Best Full Length Poems
The Haunted House
An aging Victorian graphite three story house sat on a
promontory, lonely, deserted, weathered and forlorn.
Broken windows showed signs of cruel abuse from
passersby amused by throwing rocks we surmised.
This skeletal shell of a one-time elegant beauty
became a welcome refuge for my sister and I, wet
and chilled to the bone on that stormy autumn night.
Our car had broken down about two miles away.
There were no other homes or buildings nearby.
To our amazement the door was open and after
knocking loudly with no answer, we let ourselves in.
Cobwebs clung to our faces and hair as we entered
and brushed them away squeeling disdainfully.
I had a small torch on my keychain and with it we looked
around to try to find something to dry ourselves off.
We moved in unison across the creaking floor, shivering.
It was then that I felt cold fingers grasp my shoulder.
Wide eyed I slowly turned my head but no one was there.
We both heard errie laughter as chills ran down our spines.
We ran to the door but now it was locked and we were
trapped inside as panic set in with our hearts pounding.
Then all of a sudden two creatures appeared before us
standing there with matted hair and we both screamed
so loudly we scared each other, but with my little light I
could see we were looking at ourselves in a full length
dusty antique mirror. We laughed hysterically in pure relief.
I tried my cell phone again and miraculously got a signal.
I managed to contact the auto club who estimated 2 hours.
We waited impatiently until the auto club came to rescue
us and our car. The driver sat outside and honked his horn.
We screamed to him that we were trapped inside. He came
up to the front door and to our shock the door flew open.
We hurridly left that haunted house and never looked back
as the driver quickly drove away in the pouring rain.
8-27-18
Sponsor- Dear Heart
Contest- The Haunted House
Written for Jan Allison, who then decided I should share it for poop verse afficionados.
True story, by the way.....
There are some jobs where heeding worker's safety is required
and during operations must be suitably attired
environmental hazards mean that everyone conforms
and wearing full length protection has now become the norm.
In this case, paper snowman suit with hood and full length zip
a sturdy piece of clothing and is not inclined to rip.
Whilst clearing out some premises a worker got caught short
and knew he'd never make it to the toilet, so he thought
and made a break for the nearest hedge with a newspaper he'd bought.
Just in time he squatted down, the time lag all too brief
as out in one loud massive jet his bottom got relief.
The job now done he zipped back up and dressed just where he stood
not realising, squatting, that he'd done it in his hood.
It soon became apparent, as his headwear pulled in place
as fly attracting runny doo doo dribbled down his face
His workmates doubled up in laughter, just making it worse
as he stormed off in anger like an Oreo in reverse.
So since time immemorial, the moral's been the same
that when you go, then please do so, but
just you watch your aim.
For Jan, with love 'n hugs and trembly bits, Viv x
A beautiful way of questioning
With pen and paper you empart
Although you think that you are broken
You have been gifted a perfect heart
Your spirit sheds its perfect diamonds
We have each witnessed them in your tears
You have experienced so much loss
Today you are wise beyond your years
To come to know you is our pleasure
For you are a person who is real
You are still living life with purpose
Yet you still allow yourself to feel
Yes, one day you will have your comfort
What is broken will be fully healed
The pain will give way to joyfullness
As the answers to you are revealed
Yesterday flows into tomorrow
As life's river travels it full length
You were born to fly high above it
As you are lifted on wings of strength!
Inspired by and written for Broken Wings.
Yesterday lingers in my memory today
Perched on a manicured hill after the last bell
All my friends surrounding me
She strolls by, I catch blue eyes
glancing quickly my way
A scented envelope...
I rent a white tuxedo for her Sorority Ball
She's dressed in full length blue silk
Formally announced; I escort her
through a flowered arch to that shining floor
The band plays a sweet, soulful slow-dance song
I nuzzle her neck, breathing in her perfume scent
Shivering slightly, she snuggles ever closer
humming the same melody softly in my ear...
11/29/16
Submitted for Brian Strand’s latest contest
I am a diamond, a faceted gem
One thousand faces each flawed are them
Some hold the truth but most hold the lies
Hidden barely behind all my beautiful smiles
Nobody knows but surely they’ve felt
The darkness inside me my true, hidden self
That’s which is captured, kept under lock and key
Sometimes they surface through my flaws they seep
A diamond is meant to be strong, clear and pure
It keeps under pressure and is always sure
This is what all the others wish only to see
They never look deeper they never truly see
I may be a diamond though flawed as I am
The strength they perceived I was endowed by them
When leaned on by someone there are only two things to do
Be dragged down by them or you learn to stand true
I have always believed that the second was right
Cause even when dragged down, one is able to fight
Now, is it not better to let the other one fall?
