Best Applecart Poems
Shall We Recall Gems Reaped From Our Love's Tree
Should small differences tear us apart
Bringing sorrows, upset our applecart
Will we open our eyes to truly see
How truth and love's growth can still set us free
Surely life should be more than seeking gain
More than just gathering bountiful grain
Shall we yet again, our souls truly search
On higher and higher mountaintops perch
Learn to give and love to the nth degree
Bathe ourselves in love's deep romantic sea
Should such differences rip us apart
Causing those rash actions not very smart
Shall we recall gems reaped from our love's tree
Wonderful bliss, love gifted unto we?
Robert J. Lindley, 6-13-2022
Sonnet
I am patently smitten
With utmost contempt ,they treat any mention of its reality
The realm of the illusory is its permanent abode
Its at best transient , an ephemeral indulgence ,
A violet on a morbid pathway
The ill-fated roadside plant whose demise is lurking in the shadows.
A facade ,an imaginary concept birthed out of delusion and denial
Disapproval and detest permiate the dense air
whenever the subject comes up
The thickness ,stifling the atmosphere of any remaining residues of hope
Intense apprehension carved from a litany of painful experiences
But what's the essence of life if not the defiance of history? -
The obliteration of barriers thought impervious?,
The ******** of walls long believed
to be figments of overambitious imaginations ?,
The charting of venturesome trails in the perilous jungle?
Don't you just love it when you see tables turn ?
Isn't it a sight to cherish when the applecart gets upset?
I am utterly smitten ,
by that penetrating ,self assured gaze -Impeccable as ever
Cascading through my being like African okra in an enamel plate
Fluid and engrossing
The ravishing smile , aggressively addictive ,
which almost always succeeds in changing the climate in my spine
The lips which drip unfettered mellifluousness,
A song without want of both depth and sweetness
Something that only such a golden soul can exude
The archetype of perfection ..
Like a gazelle in the Savanna plains ,
grace and elegance attends her gait always
This is where even the most intransigent hearts ,
are rendered malleable and ductile
And utter patency becomes the heart's portion
Jostled to and fro
ruts in road take their toll
Bruises are his bane forever
No one'll claim him ~ ever
I know a man who’s not adverse
To helping others slim of purse
He’s more than willing to help out,
If self-improvement floats your boat,
For teaching men to fish for trout,
Is poverty’s best antidote.
But wealthy men have certain rules
That poorer men think make them fools
Like never spending all you make
Investing then in what seems smart
Like planning for tomorrow’s sake,
Like buying horse for applecart.
Tomorrow’s man you’ll someday be
And if you ever will be free,
Provision must be made for him
That helps him climb another tree
To venture out on tender limb,
And catch a glimpse of what may be.
To invest smart trust what you know
Though risk can be a chance to grow
Invest in self and always win
You know that time is on your side
A poor choice never is a sin
Like being taken for a ride.
You hope to dig for more than coal?
Then OPM (1) should be your goal.
Your reputation where to start
For rep that shines can make things click
And trust depends on human heart
Which disappears if you’re too slick.
For leverage is word to know
If you would make your garden grow
Lush garden’s can the bees pull in
Your bees, the heroes of your plan,
Can pollinate the plants within
Complete the dreams of thoughtful man.
Brian Johnston
March 29, 2015
Poet’s Notes:
(1) OPM stands for other people’s money. When you are able to invest other people’s money for them and they trust you to do this, you increase your own potential to earn money basically because you can charge them a management fee for doing so and you also improve your credit reputation which means you can borrow more money from a bank for your own projects if you need to.
In liberal land the poppies grow
Though not too long for soon they're smoked
How else can they maintain a belief
That's mired in fantasy and grief
They have consistency of mind
Their brains malfunction all the time
But don't let politics revolt
Inside they house a heart of cold
Their way of thinking was set forth
In a fairy tale of yore
Where nothing was as it appeared
And playing cards could speak and hear
They've dwelled inside that rabbit hole
Since long before Frank's polio
Where common sense is a disease
And all that counts is feeling pleased
With how they've been so kind and bold
In carving life from helpless souls
Who none the wiser cast their votes
For shamans dressed in phony hope
It took a child to bare the king
For none dare speak while witnessing
The simple truth before their eyes
Their brains whitewashed through guile and lies
They seized the schools, the bench, the arts
Upturned the vendor's applecart
Til none were left to pay the rent
Totalitarian government
A group has a dynamic
That gets set as time goes by,
But sometimes something changes;
Then we sit and wonder why.
A member of the group departs
Without an explanation
Despite the history of
35 years of duration.
We can’t expect to stay the same
For people grow apart,
But it only takes one apple
To upset the applecart.
A stitch in time could save nine that makes sense
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, that’s recompense
By hook or by crook, by the skin of your teeth, as old as the hills
You’re as young as you feel; come what may, keep taking the pills
Don’t upset the applecart, many a true word said in jest
Cut off your nose to spite your face, a change is as good as a rest
Nothing is certain but death and taxes, on a wing and a prayer
Neither a borrower nor a lender be, let the buck stop here
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, diamonds are forever
Better being safe than sorry, better late than never
A riddle wrapped up in an enigma, you have been warned
Because hell hath no fury like a woman that’s been scorned
They rolled along the dirty road,
With apples fresh among the load.
They stopped a mile from the mart,
As I upset the apple cart,
I stood in front as if to stop,
Causing all the fruit to drop,
Telling where the road had led,
And warned of dangers up ahead.
