Best Early To Bed Poems
I've made a decision, a drastic solution
So I don’t have to make a New Year’s resolution
This year I’ve decided to become a nun…
My ‘habit’ will shield my head from the sun
I will resolve to join a silent order
Mother Superior will act as my warder
I’ll give up chocolate and drinking and smoking
Hey poetry souper’s, you know I’m just joking!
For many years I have not celebrated New Year
So whilst others party and whoop and they cheer
I’ll wear my flannel gown and go early to bed
There I’ll write poems until sleep fills my head
Good luck if you give up drinking or start a diet
On New Year’s resolutions I resolve to stay quiet!
Happy New Year to everyone at poetry soup
Enjoy your holiday and in 2018 we’ll regroup
Update for New Year Contest
Sponsored by Janice Canerdy
12~22~15
November comes down gliding on filmy wings,
Bringing cool and dank days on her way
Sweet it is to watch the spectacular changes she brings
In a medley of colors, plants and trees proudly stay
Earth puts on a finery no other season can beat
In glinting flashes, the land and sky look so bright
The delectable pumpkin pie is the season’s favorite treat
As the day advances sunbeams fall in sparks of light
.
Early mornings come covered in snowy mist
Soon leaves nose dive and mournfully weep
The fallen leaves tremulously cry under our feet
As their last goodbye before they finally fall asleep
Evenings turn colorful with sinking sunlight, bleeding red
Squirrels chatter noisily as they gather nuts in the wild
As autumn tightens its grip, men retire early to bed
Wind blows all through the month with a temper mild
Soon the air turns chilly with blizzards coming in a row
And winter waits impatient for its icy-cold embrace.
The land will then be covered in a maze of snow.
Even the last flower shall fall and fade from earth’s face
The fallen dead leaves lying in piles and rotting away
And the sound of wind whistling the dirge of November
Bring to me the thought that we must all take leave one day
Down on earth, fall and rot, thus be fodder for new life ever!
Nov.13.2022
~ Placed First~
November or December Poetry Contest
Sponsor- Caren Krutsinger
Everyone called Joanna Wilde, Joanie, like an abbreviated crescent moon,
Of which she was much enamored, with its silky, maroon darkness tunes.
Pert Joanie was a young night owl, loving lone whip-poor-wills, singing,
And bewitching midnight stars of glitter, and a calm silence, for thinking.
Joanie was a successful librarian, and always dreamed of advancement;
And having the morning shift, she worked hard for career enhancement.
On weekends, Joanie and fatigued friends, had fun days in fresh flowers,
Below feathery clouds floating far, in warm honeyed sun, of tonic powers.
Sunshine fever fetched family and kisses, when flowers feigned fainting,
'Ere purple finches stood still at noon, in jade scenes, like fine paintings.
Joanie lived in the house of starry eclipse, of dusk and moon hiding sun;
The red, gold and purple not much missed, afore a rare night was done.
Sweet sounds and scents traveled far, along her street of silver willows.
And minty butterflies kept so busy, as sunbeams slept, on cloud pillows.
Neighbors brought their needlepoint, with news, on nice, nostalgic eves;
For nothing's as neat as nonstop conversation, like a chattering of leaves!
'Cuckoo' flowers denoted colorful hours, as 'busy Lizzy' steadily bloomed;
While mimosa blossoms wore lush silk in sun, in the teal world, perfumed.
Purple bleeding hearts mourned sunset, in the summer of vibrant sparkles.
Red carnations shone as if for queenly coronation, awash in gold marvels.
Joanie was finally up for promotion. That set her ruby heart to dreaming;
But, working nights, she suffered burnout, like grape sun, when scheming.
Her habits had to change-and soon! Like 12 hours spent amidst a lily moon.
She'd hence be a night owl only rarely; like a sable nightingale's new tune!
'Birds sing in the morn
To tell us to rise,
And he who sleeps late
Will never be wise.
For early to bed
And early to rise
Is the way to be healthy
And wealthy and wise.'
It all worked out for the best, to the pride and pleasure of Joanie's family;
Who loved her enough to be a part of, every heartache and fuchsia victory!
Unquotable quotes - I
A friend in need is the goon who stokes your greed.
A journey of a thousand miles ends with the last broken step.
