February 2018
Jeannie E. Roberts
jeannie.roberts@jrcreative.biz
I live near Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, where I write, draw and paint, and often photograph my natural surroundings. I enjoy spending time outdoors and taking walks with our dog, a thirteen-year-old golden doodle named Yogi. My poems and photography appear in Bramble Literary Magazine and in other journals and anthologies. My fourth poetry collection, The Wingspan of Things, was recently released by Dancing Girl Press. To learn more, please visit www.jrcreative.biz.​

A Vinegar Tale
         You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
                                                                                   ―English proverb
​
A windfall of flies fueled the liar's webbing.
Grand and beguiling, his labyrinth
was intricately woven and lavishly styled,
spun skillfully with winning, honey-like smiles.
 
The girl had no web, no maze, nor morass.
Made of lemon and vinegar, she grimaced
and sassed. Built with an edge and a permanent
scowl, she'd much rather frown, much rather
 
howl. The liar would often recite the catch more
flies with honey proverb to the girl, reminding
her that mild acid tends to repel not attract.
The girl didn't care much for honey nor proverbs
 
that promoted pretense and trumpery.
Had she missed the point? She didn't think so,
after all, she'd witnessed the man's crafty tactics
and wily maneuvers for personal as well as
 
financial gain. Let it be known that wallpaper's
glue can be easily removed using vinegar
and boiling water; vinegar is also effective
in the removal of tenacious matter, including
 
clogs from drains. Vinegar can be used
as a polishing agent for metals such as brass,
copper, and silver. It can restore the color
in curtains and upholstery; but most importantly,
 
vinegar can deactivate the stings from jellyfish,
and, quite possibly, the fiction from liars with
web-like wardrobes and honey-like smiles.
©2018 Jeannie E. Roberts
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