Best Manners Poems
I don’t know about you but I think it right
That kids should eat at the table, most every night.
Sit down with mum, sit down with dad
For these are the best memories you’ll ever have.
There will come a time and it creeps up fast,
When past days are gone, for they never last
When you will wish those days were back
When there is something in your life, you will forever lack.
It had been tradition, it had always been
But today at mealtimes children are never seen
They sit with their takeaways on their lap
Whilst the video games will, their attention sap!
And these days parents are forced to compete
With mobiles phones as their offspring tweet
For conversation at mealtimes may well be lost
And the lack of table manners will be the cost!!
“No thank you”
I spoke in answering whether I wanted my till receipt ,
No ! wait ‘
but there is a ( thank you for your service) but no I don’t need the receipt.
I slow my breath briefly ‘look down then lift my head after the pause in thought .
“I’ll say this in its-stead ‘ pointing my finger to an imaginary white board ‘that only my minds eye can actually see ,
“Thank you but no”,
wait that’s not right either as the ‘but’ implies a condition to me giving you some gratitude,
( a slight hesitation)
So ask me again’
‘this time I think I have it .
A Long silence and a nervous look back from the adolescent servicer:
With quavering words and the slightest upward inflection ‘the question is asked for the last time ‘
Probably a good idea as the queue is getting restless and hostile.
Holding my hand up and tilting my head at a jolly angle i reply
“Thank you ‘no”
It is here that children are given instructions on what it means to be human. We make men at it, we make women.
Joy Harjo her poem Perhaps the World Ends Here
Supper Table
There was a time when the supper
table was a gathering place.
A time when children and parents
sat down together.
A time when television, computers,
cell phones didn’t interfere.
A time where open and honest
discussions were held.
A time when manners and social
skills were taught.
A time of laughter and tears and
sometimes discipline.
A time when children learned what
it meant to grow up.
That time has passed.
When dinning out in a restaurant there are things you should not do!
Please use the napkins that have been provided not the edge of the table cloth
while pretending to be absentminded and leaning lopsided
If your roll flies of the table politely say whoops or even oops will do
as long as you pick it up so someone else doesn't ski doo
When your belly is a little larger and is sitting on your plate
as you try to investigate what happen to your plate
sit further back or bring your own crate
While eating your delicious dinner you proceed to pick your nose
explaining to your guest a fly flew up your hole
when you know this isn't so
Now as for gas goes you feel your stomach start to rumble and roll
seeking a way out below
whether it's loud, quite, or a little tweak it's definitely going to stink
If you feel a burp coming on leaving a taste in your mouth
like that of a derriere
keep your mouth closed so nobody else has to wave and swear
Now ladies with the bright red lip stick who feel you have to rub
your teeth with your fingers searching for those sneaky food invaders
do it in the bathroom and you can even use your tweezers
When dinning out without a doubt good hygiene is a must
please at stay home if your hair is so greasy it's started to gather dust
While slurping can be a sign of good taste
it's not if you are eating in haste and half of the food is on your face.
So please show some couth when dining out!
T Reams 4/4/2015
~Good Manners~
(Rhyme Verse)
It is good to have manners
And I'am refering to good ones
It's great to say 'Thank you'
When you get something from someone
Good manners you can always
Cultivate them in your talk
You can learn them all
In your life as you walk
This wonderful process should
Begin when the kids are small
Parents should teach all
Their children good manners
These days we don't meet
Many children with good manners you see
Most of them act rude and that's a shame
And that goes for teens and adults too
Dorian Petersen Potter
aka ladydp2000
copyright@2009
February.07.2015
They made mammon somethng measurable, mighty, & magnificent,
everywhere that labor, exchange, & entertainment exist monuments
to money, large and small,
the genesis was excess manufacture
such as grain, gold, textiles & ceramics,
animals & people,
purveyors were born like corn on the cobb,
like mist in morning,
buearruacracies of religion & government emerged from the basic business
of buy & sell, structure was supplied by law & covetuousness,
the greed of need,
people enticed to sell their Spirit in the form of toil for products,
eventually for fiat currencies, profit took the place of contribution,
slavery evolved into serfdom,
from the plantation to the factory unproductive owners needed managers,
individuals with minimal compassion & maximum ambition, essence extractors,
the whip replaced by the 'write up' and tacit threat of poverty,
the iron chain supplanted by hopelessness of ignorance in limited training,dependency,
management believed in synergy,the kind that rewarded the few
at the expense of the many,
the river of Life tore into the irrigation of wealth for selected heredity,
bussinessmen want employees & citizens with low self esteem, shallow interests & passions,
economy as cosmos, profits as pieties, workers as sinners,
edicts of 'minimum wage' and requirements for age are simply Market stabilizers
implemented to ensure profit,
taxes a financial plan of slave paid for regulation,
the management caste, the sociological strata designed to keep laborors feeling underachieving,
crows squawking against crows so that dragons fly free -
J.A.B.
