Best Dandy Poems
I am dandelion
in a world of weed killers
colour of sunshine
yet despised for being me
with one's seed so prolific
© Harry J Horsman 2020
Cousin of the daisy, and born on summer's breeze,
It becomes a bright seedling of pale, green leaves.
In sunshine, it grows, as its edges become jagged,
Like a shooting star whose course goes zig-zagged!
Maturity brings longer leaves that spread around,
And milky roots that sink deeply into the ground.
When by some mystery calendar, at uncertain hour,
A lovely, yellow bloom captures you in its power!
The flower at last becomes a small, brown fruit,
For another generation is in summertime pursuit;
And the pappus disperses new seeds to the breeze,
To grow in foreign meadows and sunlit valleys!
"Snapdragons and Dandy Lions - Part 2"
The day was cooling down
pressing itself close into
the amythest and musk pink early eve
as the eggshell pale blue sky rolled over into
Astor Purple to get ready for sleep.
The Ostrich Ferns rustled,
We’d frightened the Blue Tongue, he’d run back to his lair.
Coming in from the Ocean now
there came a light breeze.
I was looking for four leaf clovers
and Skink eggs but they were to be found nowhere
while she knelt in her rock garden planting
Agapanthas, Gladiolus, Calla Lillies,
Daffodils, Fresias and Pansies -
there were loose bulbs everywhere
and packets of Tulip
and Blue-Eyed Susan seeds.
Sooty, the Black cat sat
and watched with knowing sly eyes
twitched his whiskers, licked a paw on ‘his’ Window Sill,
he looked very wise.
We’d been making Daisy Chains,
she’d placed on our hair like Crowns.
Of course,
3’s always a bad number, it's never neat,
there’d been fights in between – still,
we were her adoring subjects, her princesses and
SHE our beautiful and kind QUEEN.
“Do you know why I love Snapdragons the best?” the QUEEN declared,
“They’re the knights of this garden –
they get a bad rap because of their name.
Look at their faces though,
they’re ferocious not frightened of anything,
great courage they always stand firm.
It’s the blasted Dandy Lions,
well they scare easy,
blow away every time
there’s a storm
and they leave a damned mess”.
She looked at us, and said,
“You’re like those Snapdragons my beautiful girls.
Always stand together.
Always stand firm”.
(Lovejoy-Burton/2017 Dec)
(1)
"Under the Ivy"/Kate Bush
https://youtu.be/NvKNzyO4wk0
(2)
"Datura"/Tori Amos
https://youtu.be/WX_dwuF-6oY
"Snapdragons and Dandy Lions (Part 1)"
“Don’t move,” she smiled gently,
“stay there, stop fidgeting, let me put these in your hair”,
I was sitting cross-legged
on the lush green bluegrass lawn
it felt like 70’s Shagpile carpet,
long and unshorn.
“I said, don’t move! There’s a Blue Tongue over there,
you’ll frighten it away, they don’t like to be scared.”
She was shielding her eyes surveying the yard
like a pirate on the high seas,
a ship on the Ocean,
while the Sprinkler
kept raining a moving waterfall
automatic motion
here and there buzzing bees
in the Kumquat Trees.
She was pointing to the boulder
next to the Lychee Tree
close to where I was
legs now unfolded
scrambling around on my knees.
It was around 5 in the avo not morn
we’d been there covered in sunscreen
for a coupla hours and
tired from the heat
we were all stifling yawns
in the sweltering sub-tropical garden
amongst her verdant jungle of flowers and ferns
there amongst the strawberry patches, passionfruit, Lady Finger trees,
Pineapples, PawPaws, grapes, tomatoes,
and towers of fragrant sweet Jasmine, Lilac-mauve Wisteria
plunging Deep Velvety Red Bougainvillea,
flirty Sweatpeas and
the pungent Pink Frangipani
impregnating the air with it's fat-belied
perfume, the scent of which to this day
sends one into absolute delerium; then
came the whirring blood-suckers
that bombed us in buzzing swarms
never foiled no dignified treaty -
one was never forwarned,
that left itchy-bites and
eventually weeping sores,
feeling sorry for ourselves
the breeze carried our songs of retreat to which she’d
impart, “Shush! Don’t carry on,
everyone will hear you way out on the Street!”.
“They like your blue blood, that’s why!”,
she explained in exasperation, kind of worried
spraying us with Stingose.
“Tonight we’ll put up the nets and
burn the Tiger Coils”.
