Best Mamie Poems
Back in the fifties
America seemed much calmer
McCarthy's commie blacklists
Sputnik's shocking launch
Ike's wife Mamie so sedate
That pre-historic hairdo
World War Two over
We needed some time to heal
Alan Ginsburg penned his 'Howl'
Chuck Berry goosed his walk
The West Wing conservative
White House picket-fence painted
Boom! an explosion
Cultural revolution
Sixties' deaths brought us down
Hendrix, Morrison
Jackie became Onassis
Where's JFK's Camelot
Seventies came, went
Eighties crashed, burned, flamed out too
But Jerry Rubin's Wall Street
Greed ruled the Nineties
Internet changed all of us
The world at a click-click-click
New Millenium
Rapid change hurtles forward
People do change, however
Shootings dot landscape
Retreat into our smartphones
Loneliness Unconnected
Now the Age of Trump
Rears its flame-orange mane and screams
Me-too Movement gains traction
Women come forward
Teen suicide rate rises
Society imperiled
May 07, 2019
Entry: 'Best Sedoka' contest
Sponsor: Lu Loo
Categories:
mamie, america, culture, history, society,
Form:
Sedoka
in my blooming past
grandma was a beautician
who valued my words
Dedicated to the memory of my late paternal grandmother, Mamie Regulus.
Categories:
mamie, beautiful, flower, grandmother, inspiration,
Form:
Haiku
The Fifties were really and truly not all that square
Though that dullard Dwight D. sat in the Executive Chair
And his frumpy wife Mamie had really bad hair
Matching those dowdy, plain dresses she'd wear ...
While husbands toiled in obscurity for large corporations
The "Ugly Americans," reviled by most other nations
Their stay-at-home wives feeling mostly frustration
Downing "happing pills" daily instead of real medication
Their sons sporting letter sweaters, obedient jocks,
Their daughters in plaid skirts and white bobby socks
Penny loafers and saddle shoes were in for ten years
Along with white levis and coca-cola -- never rum, never beer
Yet how about Krushchev's dust-ups with Tricky Dick Nixon
What about Sputnik 1 and the panic it put us in
And remember George Wallace and old Lester Maddux
Hosing down *******, echoes of Crispus Attucks ...
The rise of brutal pro football threatened apple pie and baseball
Heralding the next decade's premiere spectator sport, i.e., 'spaceball'
Joe McCarthy dug up the dirt of a "red scare's" nitty gritty
In the work of the House un-American Activities Committee
Then there was Rosa Parks refusing to sit in the back of the bus
Championing the yearning for justice in so many of us
And the music, the music, so outrageously wild
Chuck Berry, Richie Valens, the Big Bopper -- that overgrown child
Yes, the Fifties were really and truly not all that square
Though we shan't heed the call of those who'd return us to there
Categories:
mamie, conflict, culture, history, myth,
Form:
Rhyme
I have her nineteen fifties' Trifari
fine costume jewelry, which I hold dear,
since my sweet mom bequeathed it all to me;
when worn or touched, I feel her presence near.
The ritzy, sparkling rhinestone matching sets
showcased in satin-lined, faux leather case,
were treasured as high fashion; no regrets
when given as a gift of style and grace.
And too, are pearls embedded in bright gold
with settings of such intricate design.
I love to look at them, to fondle, hold
these precious pieces treasured now as mine.
I wear my mother's gems from time to time
and feel her basking in the lovely glow
that once adorned her beauty in its prime
and graced her loveliness in stylish show.
So I devotedly take tender care
of these Trifari gifts passed on to me;
her treasures shine with special love we share,
safeguarded through her cherished jewelry.
Sandra M. Haight
~1st Place~
Contest: Old Jewelry or Just Old Things
Sponsor: Broken Wings
Judged: 11/06/2016
Since the1920s, Trifari has been one of the most respected and admired producers of costume jewelry in the United States. Founded in the1910s by Gustavo Trifari, the Italian-immigrant son of a Napoli goldsmith, the company has designed jewelry that’s been worn by countless high-profile clients, from Mamie Eisenhower to Madonna. Trifari costume jewelry is highly collectible today.
Categories:
mamie, mother daughter, tribute,
Form:
Iambic Pentameter
Mamie Till Mobley demanded and open casket,
to let the world see,
the bloated, beaten body of her baby boy,
who was lynched in Mississippi.
His name was Emmett Till,
a 14 year old black boy,
who came from the state of Illinois.
It was 1955, the Jim Crow laws were very much alive.
