Best Ice Chest Poems
HOT!
HOT!
Inspiration?
Low
Humidity?
High very high
One really doesn’t feel like writing poetry
But what does one do on a hot steaming day?
I’ll tell you what one does not do –
Work!
Oh it’s a day for invention
Conjure up something not too taxing on the brain
Even the thought of mental effort is painful so
Here goes
There is a peaceful verdant cool valley
Between two snow-capped mountain peaks –
Mount Serene and
Mount Bliss
A frothing bubbling murmuring stream
runs happily through a meadow
I can hear the Tonkawonka song it sings
as it splashes against the rocks
(The Tonkawonka were a local Indian tribe now no more)
It is beside this stream I have spread my Indian blanket
set down my small ice chest
just across the stream almost obscured by the rushes
a young deer bows its head to drink
I lazily uncap a cold beer – take a sip
WONDERFUL!
I lean my head back against a willow stump and
Dream
Not a cloud in the sky
The heavens so blue it nearly hurts my eyes
I close my lids
Am just dropping-off when
I have this waking-dream
I’m in the city
Tall buildings surround
Eggs are frying on the sidewalk
Sun beating down beating down
I can’t stand it!
This is a nightmare!
I wake up
This is no dream
It is HOT!
Silence sits between us on this sofa
Even after I apologized
'Thought I might.... be in for some lovin'
But lately...I just haven't seen no signs
Chorus:
Tonight..I'm sitting here with a Cold One!
'Tryna start a fire in a heart that's frozen
She won't come around,
I've got a case of love iced down
Tonight..I'm sitting here.... with a Cold One!
I watch her baby blue eyes turn to steel
Yeah I'd be in the dirt, If thoughts could kill
And now, she's got her head down in a book
After givin' me another laser look
Repeat chorus
I know things like this can take some time
I've gotta drift, It's gonna take all night
'Think I'll catch some football on TV
And Pull my old ice chest up close to me
Tonight..I'm sitting here with a Cold One!
'Tryna start a fire in a heart that's frozen
She won't come around,
I've got a case of love iced down
Tonight..I'm sitting here.... with a cold one!
Tag:
Brrrrr.....Tonight I'm sitting here.... with a cold one!
Protected by copyright
All rights reserved
The entire city is in darkness
Yet the brightness shines through you
People left to get away, in their cars they drove
I stayed - flood water is used to flush the toilet
I'm glad to have a gas stove
Water in the ice chest, tub and washing machine
Old folks know exactly what I mean
Water is unclean and contaminated - Oh how we thirst
No central air, no ceiling fans - Oh how we sweat
For days your own means of transportation
Is a boat and your legs
Ravioli in a can without any heat
Food in a box without any meat
People placed on a bridge walking up and down
Not knowing soon, they would leave their town
Bible, clothes, cell phone, charger, license
Foodstamp card, toothbrush, children and money
This shh... is serious, don't think it's so funny
Holding signs wondering has anyone seen us
Missing loved ones never made it to the bus
Tears we cry and cry and cry
Sooner or later the sun will dry
Free rent for a month cause now your home is a Dome
Sometimes sleeping on a cot really mean a lot
Take a bath fully exposed, no privacy for there are no doors
Salvation Army, FEMA
Pushing and shoving to get assistance is hard
I don't know 'bout you, but I got a Red Cross card
Three weeks later, I'm back touring my home
The water has subsided, yet the smell still so strong
Four kids plus one is five, thank You God we're all alive
... and to think the reality show Survivor
Does not contain one Katrina victim
Thank You -
On behalf of me and my city New Orleans, we thank you all!
Thank you to the state of Texas and to all the states, thank you for everything!
Thank you to everyone around the world for your heartfelt love and support during this time of devastation and uncertainty, for we were completely lost and broken.
Special thanks to Houston, Texas for opening up the Astro Dome and Reliant Center and allowing it to become a home for us.
Thank you to all of the shelters and to everyone who made donations, volunteered their time and opened up their doors and hearts to our families.
Thank you to those who graced us and embraced us.
Thank you to those who stayed with us and prayed with us.
We are forever grateful!
