The Judgement of Paris

Cherry

By luigi_pagano

Sat, 08 Apr 2017
  • 2458 reads
14 comments
 
The girls parading around the pool
are taking part in the hottest contest
to find the candidate who is the best
to wear the crown of “Miss Universe”.
 
Many  entrants have been eliminated
and three have made the short list.
What’s now needed is a wise analyst
who can arrive at the right decision.
 
There is a man by the name of Paris,
who is a gourmet and likes to imbibe
but also susceptible to a large bribe,
who’s finally chosen to be the judge.
 
It’s easy to see that he can be got at;
one of the women use a cunning ploy:
she tells him that he can be a toy-boy
to a rich, full of lust, nymphomaniac.  
 
She is the wife of a hardware dealer
who sells ships and planes to the Saudi
and who is the proud owner of an Audi.
He also sponsors the beauty contest.
 
It is a spectacle with bikini-clad women
which sometimes verge on near nudity
that lechers ogle with utter  impunity.
It is unworthy to be called  a pageant.
 
O tempora, O mores! One might say
but the minimum that we can expect
is to show the young ladies respect
by judging their brain, not the body.
 
© Luigi Pagano 2017
Certificate U
Poem
Are you being versed?
Opinion
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)

Comments

Submitted by Parson Thru on

Nice moral story to this one, Luigi. I love the pairing of Saudi and Audi. Hope you're well.

Parson Thru

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

I am well, thanks very much Kevin.
Cheers, Luigi.

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

You sent me checking up the story here again, Luigi, and certainly an apt modernisation of the story it seems, and your concluding comment line – and I often think it's the use we make of the brain we've got, rather than the particular strengths or weakness of intellectual abilities that's important! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

As soon as I saw the prompt, I knew that the old myth could easily be transposed to modern times.
Paris, who was asked to judge a beauty contest between three godesses would have no problem in choosing the winner of a current equivalent if the incentive was good enough, as we know that he was easily bribed.
One possible exception would be that these days similar competitions are thought to be degrading and frowned upon. Hence my concluding line.
Thanks for your continuing support for my type of poetry which doesn't seem to be appreciated by many others.

Best, Luigi x

 

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

 

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Oops. Last entry posted in error.

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Well done Luigi - bang up to date now! (Mind you, you could have slid a little bit of trump in there if you tried. doesn't he own Miss Universe?)

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

The cherry was a pleasant surprise and much appreciated, insert. Thanks.
The link between Trump and Miss Universe was on my mind as I started writing I but failed to develop that theme on my subsequent narrative. Yet I can see that clever readers like yourself can still make the connection.

Luigi x

 

Submitted by Linda Wigzell Cress on

Nice take on IP Luigi. And nice rhyme scheme. As Rhiannon said, both physical beauty contents and brain contests should be judged on what you make of the attributes you were born with, not the attributes themselves. And as for bribery and corruption..timeless! Much enjoyed your story.

Linda

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Hi Linda.
Rhiannon's point, and yours, that we must differentiate between physical and intellectual attributes is very valid and one that I accept totally. When I said 'by judging their brain, not the body' I was referring to their intelligence. Perhaps I should have said 'by appreciating their brain' to emphasise the meaning.
Obviously one would tolerate but not praise a bird-brain woman even though she was endowed with a beautiful physique.
So glad that we had this opportunity to have a nice chat. Always pleased to hear from you.

Luigi x

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

I have never managed to watch more than five minutes of a beauty contest. As soon as the girls open their mouths the garbage they are told to spurt kills me. As you say we should respect their intelligence not their bodies, but they rarely get a chance to show it.

 

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

I agree, Ed. It is disheartening to listen to the silly remarks that some of them spout but we should avoid generalising and, to use an old cliché, tar them all with the same brush.
As you said, given the chance they may reveal hidden talents.

Cheers, Luigi.

 

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Modernised well. Our excessive commercialised worship of skin, hair and form not content.

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Truly a sad situation, Elsie.
Thanks for looking in and commenting.

Luigi x