Best Elmwood Poems
Oh, how wonderfully innocent
and juvenile, 'twas for me.
You, scooting surreptitiously.
closer and closer to me.
Like a soft, gentle caterpillar,
slithering and smiling.
Making its way home in the
still of the night.
I clutched my lovely, flowered
handkerchief.
Then my gold cross with a
sparkling aqua gem upon it.
Really, wanting to not say, no.
My blue eyed Tommy boy.
In the Elmwood Park Spring, we
were about to kiss.
Fireflies came to celebrate this
celebratory bliss.
When we were moving beyond
flirtation.
It was as though heaven were
sending particles of stars,
To bless the softness of this
sacred night.
Of huge elm tress, your strong
arms about me.
Finally, those soft, tender lips.
There in God's silent moonlight,
I had my first teenage kiss!
August 30, 2019
Inspired by writings of Robert Lindley.Thank you!
Categories:
elmwood, car, first love, growth,
Form:
Free verse
Riding tricycles and swimming.
Bicycling madly on Chicago streets.
Ah, dear Lord, life was deliciously sweet!
Christmas time glowed in Elmwood Park.
That huge white flocked tree.
We all are here, but lost our fun-loving, Brucie!
Cheering for the Bears at great Soldier's Field,
Or the times at Cubs Park?
At night on swings in the warm, starry dark.
KiddieLand and Riverview, too.
The laughter and the endless joys.
We were truly good little girls and boys.
Now on my inner journey to a most blessed past.
The ongoing wonder of growing up to achieve.
But most significantly, we were taught to believe!
If a gardenia could only speak of our fragrant young days...
I am only here to tell you, I love you.
And each one, an invaluable soul,in my view!
Love and Merry Memories!
~ Cousin P ~
12-22-2020
A tribute to all my cousins.
Merry Christmas
Holiday Hugs
Categories:
elmwood, appreciation, christmas, cousin, love,
Form:
Free verse
Since the 19th century, she stands looking out to sea
A guardian of the sailor, a survivor of tragedy
The Captain lost his pregnant wife and son and five members of his crew
Now she waits just like her sister when a sailor's return is overdue
Her sister stands in Moss since nineteen sixty two
They stand and face each other across the ocean blue
The Dictator, a Norwegian vessel, aground she did run
Nine people died off the shore in eighteen ninety one
The Captain returned to Norway when his healing was done
In Elmwood cemetery he sadly left his wife and son
On thirty seventh street in Virginia Beach the Norwegian Lady Stands
A monument to all who sail and walk on foreign sands
Categories:
elmwood, history, places, sea, sister,
Form:
Couplet
On the outskirts of a long-abandoned country town
beyond the crumbling headstones and elmwood trees
is mounted a dark dismal figure of what used to be
a scarecrow whose limbs flail in Autumn's breeze
Hung as if crucified, his death was never mourned
The creature decayed in the midst of a barren field
Fallow lies the ground he once so boldly protected
Nigh on twenty years since wheat crops gave yield
Poor beast, with innards of grayed moss and twigs
Tenebrous, the moldy growth on his stygian face
as fog encroaches to shield me in the shadows of night
He's a monolith of death, staked in this cursed place
Darkness saturates the clouds and shrouds the moon
Comes the North wind, and a caw... caw... cawing sound
A murder of crows take flight over the wretched scene
Where once reigned a Sovreign who was never crowned
Categories:
elmwood, farm, introspection,
Form:
Rhyme
A Young Poetess and Her Christmas
A~ Ah, the angelic aromas!
B~ We, thinking of the Babe, born today.
C~ That scent of candlelit, candy canes.
D~ Those dashing, December decorations.
E~ Our first taste of excellent eggnog.
F~ My family and the warm fireplace flickered with joy.
G~Goodwill and glorious gifts.
H~The happiness of this holiday!
I~ Those illuminated icicles on windows dangled.
K~ Being with all my kith and kin.
H~A Happy Holiday to forever recall.
L~ Such love and uproarious laughter!
M~ Yes, mirth and mistletoe!
N~ Songs of Noel and the New Born Son!
O~ EVen the oldest, ogled at our optimism!
P~ Of poinsettia and pine, who can forget?
Q~ Mary,quiet, quinticessental ,queen of this day
R~ Our rejoicing was religious, on that you can bet!
S~ Though the night was silent, the children remained sleepless.
T~ Togetherness and traditions reigned triumphant.
U~ So understanding and upbeat were we!
V~ Thoughts of the Venerable Virgin and her new baby!
W~The wise, wondrous Three Kings with gifts for the King.
X~ In that winter xerophilous climate, where water is rare.
Y~ All our great Yuletide yearnings came true!
Z~ We all were zippy and zesty as can be, and did not want
to turn the lights off, on the magnificent tree.
12-20-2020
~Memoirs of Elmwood Park, IL~
Categories:
elmwood, beautiful, christian, christmas, family,
Form:
Acrostic
Childhood's Sacred Places
I dreamt I was a girl of nine.