Flip flops slip off slowly
My barefoot touches the warm sand
Cold waves crash against my body
I feel the hot sun on my legs
Smell of salt water is in the air
The ocean breeze lightly blows through my hair
Seashells sparkle covering the ocean floor
Tiny pepples hiding in the sand shine through
Sand shimmers in the sunlight
Waves crashing gently against the rocks
Suntan oil feels of silk, smells of coconut
flip flops, beach towels, sand castles, suntan oil,
sunglasses, beach balls, body boards, iced tea,
barefoot, straw hats, beach chair, umbrella,
volleyball, ice chest, margaritas, jimmy buffet,
the beach boys, boardwalk, lifeguard
sand, waves, seashells, rocks, sun, ocean,
hermit crabs, abalone shell, sea otters, whales,
dolphins, starfish, shark, sailboats, surfers,
cruise ships, fishing boats, scuba diving, wind
surfing, seagulls, high tide, sunset
Form:
Overflow of the waters of Lake Itaska
You carry your wealth to the waiting world,
Mighty Mississippi, half savior, half sewer,
Plant and animal wastes, dissolved minerals,
Venting prairie deluge, dividing a Nation,
Exposed aquifer of Great Plains, home of Buffalo ghosts,
And their equally threatened ancestor, the prairie dog.
Standing at your mouth I can wade your depths,
Even jump your width in places,
Though it is more difficult than the boy imagined,
And the winter's overgrowth problematic.
Your lightning like flash across the land (1)
Has haunted my dreams the whole of my life
And pulled at my soul like the moan of distant trains.
Now I am here at last, my dream becoming liquid,
Wooden oars, tent, canoe and provisions waiting,
Dr. Peppers stored in a sturdy ice chest.
I am more than ready to see the world through your eyes,
And to meet the sea as well in your company (if fate allows.)
My wife a novice and myself not much more,
We launch ourselves, glissando (2) toward New Orlean.
Brian Johnston
Sept. 19, 2014
Poet's Notes:
Everything in this poem is true as I can best remember. I was 28 at the time and my wife Kathy was 24 so it has been a few years ago that we did this. The eight chapters so far are not the end of this poem. I have at least 3 more chapters planned, one on portaging around dams, one on going through locks (beginning in Minneapolis-St. Paul) , one on leaving the river after traveling over 1,000 miles in 7.5 weeks, and then a final clean up including lessons learned and post trip consequences.
(1) 'lightning like flash' - I was imagining here how much the path taken by the Mississippi across the land actually resembles a lightning bolt's flash across the sky to earth.
(2) glissando - A musical word meaning a gradual sliding (transition) in tone from one note to the next note on the musical scale.
Swimming pools
And motel inns
A holiday with no end
Pull up the car
Empty the trunk
Leave the ice chest by the pool
Pop tops and a future on ice
Kids in bathing suits
And Dad’s on guard
Mom’s sit and watch the kids
Dad’s talking *****about things they did
Till they pass out and the Mom’s take charge
Then it’s hang up the wet suits
And off to bed.
Sure hope Dad doesn’t snore to loud
Sunlight creeps between the blinds
And Dad is up searching for breakfast
So it’s down to the Denny’s and eggs for all
Another season another fall.
Extra weight no longer a problem for shallow water,
We bulked up for the next leg of our journey,
Water containers, even some canned goods
An acceptable luxury in our seventeen foot canoe,
A canvas topping lashed everything in securely,
Offered some weather proofing for sensitive gear,
Our sleeping bags, some staples, and clean clothing.
Cameras were kept in waterproof pouches
That stayed within easy reach of paddlers,
Fishing rods and car mounts for the canoe,
In case we burned out, topped the load,
With ice chest and Dr. Peppers easily accessible.
In high spirits we set out on the next leg,
Destination Cass Lake's Boy's Camp Chippewa.
I had traveled this leg before as a twelve year old,
By canoe, but with less luxury, until Bemidji,
Where each of our crew went to a late movie,
And downed a Paul Bunyan Special banana split
One banana and seven scoops of ice cream,
Camp four miles across open water long after dark,
With only a fire on a distant shore to guide us home. (4)
Poet's Notes:
(4) People die pulling stunts like this. In fact strong winds arose forcing us to shore shortly after we started, light rain and lightning flashes high in the sky! We had to pull our canoes wading in the dark along the shore for 3 hours to reach our camp. Our counselors pledged us all to secrecy for they would have been fired had management known the danger they put us all in.
IN THE SUMMER IT WOULD BE NICE
TO BE IN A COOL MILD JACUZZI.
WITH A NICE SLUSHY MOSCOTO.
