Fête de Noël de Madame Priyatelkata

Cherry

By Turlough

Sat, 27 Dec 2025
  • 911 reads
17 comments
 

 

Fête de Noël de Madame Priyatelkata

 

A repertoire of lively tunes

A carousel and gay balloons

To start, my Breton Belle festoons

Festive greetings most profound

On friends and loved ones gathered round

 

A monkey in a sailor suit

Who worked his passage from Beirut

Performing polkas on the flute

Plies his charms on Madame P

And strokes her jaguarundi

 

The strongman lifts above his head

A canon packed with powdered lead

A shaman chants to raise the dead

Wizards cast their mystic spells

And wee folk dance in shoes with bells

 

To titillate excited guests

A Kurdish woman on request

Reveals the tattoos on her chest

Cryptic symbols, Genghis Khan

A riddle from Turkmenistan

 

For nourishment at quarter past

Each hour is served a great repast

Into famished mouths are cast

Sweetmeats fetched from eastern lands

By camels crossing desert sands

 

Fruit and flesh of every kind

Persian spices all combined

To tempt the belly and the mind

Sassafras, cloves and fenugreek

These morsels lure both strong and weak

 

Trestles bow ‘neath wines in kegs

And the darkest ales from Killybegs

Every drop is supped, even dregs

In sparkling crystal raised to toast

Our benefactress and noble host

 

There’s song and dance until it’s light

Faces shining with delight

Hoping they can last all night

As toes are pinched some sit and sigh

With a cup of tea and a cold mince pie

 

Image:

My own photograph of Madame Priyatelkata’s carousel.

 

 

Certificate 12
Poem
Poetry in Commotion
Humour

Comments

Submitted by insertponceyfre... on

Wonderfully exotic - it feels as if this should be accompanied by some wild gypsy music!

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Strange you should mention Gypsy music IPFN because it's something we often listen to at home. The muse of the Romanian and Hungarian Gypsies is magnificent. All the other stuff in the poem is made up though, even the mince pie.

Turlough

Submitted by GlosKat on

Very atmospheric and evocative – I can see that a Christmas invitation from Mme Priyatelkata is something to be desired !

I can also definitely see Django Reinhardt entertaining your guests, if only he was still alive.

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Aye, she doesn’t give those invitations to just anybody you know. In fact, she doesn’t give them to anybody at all, except me.

Since Django passed, La Caravane Passe have taken his place at Le Hot Club de Malki Chiflik.

La Caravane Passe

Turlough

Submitted by GlosKat on

Absolutely barking, what a great party band !

And I apologise for putting in the Ram Jam band, that was Geno Washinton wasn't it.  I've edited it out now.  Having a very senior day remembering things - it's bitterly cold here and I seriously think it slows down the blood supply to my brain ..

 

Submitted by Turlough on

I didn’t really think about Django’s backing boys but you’re right now your brain’s defrosted (mine had stayed in a liquid state throughout). I wonder did the Ram Jam Band evolve into the band, Ram Jam, who had a hit with Black Betty that I insist wasn’t about my brother-in-law’s dog no matter how much our family members insist it was.

Turlough

Submitted by GlosKat on

Mm no I don't think there was any evolution, the time gap is too great, to say nothing of the style gap,.  

The Black Betty mob were about in the late 70's and if you look at them on YouTube they're long-haired hippies in their 20's, and all American (according to Wiki).  Whereas Geno's band are about 10 years older, and with the exception of Geno (who was an American serviceman stationed in England) they're all British.

But I've got so much else wrong today, who knows !

 

Submitted by Turlough on

I can accept all that. It all fits together and makes perfect sense. It’s the dog element of the story that still troubles me. She was a Brixton rescue dog that lived with Smoggies near Nottingham, so the poor hound would have had troubles herself. Betty’s no name for a dog. Betty’s a name for a Coronation Street character or a posh Yorkshire café.

Turlough

Submitted by marandina on

Wonderful imagery.

Not sure why but this made me think of 'Life on Mars?' by David Bowie.

Yes, I agree with insert...exotic and, perhaps, Bohemian.

You have conjured a whole world within a poem. 

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Thanks very much Paul and I like  your Life on Mars suggestion. When I was writing it I had John Lennon's Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! from Sergeant Pepper somewhere in the back of my head.

Perhaps I should have said it's just a description of a typical Saturday morning in our house.

 

Turlough

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Been ill with a contagious bug that's doing the rounds, so it was nice to have my laptop and a box of hankies while reading your fun poem Turlough...you put a smile on my face smiley Thank you.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Turlough on

 

A poet plagued by Yuletide snot

Amidst great mounds of Kleenex grot

Observed proceedings from her cot

As soldiers danced with swords in kilts

To send some cheer to Swindon, Wilts

Turlough

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

This poem just about sums me up at the moment. 

Thanks for sharing Turlough. yes

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Turlough on

I hope you get well soon our Jenny.

smiley

Turlough

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Thank you Turlough.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by celticman on

bah humbug, but I hope to read bah humbug 2, shortly. 

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Sorry CM, but you'll have to wait until the next time Madame Priyatelkata has a Fête de Noël.

You're already on the guest list, of course!

Turlough