So, venturing into the autumn
woods, I skipped happily!
I found a river and some frogs
calling each other, merrily.
Even some logs to walk and
balance on, carefully!
I found leaves of such beauty,
into my backpack they went.
I touched each tree, each had
a different feel and scent.
Alas the sun was going down
and not knowing what to do.
I hugged an Oak and did say,
" Now you stay right here! I
am coming back for you."
Memories of Thatcher Woods
Elmwood Park, Illinois
Ocober 16, 2019
Categories:
elmwood, childhood, girl, memory, tree,
Form:
Rhyme
Jason grab the fleece
Set it squarely under there
While Murray tightens the girth
Madge how many tries does it take to put on a bridle?
I don’t care if the nose armor’s low
So long as it’s straight
Where is Jacques with that damned chain
How are we ever going to be ready by nine
They’re carrying him in now ?
Streuth! The tail wrap’s slipped
Elmwood you’d better pray
he can’t see through that new visor
That saddle horn is duller than Clyde mud
Where is David with the shield grease?
What’s wrong with you people?
The tourney’s about to begin
and Gods Hammer we’re third in the grovel line
Again!!
Who has the lance duty today?
Shards and Sweetness Victor
What have you been feeding this steed?
Categories:
elmwood, history,
Form:
Dramatic Monologue
Snot Man Blue
There was no skin and hair
on his lower and upper big round torso.
Instead, there was thick and blue snot. Some would go, ‘Oh what a distracting gross sideshow!’
‘Well, at least he has my ears,
and your big puffy nose,
and my eyes and your mouth and toes,’ his mother had remarked to his father who was holding a hose.
‘Positive you are always dear
but, like the doctors had explained in the hall,
“If you both hadn’t had too much snot in you both
your son wouldn’t have been born a snot boy at all”!’
Cried Snot Boy Blue’s parents did
for years and years indeed.
‘I’d rather have had a thoroughbred for a son.
At least he’d be of use. Indeed!
What use is a Snot Boy Blue
to the world!’ his father snapped with speed.
‘Don’t worry you two.
Even though I’m terribly blue and blue
I’ll never be the same – 100% human – like you two.
I promise one day I’ll do something you two,
something great to end our blue.’
When he was 22,
over legally a man’s age,
he got a job at Elmwood University
earning a minimum wage.
Was he a cleaner there?
No.
Was he as chef there?
No.
He worked in scientific research
for The Entomology Department there.
At night he stood in the gardens
and insects common and rare,
as they flew through, got stuck on his rubbery snot body that was sort of a snare.
The researchers had no doubt
they’d so many fascinating insects to learn about.
TO BE CONTINUED ... in Part 2
Categories:
elmwood, humor,
Form:
Rhyme
December 03, 2023
___________________________________________
Dissipating drowsiness
In the elmwood of the mind
Eras and realities collide
Having body crawl
In the gloomiest of night hazy drizzle.
Dullness seeps in
Across increasing veins
As faraway as the sunshine
Switches to a slower pace
Laughter from a bygone era
Cuts and scrapes
Leaving me breathless.
The resolve is unwavering
And sustains the ultimate breath
Every day in bitter shadows
In pursuit of Eden insight
My cornea has been burned.
Categories:
elmwood, analogy, angst, character,
Form:
Free verse
Coaxed to Grow
Oh, how wonderfully innocent
and juvenile, 'twas for me.
You, scooting surreptitiously.
closer and closer to me.
Like a soft, gentle caterpillar,
slithering and smiling,
Making its way home in the
still of the night.
I clutched my lovely, flowered
handkerchief.
Then my gold cross with a
sparkling aqua gem upon it.
Really, wanting to not say, no.
My blue eyed Tommy boy.
In the Elmwood Park Spring we
were about to kiss.
Fireflies came to celebrate this
celebratory bliss.
When we were moving beyond
flirtation.
It was as though heaven were
sending particles of stars,
To bless the softness of this
sacred night.
Of huge elm tress, your strong
arms about me.
Finally, those soft, tender lips.
There in God's silent moonlight,
One of my first teenage kisses, did alight.
10/22/2020
Poem 4
Categories:
elmwood, kiss, night, teen love,
Form:
Free verse
THE WOMAN WHO COULD EAT WOOD
Who defied science?
The Woman Who Could Eat Wood had.
How and why at first no doctor could say
to her mom and dad.
Years later the doctors had discovered that after a test
special micro-organisms helped the wood in her guts digest.
‘Perhaps B can survive off wood because of some unknown power,’ her father had said.
‘I agree 100% with your thought,’
her mother had said.
‘A superpower I don’t have
All I can do is eat wood. That’s good.
But no one gets saved!
So I’m not special,’ B had made understood.
Sometimes she worried like crazy
that she was different. Sometimes she didn’t worry that she was different like crazy.
At first the cruel media (and some did too on Oak Street) teased her, hated her,
was terrified this kind
of “natural ability” could occur in her.
Quickly they lost interest,
forgot about her.
At Elmwood Primary school some people
ate for lunch sandwiches and fruit.
