Altho Poems | Examples

On The Money

To Americans, July 4th
is Independence Day,
with; barbecues, concerts, fireworks,
picnics, parades, patriotic festivities,
(a.k.a., Freedom Day).
Despite the star-spangled banner's,
red, white and blue,
to that of the British Union Jack,
being identical in hue,
flag-waving they're compelled,
or conditioned, so to do.
The U.S. Constitution does define,
'Treason' as... the only crime
consisting of levying war
against them, and/or,
to their enemies adhering,
with comfort and aid
by all means conveyed.
To those in England,
considering, in 1776,
colonists went their own sweet way,
it's the ultimate 'Treason Day'.
And, altho' the U.S. touts
'Separation of Church and State',
yea, verily I say,
is it not hypocritically unjust
of them to print on their money,
'In God We Trust'?

Taking Stock

Been to the London Stock Exchange
opened in 1571 by Elizabeth the Queen
and what's more saw the New York Big Board
the world's largest stock market ever seen
but when I took a trip to Paris
had no clue as to what to do
altho' I was educated in French
(parlez-vous?)
I believe brokers did so to discommode
as when yelling buying or selling 
they communicated in Bourse code

Scarlet

Said the Mother Superior,
“I have completely lost track
of how often the Archbishop and I,
wearing ashes and cloth sacks,
crept into the crypt
and made the beast with two backs.
Altho' no one can hold a candle,
to his Grace, yes,
not even the Venerable Abbess,
flagellation notwithstanding,
as a nun married to God,
who committed sacrilege,
I'm ashamed to confess,
I broke the Lord's Commandment
as an unrepentant adulteress.”

A Drama In Two Parts

They left Southampton with a coal fire down below,
Olympic class of the White Star Line, little did they know.
Irish-built in Belfast, one iceberg was all it took as,
with insufficient lifeboats, the whole wide world it shook.
Departing Queenstown, compartments not all watertight,
unsinkable or so they said, until that tragic night...
(almost a six-day cruise).
She was poorly equipped and, as all good Captains do
(tho' that is not his due), Edward Smith
(and fifteen hundred souls or more)
went down with the ship.
And the band played on as the ship was going down,
were they blind (drunk?), out of their minds,
they were all about to drown.
Some thought 'Bravery,' others, 'Stupidity,'
(altho' cold as ice), I can say, quite categorically,
I would have jumped ship if it were me.
Tho' it's a deep subject, rock-bottom at very best,
the play on Broadway (take a bow) you won't see,
of lost lives and broken hearts
is... 'The Titanic, In Two Parts'.

Dong Zhongshu, 179-104 BC

If you've a yen
(it's not zen)
you may bet your bottom dollar
while integrating yin yang cosmology
Chinese philosopher and scholar
Dong Zhongshu
(good old you know who)
favoured heaven worship results
over and above traditional cults
altho' a man well-read
he often wrote instead
yet to avoid confusion
knowingly said, 'Jump to assumption,
arrive wrong conclusion.'

Inner Child

You're never too old
to be young
at heart
even Freud was Jung
from the very start
altho' childbirth
is a labour of love
it's all in the swing
of things
and to about-face
child discipline
is strictly a case
of heir conditioning

Morocco Bound

Once upon a time
I set out to write a story
about going to north Africa
arriving in Ceuta
things were all in order
but no sooner on the bus
than detected reported
ejected from escorted to
and deported 'cross the border
it was to be an expensive
soft leather-covered book
and altho' I took
more than one look
I could not find the words
would fill a tome
and so
tho' second-best
I settled for less
and instead
I wrote this pome

Red Herring

As a young boy
when not very old
I did enjoy
being told
grisly bedtime stories
by my Mother
the favourite was
none other
than
altho' I was just a nipper
Whitechapel Fishmonger Murders
perpetrated by
Jack the Kipper

Big Ben

When asked, 'If the orchestra conductor
had made an effort more concerted
not to miss the concert
and a sordid scene averted,
would he have been less disconcerted?'
"Don’t ask me, I’m only the drummer,"
replied I in chagrin.
And, altho' the name of my favourite band
is the one I am currently in,
I do like the sound of the moniker, 'Big Ben,'
it's music to my ears and have to admit,
it has a certain ring to it."
As it appeals one feels it would sell well as a bell
(at fifteen point one short tons)
and wake everyone with its loud knell.

Ode To An Ocelot

Not a lot of ocelots
are seen in the day
they prefer the evening
or the night
if an ocelot you're hot to spot
altho' it's quite a long shot
an ocelot you want to sight
you may even hit the jackpot
if you do it right
all you've really got to do
is switch off the light

A Name By Any Other Arose

Native Americans call me 'Paleface'
'Roundeye' say the Chinese race
to a Scot I'm a 'Sassenach' 'Boyo' to those in Wales
altho' a 'Limey' in New York
I answer to none such hails
once a 'Gweilo' in Hong Kong Down Under was a 'Pom'
you may give a dog a bad name (and/or a bone)
he may even be your (best) 'Pal' don't think me fuddy-duddy
for what's more I have my limits and I'm not your (good) 'Buddy'
then a 'Rooinek' 'round Cape Town
'Farangi' was I in Dubai
and tho' no English rose was a 'Bloke' when there
as originally from Kenya when owned by Blighty
in some parts of the U.S.A. I'm now called 'Whitey'
'Haole' in Hawaii that's me and 'Gringo'
down south in Mexico
seems I'm all things to all men a man of many hats
altho' no they know me not
whether saint or sinner
you may call me what you will
but just not late for dinner

Ivan Petrovich Pavlov 1849-1936

Of eleven children he was the first
and from an early age
for research had a thirst
his love of dogs was no surprise
highly regarded
he received the Nobel Prize
altho' no longer around
of all those that ever were
I clearly like the sound
as with food it goes so well
and if nothing else
the name 'Pavlov' rings a bell

Davy Crockett 1786-1836

According to the ballad,
Davy Crockett, born in Tennessee
(part of North Carolina at the time),
kilt him a b'ar when he was only three
(altho' only a song,
always had my doubts about cruelty to animals
from one so young).
Playing with it night and day, young Davy
should have taken more care
(had a hunting reputation),
he pulled the arms and legs off
his toy teddy bear.
Even at that early age, our Davy
really was quite unfair
(King of the Wild Frontier),
he knocked the stuffing out of his toy teddy bear.

Years Ago

Looking back on my younger days
and in that summer haze
you were the pearl my girl
in my oyster the whole wide world
so many memories
of you me and how we used to be
but of photographs far too few
altho' we did have a laugh a two
now all growing dim and grey
with the fading shades of day
etched in my memory for good
our trips to sunny Spain
and when we went
for a walk in the woods
on the way to the Isle of Wight
the night we were caught
in the freezing rain
no I'm not living in the past
and yet I'll raise a glass
to each and every single day
from over the hills and far away

Retribution

Twilight was the time of day
as well they do concur
about the hour of crepuscular dusk
or evening if you prefer
there in the gloaming
altho' the light was slightly dimmer
I took a look at the situation
and saw more than quite a glimmer
of absolute absurdity the altercation confrontation
as if every nation were to follow the Law
of Exact Retaliation an eye for an eye
we'd all be sightless both you and I
or Reciprocal Justice a tooth for a tooth
for in truth me and you'd
have nothing at all with which to chew
and all done in the name of what
I'll only surmise
it's just for man to prove he can
if so it could be our demise
as we would find
unable to feed we'd go hungry
while the blind lead the blind

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