Best Burrs Poems

I have the rhythm of a winding road
how do I consign myself to being confined
rows of poplar pillars prop
the rendezvous canopy beneath we meet
—I self-cajole on ooh-la-la afternoon 

yellow eyes; daffodils watching 
lean into gossip groups nodding
a prodding breeze instigating deep-freeze
I am a sweet weed...

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Notice how the birds sing long after we listen.
We oft’ are engulfed with our trampoline thoughts.

With gossiping beaks, they chirp and they flap.
We mimic their tweets, in our minds, as we beat

out the negativity of tenacious tumbleweed and burrs.
When wings catch the air - either...

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Rain is brewing; 
black clouds hang over the Cockpit Country.
Them rainclouds have a habit of shifting colors like a lizard.
The smell of the pending shower is strong on September’s breath; 
the sun take a well-deserved break.

Mango season is long gone, 
and bellies are tied up...

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In Memory of Jimmy Dale Still, Barrel horse rider, KIA,  Song Be, Viet Nam, 1/1/70

Old Bill,
swaybacked, sand burrs in his mane.
He stands no longer hopefull by the fence up near the house,
but follows the shade around the shed,
switching flys.

Nearby the dented barrels
rust rank and...

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I am a dandelion and my world is a big meadow.
I'm growing on a cliff-side, I like to live on the edge.
Just blooming away, soaking up the sunlight beaming at me.
Needing a purpose so I can be everything I was made to be.
I was handcrafted,...

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<                           once there was a man named trader Joe
          ...

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Each summer my parents would take us to my grandfather’s ranch in Southern Texas to help with different jobs. It might be branding cattle, digging fence post holes, or picking cotton! My parents had told us stories about the cotton fields as I grew up....

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HAPPINESS 101


squishing mud between my toes
icky fingers in my nose
frogs harrumphing in my pocket
worms and bugs and itchy things
lumps and bumps the scratching brings
bugs and snakes and critters all
long and short fat and tall
funky muck from willow pond
exploding tops of willow fronds
feathers floating everywhere
willow angels...

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I Wait With Bated Breath...
(slack jaw froze mine countenance
when eyes blinded with figurative
daggers asper mistakes in original draft,
hence...this flood proof, fire resistant,
and fever reducing error free version.)

(yes...yes...yes, this rhyme
resembles a recent one of mine
     from a previous time,
yet appropriating wands zone...

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“The Penelope Squad”



A line of bluebirds 
tittering on a line
swaying on the winds
like comedian pageboys 
having a good time
poop in the peg bucket
words wooden and sharp
fly off with frosty notes
dirt and sherry stains
imprinted on 
Penelope’s clean sheets
a bunch of girl’s blouses
touching up waiving skirts

The Kingfisher
ruffles...

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A September chill pierces the morning
cutting through my open window.
Sharp air nips past naked ankles
as Autumn nibbles into my day.

Wasps sift September with regret
buzzing the fading scent of roses.
Tart apples sweep mellow branches
savouring a wind sweetened rain.

Chestnut burrs bristle spiny green
pregnant with mahogany clusters.
Crumpled leaves...

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I opened the top drawer of my mind
and carelessly took out some words.
I threw them about with little thought
of where or on whom they might land.

Many bounced when they hit becoming scattered and lost;
Some stuck like burrs holding fast where they fell;
A few jabbed like...

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Oh God, expand my narrow, cluttered, room!
And clear the clutter out, so I may see!
And still my Seas, as You did, Galilee!
Life threatens to collapse in, with a Boom!

Like Aspen, that arise after a fire,
Or ground-cover that sprouts from ash and dust
Or sweet alyssum permeates...

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Metamorphosis 

Tracing footsteps in the overgrown field 
where sunlight and raindrops date
Counting sticker burrs like lemon drops 
in a candy counter display
Hitchhikers I remember them called, 
lovers of socks and pant legs I think
Each with their own story to tell, 
minute worries clinging to that...

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He drove up to the Triple "T" Ranch in his brand new Cadillac!
In his air-conditioned trailer wuz his Arabian steed an' the finest tack!
He'd dreamed uv bein' a real workin' cowboy since he wuz a tad,
So he fitted hisself out with the latest fashions there...

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