Don’t kill the brother-in-law until the sister is dead.
Butter your toast on either side to lick hands.
Hang not the hangman with noose: you’ll lose booze.
Half a loaf is better than no love.
Even a blind cat can smell a rat that bells the cat.
Take care of the pounds and the wife will pound you.
Take the load off your own fat.
Shoot to kill only if you can’t stand still.
Slow and steady are two legs in a sack race.
A marksman is the marked man’s also-ran.
A blacklisted writer is on every publisher’s reading list.
A dime a dozen is no denizen.
He who cries thief knows no mischief.
Turn coat and capsize boat.
A snake in the grass may miss Mass but is full of grace.
Early to bed catches the worm.
All that glitters cannot be sold.
Immolate yourself to moult your soul.
Even if you’re forced to burn your boats, fly by air.
Where there’s a will, there’s no giving way.
Run also with the hares and the hounds will eat you.
A little knowledge makes the master grin.
Birds of a feather share the same tailor.
Don’t judge a woman with a book by its covers.
If you kick a can down the street, empty it first.
What burns up and out is the gas in the gut.
A stitch in time saves kith but not kin.
Forewarned is foredamned.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, just lay them.
If the hens begin to crow, the cocks will lie low.
If you pour oil on troubled waters, Mid-East will dry up.
Still waters run in sleep.
Parallel lives never meet or greet.
© T. Wignesan - Pris, 2016
Ode to the Senior Golfer
Pitch and putt I never worried about
‘cause all my drives were long and stout
Now off the tee it doesn’t fly so far
And all I can do is hope for par
On my card 3’s are 4’s and 4’s became 5
Oh how I long for a 300 yard drive
It’s only a game, some say unkind
But it grabs at your heart and messes your mind
It’s only a game still others proclaim
Front nine was fun, the back nine shame
So before I tee, I ask my Lord
Just once put my name atop the leader board
Now it’s early to bed so I can dream
Of birdies and eagles and a jacket that’s green
Written by my caddy
Sir Duffy Mulligan
FOUR!
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Unquotable quotes – V
Constant dipping wears out the hardest bone.
Out of sight, out of bind.
Too many cooks spoil the school books.
Be a cuckoo and lay your eggs at the cuckold’s next door.
When lightning strikes, the fire-brigade rides.
Don’t cry over spilt tears on a tilted table.
Give a dope a long rope to escape prison and hang yourself.
Till the cows come home lone and married.
Do not teach a dog how not to bark.
A shark’s « fin » is the end of the film.
A rhinoceros’s horn makes the infidel a born again thorn.
Early to bed, early to rise makes the wife stealthy, squelchy
and clock-wise.
A lawyer is a liar/Who rides a bicycle on a live wire/Smokes a
salmon in her office oven/Slurps noodles with poor
poodles/Makes fudges out of judges/Ends up selling
divorced wives/On the internet stock archives.
A two-timing two makes fools of fours on all fours.
Go fly a kite when you’re tight out of sight.
When the garden warbler trills on oblivious, the magpies
ensemble grumble.
Patients can undo all the good doctors do.
Even cars can become chronically ill.
Children need not be seen so long as the noise they make
reminds us of them.
Authority always provides cover for cruelty.
The nation is always worthy of the most scurrilous crimes.
Religious service serves only the ritual’s hollow promise.
He serves God best who serves all creatures first.
God cannot be in need of help. Nor does He need adulation.
Is religion an attempt to bribe God ?
© T. Wignesan –Paris, 2016
The Morning Rush
Early to bed early to rise, makes one healthy and wise....
So here I am, wide awake and awaiting sunrise....
The millionaires, they sleep on, not a surprise...
If they awake before noon, that itself is an event.....
For even when they sleep, their money they make....
Why awake up early, more money to be raked...
The poor working man, well before sunrise he awakes...
Just so he would not be caught in traffic jams or be late...
He deludes himself into thinking being up bright and early...
He gets all the morning worms and he'll be as chirpy as can be....
Ballyhoo, what a fallacy, that is plain lunacy...
Awakening early is a sin, a criminal act bordering on insanity....
Forgoing precious early morning sleeping hours...
Just to hit the road to be an early one to report for duty...