So when they hit rock bottom, you are able to stand tall
To lean down a hand and share with them your strength
The bond that you share may have been stretched full length
But the lessons they lived hard learnt as they came
Engraved by the fall but are healing all the same
Some things must be learnt from taking a fall
Not by leaning on others, expecting them to stand tall
You must not be afraid when others knock you down
It may hurt like hell and turn you around
But to live in this world you must stand on your own
Take note of your flaws and skills you can hone
For one tiny hole, unprotected, is all it takes
Shattered with destruction left in its wake
A flaw or weakness that is exploited will grow
From deep within; from where the seeds were sown
Like veins of darkness running through the purest of gems
One good blow, weakened, will shatter them
I may be a diamond, darkened flaws and all
I will not be broken, shattered from a fall
I am stronger even with strength, given it may be
It runs deep within creating the self that I claim to be me
I may not have earned a diamond’s many skills
But the thing that defines me is my diamond will.
She wears her kindness,
a full length gown
as if it were a pair of baby blue jeans
soft in color, tough in its fabric.
She is adorned in silk
refracts incoming ideas
produces her own.
Like the shimmer
of this same silk
she is brilliant!
Her embrace is boundless.
Her exuberance unmatched.
She is "music".
Paints with the bold strokes of her guitar,
the perfect pitch of her voice, natures smile.
She is an original,
nothing like you.
She is passionate,
exactly like you.
She offers all this, more.
Chooses you.
"I love her with every fiber..."
Often I wonder.
With so many beautiful words
attaching themselves so easily to women
why would any man ever need to lie...
Sept/26/2014
They restricted celebrations,
forget your relations.
They restricted travel,
watched families unravel.
They restricted purchases,
no provided services.
They closed the schools,
those were the new rules.
They closed the churches,
no Sunday soul searches.
They closed the gyms
and the flab begins.
They closed the restaurants,
forget sweet tooth wants.
They closed the theaters,
no full-length features.
They closed retail stores,
no welcoming doors.
They closed the bars,
murmurs of wars.
Society accepted it as well as they could,
as everyone felt the need to be good.
But then they closed the brothel –
an act so heinously hostile –
What? You call that a plan!
That’s when the fight began.
Cat lights on the table, bling!
Can opener growl to open a tin
Tuna glide pounce for a troubadour sing
Cat stretches full length
A paw to each shoulder
A nuzzle to my neck now bolder
Soft blending purrs, caressing
Soft, slow lane nestling
Solicitous whimsical beauty
Self advertising cutie
Insular world of feline grace
Meal ticket playful embrace,
a no default risk
Like a heart-felt smooch, brisk
Best hope for survival
in scents of sweet revival
when a tin can squeal
is a laurel of love to steal
for a status high creature
curled, contented
in fishy food cuisine.
Poem revised January 31, 2022
I never thought I’d keep a record of my pain
or happiness
like candles lighting the entire soft lace
of the air
around the full length of your hair/a shower
organized by God
in brown and auburn
undulations luminous like particles
of flame
But now I do
retrieve an afternoon of apricots
and water interspersed with cigarettes
and sand and rocks
we walked across:
How easily you held
my hand
beside the low tide
of the world
Now I do
relive an evening of retreat
a bridge I left behind
where all the solid heat
of lust and tender trembling
lay as cruel and as kind
as passion spins its infinite
tergiversations in between the bitter
and the sweet
Alone and longing for you
now I do
~The Cradle~
Leafless arms extend full length.
