Best Grill Poems
My driveway is packed with the cars
of friends and family,
chips put out, and the little ones
are running joyously.
A cooler filled up with bag ice
keeps cold soda and beer,
I think half the folks I know
were able to get here.
I stand over a charcoal grill,
today it is my thing,
propane may work in a pinch,
but briquettes remain king
Coals seer some discount longhorn steaks,
bought from a friend of mine,
will turn the meat ninety degrees,
get perfect grill-mark lines.
My vegan niece sits not far off,
always looks thin and ill,
ready to tell everybody:
“It’s not okay to kill!”
As if the plants she likes to eat
didn’t go to their death,
some day she might see how it is,
but she ain’t got there yet.
The youngsters go high on the swings,
I hear metal chains squeak,
one even gets up far enough
to brush against some leaves.
Every few moments one flies off,
and lands half-stumbling,
turns back to his cousins and cries:
“That jump was amazing!”
The older kids are further back,
shagging some fly-balls down,
they mix it up with fast bouncers,
racing across the ground.
Inside men sit and watch the game,
share opinions on sports,
each convinced they know the deal,
which players to exhort.
Not a word of work goes around,
and to me that’s just fine,
Boss-man gets five days of the week,
but these two? They are mine.
Wives and sisters sit on the deck,
indulging in girl-talk,
it may be a stereotype,
but lordy, how they squawk.
Then again, maybe it’s just me,
the introverted type,
gossiping in a big circle,
not something I would like…
Take off the ones medium rare,
three more minutes—well done,
plate them up, then give a shout:
“The steak’s on, everyone!”
Each morning just before lunch at eleven,
I can see the black smoke rise.
Pops has his large grill fired up.
Chicken and ribs sizzle over the flame.
Just come here to satisfy your hunger.
Pops is not skimpy on his sauce.
The man is the boss for cooking.
rub my butt with spices
baste my breasts with olive oil
slather my wings and things with sauce
butter my thighs, slow broil
ah, the savory delights of a summer BBQ!
Otis was once a monk
who took no vows, was
free to leave the abbey
and eventually he did.
I met him over chicken wings
at Sadie's Soul Food Grill.
For almost 20 years
every spring and summer
Otis labored in the fields
raising vegetables
and crops of every kind.
In fall and winter he
would gather leaves and
plow the snow, wheel
ancient monks up and down
the endless silent halls.
He loved his work
because he liked to help
anyone in need.
I asked Otis why he left.
He said because at first
he thought life was a burp
somewhere in eternity.
He still believes that but
wants to hear the burp
before he’s in eternity.
Otis likes the chicken wings
at Sadie’s Soul Food Grill,
especially the real hot ones.
He ate chicken at the abbey
but nothing like the wings
at Sadie's Soul Food Grill.
A real treat before eternity.
Donal Mahoney
Shhhhh, here comes the Warden
He’s just about to open the door, Frank
Well, that’s good ‘cause I’ve been in this slammer too long!
and, it way too cold in here, Patty!
I never did ask you Frank, what are you in for?
Wrong time at the wrong grocery store, I guess,
before I knew it, I was in the big house, feels more
like an ice house. I was in solitary for while, frozen stiff
Then, I found myself here with you and Bangsy and Cherry.
You know Cherry, she’s Bangsy’s tomato!
She was picked fresh off the line and ended up in here!
Let me ask Olive, she’s been in here forever,
Hey Olive, when did Cherry get out?
I wouldn't talk about that too loudly, Patty,
she went to the counter!
Oh no!, not the counter, that’s death row for everyone!
If you hear them say they want to grill you Frank, don’t
believe it, it’s not what you think.
Bangsy never did come back!
Poor Bangsy, such a silly sausage!
Door’s open, this is it!
Bye Patty!
Guess it’s hamburger time for me
OH, sorry Patty!!!
I mean, I guess I’ve seen my last bun!
7/9/18
Flaming steaks and ice cold drinks
you thought good food had become extinct
until you ate here and gave us a nod and a wink.
Appetizers galore with soft stringy cheese sticks, artichoke hearts deep fried
with a taste of parmesan cheese and a dip to please.
bacon wrapped shrimp you might want to frame, seared sea scallops that
make you want to gallop, stuff mushrooms that'll make you croon, escargot
and baked claims as you eat them you'll definitely leave a stain
Ice burg lettuce or romaine with fresh dressing all homemade.
Lobster bisque soup with a deep rich taste if you don't like
seafood try Tomato bisque instead, French onion soup either a bowel
or cup just don't be a glut.
Your auntre is about to start your just warming up
hot garlic bread with a wonderful spread, Chris's secret recipe if he
told you how he made it you'd be dead.
Succulent steaks porterhouse, ribeye, serlion, T-bone and of course filet
add garlic or lemon butter to dip, 'hooray!'
Chicken flew by giving you legs and wings deep fried
want a little less oil try the fresh grilled chicken
fit for a royal.
Hamburger, cheeseburger just choose your cheese and of course
add bacon please. Want an egg on top sunny side up
when you squeeze the bun it will definitely erupt.
