The day passes, an idle hitchhiker,
Thumb half-heartedly protruding
A posture half begging, half daring
Go ahead… seize the day
Good luck with that challenge
For daylight slips through the fingers
Craftily dodges with shadowy stealth
All attempts to control it, confine it
A few minutes in a crowded Starbucks
A cold compress of iced coffee
A mindless “atta boy, go get ‘em”
From a high school drop-out Barrister
Another “rope-a-dope” meeting
Stay on your feet, they’ll stop talking soon
How did it come to this
You were once a contender
Another ten round draw
Everyone seems happy
You didn’t embarrass anyone
Rematch tomorrow...8AM
My puppy was following a pincher bug today
I tried my best to ignore this and stay out of the way
But the bug was injured and slowing down
So, I took it over to toilet town
My puppy is still angry I took his toy
He will not play catch or respond to “atta boy”
If I thought I could get it back, I might try
But the bug is long gone down the River of Goodbye
On Snow Shovelling
A foot of snow fell by night
with no let-up in sight.
(“Brrr, it’s cold out there.”)
A mutt rebounds past my window
as I contemplate the morning weather
while sipping my hot cup of coffee.
By the street lamp’s hazy glow,
I make out my neighbour,
who’s clad in a scarf, tuque, and parka,
and with a winter implement
grasped in her mitten-covered hands,
bravely confronting the heart-attack weather
while tossing snow over her shoulders
to clear the driveway from garage to curb
for the mechanical beast to enter
the unplowed street.
She stops and calls to the mutt
(no doubt an excuse to catch her breath).
The dog, tail wagging, rushes to his master,
who brushes the snow from his fur
and, I venture to guess, says, “Atta-boy!”
as if the dog had overcome
some great endeavour.
But they both seem to derive pleasure
from the brief encounter.
The master resumes her shovelling
and the mutt his romping,
and I, continue thinking
while sipping my hot cup of coffee that I, too,
will have to face the inclement weather,
clad in a scarf, tuque, and parka,
and commit to the task of snow shovelling.
There was a dog that was shy
To come out of his shell, was his aim
Since they always said, "Come here boy!"
He decided "Boy" was his name!
"Tramp" went up to Boy with paw out
In an attempt, a friend to make
But Boy just stared down at his paws
For he never learned how to shake!
Tramp told lady, "There's no pasta,"
"But would you like a kibble or bit"
"I'll just have some kibble," she said,
"But maybe a bit in a bit!"
Tramp ran off to fetch her the treat
"You're a hot dog, lady!", boy said
Lady just smiled as Tramp came back
"Boy" ran away with his face red
Lady told tramp, "maybe we should go"
As she tied the string on her bonnet
Tramp barked, "Lady, we can't go now,"
"When there's a dog gone, dog gone it!"
When Boy came back, Lady said,
"Your sweet comment I did enjoy"
"I think you were brave to return!"
And then they all said, "Atta Boy!"
Baby Boy Altar Boy Golden Boy
Lazy Boy Fat Boy Doughboy
Star Boy Car Boy Hardy-har-har-Boy
Bell Boy Bus Boy Bar Boy Cigar Boy
Noodle Boy Poodle Boy Strudel Boy
Skinny Boy Bony Boy Phony Boy
Go Boy Slow Boy Whoa Boy
No Boy Po' Boy Oh Boy!
Top Boy Bee-Bop Boy Stop Boy!
Hey Boy Hi Boy "Atta Boy' Goodbye Boy!
I wish to go back to a time that Never Was
To a land of Rainbows and Butterflies
Recreate and redefine
Fool my mind
Care free laughter
Building sandcastle
Holding hands
A world of atta boy and job well done
Playing with friends
Back yard tire swings
Report cards with A's
Building a tree house with dad
Baseball and hotdogs
A proud hand patting my head
Growing up in a family home
A place where true love is shown
Ice tea served on a porch
Running through sprinklers
While mom and dad look on
Growing up
Feeling secure
Hands that are only lifted in praise
Life long friendships
Shared experiences
No sad memories stuck in my mind
If only it could be real
But perhaps if I believe I can make it true
A past that was soaked in sunshine
With a cloudy sky transformed to blue
Gray kitten dashing past so fast
stay, sit here please awhile
Hey! You’re making a colander of my chest
lay down in my lap and style!
That paper crane is not the enemy
cat get a grip and nap
bat the moth, yes that’s your joy
‘atta boy! Give it a slap!
Got no grip on that glass tabletop
hot, hot tootsies smokein’ wild
it’snot Sebring or La Mans
lotta temper here Ma’s not MILD!
Sleep oh pretty one and dream
Bo Peep that wee chassis please stop!
Creep off fur-muffin and rest,
leap no more or Mommy will drop!
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.