Best Dale Poems
Here you are, only twelve, at our kitchen table.
Such a carrot top you were! Strangers used to think
you were our red-head mother’s natural son.
And here’s that photo you took of me at college.
Though you’re not in it, how could I ever forget
it was you in front of me that snapped that shot?
For I’m laughing and so glad you came to see me!
In this one, all ten of us are in the back yard
dressed in our Sunday best - our first big reunion!
I’m nearly 30; just look at my silly perm!
Folks still mistake me for Dori in this picture!
Look how Mom and Thea - for once - are smiling!
You’re standing behind me, in a lovely grey suit,
only 32 and almost out of law school!
Here from more recent pictures, this shows a rare time
we were joined, but sadly, for Dad‘s funeral.
You‘re not in this one, Dale . . . nor in any others.
That picture in our back yard was to be the last.
My dear stepbrother, the best man I ever knew -
Taken from us so young. . . you remain beloved.
Written 10/9/13
Used today March 24, 2021 for
A Meaningful Poem - Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Constance La France
We once had a doggy named Dale
That loved taking hold of his tail
He’d chase it all-day
In circles, he’d play-
When able to snatch it he’d wail!
April 26, 2015
~3rd Place~
Contest: Your Best Single Limerick - 5 lines only
Sponsor: Robert Haigh
Judged: 04/24/2018
~3rd Place~
Contest: Limerick Contest
Sponsor: Jan Allison
Judged: 04/29/2015
He is a nascar legend,no one will forget his name.
He drove with an attitude on the track, racing was his game.
The intimidator is what they called him,his car was number three.
He won the hearts of many but now his soul is free.
His accident was such a terrible twist of fate.
But now he's up in heaven looking down on eighty-eight.
An acrobat whose name is Dale
Went pole dancing with his wife Gail
When he did the starfish
He looked such a dish
But suddenly Gail's face turned pale
As he performed his sexy pole dance
He'd got no undies under his pants
Poor Dale was distraught
When his todger got caught
It cut short a night of romance
13th July 2017
To chocolate I pay my respects
Some folks say its better than sex
whether milk dark or white
Ev’ry bar I must bite
or I'll get a lack of choccy complex
I NEED chocolate it’s an unwritten rule
I'm a woman not a blithering fool
Give me a constant supply
On days that end with a Y
when choc’s smeared round my mouth it looks cool
Most women love something that’s sweet
And chocolate it cannot be beat
Deny them and they’ll pout
Choc is all they think about
Many men think it's all that they'll eat.
Collaboration with Dale Gregory Cozart
*** Dale posted the poem yesterday and it turned into a collaboration - please feel free to add your poem to his page ***
https://www.poetrysoup.com/poem/ode_to_chocolate_collaboration_923276
07-26-17
The year my mother wed his dad,
a red-haired boy would come to be
best role model I ever had.
Dale lives on in my memory.
Each day with Dale was so much fun.
He brought our family such glee,
not just to us - but everyone
Dale lives on in our memory.
Blessed was he with wisdom too -
with vision and integrity.
A brighter star I never knew.
Dale lives on in my memory.
Killed by a drunken driver. Why?
So young and talented was he.
But no, my brother cannot die;
he lives on in our memory!
Dec. 12, 2019
for Chantelle Anne Cooke's Memorial of a Loved One Poetry Contest
Dear Dale, so loved were you
that even now, thirty-nine years later,
you live inside the dreams
of your siblings. I suppose this to be true
since I, at least, have had you in my dreams.
Dear Dale, you came to live with me and my sisters
when I was halfway through my childhood.
You with your freckles and reddish hair
and your spirit of enthusiasm,
inspiring others with your love of the Lord.
Dear Dale, although a stepbrother to me,
you were my one true brother in this life
who stayed up late at the kitchen table
sharing fun stories with me and the others
who liked to spend the night simply conversing.
Dear Dale, you’d be surprised at things today.
So few people just sit and enjoy each other’s company.
You though were a firecracker and a social butterfly!
Loving to participate, you encouraged everyone
to partake of the good clean fun you were a part of.
Dear Dale, you went abroad to bring the Gospel
to anyone you found who would hear God’s word.
Then home you came and studied many years at college,
nearly graduating from your law school
until death came to you from out of nowhere.
