Julie Leibrich was a Kapiti cultural treasure. She sadly passed away earlier in the month after a courageous battle with cancer. Waikanae Watch will publish some of her famous sonnets in the next few months starting with the delightful, cliché-ridden “ A word in your Ear” .

A WORD IN YOUR EAR

By Julie Leibrich

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I’ve got to see a man about a dog.

He’s not called Jack, he’s not all work, no play.

My life is like a mirror in a fog.

The world’s my oyster. What more can I say?

I’ve got to be footloose and fancy free,

tickle my fancy when and where I want,

be tickled pink, not busy as a bee,

say Bob’s your uncle, not my giddy aunt.

I haven’t room to swing a Cheshire cat.

I’m caught between a hard place and a rock.

I want to knock time into a cocked hat

and tell the clock where it can put a sock.

The knives are out when silly words are uttered.

A poet knows what side her bread is buttered.