They said he was flirting with a white woman in a store.
The facts of the case, the jury chose to ignore.
That a child was murdered,
his body thrown in the Tallahacie River,
a guilty verdict they chose not to deliver.
Over 5 days, more that 50,000 people lined up to see,
what had been done to Mamie Till Mobley's baby.
Mamie's message to the world
was that what happens to any of us,
was everyone's business.
She devoted her new life, her new beginnings,
to civil rights,
to public remembrance of how Emmett died.
Categories:
mamie, 9th grade, black african
Form:
Rhyme
I SAW AN OLD MOTHER WITH SILVERY HAIR
SHE SEEMED SO NEGLECTED BY THOSE WHO SHOULD CARE,
HER HANDS WERE ALL CALLOUSED AND WRINKLED AND OLD
A LIFE OF HARD WORK, WERE THE STORY THEY TOLD,
AND I THOUGHT OF AN ANGEL, AS I SAW HER SIT THERE
ROCKING ALONE IN HER OLD ROCKING CHAIR
BLESS HER OLD HEART-DO YOU THINK SHE'D COMPLAIN
THAT HER LIFE HAD BEEN BITTER,SHE WOULD LIVE IT AGAIN
AND CARRY THE CROSS THAT'S MORE THAN HER SHARE
ROCKING ALONE IN AN OLD ROCKING CHAIR
IT WOULDN'T TAKE MUCH TO GLADDEN HER HEART
JUST SOME REMEMBRANCE ON SOMEBODY'S PART
A LITTLE WOULD BRIGHTEN HER EMPTY LIFE THERE
JUST ROCKING ALONE IN HER OLD ROCKING CHAIR
I KNOW SOME YOUNGSTER IN AN ORPHAN'S HOME
WOULD THANK THEIR OWN HEAVEN IF SHE WERE THEIR OWN
THEY NEVER WOULD BE WILLING TO LET HER SIT THERE
JUST ROCKING ALONE IN HER OLD ROCKING CHAIR
I LOOKED AT HER- AND I THOUGHT - " WHAT A SHAME"
THE LOVED ONES THAT FORGOT HER, SHE LOVES JUST THE SAME
AND I THINK OF AN ANGEL AS I SEE HER SIT THERE
ROCKING ALONE IN HER OLD ROCKING CHAIR
Written By My Grandmother Mamie Rachel Sterling/Sinner/Earl 1950
Categories:
mamie, caregiving, devotion, forgiveness, hopelife,
Form:
Couplet
In magnificent memory of Vee See’s zaniest chimpanzee
Probably discussed by merry monkey’s chipping chickadee
Readily and aptly apparent by three who seldom agree
Incredibly supping with Mamie, Marjorie and Mr. Paul Klee
Please pass the honey and the light brie said brazen bumblebee.
No one capably eats brie with lemon tea said a flickering flea.
Advice is free but listen, skinny skeleton, I dare you to try and oversee.
Chimpanzee and chickadee fell down laughing at this on one knee.
Categories:
mamie, 10th grade, 11th grade,
Form:
Monorhyme
Baseball cards and hula hoops
Baloney sandwich, Campbell’s soup
Howdy Doody and Mickey Mouse
Mamie and Ike in the White House
American Bandstand, Rock 'n Roll
Elvis the Pelvis, Nat King Cole
Pez Dispensers and Kool-Aid
Bedtime for Bonzo, Panty Raids
Oscar Mayer’s Wienermobile
Superman was the ‘Man of Steel’
Archie & Veronica, Mad Magazine
Skirts and Bobby-Sox, Jukebox Scenes
The Roadrunner, Tom and Jerry
Durward Kirby and a Moore named Gary
The Price is Right, Let’s Make a Deal
Hostess Twinkies – b & w newsreels
A Dog named Lassie and Rin Tin Tin
Yankees and Celtics always win
Mickey Mantle, Ernie Banks
Whitey Ford, Hammerin' Hank
Joe McCarthy and the Red Scare
Semi-Crewcuts or Slicked-back hair
The 1950’s weren’t built to last
Still and all ~ quite a cast!
Categories:
mamie, fun, nostalgia, remember,
Form:
Couplet
Dainty toad girlie gave a cha-cha-cha
Her dress was lacy, and her lashes were tah-dah
You have so much lace! Said her potential mother-in-law
She was persnickety though, this mother of Thaw.
Thaw had been chasing the dainty bullfrog around the bog.
She did not want to disrespect him, but he was a crazy frog.
I have promised myself to Cedric, a well-behaved toad.