What came of you, oh rouging bashful sun
Your fiery face belies your youthful enterprise
Morning dew illuminates by incandesce spark
Was it brash action of the taunting wind
that made you color so?
Your blushing face now tints the evening sky.
My long-sufferin' Mother tried to teach me the rudiments of social graces,
So as not to make a fool of myself at fancy affairs and such other places.
But even so, at the school prom I splattered sauce on the tux I had rented!
So much fer impressing my date who thought me somewhat demented!
I can still remember Mom's admonitions as if it were yesterday:
"Say please, thank you and pardon me to those you meet along the way."
"The napkin ain't used fer blowin' yer nose or as if washin' yer face."
"Keep it short and to the point should you be asked to say the grace."
"Keep yer elbows off the table, sit up straight with one hand on yer lap."
"Don't hog conversation and if you've nothin' sane to say, clam yer trap."
"Learn to use the silverware properly so as not to be disgraced."
"Tell the hostess what a fine meal it was (tho' not necessarily to yer taste)."
"Don't start eatin' 'til the hostess begins and don't guzzle too much wine."
"Always help the lady on yer right to be seated before you begin to dine."
"Open yer car door and other doors fer ladies and they'll appreciate that."
"Rise when ladies or elders enter the room and remember to tip yer hat."
"Offer yer arm to sweet old ladies and assist them to cross the street."
"Tell moms their babes are cute (even if not) but be very discreet."
Mom's sage advice was well taken but today it seems that it was all for naught,
Since many folks ain't got no couth or respect nor behave as they ought!
Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired
(c) 2015 All Rights Reserved
If manners maketh man - and woman too
then why do no manners men - women fit
any boot or shoe? If you expect better you
are "inconsiderite, a bloody stuped fool as
you oppused to the freedom for us do what
the hell I or us like - as you and youres have
no recip ur - no rihght, as onely we have writes".
Freedom comes with responsibility: This is why
many dislike freedom in practice, preferring a
little dictator of their country or community to
tell them what to do, or it is neighbour against
neighbour at home or abroad where either the
bullying majority or the fanatical minority rule the roust.
It's easy in practice to spout the above but it is not
always others who are led astray, however much
we like to think that I or we always deserve the day;
sometimes I or we are the culprits too, but by reticence,
consideration, thinking before acting we may deserve the day.
Dear Miss Monkey Manners: I’m a Spider Monkey in need of your help,
Recently someone yanked my tail and I cried out with a yelp.
It may seem like a little thing to cry when someone pulls your tail,
Unless, of course, it’s mating season and you’re the alpha male.
All of the sudden this younger guy is getting more looks than me,
And there’s a lot of chatter going on all around the banana tree.
I recently overheard some talk about putting me out to pasture,
But with all the Jaguars around this place, a pasture would be disaster.
So tell me is there a way that I can continue to have fun?
Please send your answer right away before setting sun.
My poor, dear Spider friend, please take time tonight to watch the setting sun,
Then apply that sight to your alphaness and grab your prehensile tail and run.
Remember to keep the memories of all the girls you’ve had,
But perhaps it’s best to move along because what happens next is bad.
There will be a challenger who will have impressively aggressive displays
And he will not give a banana flip about stories of your glory days.
So let the girls remember you the way you used to be,
Instead of getting humiliated for all of the world to see.
Go find yourself a lonely tree because that where you belong now,
And if you think that life’s unfair, it’s better than being Jaguar chow.
