A nut-brown squirrel wore his smile in a curl,
such a clever one was he.
He ate nuts and fruit in his nut-brown suit
in my avocado tree.
He gave me such lip, and never did tip,
and ate my harvest for free.
You fell in October, like autumn leaves
Funny it was a hot day.
The avocado tree was budding.
I knew you only a short while,
But it broke me to see your mother cry.
She was inconsolable.
And I thought I was strong,
But my tears could not be kept at bay.
Your friends gathered by your side,
Oh what love they had for you.
Your lover had mourned all he could,
He was the strongest,
Not one tear.
They built you a house in the ground,
So they said.
They built you a bed, never to rise
So I said.
And in love they gathered around you.
And laid you in it.
That was the hardest,
Interred you in red loam.
And this was the finality,
Who would have known?
That your laughter would be so short,
Thirty and one years?.
They said we had to embrace death.
Even come to love and desire it.
He visits one and all.
His cynical finality.
It was hot and sunny today,
But you fell like October rain.
When heaven heaved in storm clouds,
As they entrenched you underground.
that was a rough day
with their aggressive cars
heavy sky of electrical threats
I came back scared from these thorny streets
I need friendly things
through the crack in the window
I saw the static grandeur
of the avocado tree that reigns quietly near here
he watches indifferently as the days crumble
occasionally throws up leaves in the wind
and soon returns to rule the world
like a divine and green organic colossus
always blind I didn't realize
but today I know
it's the trees that matter
and we are vassals viruses protozoa bacteria
minuscule small nulls so don't be amazed:
we're here to feed the trees and nothing else
stop hysteria
Heavy storm
I didn’t think you’d show
Heavy storm
I didn’t think you’d grow
Heavy storm
Why come now?
In the midst of such a challenging time
Why’d you have to drop this dime
Rain comes-a-fallin’
While the sun I was-a-callin’
An unexpected winter shiver
Will this pass
Like a car on the highway
Or will it grow
Like an avocado tree
Time will tell
Oh won’t it?
Que será será?
More a so-la-la-la...
Papa sat there, quiet,
Reading his books
Never raised his voice
Or give you nasty looks
He just read his books
On metaphysics and inner self
Books I have not seen
On any library shelf
One day my friend and I decided
To steal mangos from the neighbour’s tree
When papa found out he sat me down
And had a quiet word with me
I felt torn up inside
Remorse for what I did
I used to curse myself
And say what have you done Sid?
Now Mamma she’s ummmm
A different kettle of fish
When she heard what I did
It was like signing a death wish
She had a way with words
Colourful they were
And when she moved
Ninja style a blur
I managed to run away
And climb up an avocado tree
She was lunatic and rabid
The gardener was sent up to get me
I should have run away
She came down on me like a monsoon
My behind was like a plum tomato
I looked like an alpha male baboon
Don’t get me wrong
The love was there
But do something significantly wrong
Look out, beware
Ask my imaginary friend Glen
This is not a trick
He too felt
The end of her stick
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.