Best Arm And A Leg Poems
They said it was just a passing fad
Dark clouds continue to stay
You have to take the good with the bad
But the bad just won't go away
They tell you to live the American dream
And fight for that dream at all cost
But now we all live the American scheme
Too many dreams have been lost
It cost an arm and a leg for a tank of gas
And people are losing their jobs
Lay it all on the line to borrow more cash
But there are already too many scars
So open your eyes oh say can you see
Is this the American way
No home can be saved and nothing is free
And our dreams have been all swept away
~Billy Hitz~
At “Plaza" square
Where sugary stars kindle for the evening,
A forgetting child wake up from the nap,
Weeping over, dull night where the time flee
as water drains into along distance-
Long evening, tossing transparent spirit
By light clouds, drizzle on sad memory,
I wasn't ready. Were memories dragging me
In four directions .I can’t shape my self
With all these colorful faces. I can’t shape
My heart with all emptiness I carry.
I walked like a wildcat, dense round,
Didn't know what to do among all
Glittering shadows floating through the air
Till found my fingers ticking on the marble table,
Looking for cigarettes and dying to do something
Ridiculous, dancing around fire at square maybe,
But I was thinking of you.
Sadness grows rapidly such as
Bud on a branch in April
An arm and a leg, and leaf, leaf.
From a yellow fruit, to water, to cloud
Floating in the air then falls as a stone
On a forgetting child where her tongue
Of wood, heart a pane of ice and feet soaked
So deep in the cold "Plaza"square.
Two swigs of tequilla
Strawberry Daiquri
A pair of scissors
Some anger
Pain
Emptiness
An arm and a leg
Meke a good time
For shedding some blood
Tears anyone?
Breaths feel cool
Taste rebelious.
I remember, across the lake
in late afternoon taking playtime,
how visiting children in my line
of vision gleefully hurled themselves
into the water from a small dock
rocking summer, reinventing childhood's
simple pleasure that did not cost
an arm and a leg, (hopefully) -- the lake
is shallow close to shore. And, more,
I thought of my small son in Atlanta
so long ago, when challenged to dive
from a rocky ledge jutting out
high over the Chattahoochie, how he
called to me on the opposite bank,
his courage stalled at the brink,
the cold below, "Mom?" he called,
and then he braved it, (my breath held,
my heart stopped), until he surfaced,
smiling, to his life, as if saying
my name had saved it
--for Anthony
cutting corners to let the cat out of the bag feeling under the weather adding insult to injury Break a leg A piece of cake costs an arm and a leg killing two birds with one stone Speak of the devil hit the nail on the head Once in a blue moon You can’t judge a book by its cover
I heard a rumour that I never knew
Santa delivers to animals too
But, throughout the ages
He’s feared beasts in cages
So he leaves till last, his trip to the zoo
Small children, they play the game right
Of Santa they never catch sight
In the Amazon halls
Santa lost both his balls
’Cause crocodiles don’t sleep at night
The Tiger that bit off his nose
Pursues him wherever he goes
Too tight for his waist
The bars slow his haste
He’s just lost an ear and two toes
He bound his foot with a bandana
He’d meant to give someone mañana
The big ape was risky
He looked pretty frisky
And then Santa lost his banana
A coyote from Winnipeg
Snarled but he tried not to beg
He offered him joy
With a nice squeaky toy
Which cost him an arm and a leg
But Santa Claus doesn't know fear
This happens each time he comes here
In ten months or so
His bits will regrow
That’s why he comes just once a year
How many pleats perfect the fall in Radha’s sari?
What portion of turmeric flawlessly lights up mum’s curry?
Without spice, how can some people have last names like, ‘Achari’?
When meeting after long, why does Tom ask Harry, ‘What’s the story?’
Why do tiny fruits have to cost an arm and a leg; like blueberry?
When there is already diced tomatoes, why the need for puree?
Who thought to give spicy adult sauce childish names- ‘Parry-Parry’?
