Best Mauled Poems
O April
how I’ve longed for your return
to breathe new life
into this gnarled body..
for these roots to be unfettered
from the grasping earthen frost -
the past season of fanged nor’easters gnashed
me bare - leaving me mauled and dulled
alone with stiffened limbs
lifted to face
the hard glower of old man winter
with not a morsel of mercy to be gained
but April
now that you're here to share
the innocence of the daisy
and the honeyed scent of the sweet pea
I feel inspirited like a sapling young and tender again;
mild is the fog’s embrace in early morn
as I taste your sweetened rainwater
and gentle is the rhythm of baptizing
showers bathing dark days away..
and ever grateful is my grayed heart
as it begins to beat
with the fresh pulse of verdant rebirth
oh April
how easily you inspire
my shy imagination to fly
with the zephyr's muse
to expand my artistry
in an afternoon’s brushstroke of forsythia light
dreams once frozen now thawed and golden
eager to flourish in bloom
awakening the poetry
in a new leaf’s unfurling whisper -
a whisper that grows a praising wind-psalm
as choirs of bursting buds
celebrate revival
with a rustling alleluia!
star-shaped sails rouse in swishing sounds
their leafy lyrical breath one with the breeze
my green-laden boughs now a wellspring
of exuberant born-again voices
a thronging rejoice lifted
to the heavens on the whisk of the westerlies;
supple is my sweep and sway ‘neath
the soft-bellied skies of Spring
dear lady, April
how I revel in the glorious abundance of your Nature;
your nurture enlivens my humble woody being
and though gray may shade my weather-beaten heart..
evergreen is my soul
Susan Ashley
April 12, 2021
~ First Place ~
Premiere Contest: April
Sponsor: Regina McIntosh
Categories:
mauled, appreciation, april, beauty, hope,
Form:
Free verse
I have claimed to be apolitical but there are times
when the crop is ready for harvesting, so I put fuel
in the John Deere, ink in my pen and wrote...
He'll get millions of votes for that nicked ear
The vengeful narcissist people should fear
Picasso President
With malicious intent
He should be given the famous Bronx Cheer!
It looks like the graffiti on the wall
Four more years and America will fall
Trump will blow his own horn
Guilty of loving p.o.r.n.
And the rape of all the women he's mauled
There's another Trump, Junior's daughter, Kai
Brought a tear or two to dear grandpa's eye
It was her intention
During the convention
To convince people that he's a good guy
Melania was there but just for show
Since he paid off Stormy... well uh, you know
She has kept her distance
Abhors his existence
She can't be with him since he's had a ho
His Trumpeters may be humbled one day
Those who will vote for him and have their say
Those who are so headstrong
Thinking he's done no wrong
The beast who led America astray
He hasn't made the US great again
He's torn the nation apart... friend from friend
Time will tell the story
But there'll be no glory
Picasso President is no Godsend.
Trump toadies must be in a state of bliss
When his venom spews like a snake, hiss, hiss
They praise the dictator
The alienator
His villainy too baleful to dismiss
I've never liked saying, "I told you so"
But D J Trump is a jerk and a schmo
He's a divisor of men
When he's elected again
His tyranny will reign like a deathblow
I've read a few posts about Trump and yet
Not one comment did I write to upset
Another poet's view
I expect that from you
Without hostility or epithet
Categories:
mauled, how i feel,
Form:
Limerick
FOOTLES FOR THE BIRDS AND THE BEASTS -
Bad-ass old bear:
Grizzly
Grizzly
Dachshund making critical life choices:
Eenie
Weenie...
Cougar from Arizona:
Yuma
Puma
Cowardly Cock-a-Doodle-Doer:
Chicken
Chicken
Slave Driving Beaver:
Dam it
Damn it!
Aptly named female feathered friend:
Robin
Robin
Alaska poacher gets mauled by a:
Polar's
Molars
Overweight Terrier:
Porky
Yorkie
Scavenger Mores:
Vulture
Culture
After sex, bears often share a:
Yogi
Stogie
Neutered Tomcat:
Benign
Feline
Wolf in Sheep’s clothing:
Mutton
Glutton
Proportionally, male Dachshunds have:
Teenie
Weenies
(But size isn't everything)
.........................................
RANDOM AND RATHER REDICULOUS FOOTLES -
Overweight law enforcement official:
Whopper
Copper
Overweight Janitor:
Whopper
Mopper
Spaced-out church officer:
Freekin’
Deacon
Church officer forced to depend on Depends:
Leakin'
Deacon
Unhappy restaurant client:
Diner
Whiner
Cosa Nostra restaurant special:
Mobster
Lobster
Yep, you guessed it. A criminal Crustacean:
Lobster
Mobster
Why did she slap me? All I did was:
Toot her
Hooter
Careless Urologist:
Pecker
Wrecker
Categories:
mauled, funny,
Form:
Footle
Abused and mauled by filthy loveless hands,
Devoured by baseness, wickedness and shame,
A victim, slave to selfish fools’ demands,
With freedom kept on paranoid restrain.
