Batten Poems | Examples

List of Member Poems

Premium Member Why My Son Left Manhattan - True Story


     I’ve a son who once lived in Manhattan
     Against all storms the hatches he’d batten

         Mamdani came to power
         My son’s resilience soured

     Mamdani's hatches he boldly spat on

Impending - Inspired by Rough Sea at a Jetty by Jacob Van Ruisdael

Batten down the hatches!
Bar the doors!
For the storm looms above
boiling hot with natures wrath.
Stand tall men! Do not waiver!
Or run like the cowards you are
leaving me to tarry through the storm
wrecked by waves and rain
till I'm nothing but
splintered battered wood.

Premium Member Blizzard Is Coming

Blizzard is coming
Hailstorm is drumming
How we longed to be wetter.
We’ve been in a drought 
We prayed the calm out
Now comes turbulent weather.

Batten the hatches            
Prepare the caches               
White rage threatens our safety.
Will eating snow bursts
Appease our mad thirst?
Freezing adds to the crazy.


Family

When winds are rough,
And tear at hopes and dreams
When days are dark, and nights are tough,
And over-long, it seems
When bitter clouds collect above,
And ache and break and pour
We'll batten down the hatches, 
Just like we did before.
You see, to me - we're made to last;
To wait, contented, warm;
To stand and know the past has passed.
For now, it's just a storm.
If you should fray, or fall apart,
In any where or when
We’ll always try, with all our heart,
To make you whole again.
But if you do fall behind,
And break and shake to bits
The day will come where you will find,
The pieces still all fit.
That's quite enough of strain and strife,
And painful days, astray.
This isn't at all funny, life.
Enough for now, okay?

Premium Member Mantennae

Lately my mantennae are twitching more than usual, folks.
The prophecies are surely uncloaking.
Time to batten down the hatches.
A potent darkness is approaching the front doorstep.
Clutch your loved ones to your sunken chest.
It's nearly midnight; the world is on full tilt.
Nuclear pinballs ricocheting off bent flippers. 
Madmen will never lead anything into battle.
They'll just push a button to begin the cleanse,
The darkness wants to speed up the blender of Armageddon.

In the meantime, enjoy the day.
Have a lick of your favorite ice cream.
Kick back and watch the ultimate fireworks display.

Premium Member Windblown Rhapsody

(To be sang to the tune of
  "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen)

Here's a wee warning.
Eowyn is on his way.
He'll blast round the UK.
So now batten down the hatches.
Lock up your house.
Close all curtains now
And hide!

We are just human.
They are the elements...

Dark clouded skies
Wind is strong
Rain will batter
All day long.
We need our shelter
Coz otherwise we'll all be blown away!
Like debris. 

Warning!
There's a red alert.
All the gusts that travel past
May be a hundred miles fast.
Warning!
Pets need protection.
We don't want our animals to fly!

Hours!
That's how long.
There will be damage.
Be aware that fences aren't as rooted as trees!

Make sure you stay inside.
Any trips can wait.
Make sure you stay inside.
Snuggle up, keep cozy -
Stay safe!


Stormy Weather

As howling winds whip up the sea,
and foamy waves crash on the beach.
Autumn storms begin to speak
The summer sun is out of reach.

There’s lashing rain and darkened skies
It’s time to sit by the fireside
With shorter days and longer nights
Batten the hatches and prepare to hide!

Premium Member Shut Up!

Shut Up!

Shut up the hurricane shutters!
   There's a storm that is ready to blow.
Batten down all the hatches!
   Mother nature is angry, don't you know?

There's a man on the watch tower
   and he's signalling to the boats in the harbor.
There are squalls on the horizon,
   and he doesn't want you to go.


Keep your prayers close beside you.
   Keep your loved ones by your side.
Settle all scores that divide you.
   Pray for forgiveness, and for strength to abide.

Paint the front doors that judgement pass over.
   Burn the candles that welcomes the Prince of Peace.
You can see the four horsemen come riding.
   There is no shelter from His wrath to hide.


The mockers will taunt you,
   as Noah had to endure.
Your obedience is your love,
   and in faith, your salvation is assured.

When finally the seas die back.
  And the armies of evil are drowned in the murk,
A ray of light like a dove will descend on you,
  and everlasting paradise will be secured.

by Martin Braun
3/17/2024

When Hatch Down Did Batten Horn Haik

when hatch down did batten
then up would have to fatten
when I learned Latin

Premium Member A Sensory Dream

Written: October 21, 2023, For Mohan Chutani Minichu Dream Contest
                          ______________________________

Orchards in glowing pink
dream blossoms swung in a tone of crimson pattern
nectar drink 

would dare to dream
orchid bow bring bright breath batten
wind stream!

ghost chime
the moon may learn
climb!!

orchards in glowing pink
orchid bow bring bright breath batten
climb!!

Premium Member Super Glue Will Do Too

A confirmed landlubber is my friend Pete
  At water sports my friend Pete can't compete
    Once he tried on some skis
    Almost drowned in the sea
  Going rafting? ~ Batten down Pete's aisle seat

Seagulls Bring Unwanted News

Seagulls swoop in from a rumored coast,
tropical storms rock small pebbles in Ohio.
It is the season to be watching other's
batten down and endeavor not to drown.
Of course the odd hurricane
may pounce upon us
but by and large we are indifferent.

There is much talk of foreign wars
in Midwest bistro's,
but we suffer only from the daily news.
Atomic annihilations
are not any part of our conversations,
though we do dig deep shelters
in our restless dreams.

The seagulls are getting fat
from the rinds & crumbs
of our bacon sandwiches;
they may never fly away now.
The leaves will fall this Autumn
but nothing much is in a hurry
so no worry.

Premium Member The Uss Arizona 12 7 41

I race toward my workspace, now battle station
Code Zebra, ASAP, batten down the hatches!
Ka-boom!  Boom!  Boom!  A trance-like sensation
Shipmates scramble for smokes and matches

Ray, Dale, and Russ don’t show
I think: run, jump; if you die, die free
Not trapped and sealed in steel below
Not buried alive like me!

Kaboom! Overhead bolts shoot from the seams
Above is a warm Hawaiian autumn
I’m weak as blood from my neck streams
Where am I now?  Of course, I remember

It’s noon, I have a date with a girl on the beach
She’s eighteen and a bit silly, like me
What a gorgeous sight, she’s now within reach
I’m so happy and complete, so free

7/12/22
Tears Of A Valiant Soldier Poetry Contest
Sponsor:  Faraz Ajmal

Premium Member On the Front

Radar plays out Space Invaders;
Yellow, red: they swarm our base.
Thunder booming like a cannon;
Batten hatches, just in case.
Rain is falling at the moment;
We need at least an hour more.
Drop the shields, lower defenses;
Come on in, clouds - time to score!

Premium Member Captain Pugwash and First Mate

Your voyage began in the summer of 69.
The adventures of life lay ahead.
Though you knew it would not all be plain sailing,
Your four years of prep put you in good stead.

At times, when your sea got quite choppy,
You'd batten down the hatches, as it were.
For both of you knew that after rocky waves
A storm was likely to occur...

After some time, the storm would abate.
In the calm you could recover.
And even though the storm was bad,
You'd grown closer, relied on each other.

As time has gone by it may feel
Like the unsettlement seems to lengthen,
But because you close ranks to wether these storms
Your trust, love and bond does strengthen.

Your ship is one of stability!
Wherever your journey may take you,
I wish you both a  " Happy Anniversary! "
And long may your travels continue!

Sub Categories

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.

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