The Lament of the Prodigal Son's Brothers

[Lincolnshirelass]

(this was actually inspired by one of my own posts, sorry about egotism!)

'Rejoice,' our father said, 'Rejoice',
sing joyous music with one voice!
Well, Dad, we would have liked a choice!

Now let us make it very clear,
we still hold our brother dear,
and we are pleased that he's back here ...

Not eaten by a wolf or bear,
not stripped and left for dead somewhere,
it's truly not that we don't care..

And we don't mean to be unkind,
but all the same, we have to find
that fairness has been left behind!

For while our Bro went out to play,
and frittered time and cash away,
we had to labour night and day ....

And while Mum wept, and Dad grew old,
watching months and years unfold,
we had to care for the household.

We were young too, and had our dreams,
had our hopes and madcap schemes,
that counts for nothing, so it seems.

Anyway, he's home once more,
the son to pamper and adore,
and that's not easy to endure!

And, well, after the life he's led,
does he deserve the feather bed?
We're not saying the sty instead -

But that shabby one would do,
we think, just for a night or two,
then his life he might review!

The fatted calf was OTT,
we think most people would agree,
he could have bread and cheese for tea!

But when we say it, Dad looks vexed,
and Mum is troubled and perplexed,
we wonder what we should do next?

One course presents itself to us,
and that is a mass exodus -
then WE just might get some fuss!

[ReyvrexQuestor Reyes]

I am just amazed by your flow of thought. Wonderful! Of course for the usual SOP, I might refrain from using words like OTT in poems, but this is not to say you revise it ASAP. Maybe it seems inappropriate for me to comment this way, better said in the P.S. portion. (just kidding) You are tops in humorous poetry.

[Lincolnshirelass]

Thanks, Revyrex. I take your point about OTT, but sometimes I deliberately incorporate an apparent anachronism for humour. Not saying it always works!

[qsusan]

Love your poem, it is both humourous and meaningful.

I also would be pissed at all the fanfare, I too want him home safe, but like you said "the fatted calf was really OTT." Though I think the prodigal son also probably wanted to hide his head somewhere, its not like he didnt know what the meaning of shame was. Yet unfortunately, I also understand the parents, they were celeberating relief. Relief is almost always a thing to rejoice over.

I applaud your skill, writing style and sense of humor.
I really want to write a poem that makes people smile but mine just don't seem to come out right.

[Lincolnshirelass]

Thanks for your kind words, @qsusan. I can't always find the right theme or treatment of it either, but one of my favourite 'get started' tricks, specially with humorous ones, is to take a familiar story, as I have here, and try to see it from another point of view, or think 'what if'. Sometimes subject matter is far harder to find than the words of an actual poem in my experience.