OR BE IN THE SHADE AT THE
PARK,HAVING A NICE
PICNIC,DRINKING SODA PLAYING
VOLLEYBALL.
OR AT THE BEACH WITH CHAIR`S
AND UMBRELLAS,AND A ICE CHEST
WITH,DRANK,DRANK,DRANK,AND
DRINK,DRINK,WAITING FOR THE
SUN TO SET.
THIS IS MY IDEA OF A SUMMER DAY.
A SUMMERTIME POEM.
THE MORNING WAS PLEASANT, THE WEATHER WAS FINE,
BREAKFAST OUT OF THE WAY, FISHING WAS ON MY MIND.
I’D WAITED ALL WEEK, BUT IT HAD FINALLY ARRIVED,
GOING FISHING AT LAST, THANK GOODNESS ALIVE.
WITH REEL IN MY HAND, TACKLE BY MY SIDE,
I HEADED ON OUT, NOT TOO LONG A RIDE.
TO THE LAKE I WAS GOING EARLY ON THIS MORN,
BEFORE DAYBREAK, AND BEFORE THE SUN WAS BORN.
WITH COOL DRINKS IN THE ICE CHEST, LISCENCE BY MY SIDE,
I’D BE OUT FISHING BEFORE A BABY BIRD CRIED.
GETTING TO THE LAKE, NO TROUBLE I HAD,
I LEARNED ALL THIS EARLY, STRAIGHT FROM MY DAD.
HE SAID, GO OUT EARLY, BRING THEM ON IN,
THAT’S WHEN YOU CATCH THEM, HE SAID WITH A GRIN.
I SURVEYED THE AREA, ALL GLOOM AND ASLEEP,
I’D CAST TOWARD THE MIDDLE, OUT WHERE IT WAS DEEP.
I PULL BACK MY ARM TO GET A GOOD SHOT,
BUT WHEN I WENT FORWARD’S THAT’S WHEN THINGS GOT HOT.
CAUGHT MY LINE ON A TREE BRANCH, LIKE TO BROKE MY ARM,
THOUGHT I HEARD SOME ONE SAY, NO FOUL NO HARM
WELL THAT MADE ME MAD, THAT’S WHEN THE TROUBLE BEGAN,
I YANKED AND I YANKED AND YANKED ONCE AGAIN.
NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRIED TO GET THE LINE FREE,
THAT DAD BOB BRANCH WOULDN’T GIVE IT BACK TO ME.
WELL, I THREW DOWN MY REEL, AND CLIMBED UP THAT TREE,
I COULD SEE IT WAS GOING TO BE TROUBLE TWEEN THAT BRANCH AND ME.
WELL I FINALLY CRAWLED OUT ON THAT BIG BRANCH.
FIXING TO GET MY WRAPPED UP LINE UNHOOKED, FAT CHANCE.
CAUSE ALL OF A SUDDEN AND MUCH TO MY SUPPRISE,
I WAS ON A HORNETS NEST, RIGHT THERE BEFORE MY EYES.
YOU TALK ABOUT PANIC, I THINK IT WAS TOO LATE,
CAUSE WHEN THEY STARTED UP, SEEMS THEY OPENED THE GATE.
LORD! I HOLLOWED OUT AS MY FEET HIT THE GROUND,
GET ME OUTTA THIS MESS AND MY LIFE I’LL KEEP SOUND.
THEM SUCKERS WAS POPPING ME, POPPING LIKE HECK,
I JUMPED IN THE LAKE, WAY OVER MY NECK.
SEEMED LIKE HOURS, BEFORE I HAD THE NERVE TO COME UP.
LUCKILY THEY WERE GONE, ME I WAS SOAKED LIKE A PUP.
I EASED TO MY TRUCK, GOT IN AND STARTED OUT FAST,
THEY CAN HAVE MY FISHING GEAR AND THEY CAN KISS MY FOOT.
Form:
Out of school~it is summertime, we can swim~run and climb. Cook outs are the very best, love the cold watermelon in the ice chest.
Date Written:6/24/2022
Grab the cart
Grab the beer
Fill the ice chest
When the beer's gone
The Game's Over!