Dear Dale, we lost you when a drunken fool
ran over you as you sat so innocently
late one night on the curb of a solitary street.
Your death was instantaneous. Then and there,
I’m sure your soul flew straightaway to heaven.
Dear Dale, although of course you had your flaws,
to me you were a perfect example of
the way a man should have integrity.
Abruptly you were lost to death, but we will reunite.
“Only the good die young” echoes in my mind when I think of you.
Jan. 22, 2023
for The Loved and Lost Poetry Contest of Regina McIntosh
My mother’s second marriage and a godsend!
For one became my mom’s devoted son.
Sharp, exuberant, red-haired and fun,
to everyone he met, a truer friend
there could not be than him, who would defend
righteousness and with steadfastness won
success! In life, he would not be undone
until he met, with Fate, an early end.
His life snuffed out, his family - aghast -
It finished fast - no time to blink; inhale!
He passed beyond the veil with wisdom vast
(what treasure you amassed, beloved Dale).
Though in my dreams, with us here, he is cast,
I know he now serves God where angels dwell.
For PD's Contest: Best Dedication Poem
A TRIBUTE TO ALAN DALE :
Prince Of Baritones
(1925 – 2002)
Long, long, ago, as the story goes,
A cherry tree had grown next to an
apple tree!
And underneath them a boy had met
his bride to be!
As he looked into her blue eyes, the
breeze began to blow,
And blossoms fell on their heads gently
so!
And as he held her tight, the branches of
both the trees got intertwined!
And ever since then it has been said,
On a full moon night, when young lovers
meet,
Under that Cherry and Apple Blossom tree,
One can hear Alan Dale the crooner’s voice,
singing, “ Cherry pink and apple blossom
white..”, -
Echoing through the moonlight night!
-Raj Nandy
NOTES:-
*Alan Dale, the Prince of Baritone of the
1950s, became popular for two of his all time
hits of 1955; ‘Sweet and Gentle’ and
‘Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White’!
The last three lines of his famous song, has
been modified by me as way of a compliment!
Born in Brooklyn, NY, his parents had migrated
from Italy. He had featured in TV reality shows &
movies with Bill Hailey and his Comets! After a Mafia
attack in 1958, his career went gradually on a back
slide! But his evergreen song survies!
** ALL COPYRIGHTS RESERVED BY RAJ NANDY**
My life flashed before my eyes as I sat in the driver’s seat
I clung to the wheel for dear life
my face was as white as a sheet
Would this brave man named Dale
live to tell the tale?
Had he written out a will
Drafted Out in great detail ?
I was petrified you see
But he had confidence in me
His fantastic sense of humour
Acted as a diffuser
He calmly talked me through it
With the patience of a saint
How he coped I’ll never know
As Michael Schumacher I ain’t!
He had a scientific brain
And as we drove he would explain
Tell me random facts and stories
As we ventured through welsh lanes
Now I really can’t deny
That one manoeuvre made me cry
But with his tolerance and charm
My frustration he did disarm
When I finally passed my test
His relief was well expressed
He turned my life around
Now freedom I have found
Favourite Teacher or Professor contest
Sponsored by Chantelle Anne Cooke
20th October 2019
Revered Elfish Dale.
Magnificent Glory Veiled,
Where Magic Dwells!
A washed-up Bank robber named Big Dale
Tried to rob bank, near county of vale
He didn’t move as quick
Got hit with a stick
Lawman got word, closed fast on his trail
05/03/2022
Contest: High Noon
Sponsor: Joseph May
Have you heard about this old tale
About a dog Deena and a goat Dale
What a unique pair
Love was in the air
Until Dena the dog got stuck in pail
10-19-17
Alexis Y.
Painted with magical hues
That glistening lake
Reflecting embellished sky
Time to take a break
Waiting for night’s veil
Chirping birds racing to perch
In my dusky dale
Irfana Ali bhat
Contest: Wonder of dusk in Seguidilla
29/09/2012
When you're at the checkout counter
And you hear the beep
It won't be Dale having fun
On Supermarket Sweep
Dale's with the angels now
I hope they like his style
And let him have a trolley
And go wild in the aisle
© Gail Foster 19th April 2018