What a sad delusionary perspective to a beautiful morning...
The scratchy fog will not alight,
upon the eye's shield to the night.
On upward drafts of rumination,
Hypnos whirls past his noble station.
Like Greeks concealed inside the steed,
thoughts - swords drawn - wait to be freed,
upon a mind in blind delight,
which had prepared for restful night.
No sooner than my head was laid,
those Greeks unleashed their thund'rous raid.
Early to bed,
Early to rise.
"Never!" shout my untiring eyes.
Marauding Greeks, they battle still,
awakening every thought and will.
Hypnos! Have you forsaken me?
Like windless ship upon the sea.
Set sail from land of toil and schemes,
to reach the newfound shore of dreams.
Stuck bobbing on an ocean that,
but for the breeze, lay calm and flat.
And while a calm sea does evoke,
a peace in the more mundane folk.
It will not carry those who aim,
for distant haven o'er the main.
And so I utter this eclogue,
to beckon forth that scratchy fog,
to lull me down in the moonlight.
Happy slumbers to all,
and to all a good night.
“In no time, made myself indispensable
I bask now in the sunshine of my popularity
I have made the young and old my minions,
Giving each one what he wants
Snippets of news, served in lightning speed
A magic world unraveled at the click of a button
Making you sedate as with opium
Turning you into addicts of my hypnotic charm
Some stay wide eyed staring into my screen
‘Night owls’ who refuse to follow the dictum-
‘Early to bed and early to rise’-
The time old ‘mantra’ for wellness
I imprison you in a world of make believe
Where only we two exist, you and I
Your spirit arrested without handcuffs
Your eyes, resting no more on what is around
Confined to a virtual cage, you turn into a prisoner
Sadly, the key in your hands tightly clutched!
Remember, you are as free as you choose to be
I have my sway only on the gullible....!
Alas! With your sense of direction lost
You turn into a moth, caught fast in my web,
Mysteriously drawn into my incandescent light,
Unaware of the peril looming or the claws tightening”
Folks, break free of this confinement, cut off the hooks
Your spinning around only makes you dizzy
Digital technology turns a boon, when used discreetly
Smart phones, a bliss making the whole world within reach
Sans this, we fall headlong into primordial darkness,
Unschooled of what happens around, unable to cope with change
So squeeze out the essence and discard the dregs
And embrace your transition from the possessed to the blessed!
Placed First
Jan.8.2022
Let’s Explore Digital Technology Poetry Contest
Sponsor- Simon Rogerson
The thing about you and me babe
We're like two peas in a pod
You go to work every morning
I stay at home with no job
But don't worry that's okay
Somehow we'll both survive
I'll take care of the business
You do your 9 to 5
Oh, I almost forgot the kid next door
Says he's going to do the lawn
Could you leave some money for him this time
It's embarrassing when I have none
I see that bothers you but that's okay
You do the best you can
You only let it happen once
And I'm an understanding man
Of course when it comes down to it
It's hard to get much done really
With so much action going on
The daytime soaps on T.V.
So you run along now and have fun
The rent is due next week
And we don't want the landlord throwing us
Out in the middle of the street
Later that day....
Honey, I know you've had a hard day at work
So I ordered us both something to go
If it's not too much trouble
Could you pick it up on your way home
You know I know what you like
It's your favorite Chinese
There's really no need to thank me
I'm just here to please
And don't worry after dinner
I'll clean up the mess
Certainly can't be having you
Worry your pretty little head
You can just sit back and relax
Take time to unwind
In fact the trash will be here in the morning
You and I need some snuggle time
There's a good game on the tube
Or maybe go early to bed
So you'll be all fresh in the morning
To get up and do it all over again
Today I found my long lost Pet Rock
You know, the one from the 70's
I was sure years ago I'd lost him for good
Go ahead, ask if I'm happy
I found him on the side of the road
Just relaxing at doing nothing
I guess without me in his life
He was major bored or something
I picked him up and we both hugged
It was a very emotional moment
I know what your thinking to yourself
Kinda brings a tear to your eye now don't it
After exchanging the usual pleasantries
I placed him in a kerchief of silken lining
If I didn't tell you I skipped all the way home
You know I would be lying
Getting back to the house all tuckered out
We went early to bed
I fluffed a pillow up just enough
So Buddy could lay his weary head
I can't tell you how good it feels right now
To have my Pet Rock back home with me
At last my life can get back into
A mode of normalcy
Wait....You didn't honestly think I would end it here did you?