He has the best manners, and his feet are spotted with gold.
I could carry you off, threatened the bullfrog to toadie girl.
But his mother stopped him right there and gave his ear a whirl.
You will not disrespect women, even if they are faeries or toads.
The rest of us were glad he had a mama like Mamie Bullfrog Olds.
Categories:
mamie, 2nd grade, 3rd grade,
Form:
Rhyme
Did you ever stop and think
When you spent the day all alone
There was someone else too
That was just as lonely as you ?
So if you are feeling blue
Just sit down and write a line or two
For someone that loves you dear
Will be waiting from you to hear.
Written by my Grandmother Mamie Rachel Sterling/Sinner/Earl 1940
Categories:
mamie, family, friendship, happiness, peoplegrandmother,
Form:
Free verse
Oh happy childhood
Just full of glee
Was a child more happy
Than a child like me ?
Some days were bright
Some days were sad
But they didn't last long
As childhood isn't very bad
If I had been good
I was happy as a lark
If I had been bad
I was afraid after dark
Now as I have grown older
I know what it means
When after darkness
Come bad dreams
For when we are good
The world is bright
But when we are bad
Its darker than night
So friends just remember
When life seems weary
There may be some things we can do
To make life more merry
So if we walk in the light
The world is all bright
But if we walk in the evil way
My friend , it will never pay.
Written by my Grandmother, Mamie Rachel Sterling/Sinner/ Earl
Categories:
mamie, childhoodhappy, world, child, happy,
Form:
Quatrain
Latin sound, Latín Sound
Latin all around
and upside down
I search for you inside of me
a Nuyorican's destiny
The beat and rhythm,
Is it in my blood?
This Salsa is too spicy for me
The language too fast
The voices too rowdy
And they gather,
they always gather
My father and his brothers,
Pulling out the guitarra,
maracas, güiro and congas
and off they go
trying to sound hip
Daniel Santo escapes
From My uncle's lips
Papi songs along to Willie Colon
and Mamie waits to do her
impression of La Lupe.
On Avenue D
off the Triboro Bridge
stands a prison made of bricks,
it's metal stairs leading
up to the 16th floor or more,
My people walked on green
pastures surrounded by
multicolored flowers, laughing
as they fed their Cows,
Chickens, and Pigs
now they stare at brick walls
and climb up steel mountains
they dwell in a box, no Sun,
no Moon, no black skies filled
with big bright shinning Stars
in a stuffy crowded box, they
sweat in despair remembering
the hopes and dreams
that called them there
that tall and mighty woman
standing on the ocean floor
promised them a new life
so they sit, work, hope, wait
Tears mix with sweat in a stuffy
crowded box - not home,
just the projects!
From my book - "The Big Apple
Turns Brown When You Slice It"
www.authorhouse.com
Categories:
mamie, culture
Form:
ABC
*Image of Mamie Surfeuse by Pinterest.
Wilma *Flynnstone Flip
Crazy chick half out of her gourd,
chose to surf the ironing board,
hair curlers wound up,
tube ride earns gold cup,
resolving laugh as she gets floored.
*A Flynnstone Flip is an aerial backflip on a surfboard created by Flynn Novak.
2022 July 17
*4th Place*
Limerick
~~Lisa YY: Judged 2022 July 19
**RZ; aabba. HMS; 8,8,5,5,8.
Categories:
mamie, funny, perspective,
Form:
Limerick
Motivated by growth,
So it's hard to lose.
Incremental progress,
Yeah that's the move.
Little by little,
Start expanding your views.
Little by little,
Start enhancing your mood.
You get to choose,
Who,
You want to be.
Reminds me of my hero,
Mamie Till-Mobley.
She made a choice,
To,
Stand with dignity.
Open that casket and
Let the world see.
Adversity.
Reveals,
That person inside.
They’ll either stand tall,
Or they’ll run & hide.
And in a room full of hate,
She stood with pride.
Mask off no filter,
No disguise.
I’m alive.
Now.
Been dead for a minute.
Took off those mental chains
And now I have no limits.
Had to put the pride down and let the ego diminish.
Looking in the mirror I think I like what’s in it.
Categories:
mamie, self,
Form:
Free verse
You are going home--to Jesus--your life will soon begin!
Earth's ties will then be severed--and Heaven entered
in the precious blood of Jesus that washes white as snow.
He'll bring you safe to glory...
the Blessed Word tells us so.
Categories:
mamie, appreciation, blessing, death of
Form:
Rhyme