She ate doors and drawer knobs
and the occasional wood flute.
Some people
in the beginning
were scared that her
bodily functions were strange and not prizewinning.
‘She c-can d-d-i-ig-g-ge-s-st-t-t w-w-woo-d. As b-b-beav-v-ers d-do!’ a classmate had said, not grinning.
‘Friends, Pleeaasssssssssse DON’T be scare of me!
You’ll soon come to understand me. You’ll see.’
‘And YES. I eat like a beaver.
But I don’t cut down trees with my teeth to build
lodges and dams. I don’t eat layers of tree bark.
It’s totally impressive how quick they can build.’
After a long while
most people just accepted she could eat wood. Sure there were a few meanies of guile
who teased her and her parents to tears
for awhile.
She made some friends
and she even had some boyfriends.
She actually loved the taste of wood
that’d make most sick. That she liked to admit.
'I have no choice but to,
I guess,’ she’d admit.
She never felt sick or put on any weight.
Skinny as a HB pencil she was, but not unfit.
Her poos were wood when she didn’t pig normal food when she asked for it.
In fact she preferred wood.
It was free and it
saved her parents a load of money and too,
saved on dentist bills because her teeth never split.
TO BE CONTINUED ... IN PART 2
Categories:
elmwood, humor,
Form:
Rhyme
Untroubled Dwelling Place......
So blessed by all its peaceful walls.
They do not speak nonsense either, do they?
Yet,we never, thank them, come what may.
What about your lovely home?
The snow, the rain, the sweltering heat.
Ah, but your home keeps you soul sweet.
It is a place of astoshingtotal freedom.
No laws haunt you therein.
A place where sanity is born and doth begin.
Your gracious home saves you from rioters!
We spend holidays together with no Faucian
mandates.
We honor God and are not ingrates, having
full plates!
My parents worked twelve hour days, six days
a week.
Bought a big home in Elmwood Park, shared all
they had with family and others.
Unlike them, there will be never be any others!
Enjoy your days, quit your complaining!
Find sweet friends where your heart and home are
a welcoming place.
Walking with them in God’s special, blessed grace!
Fear and God,simply do not mix!
Decide now which will run the rest of your life.
No matter what the Woke Crowd says, family does
matter with a respectful husband and his loving wife!
6/16/2021
Dedicated to my parents, of blessed memory.
Categories:
elmwood, children, dedication, family, god,
Form:
Verse
Like wiping snow off a window
to feel and see the warmth of
a fireplace inside.
You use your glove and in an instant,
see your relatives and you
playing happily.
You remember the days when meat
was not a sin to eat.
And candy was OK too, imported
chocolates so fine, not a forbidden
treat.
The real and thick white flocked Christmas
tree with elegant pinknballs in crystal.
A warm tear swims into the crevice of your dimple!
For you remember, too well, when life was simple!
There was no huge television blaring~
just soft songs of the season.
You remember with gladness that
people talked to one another.
Not to cell phones constantly ringing.
Love and communication floated
in the Christmas air!
At midnight you went to Mass to
honor the birth of Jesus Christ.
Smells of frankincense and real
candles, filled your nostrils.
All these and more, divine and
spiritual catalysts
Ah,tragically.. exist now.
Only in memory's forgotten mist!
September 17,2019
*Inspired by my Cousin Maggie and Cousin Yolanda and my best friend Joanie with memories of Elmwood Park and the endless beauty we walked in.*
Categories:
elmwood, beautiful, christian, christmas, emotions,
Form:
Free verse
So well loved by their children.
Our life coaches in how to play
this intricate game of life.
Cleverly guiding us on this highway
with directions.
Remember your Dad teaching you
to ride your bike?
A two wheeler gave my heart a strike.
That metallic green Schwinn was
top of the line.
He attached special lights and it's horn,
was one of a kind.
He ran behind me on the street,
Whilst,I with fear, like a drum in my chest,
drove from left to right.
Then stopped in fear, but he bade me to
try again.
I remember well going one half a block.
But something went terribly wrong.
It was garbage day in Elmwood Park, so
empty cans with no lids were waiting for me.
I would have preferred hitting a large tree.
But no!
I ended up with my butt in the bottom of
the can, legs toward the summer sky.
Poetess in a can!!
Dreamy Dad to the rescue came.
I was both embarrassed and ashamed.
He lifted me out, I was stuck!
Worse, urged me to ride yet again?
That's how Dads are, they do not
give up on you!
Though your world has just turned
upside down.
They stand there,entirely resolute.
To encourage, love and coach you,
all life through.
Tribute to my Father, Edward....
Thanks Daddy! Pangie
September 28, 2020
Noon PST
Categories:
elmwood, father, father daughter, tribute,
Form:
Free verse
Sticks
Sticks made up of
only bitterness and
resentment felt about
most things rule
Elmwood Reserve. They’re terribly great at
gymnastic feats needing
great skill, fast movement, and,
of course,
balance.
Categories:
elmwood, humor,
Form:
Free verse