The mannish-child has crushed the sweetest rose,
And, cheerful, tears off butterfly’s soft wings,
Intent on turning beauty’s joys to woes,
He’s threatened, terrified of purer things.
Courageous, strong, her soul has overcome,
This unclean, cowardly, and hate-filled world,
‘Though bruised and battered, bleeding, coldly numb,
Her shy and tender petals have uncurled.
She spreads her lovely wings and takes to flight,
Abandons shadows, makes for heaven’s light.
for Deb's and Cyndi's sonnet contest
shakespearean sonnet
Categories:
mauled, uplifting,
Form:
Sonnet
Tell me your reasons and I shall tell you mine; never ceasing stories, but!?
Sheltered as a child and kept from the world, to soothe anothers scars....
Crippled through time these lives; life, psychologically mauled in maimed
Precipitations blades, leading the way while as carving stones of gray's
Jetison retro metros hand over fist in, contemporaries fit; this ice age rain?!
Tears pouring from blood red clouds these pools of pain to walk their plank....
Pirates of the Caribbean playing cowboys and indians again; falling stars
Upon terrestrials planes, with their prehistoric stones shaped like guns and bows
Taking aim amid the night of celestial sorrows from whence, they came!?
Ancients heavenly spirit now gathering the winds atop times turbulent waters
Of crimsons crashing unto the carnelian reef of what was; hearts that bled
In yesteryears fears like icicles piercing their eyes, to shatter loves dreams....
Tell me your reasons divination and I shall tell you mine; this soothing sea
Menhir's painted carmine whispers from beyound the mystic, torn veil?!
Angels dusting bejeweled crowns as passage beckons; this beacon
Calling unto the once lost children of light, tis time to come home....
Put away the guns and arrows and swords and bows; tears, upon fading shores ~
********************************************************************
....“Kings & Queens II” *
Categories:
mauled, hope, life, love, me,
Form:
Isn't it funny, the coward man is...
Calls himself the apex predator...
Yet scared as a puppy he'll wizz...
Without his hand held terminator...
We fight bulls and cry glory...
While we blind and maim...
To ensure our victory...
By crippling till lame...
Big cats and bears...
Detoothed and declawed...
For he who dares...
To pit dog to be mauled...
Standing with aim from afar...
In the distance his quarry stands proud...
Earths growing battle scar...
His fanfare to the cheering crowd...
If man was no coward...
He'd face this beast alone...
Moving ever forward...
With a dulcet tone...
He'd need no tool of death...
His awe would tenfold...
At the width and breadth...
Of the beauty that nature does hold...
Oh what cowards we are...
To feel superior if only...
We hold the card...
That makes the wild so lonely...
But what greatness we'd have...
To lower and humble ourselves...
At the mighty beasts grave...
Our grief would turn sand to salve...
We cowards that kill...
Abuse and defile and destroy...
And yet this earth will ever still...
Give life to all manner of girl and boy...
So cowards, it is time...
To stand tall and throw off...
The mantle without spine...
And say, today it's enough...
We cowards that were...
Shall kill no thing...
Resurrect and prosper...
All that is living ...
And cowards no more...
We of human race...
Shall love all score...
Of sentient trace...
Categories:
mauled, abuse, animal, earth, nature,
Form:
Quatrain
The regional manager called
Embarrassed and rightly appalled
When we pick up drugs
They won't treat us like thugs
But give hugs so we don’t feel mauled
Categories:
mauled, appreciation, how i feel,
Form:
Limerick
Well, here I am sitting on the golf course
Watching the fireworks display overhead
Yes, I know I'm not as big as a horse
But at least one golfer I have misled
“Kerplunk" came the ball, bouncing off my shell
Casting it deep in the adjoining woods
That’s when I heard someone yell, “Mulligan”
They ran toward the golfer like a band of hoods
I was wondering how they knew my name
As they all ran toward the errant golf ball
And then banished the golfer from their game
Without asking if my shell had been mauled
There’s much food to be found on the golf course
So I still traverse many a fairway
But it never ceases to surprise me
How my name’s called when e’er balls go astray
Luckily my shell is hard as granite
Golf ball injuries I never sustain
So my Mulligan family moved here
Friendly golfers already know our name
Wikipedia definition of "Mulligan" - In golf, a mulligan is a stroke that is replayed from the spot of the previous stroke without penalty, due to an errant shot made on the previous stroke. The result is, as the hole is played and scored, as if the first errant shot had never been made. This practice is disallowed entirely by strict rules and players who attempt it or agree to let it happen may be disqualified from sanctioned competitions.
Categories:
mauled, animal, golf,
Form:
Quatrain
Too high
on Rye
Make pass
at Lass
Her date?
Six-eight
Out weighed
(DISmayed!)
BRIEF brawl
Get mauled...
Forsooth!
(Loose tooth)
Oh my!
(Black eye)
Behold!
(Out cold)
------------
Sunlight
Too BRIGHT
I ache
I quake
I heave
I grieve
Poor me
(Agree?)
Categories:
mauled, funny love,
Form:
Footle
Well, this is how my vacation went;
determined to stay in my camping tent.
The wind blew hard.
My tent sailed far.