Told my time of being there,
Coming back all worse for wear.
Be it known, I planned in part,
To NOT upset the apple cart.
These things they didn’t NEED to know,
I felt it was my duty though.
I don’t mind to take the blame,
If things for them don’t end the same.
Thanking me for being nice,
Exchanged an apple for advice,
A different road they did depart,
When I upset the apple cart.
Love is true, no problem here,
no agitation, stress,
no words that tip the applecart
and leave us in distress.
Unless we're careful they will come
to set the cat among the pigeons,
dump our lives to disarray
and counteract our fond expressions.
In a flash we use expressions,
robbing Peter to pay Paul,
no regard for truthfulness
as pride precedes the fall.
Words in haste, and acts of malice
kill our equanimity,
murder love, destroy the beauty
we have crafted tenderly.
All at once we're lost and lonely
grasping straws out on a ledge,
either way our lives could tumble,
'til we pull back from the edge,
and fulfill our fondest wishes,
indiscretions pass us by,
close to danger, indecision,
glad to smile and not to cry.
Love is true, no problem here,
no agitation, stress,
no words that tip the applecart
and leave us in distress.
Unless we're careful they will come
to set the cat among the pigeons,
dump our lives to disarray
and counteract fond intimations.
In a flash we use expressions,
robbing Peter to pay Paul,
no regard for truthfulness
as pride precedes the fall.
Words in haste, and acts of malice
kill our equanimity,
murder love, destroy the beauty
we have crafted tenderly.
All at once we're lost and lonely
grasping straws out on a ledge,
either way our lives could tumble,
lest we pull back from the edge,
and fulfill our fondest wishes,
indiscretions pass us by,
far from danger, indecision,
glad to smile and not to cry.
Love is true, no problem here,
no agitation, stress,
no words that tip the applecart
and leave us in distress.
Unless we're careful they will come
to set the cat among the pigeons,
dump our lives to disarray,
counteract our fond expressions!
In a flash we use assertions,
robbing Peter to pay Paul,
no regard for truthfulness
as pride precedes the fall.
Words in haste, and acts of malice
kill our equanimity,
murder love, destroy the beauty
we have crafted tenderly.
All at once we're lost and lonely
grasping straws out on a ledge,
either way our lives could tumble,
we must pull back from the edge.
To the fore our fondest yearnings,
indiscretions disappear,
now abiding in the moment,
far from suffering and fear.
Love is true, no problem here,
no agitation, stress,
no words that tip the applecart
and leave us in distress.
Unless we're careful they will come
to set the cat among the pigeons,
dump our lives to disarray
and counteract our fond expressions.
In a flash we use expressions,
robbing Peter to pay Paul,
no regard for truthfulness
as pride precedes the fall.
Words in haste, and acts of malice
kill our equanimity,
murder love, destroy the beauty
we have crafted tenderly.
All at once we're lost and lonely
grasping straws out on a ledge,
either way our lives could tumble,
'til we pull back from the edge,
and fulfill our fondest wishes,
indiscretions pass us by,
close to danger, indecision,
glad to smile and not to cry.
Parting with yesterday as tomorrow start,
The present saunters by, seated on a cart…
Yesterday life was on slow cattle tracks,
Tomorrow beckons as the dawn cracks;
Yesterday life was settled on a song…
Tomorrow I don’t know but it could be all wrong,
Today I enjoyed till it floated by the lane narrow…
To make way for a brighter tomorrow;
Reminiscences that made my yesterday…
Today let those memories dance away,
As I am leaving yesterday behind….
Tomorrow I come finally; I’ve made up my mind;
Yesterday I tried to sport my life with encore,
Today once more dances away just the way it did before…
Yesterday, it’s over and I am habituated to see it part,
Parting like there's no tomorrow as today steps on the applecart !!!
I can't pretend to like you for I haven't got much time,
I'm just too old to fake it and you make me lose my mind.
I'm on my way to London to ride a trolley train'
so I really can't be bothered
with your body or your brain.
Just take this cappuchino and a slice of butter bread,
now go sit by the window and remember what I said,
The applecart gets heavy when you weigh it down with woes,
don't ever drive my Chevy with your elbows or your toes
I'm leaving you forever or at least till Monday night,
I'll be watching each endeavor so you better get it right.
The cinnamon and peaches are quite good for afternoon,
but beware of slugs and leaches and late eating 'neath the moon.
That madness sure will get you if you kiss too many toads
besides,they just forget you and go hopping down the roads,
you'll get your lips all warty and you'll get there late for tea,
the Queen will call you Shorty,(though she thinks a lot of me.)
So buckle up the baby and pull your knickers high
I really think that maybe we could give this one more try!
An applecart of half-eaten ideas
pushed into sight by heavyweight ghosts.
Wormwood and cider
the aroma of root beer in a lit-up air.
The poet pauses….judges the hunger
of his next line
to fulfill the wishes of finger-following gods.
Orchard trees separate, bow out of the crowd
to stand alone in the spaces between the words.
Sandalwood is harvested for the coming cremation,
the fire tongs are white hot
as they pluck burning fruit
out of the furnace of an Archean Ur
where the charred apples find grazing mouths
Nature mulches in the churning
now the apple is in the maggot
ready to sour or delight.
Wool gathering shepherds guide their flocks
from the pulverizing organs
of creation
into valleys of dark and light.