How can something that cannot be drunk, be called ‘straw’berry?
Would a kilo of grapes married with some chaser, make my vision blurry?
Why would something that glides on water without wings, be called a ferry?
Like most beautiful desserts, should I have started the first line in reference to a cherry?
I wonder, and sometimes I wonder too much; that in itself can be scary.
With my tongue planted firmly in my cheek...
We certainly can't all be movie stars
Who'd be left to go to the show
I don't mind being the one to sacrifice
It's not about the big heaps of dough
Yes, the sacrifice would be a mighty one
But I'm prepared for life as a star
Maintaining my charm and humbleness
Which will certainly take me far
I'd live in a mansion in Beverly Hills
But I wouldn't forget my roots
You people could visit me any old time
It certainly won't cost you much loot
Normally I'd charge an arm and a leg
But for you folks it'd just be an arm
What the hey, you've got more than one
No reason to get so alarmed
It would go to a very worthy cause
To provide me with the life I deserve
For entertaining all you very sweet folks
You think I'm throwing you a curve?
How could you think so badly of me
When have I lied to you before?
I'm as straight and honest as the day is long
You've hurt me to the very core
Okay, okay, I must come clean
I'm yanking your chain a wee bit
The reason I've decided to do this for you
So you'll remember when I'm a big hit
© Jack Ellison 2013
Off the top of my head
and in a blink of an eye,
wanted to write a poem
that was on the tip of my tongue,
Meantime was having a brain fart
and pulling my hair out,
didn't want to sound cheeky
or put my foot in my mouth,
So bought "Poetry for Dummies"
which cost an arm and a leg,
and wanted to foot the entire bill,
while dining out with some friends,
One friend said I paid through the nose,
while another was lecturing an earful,
another's comments raised eyebrows,
said I shoulder it and be more responsible,
I thought they used to be so hip,
as I sat with butterflies in my stomach,
I thought of wringing their necks,
or telling them to button their lips,
So I told them to stop stepping on my toes,
that I always kept abreast of my money,
then realizing I'd forgotten my wallet,
ended up feeling just like a donkey.
you're no uncle to me
i earn my money and you take it away
you're just another word for organized crime-
who says that crime don't pay?
i work every day in the american way-
and what do i get?
a little bit farther behind
a little bit further in debt
and i can't get ahead of the bills-
no matter how hard i try
well who do you think you are
jerkin'me 'round and takin' all my pie
you got to pay rent,cable and lights
and the telephone too
and it costs about an arm and a leg-
just to drive my car
so by the end of the month i'm kinda feeling the crunch
don't know if i'll make it through
'cause on what i earn and what you keep on burnin'
i aint gonna get too far
and you're no uncle to me
i earn my money and you take it away
you're just another word for organized crime
who says that crime don't pay?
knowing how the economy is
you can't help expecting the worst
when your cash flow is blowin away-
like a leaf in a breeze
meanwhile i'm still in the race but it looks like the rats-
are gonna be coming in first
all i can say is-
brother can ya spare a piece of cheese?
and you're no uncle to me
i earn my money and you take it away
you're just another word for organized crime-
who says that crime don't pay?
Acapulco
I’d love to go down to the sea again,
The sea and the Holiday Inn,
Where some of the guests are awfully fat,
And others are awfully thin,
Where the average age is a hundred and four,
Give or take a year or three,
‘Cos another senior citizens’ tour
Has come to see the sea.
I’d love to go down to the sea again,
And lie on the golden sands,
And watch the dark-eyed gigolos,
As they roam around in bands,
I’d love to sit at the Patio Bar
And get ever so slightly pissed
“Have another tequila old boy ?”
“Well, one, if you insist.”
I’d love to go down to the sea again,
Where the con artiste is king
Where it only costs you an arm and a leg
For a genuine silver ring,
I’d love to go down to the sea again,
It’s the only place for me
Where it’s twice as nice
At twice the price,
Acapulco by the sea.