(Lovejoy-Burton/2017 Dec)
For Lynette
(1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izQsgE0L450
There was an old codger named Randy
Who rolled on the beach and got sandy.
T'was there he did sleep,
And ne'er did he weep,
So sure that his life was just dandy.
Along came a lady named Sandy
Who wanted so much to help Randy
To soften his heart,
She played a big part,
And stopped him from drinking his brandy.
Then Randy got quickly awake,
So stunned when he saw his mistake.
He thought no one cared
Because no one dared
To love him for his own name's sake.
He quickly got up from his stupor
And started to be a good trooper.
He went to help others
Who didn’t have mothers,
and now his life's work is just super.
Revised:
January 8, 2016
There once was a pris'ner named Randy
who lived up to his name real Dandy.
The women he knew
could never be true
for they'd rather have candy than Randy.
For Deborah Guzzi's Limerick contest
This Regency Dandy flying across the river,
Jumping Jack Flash of kingfisher blue that
I was lucky t see, this dainty dandy of English rivers and streams.
A compact colourful apparition my sore eyes waited some
Sixty years to see, others boast much earlier visitations of these
Bluish-green, orange and red feathers attached to a Cyrano De Bergerac
rapier beak,
Outshining the honking harrying flotillas of Canada geese not capable of
Competing with this fisher of minnows, as we strolled across the Georgian
Bridge at Blatherwycke straddling the nonchalant flowing Nene of this
shire of shires,
Now of only one squire, but still many fine spires in this shire of Northampton.
Dandy Dandelion at the slightest wind
Takes flight and won't be back again
He releases his seed all over the place
Progenitor here and there for goodness sake
Mints,chews,pontefract cakes
Toffee whirls & chocolate flakes
french bonbons & jelly beans
Liquorice lace & peppermint creams
Confectionary to bring sweet dreams
And waistlines bursting at the seams.
Here's to you, Dandy Don, ol' mate!
We in Soup jes' think you're great!
Ye who dwell in the land of the dingo,
'ave learned us to speak native Aussie lingo!
Our kindest regards to yer dog Bungeye Jack.
'e does a kindness in warmin' yer back!
Don't tipple too much good ol' Foster Brew,
For like a boomerang, 'twill come back to nettle you!
Keep on crankin' out them ballads fer our delight,'
And ol' Bob Hopeless'll see what he can write.
It's gittin' late so I'm gonna knock off and hit the hay.
Take care of yerself and Bungeye Jack and fer now, G'Day!
Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired
Once me and my chimp friend bald Jim
flew through a forest limb to limb
his opposable thumb
got caught in my ho-hum
thank God old Jim’s not real prim.
My name is Miss Fine and Dandy
Bald Jim often brings me candy
a banana toffee
always does it for me
and him, since he's oh so randy.
Dandier Than Dan The Dandy Dandelion
I was sitting in the middle of a lush green field
Violet colored flowers all around,
So I leaned over and took a little nibble
I leaned over and took a little nibble
Took me by surprise as the world started spinnin'
Was I in the center or simply kissing the surface
Felt like I was gonna go insane
Until I felt the ocean tickling the tips of my toes
Slowly sinking into the shallow shore
The sands caressed my fingertips
I didn't know what was going on
Until the lightning struck
And I was sitting on a raft in middle of a raging sea
With Dan the Dandy Dandelion
The flower was so hip
And he wore shades as big as dinner plates
He wore shades as big as dinner plates
And he whispered in my ear advice
And I raised a hand
"Why should I take advice from Dan the Dandy Dandelion?"
Then I blinked and I was on top of a snowy mountain top
The cold was biting at my flesh
The silence was ringing in my ears
The snow collecting on my face
Making me look like a bearded old man
But I had no idea where I was
And Dan the Dandy Dandelion certainly wasn't a-talkin'
Sitting in a little clay pot giving me a smug look
So I took Dan the Dandy Dandelion
And I threw him off of my mountain
I threw him off of my mountain
Told him not to bring his leafy leers here
And then I blinked
The world turned black
Everything began to spin again
I saw the face of George Washington
Gossiping with Elvis
Before he threw a pie and it hit me in the face
I believe it was apple pie
But that pie hit my face
That pie hit my face
When I opened my eyes
I was in a lush green field
Surrounded
And all I wondered was
How in the world I got there
five Mexican men,
the black Jaguar put him
in their so tough minds
looseness the bowels
analogy poems words
all allegory
there, a red bear left
fit-run poetics board here
the right dandy wink