Politeness, respect, courtesy
Is something that's so hard to see
When no one takes the time to learn
Theres so much that we can earn
If people would just agree
Its not always about ME
Pay it forward, chain of love
Should fit us all just like a glove
To think of others before you
Is something that we all should do
A friend or stranger can not cope
We can light them up with hope
Listening and taking time
To find out what's been on their mind
Someone who is down or blue
Could use a nice flower or two
Making their day a little brighter
And their troubles so much lighter
Visiting a child who is sick
Will help to make them better quick
From a present you might bring
Or a song you softly sing
A shut in who can not go out
Should know what caring's all about
By bringing them some food to share
Or calming some of their worst fears
A hurting soldier full of pain
Nightmares making him insane
Needs a caring hand to hold
As stories of his life unfold
A stranger can become a friend
Or our savior in the end
If manners showed up more each day
Troubles would just fade away
Oh love of mine what can you do,
When day finds loved one soon to die,
Poor taste the joke, self-serving tears,
What gain is there when you deny?
And what exactly would you want
If suddenly the roles could switch,
Is sadness traction that you seek?
Do other’s tears your death enrich?
Think more of how your folks behaved,
They tucked you in, sheets under chin,
A kiss and smile was all it took,
And all that you need still to win.
The rough work’s done, the road work too,
Done practice days inside the gym,
You’re on the team, the die is cast,
There is no chance our love is whim.
You served us all in war and peace,
So thanks for sacrifices made,
And for the family you raised,
It seems you’re light that’s death to shade.
The morn is always on its way,
At least it’s done so in the past,
So why alarm, why the concern,
This morning’s light will be your last?
Think of the love that you have shared,
Those moments etched in heaven’s rhyme,
Love doesn’t live inside death’s room,
Is not expressed in overtime.
To honor Love, for heaven’s sake,
If you Love’s passing would adorn,
Just squeeze Love’s hand before you go,
And say, ‘We’ll see you in the morn!’
Brian Johnston
January 19, 2015
Poet's Note:
This poem exists to commemorate both the love and the friendship that Jack Stone and his wife Lucy brought into my life in recent years. Jack, a marine who was part of a landing force on three Japanese held islands during World War II, was a good-hearted and physical man even into his 80's and an inspiration to many at our local YMCA where I first met him. Though never a soldier myself, I salute the man, the warrior! Hail fellow, well met!
You can't tell me that you didn't see this coming.
Dear Miss Monkey Manners, can you spare a minute?
I know that you help apes in trouble and I am knee deep in it.
I have a girl I’ll call Mary Beth, she’s the banana of my eye,
But I found out that she’s been seen swinging with another guy.
I could accept it if it were another ape but this guy is a human man,
I’ve asked around and in the jungle he calls himself Tarzan.
I’ve been working my way up in hopes of one day leading the troupe,
Until now I’m finally the most respected challenger in the group.
I think that I might be alpha worthy, I hope so, but here’s the thing
Everyone in the whole dang jungle now refers to him as king.
Dear Alpha male wannabe, are you saying that you know Tarzan?
If you know where he’ll be on Saturday night, I think I have a plan.
I know that you want her back and I’m sure that your girl is sweet,
But only I can do the things that will make his life complete.
You see he and I have dated before and I know what makes him fall,
I can do something special for him that’s how he got his jungle call.
Once we’re back together he won’t remember your girl’s name,
Then you can be her hero and free her from this shame.
And as for me and Tarzan, well you’d better stick a banana in your ear,
Because the screaming sounds of the king are the only sounds you’ll hear.
Merlin the cranky cat
sat around getting fat.
Wanting to be heard
he mewed and purred.
He yowled and howled
and even growled
all with the same result.
He felt it quite the insult.
He snarled and hissed
What had he missed?
He tried a mewl
and lost his cool.
Short of a caterwaul
what should he call?
A tiny squeak perhaps?
Were they taking naps?
Chirrups and chirps
brought no alerts.
His tail-raising trills
brought no thrills.
He wanted dinner now.
He raised a loud MEOW!
Using the magic word
he finally was heard!
Merlin became the Magic Cat
in his tuxedo and top hat.
The other cats took their cue.
“Meow” meant “Please and thank you!”
The moral is if dinner you choose,
learn to mind your Ps and Mews!
Wearing my best dress,
Stirring tea with a fine spoon,
I will mind my manners well
And be a success.
Tonight I adore the moon
While my disappointments swell.
Everyone will smile
A proper sociable grin
And ask about each other.
All will speak awhile
About how great time has been
And who is now a mother.
We used to wear jeans
And disdain the grown-up ways.
We sought out different lives.
Now it surely seems
Reaching our own grown-up days
Reveals us as standard wives.
Teenage malcontent
Seeks a newer, better world
Than what modern adults view.
Seems teenage time spent
Grows a woman from the girl
Who conforms to ways held true.