Monday, July 8, 2019

THEM ROCKET FLIERS

My last post featured a "Them Poem" by Mason Williams.

Being inspired by that, I sat down this morning and penned my own "Them Poem"  - one about model rocketeers.....

THEM ROCKET FLIERS

How 'bout them rocket fliers, ain't they nerds?
Flyin' them rockets, callin' them "Birds".
Flyin' them big rockets, flyin' them small,
Watchin' them parachute, watchin' them fall.

Lookit them high-falutin,' sun-burned, back'ards countin', fire-breathin', smoke-smellin'
Rocket Fliers!

How to be a rocket flier? Ain't hard to try it.
Just make yerself a rocket, find a field and fly it!


(OK.... I'm not normal......)

A Rocketry Related Poem... Kind of.....

How many of you folks remember a gentleman named Mason Williams?

Mason Williams is an entertainer best known for his hit guitar piece "Classical Gas" in the early 70's.
Mason was also a comedy writer known for his contributions to the Smothers Brothers Show and the very early days of Saturday Night Live  (We're really going back a long ways, here).

Some of Mason's work also included a series of poems that were recited to music accompaniment. 
These are called "Them Poems" and are spoken in sort of a 'redneck' voice.  The poems are about stuff that "Them People..." do.  Most of them can be found on a Google search.

So, what do the "Them Poems"  have to do with model rocketry?

In my case, plenty.  

Being a performing musician, I have memorized a number of these gems and have integrated them into some of my public shows.

This past Saturday, July 6th, I attended a rocket meet in Pueblo, Colorado, hosted by S.C.O.R.E.

As I was traipsing across the weedy field on a rocket recovery mission, I noted that my canvas tennis shoes and socks were being covered with all manner of stickers.  These are the weed seeds designed by our Creator to stick to animal fur (and human clothing) for the purpose of distributing them far and wide to propagate the species'. 

Some of those stickers embedded in my socks began irritating my ankles as I continued on my trek.

I was reminded of one of the 'Them Poems" and recited it to myself as I walked....

THEM STICKER GITTERS

How 'bout them sticker gitters, ain't they neat?
Gittin' them stickers in they feet.
Gittin' them goat-heads, gittin' them briars,
Pickin' 'em out with sticker-pickin' pliers.
Tenderfoot sticker gitters, how they squeal,
Stickers in they toes, stickers in they heel.
How to be a sticker gitter?  Don't need a ticket -
Just stick yer foot in some weeds,
and let a sticker git it !

OK.....I'm not normal.......