take a text and highlight every noun. For N+1, you replace those nouns with the next noun in the dictionary. For N+2, you replace those nouns with the second noun from the original noun in the dictionary, and so on.
Here are a few from LFO’s song “Summer Girls”:
—
N+0
Hip Hop Marmalade spic and span,
Met you one summer and it all began
You’re the best girl that I ever did see,
The great Larry Bird Jersey 33
When you take a sip you buzz like a hornet
Billy Shakespeare wrote a whole bunch of sonnets
Call me Willy Whistle ’cause I can’t speak baby
Something in your eyes went and drove me crazy
Now I can’t forget you and it makes me mad,
Left one day and never came back
Stayed all summer and then went back home,
Macaulay Culkin wasn’t Home Alone
Fell deep in love, but now we ain’t speaking
Michael J Fox was Alex P Keaton
When I met you I said my name was Rich
You look like a girl from Abercrombie and Fitch
New Kids On The Block had a bunch of hits
Chinese food makes me sick.
And I think it’s fly when girls stop by for the summer, for the summer
I like girls that wear Abercrombie and Fitch,
I’d take her if I had one wish,
But she’s been gone since that summer…
Since that summer
—
N+1 or Wimp Whiteout
Hippie Hope Marmoset spic and spangle,
Met you one summerhouse and it all began
You’re the best girlfriend that I ever did see,
The great Larry Birdcage Jest 33
When you take a siphon you buzzard like a horoscope
Bin Shakespeare wrote a whole bundle of sops
Call me Wimp Whiteout ’cause I can’t speak baby-sitter
Something in your eyeballs went and drowse me crazy
Now I can’t forget you and it makes me mad,
Left-hander one daydream and never came backbench
Stayed all summerhouse and then went backbench homecoming,
Macauly Culkin wasn’t Homecoming Alone
Fellow defaulter in lover, but now we ain’t speaking
Michael J Foxglove was Alex P Keaton
When I met you I said my namesake was Rick
You look like a girlfriend from Abercrombie and Fitch
New Kidnappers On The Blockade had a bundle of hitches
Chinese foodstuff makes me sickbed.
And I think it’s flyby when girlfriends stop by for the summerhouse, for the summerhouse
I like girlfriends that wear Abercrombie and Fitch,
I’d take her if I had one wishbone,
But she’s been gone since that summerhouse…
Since that summerhouse
—
N+3 or New Kills on the Blockbuster
Hippopotamus Hopper Marquee spic and spank,
Met you one summit and it all began
You’re the best girth that I ever did see,
The great Larry Birth Jet 33
When you take a sire you byelaw like a horse
Binding Shakespeare wrote a whole bungalow of sopranos
Call me Winch Whittle ’cause I can’t speak back
Something in your eyefuls went and drug me crazy
Now I can’t forget you and it makes me mad,
Left-winger one daze and never came backbone
Stayed all summit and then went backbone homeopath,
Macauly Culkin wasn’t Homeopath Alone
Felon defeatist in loyalist, but now we ain’t speaking
Michael J Foxhound was Alex P Keaton
When I met you I said my nap was Ricochet
You look like a girth from Abercrombie and Fitch
New Kills On The Blockbuster had a bungalow of hives
Chinese foot makes me sickness.
And I think it’s flyleaf when girths stop by for the summit, for the summit
I like girths that wear Abercrombie and Fitch,
I’d take her if I had one wit,
But she’s been gone since that summit…
Since that summit
—
N+6 or Feminist Defense in Lubricant
Hiss Hormone Marrow spic and spar,
Met you one sun and it all began
You’re the best gladiator that I ever did see,
The great Larry Birthplace Jew 33
When you take a sissy you by-line like a horseshoe
Biographer Shakespeare wrote a whole bunk of sorceresses
Call me Windbreak Whodunit ’cause I can’t speak backbone
Something in your eyelids went and druid me crazy
Now I can’t forget you and it makes me mad,
Legate one deaconess and never came backer
Stayed all sun and then went backer homicide,
Macauly Culkin wasn’t Homicide Alone
Feminist defence in lubricant, but now we ain’t speaking
Michael J Fracture was Alex P Keaton
When I met you I said my napkin was Ridge
You look like a gladiator from Abercrombie and Fitch
New Killjoys On The Blonde had a bunk of hoaxes
Chinese footbridge makes me sideboard.
And I think it’s flywheel when gladiators stop by for the sun, for the sun
I like gladiators that wear Abercrombie and Fitch,
I’d take her if I had one withdrawal,
But she’s been gone since that sun…
Since that sun
—
N+11 or My Narrative was Rift
Hitch Horse Marsupial spic and spat,
Met you one sundae and it all began
You’re the best glasshouse that I ever did see,
The great Larry Bishopric Jibe 33
When you take a sit-down you byte like a hospital
Birch Shakespeare wrote a whole burden of sots
Call me Window-dresser Whore ’cause I can’t speak background
Something in your eyewitnesses went and drunk me crazy
Now I can’t forget you and it makes me mad,
Legislator one deaf-mute and never came backing
Stayed all sundae and then went backing honeybee,
Macauly Culkin wasn’t Honeybee Alone
Fender deficiency in lumberjack, but now we ain’t speaking
Michael J Frame was Alex P Keaton
When I met you I said my narrative was Rift
You look like a glasshouse from Abercrombie and Fitch
New Kilowatts On The Bloom had a burden of hobos
Chinese footmark makes me sideshow.
And I think it’s foe when glasshouses stop by for the sundae, for the sundae
I like glasshouses that wear Abercrombie and Fitch,
I’d take her if I had one woe,
But she’s been gone since that sundae…
Since that sundae
—
H. Tucker Rosebrock is a part-time super hero currently pursuing his MFA in Fiction at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. A resident of South Boston, his other work has been published in The Wellesley Review and Interrupt Mag.