Cattle guard rattled teeth
Dummy locked gates swung open
Loose gravel wound roads
Descending into deep rutted
Belly washing mud paths
Bouncing and shaking
Halting and laughing
Long bending meadow grass
Old log barn with perfume of cedar
Cool trance of spring fed creek
Hydro electric
Walls of mesh screen
Echoing indulgence of ancient sounds
Breath sincerely, (Smile)
1 light bulb strung from tree to house
wood gathering, tents popping
Sunset peers and slips
through the wooded mountain
A quick meadow retreat while she dances
Color, throwing schemes
warmth
Darkness falling
Fire in full attention with
Musical backdrop and occasional truck engine
Ghost story fueled midnight hikes
Flashlights, mini 14's
Imaginary bobcats, shifty ridgeline
Bullets rattling, hearts pounding
Safety of a campfire chair
Ice chest next to the side........ sleepless
The dawn breaks victorious
Celebratory Yoo-Hoo's
Cast iron skillet in a glow of embers
Crispy potatoes & onions
Many things should begin and end with bacon
He called me, on the phone,
Asked if I was gonna' be home.
A smile just appeared,
Soon he'll arrive, here.
Now a full blown grin ...
He just walked in!
I said, "ALRIGHT!" ...
"We're gonna' have a GREAT night!"
The whole night lay before us
I didn’t want to cause a fuss
Dinner and a movie
Would be kinda groovy
Dancing would be nice
We’ve done that once or twice
I know what he’d been missin’
So I’m taking him fishin’
Packed up the ice chest
With stuff he loves best
Thick slices of ham
Sweet strawberry jam
Crispy pickles in a jar
Cookies cut into a star
Ice cold Bud Lite
Gonna be a long night
Got a new rod and reel
Got a really good deal
It’s a Diawa brand
Fits just right in my hand
We’ll stop by his place
To get his tackle case
His rod and bass boat
Hope it will still float
Now we're at the lake
Gonna fish ‘til real late
Then throw that sleeping bag down
Right over there on the ground
Snuggle up and build a fire
Stoke it with love’s desire
He know’s what I’m missin’
Making love after fishin’
In My Dodge Intrepid, Headed West
Got the Radio on… hearing Requests
Sunshine on the Road
… passing by Wide – Loads
… I Feel Blest
I’m Headed West
Got a Full Tank of Gas and an Ice-Chest
Money in my Purse… and Plenty of Rest
I’m Driving on the Highway
Finally found that Freeway
… I Feel Blest
I’m Headed West
Sunshine came up this Morning
East… was up and already Farming
I saw the Bright North-Star
And the Prize of the Civil-War
… I Feel Blest
I’m Headed West
I’m going … Where I’ve Never Been Before
I hope… I won’t get Lost, ‘til I Find Your Door
Feel like a Mail-Order Bride
… Racing to Your Side….
… I Feel Blest
I’m Headed West
In my Dodge Intrepid, Two Blocks West
Got the Radio on, Hearing Requests
… ‘ A Song, Dedicated to Me’…
… from My B a b y ! ….
… I Feel Blest
I Made It West …
A cigar in my mouth
An ice chest by my side
Every American this day
Should hold tremendous pride
A day such as this
Calls for celebration
For it is the birthday
Of our exemplary nation
Kids round the country
Light works of fire
And all of these children
Never seem to tire
Today calls for drinks
Lined up all around
Tequila shooters
Time to paint the town
Some may say
I party too much
They are probably right
But I don’t listen to talk of this such
If they degrade me for my actions
That is their own decision
I don’t care
For my life is led with precision
All of my life
Everything I do
Is based on freedoms
Our ancestors chose to pursue
The building block of this country
What holds all things together
Was written 52 in pen
Made from a feather
July the fourth
Seventeen seventy six
Our nation was formed
Today was the day
We earned the right to be free
Our founding fathers deserve
Our respect to the highest degree
Many have forgotten
What this day means
Today years ago we broke off the ties
To all kings and queens
Life, liberty
And the pursuit of happiness
Is what our founders fought for
230 years ago today
Round the world came a roar
For this great nation
Was finally made
Our road to freedom
Was finally paved
Two centuries have past
And some choose to ignore
How our eagle
Began to soar
This day isn’t about fire works
It is a tribute
Finally there was an end
To this bold dispute
We stood up and faced
The current world power
Victorious was the outcome
This was our greatest hour
To the warriors
To the men
To all I solute
For this day is when
We stood up and said
no longer shall tyranny
we will have to endure
Freedom
Was now finally secure
We did prevail
A day to be remembered
For its epic scale