In a labyrinth, the suburban crow
Takes a peek around a corner that he doesn’t know
But the corner turns, so he takes it slow
It’s all right to look ahead if you are safe below

In another time, so the crow had heard
That a maze was not a problem for a fancy bird
But it is the deed, often not the word
And the actual accomplishment is much preferred

So he took a rest, and he drank Bordeaux
And he never really made it to the next plateau
Cause he thought it best just to let it go
And avoid a situation of a quid pro quo

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2009 09:55PM by JohnnyBoy.

Johnny,

I like this a lot with its dark, rebellious undertones.

Peter

Thanks Peter

Yes, one can hang on a corner and snap fingers to accompany this...sort of a West Side Story for the birds

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/2009 03:02AM by JohnnyBoy.

A good read Johnny, very snappy indeed.

Les

I don't think it's "for the birds" at all. Actually, I liked it.

Joe

"quid pro quo" is an interesting phrase, and one I'd never heard before. It's apparently now the title of a movie as well. I really like this one, Johnny. When it comes to bribery, blackmail, or extortion....letting go is deinitely the way to go.

It’s all right to look ahead if you are safe below

this line really packs a punch.

Glad to see you. Facebook, eh?

Mary

tit for tat is a synonym for that old Latin phrase, Mary.

Thanks, Peter. I had googled it and did find the synonym you reference. But then when reading on, I found some other things that seemed a little more interesting to think about. And Johnny's poems often leave much to the imagination and interpretation of the reader.

Legal usage
In legal usage, quid pro quo indicates that an item or a service has been traded in return for something of value, usually when the propriety or equity of the transaction is in question. For example, under the common law (except in Scotland), a binding contract must involve consideration: that is, the exchange of something of value for something else of economic value. If the exchange appears excessively one sided, courts in some jurisdictions may question whether a quid pro quo did actually exist and the contract may be void by law.[2]

Another set of examples arises when an exchange is prohibited by public policy. Where prostitution is illegal, it remains common and lawful to use gifts, expensive meals and so on, as a means of attracting a sexual partner. The distinction is whether sexual favors are directly conditional on receiving gifts and vice-versa. In the absence of such a quid pro quo, there is no prostitution. Similarly, political donors are legally entitled to support candidates that hold positions with which the donors agree, or which will benefit the donors. Such conduct becomes bribery only when there is an identifiable exchange between the contribution and official acts, previous or subsequent, and the term quid pro quo denotes such an exchange. The term may also be used to describe blackmail, where a person offers to refrain from some harmful conduct in return for valuable consideration.

The term is also widely used to denote a type of sexual harassment in two variations, one of which answers to bribery and the other to blackmail. In the former case, unwarranted advancement is offered in return for sexual favors. In the second, deserved advancement, or simple continuation in service, is conditional on sexual receptivity. Quid pro quo makes the situation of a boss asking a subordinate for sex, or vice-versa, repugnant to the law.


[edit] Other meanings
Quid pro quo may less commonly refer to something (originally a medicine) given or used in place of another.

Quid pro quo may sometimes be used to define a misunderstanding or blunder made by the substituting of one thing for another, particularly in the context of the transcribing of a text.[3]

Quid pro quo may sometimes be described as the idiom,"You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours". In legislative contexts, it may take the form of vote trading. It may also describe the reverse situation, for example when a donor expects something in return later.

Quid pro quo is often used as a term in England to mean 'What's in it for me?'

The word Quid is a British slang term for a unit/units of the currency Pound Sterling (e.g., Twenty Pounds/ Twenty Quid) and is believed to come from the phrase Quid pro quo, referring to currency as a means of exchange.

Mary

Marty, if you read all of that into this poem,you're trying too hard.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/2009 09:43PM by les712.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hannibal Lecter: "Plum Island Animal Disease Research Center." Sounds charming.

Clarice Starling: That's only a part of the island. There's a very, very nice beach. Terns nest there. There's beautiful...

Hannibal Lecter: [cuts her off] Terns? Mmh. If I help you, Clarice, it will be "turns" with us too. Quid pro quo. I tell you things, you tell me things. Not about this case, though. About yourself. Quid pro quo. Yes or no?

Les, I didn't read all of that into this poem. The poem just took me to all of that. And somehow, "tit for tat" seemed too simplistic a concept for one of Johnny's poems. In any event, I learned a new phrase. And no, I wasn't trying at all.

Johnny, some interesting Hannibal lines. Your wizardly powers must be well honed of late. I'd say more about it, but Les already thinks I'm crazy and with the run I've had with Hannibal's cousin, I pretty much am.

Mary

Speaking of Silence...

[www.pitt.edu] />

[www.pitt.edu] />

Les

Does anyone have a tat they can spare?

I use my tats to catch mouses..

Crow huh? A non ansestor of mine Liver Eatin' Johnson killed a lot of crows back in the day. To eat the liver, in context, was something other than a disgusting act of canibalism, 'twas more of an insult of the first magnitude. He he eaten the heart of his victim, it would have signified that he respected the valor of said defeated opponent. Eating the liver showed that the good indian was less than a dog in Johnson's eyes. The Crow had killed Johnson's wife whilst he whiled away time at the beaver traps trying to make a living. He got miffed at that indescretion of the entire Crow nation and summerized a few hundred over the next several years. He ate the livers raw, not reported if he had fries or baked with that. Having served wearing the blue of a Federalist during the war against northern oppression, Johnson died in a vet's hospitial in L.A. buried near same. Exhumed and taken to Wyoming for reenterment. Appearently had not reserected as yet.

The Crow Nation in Montana hosts the battlefield site of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer who made the famous statement, "Well boys, we ain't gonna have to spend another winter in North Dakota" And the crow is a prettier bird than the turkey vulture, even upon the pallid bust of Pallis.

Nice pome Johnny, seems to lead a lot of directions.

tell Pete "Hi"

don't judge history by today's standards.

A quid pro quo is a price that has not changed much over the years. Of course there was a time when a quid was $2.56 US. Also what was it 12 shillings? Don't remember the old English coin as I should probably.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2009 01:31PM by Merc.