The nights are cold but still the heat is on
mourn for who? Why seek ye the living among the dead
you been fed so why let the hungry starve
everything has a price an arm and a leg is what freedom cost
Laws were meant to be broken by the very men who claim to uphold them the most
America is no democracy it's hypocrisy
has been seen from beyond the seven seas please
spare me the cliche dreams that my country men
strive and work so hard for, to save millions of dollars
that we wont spend, so self righteous and westernized
we don't recognize our own sin, our problems we wish em away
drown em out sorrows and cast them out in some recycling bin
The flesh is tainted, lust is never satisfied
even what you see is far from correct and because we fail to ask why
or look in the mirror we overlook the number one suspect
turn our heads away from domestic genocide
but cry for justice when the victim is black or white
let's have a candle light vigil for those of you who remain quiet
instead of making sure these criminals get indicted
Where would I be without you?
Would I really be on the path that I am now?
Or would my path be a different one
Would I have a straight head on me?
Because it’s easy to fall short where I’m from
Never ever stopped me from doing wrong
Just let I and my conscience know
That it was wrong and I shouldn’t do it
And I think that’s what made me grow
Watching and following how you
Would tell me to take annotative and think
How you accept me like a brother
And wouldn’t dare to let me sink
At the same time you were there for me
No matter if it was right or was wrong
And always stayed by my side
While having my back all along
Every time I called you answered
And you, I would literally give an arm and a leg
And for it all not to change
To you I would plead and I would beg
But change is inevitable
Its one of life’s many laws
But I pray that it doesn’t change
And for that I pray to God
Though we fight and get critical on a daily
And at times we can be hurtful
Know that only you can get to me
Because you’re already in my circle
But I refuse to let anyone else
Get to you in any uncomfortable way
And I really mean that with my heart
And not just with these words that I say
And with these words that I speak I would like to say I LOVE YOU
To my friends those who help me stay on the righteous path that my parents put me on and I love them for that and also thank and appreciate them for what I have learned from them
Had we but oil enough and gas,
All welfare bill would easily pass,
And we’d be spending hard, I bet,
Without incurring any debt.
You, on the Moon, would keep your bees
And tend to Martian refugees;
And I would sleep all day, in mirth,
Upon the lap of Mother Earth.
And I would send such cash to you
As to convert a die-hard Jew.
And I would pay an arm and a leg
To have my raincoat hung on a peg.
And to unpeg it, as it goes,
I’d pay, most gladly, through the nose.
But in my yard, each morn, I see
No oil or gas in front of me.
No one sends manna from the skies;
Not even Salomon the Wise.
Before you give, you first must have:
There are no bulls where cows don’t calve.
It’s good to have a kingly heart,
But spendthrift kingdoms fall apart.
Therefore, as we cannot grow rich
By drilling ground or digging a ditch,
We’d better find another way
To safely make ends meet today.
Let us make haste and use our strength,
For only then shall we, at length,
Reboot our brains, by lies undone,
And set them free, and make them run.
How I've moved on, you'll never know.
When I'm gone, how will you run the show?
Someone else has come, to show me the way.
You didn't want some, you wanted more everyday.
My broken stories, made her cry.
My faltered glories, continue to die.
On your lips stained red, my kiss lingers.
You've pushed me past dead, past heaven's singers.
As I reached for a hand, I pushed past you.
It is now I demand, to learn what is true.
For the past few days, I only think of her.
Your every decieving ways, make me unsure.
I thought I had a chance, I thought us pure.
But in this final dance, I found my cure.
It was just at a glance, I found love obscure.
Her name etched in my brain, unlike your plague.
Your lies so insane, cost me an arm and a leg.
I feel your presence, dancing inside my head.
I take your pestilance, and leave you for dead.
Oh I take my heart, and grasps hers too.
The tear drops start, when I leave you.
I took her by grace, I took her in fear.
I only see her face, I wish to hold her dear.
Should I take a chance, should I take her heart?
Could we now dance, before the heartache starts?
Oh my dear friend, this is our start and your end.