The beef is so fresh the cows stopped mooing when
it hit the grill with no sign of stress.
Vegetable melody or a little broccoli please.
The potato why so many things I can do
baked, French fried, homefried or even mashed
some round or shaped like a torpedo.
Baked fish Talapia, Flounder or even Sea Bass
'Oh' so fresh. We have an aquarium in the back,
just teasing we use a pole and bait at our near by lake.
End the evening as you sit back with a luscious sweet dessert
but please don't drool bibs are provided if needed
or even a paper sack on your way out.
Just remember as my Daddy always said,
'You all come back now you hear, friends are like family
and we hold you all dear!'
Coming Soon: The new "Fire and Ice Grill and Pub"
T Reams
Fire-up grill
No roadkill!
Cook the food
No fireballs dude!
Then eat what you will
a background of blue
composes sky
strokes
of thick dark lines
shape bare trunks
(a collage of leaves
lies on the ground)
and branches reach
for the setting sun
the last glow
of reds and golds
imagination and memories
shape forms
textures
give fullness of life
to a canvas
once blank
colors blended
add to the conversation
this gathering shared
with others I hardly know
and between each coat
as the acrylic dries
we chat with each other
drinks sipped
and bites of food
taken
the waitress
checks on us
and nods
as layers form
the final piece
each nuanced work
to be presented
and shown
stories without words
told
we hang on walls
November 7, 2021
Fire up the grill ~ let's all eat
Dad's steak now well done
Hot dogs for doggy and me
Granny potatoes
Mom veggies with salt
Say blessing
Eat
Date Written:5/31/2022
4 Place
Whats Cooking on the Grill this Summer Contest
Sponsored by: M. L. Kiser
Honey smoked ribs on the grill
Come and eat your fill
Roasted corn, drips with butter
Taste buds aflutter
Peach pie on the sill
Ice cold beers
Cheers!
June 3, 2022
What's Cooking on the Grill This Summer Contest
Sponsored by M. L. Kiser
On the back deck,
snow has turned two empty chairs,
sitting beside the shrouded grill,
into phantoms with open arms
waiting for corn to roast,
peppers to lose their crisp edges,
onions to gather sweetness,
and shrimp to hold their fibrous flavor
for the taster's tongue.
Birds by the score, alerted
by the snowy air, raid
the feeder above the grill.
Woodpeckers come,
the hairy, the downy, the nuthatch
the ladder-backed, feasting on suet.
Smaller birds ignore fear
(and the watchers behind glass),
bravely eat beside their enemy
as they dart, hop, fly on, over,
and under, two chairs and a grill.
After dining at the finest of Maw and Paw restaurants
Frequented by men in trucks
Outside I slipped on the gravel drive
And as would be my luck
The LARGE cowboy belt I'm so proud of
Latched on and then got stuck
Now I'm off to see America
From the front grill of a Big Mac Truck
From the plains of Plano, Texas
To the hills of Hoboken Plantation, Tennessee
There's not to many places
That Big Mac Truck did not take me
To other motorists I was Mr. Friendly
With my arms flapping in the wind
They all would honk and wave and smile
As I smiled back with my bug filled grin
For weeks and weeks we went from coast to coast
Hollywood, California is where I made my mark
Someone happened to take my picture
Which made me an instant star
So I hooked my buckle to the front of a limo
As crowds started to recognize me
A Big Mac Truck would no longer do
When your a Big Time Celebrity
I was on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
He interviewed me from a parking lot
The limo would not fit on the couch
Plus I can't get the buckle to unlock
Now when my limo pulls up to crosswalks
Pedestrians ask for my autograph
Before the light turns green and me and the bumper we leave
I tell a few jokes and we share a few laughs
As life's fortunes would have it
I can't believe my luck
The day I tripped on that gravel drive
And fell into the grill of that Big Mac Truck
Delicious juicy hot dogs
Slathered with mustard,
Onions, slaw, and chili sauce
Some hamburgers, too,
On soft toasted buns
Cheese slices.
Yum!
FIRST PLACE WINNER
Written June 1, 2022
Submitted to "What's Cooking of the Grill This Summer" Poetry Contest
Sponsored by M. L. Kiser
Foil wrapped delights at day’s end
Chocolate inside
Prefer gooey Marshmallows?
Relief after meat
Grilled fruit tasty snack
Late Surprise
Treat!
19 June 2022
Whats Cooking on the Grill this Summer Contest Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: M. L. Kiser
My grimy grill,
Is really quite,
Summer’s delight,
And if used right,
Is very much a thrill.
It’s not just meat,
That’s off the hook,
For if you look,
You’ll see I cook,
My veggies over heat.
The greasy grates,
They hold the food,
That will conclude,
With gratitude,
Once I put onto plates.
The fires burn,
On down below,
And cooking slow,
My grilling row,
As I do often turn.
The grease had grown,
Up over time.
And made the climb,
To turn to grime,
From what the grates have shown.
And when I’m done,
I step aside.
And feel inside,
A source of pride,
I find second to none.