When we woke up early the next morning
I poured Buddy a bowl Fruity Pebbles
He looked at me rather strangely
As if questioning, what do you think I'm some sort of cannibal?
After that little speed bump in our relationship
To get our friendship back on track
I suggested we go somewhere special
Buddy suggested we take a nap
I'd forgotten after all these years
How much he liked to lay around
Guess nothing much has changed
On this, his side of Gravel town
Buddy and I do everything together
My Love for this rock, can't get out of my head
Where my life was once filled with immeasurable sadness
Now overflows with loads of joy instead
That is until the day we went to the park
And he wanted to skip across the lake
At that point I realize
He and I might have made a grave mistake...
Rising
Early to bed
and early to rise
morning glory
the cookie
still flat on the sheet
lazy kids
he tenses
on ready to sprint
the wild cat
at half mast
the flag begs raising
un-baked cake
the small child
learning his manners
thinking twice
Charles Henderson
11-8-17
Biology TED talk, Ken Burns WWII
Multiple choice plus open response =
Teacher cares, out there among the English
Mathematics, fractions to imaginary i
Anything can happen any time, I mean
Mass killing--public school, movie theater,
Post office when every mother wears a gun
Yet happiness permeates like CO2 + sunlight
Photosynthesis + electricity = burning bush
Hot tea, hot shower pleasure perfect rest
Early to bed, no more lies, complexity
Poetry about history, i.e. Wolfowitz
As for non-fiction, most things qualify to know
Astrobiology, search for LUCA, FLO
Minerals on Titan, organisms on Enceladus
Divination on Iapetus, peace on Earth and Tethys
Volcanoes and tsunamis, Big Red One and Private Ryan
Don't stay up late, take your vitamins
Sin and crime being nothing more than
Mental malaise, imbalance. Love and compromise
Tolerance, practice worksheets, brilliance
Prejudice and superstition, Tha's a wrap
Nothin doin, ain't gonna happen, freedom's when
Yes is mostly a blessing and No is always an option
The internal department of the psychic friends,
Aggravation can find a dollar before it is printed,
Like Christmas tax day comes once a year,
It will take that long to pay one bill,
Ask Santa for it under the tree it will appear,
The parasite, the invalid, it can't help itself ,
It's eating away a the system,
You can't kill it, it's like bad grass,
It just sucks your blood and laughs,
The more you give it the more it wants,
They use your mind, your body, and your soul,
No matter how bad it hurts, it can hurt somemore,
Hand stretched out arms open wide,
It invites everyone to be on it's side,
It runs like water it's hard to hold,
It rund out of your pocket until there is no more,
Like maduca the seven headed moster with a sore,
It won't stop kicking until you are is sore,
Men ain't free it's a IRS guarantee,
They can not stand the sun to shine,
They tell you what to think,
You can't fight City Hall because they put up a ten foot wall,
They can't hear, can't see, and won't speak no evil,
A crooked road where will this lead us,
To the deaths of the masses,
It spews hate it's the only thing that lasts,
Everything else is a worn out song,
"Follow the IRS you can't go wrong,
The IRS and it's sympathizers,
Go early to bed they are early risers,
Can't make love you can't go to war,
Not for a good reason or things worth fighting for,
Who's your daddy? What's your mama name,
Ask me no questions it's the end of the game,
Stand up sit down what should I do?
The IRS wants to get next to you,
They'll burn your house, they'll take your child,
Can't have it, ain't getting it,
I ain't got and I ain't gonna get.
My auntie’s a consummate flirt
and always wears a mini skirt
Uncle sees her toned thighs
and quickly gets a rise
It’s early to bed says old Bert
He deftly removes her silk stocking
And quickly their headboard is knocking
Much to their neighbours chagrin
The party wall’s very thin
Their bedroom antics he finds shocking
Dear Auntie Eth’s ninety years young
(And Uncle Bert’s very well hung)
They’re old, but not wrecks
They adore having sex
Both glad their mattress is well sprung
07/31/21