Embracing in their curves an empty cradle
Tucked into a cozy arbor still lingering
With the scent of apple blossoms full grown
Crafted from borrowed twigs, a stolen yellow ribbon and
Pillows of soft green moss
That cradled three tiny eggs, color borrowed from the sky,
Growing into a promise of soaring into sunlight,
Waiting within the guardian
Now dreaming through frozen nights -
Sanctuary, decorated with frozen dew,
Quietly brooding-
Ready to receive the kiss of Heaven’s blessing -
Listening for the flutter of first heartbeats
And newborn wings –
Hope giving birth
When daylight lifts up hands to push aside the darkness,
Witness of the cradle born again
From borrowed twigs, a stolen yellow ribbon
Redecorated with pillows of soft moss.
it's a little
above the
middle of
her back
if it were
in front
it would be
between her
breasts
but going
back around
pinching the
clasp
slowly
pulling
it down
exposing
her perfect
smoothness
of brown skin
against the
yellow of her
full length gown
that slides off her
shoulders
to the ground
i massage the
tension from her
neck
Bubble gum? Nay, methinks a box of dark chocolates, 'tis best,
A daisy? Nay, methinks a bouquet of velvet red roses, 'tis best,
Pants outfit? Nay, methinks a full-length strapless white silk dress, 'tis best,
Brown coat? Nay, methinks a Chinchilla fur coat, 'tis best,
Taxi? Nay, methinks a chauffeured limousine, 'tis best,
Queens? Nay, methinks an Ace, 'tis best,
Twelve? Nay, methinks a seven, 'tis best,
Craps Table? Nay, methinks a Baccarat Table, 'tis best,
Restaurant? Nay, methinks a Fine Dining Cuisine, 'tis best,
Fish? Nay, methinks a lobster, 'tis best,
White wine? Nay, methinks a Magnum of Champagne, 'tis best,
After dinner mints? Nay, methinks a bit more, 'tis best,
I still have some gum?
{KISS}
05/27/2019
I wake up at 5:30 most mornings
Before the sun has a chance to rise
Head for the bathroom as fast as I can
To get rid of yesterday's Mai Tai
I let out a great big sigh of relief
As I wipe the gunk from my peepers
Stand in front of a full length mirror
Like Tarzan, in my trap door sleepers
I sure am ruggedly handsome, methinks
Could even grace the cover of GQ
That's if they publish a special edition
For overweight, balding yahoos
Maybe I'm being too hard on myself
I've still got a surprise up my sleeve
Like running a mile in two hours flat
Quite a feat for old guys to achieve
Now here's a lesson, so listen up good
To this fatherly advice that I share
Take care of yourself or you'll wind up
As a old guy without any hair
©Jack Ellison 2012
I wake up at 5:30 most mornings
Before the sun has a chance to rise
Head for the bathroom as fast as I can
To get rid of yesterday's Mai Tai
I let out a great big sigh of relief
As I wipe the gunk from my peepers
Stand in front of a full length mirror
Like Tarzan, in my trap door sleepers
I sure am ruggedly handsome, methinks
Could even grace the cover of GQ
That's if they publish a special edition
For overweight, balding yahoos
Maybe I'm being too hard on myself
I've still got a surprise up my sleeve
Like running a mile in two hours flat
Great feat for old guys to achieve
Here's the crux of the matter my friends
It's something I sadly must share
Try all your life to take care of yourself
You'll still wind up old with no hair
© Jack Ellison 2012
Second Hand Leather
Cocooned in love
The day was frightfully cold with snow softly falling. I was not prepared for this but
only for the warmth of sunshine. I stepped off the plane covered only in a sundress
and sandals. I began to shiver as I rushed for cover. My sister in laws would bring
comfort but little did I know just how much!
Welcomed with open arms I began to thaw and settle in a bit. This was going to be
a trip that would forever leave a print on my heart. We were going out for a special
dinner. You see it’s Christmas! She opened her closet and took out her very own
coat. This was the most beautiful coat I had ever seen.
This is when she handed it over to me and said, “Try it on darling –if it fits and you
like it –it’s yours”! I could not believe it as I knew it cost a lot of money and it was
just beyond beautiful. It was a Full Length Leather Coat with beautiful designs on it.
I had never had anything so wonderful given to me.
When I put it on it was magical. The fit was perfect and for me there was a
transformation. Somehow a feeling came over me like nothing ever before. I felt
special and could hardly wait to look in a mirror as I knew something changed inside
me forever at that moment. What was it, what had just happened?
I wore the coat and danced around in it when no one was watching like I was a
princess. I had this second hand coat for many years and always felt beautiful and
special when I put it on. It was the love that I was cocooned in. She cared enough
to give me her very own coat that she had bought for herself. I wore it until it was
tattered and someone said to me, “I would love that coat”. I took it off and passed
it on with the same love to cocoon that person.
Debbie
Knapp