I found it but all of the poles were bent.
Made it to Yellowstone after dark.
Didn't see the NO TENTS sign in the park.
Got mauled by a bear.
Moose in heat at me stares.
If he catches me, I'm sure it will smart!
I made it to the Old Faithful show.
First time ever she didn't blow.
My vacation sure did.
Next year I'll be hid;
in the safety and comfort of my own home!
Contest: Vacation Humor
Sponsor: Carolyn Devonshire
Categories:
mauled, adventure, funny,
Form:
Limerick
I hated sailing away from you when duty called,
but love, I'm headed home; a prisoner now free.
Battered and wounded by war, my body mauled,
I pray you will be upon the shore, waiting for me.
Time moves so slowly and too much has been wasted.
Without you by my side these years, I've been cast adrift.
I've imagined your sweet lips, remember how they tasted.
I wish I could unfurl all sails to make this ship more swift.
Too many years have passed since we've been together.
I long to see your face and hunger for your loving touch.
Thoughts of you kept me warm in Winter's coldest weather.
Oh my Darling, being apart, we've missed out on so much.
Time keeps lingering, I'm hampered by each windswept wave
but when I envision being with you, my heart fills will relief.
If you don't want me, I'll wish I'd died in the battlefield grave.
But if you still love me I vow to never leave you in tears of grief.
I see the shining beacon from the tower in the village square.
In just a few more moments I hope I'll hear you call my name.
Oh, my love, if you're still mine I know you will be waiting there.
I yearn with desire and need of you. You fuel my love's flame.
I see tears run down your face and hear you call me from the dock.
With you in my arms, I am truly blessed to have the love of my life.
It's time to heal your broken heart and unchain the hands of the clock,
and sing to you melodies of how I've missed you, my darling, my wife.
This poem was adapted from The Righteous Brothers' version
of 'Unchained Melody.' ~ by far the best in my opinion.
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April 23rd, 2016 - Gren's Evergreens #2
Categories:
mauled, emotions, longing,
Form:
Rhyme
HUGS
The day after the Tsunami hugged the shores,
by a penitent ocean lying low,
in the beach which lay mauled and scarred,
an old woman and a girl stood homeless and hugging
and not far away
a bower lay crumpled, within which
but stood tall as always the two-some
of a neem and a banyan in an unshakeable hug.
S.Jagathsimhan Nair, 01 Jun 13
For SKAT’s contest
Categories:
mauled, natural disasters, nature,
Form:
Free verse
Like tornadoes passed
flood waters receded
and hurricanes stilled
he was gone-
the 'worst was over'
and somehow
supposedly
life got right up
and carried on
So they said, in time
I’d get better
I would forget it happened at all
but they didn’t see
the damage in me
my soul left twisted
mangled and mauled
Whispers of past pain
mindless manipulation
echoing off my walls
of alienation
shrouded
in shadows of shame-
Cruel words curling
around my brain
endlessly repeating
his refrain
“worth-less”
“use-less”
“less”
“less”
“less”
Subtracting from
the sum of me
until there's nothing
left of me
and no way- how
to fill this space
Like aftermath
of violent storm
he’s left debris
and chaos behind
and blown away
the best of me
Roof and siding
torn off exposing
the brittle timbers
and broken framing
of years spent blaming
he was the cross
I silently bore
and now that I am
finally free
I’m at a loss
to imagine more
What it would look like
or be made of-
a home for a windblown
wandering waif-
place of comfort
kindness and healing
where I’d be whole
happy and safe?
Categories:
mauled, abuse, feelings, recovery from,
Form:
Free verse
On a mobile phone a distraught mother listens
How her teenage daughter was being torn and eaten
Alive by a bear and its three children. In her own voice
She cried and said, “Mum, by a bear I am being eaten”
A nineteen year old Olga gave almost an hour-long
Running commentary about her agony all along
In three separate calls very, very disheartening
She cried and said, ”Mum, by a bear I am being eaten”.
In second call she said, “The bear left and came back”
With her cubs and are eating me with renewed attack”
Hearing this any mother would have died there and then
She cried and said, “Mum, by a bear I am being eaten”
In third call she said, “Mum, it is not hurting anymore
Now I don’t feel any pain, mum, everything is over
Forgive me, love you so much” the call cut and deadened
She cried and said, “Mum, by a bear I am being eat"
+++++++
April 24, 2014
Formj: Kyrielle
Seventh Place win
Contest: Helpless by Cindy Macmillan
The rhyme-scheme: aabB, ccbB, ddbB,eebB
In a recent event Olga Moskalyova, 19, gave a horrific hour-long running commentary
on her own death in three separate calls to her mother as the wild animals mauled
her in the village of Termalniy, near Petropavlovsk Kamchatskiy, in the extreme east
of Siberia, Russia. Her Stepfather was also killed in the brutal attack.
Categories:
mauled, bereavement,
Form:
Kyrielle
While living on East Street in Grinnell Iowa,
there was this pasture across from our fence,
that had cows and a bull.
They were owned by this farmer,
who we thought was Hitler, at the time
there had been talk that he was still alive.
This was around 1953 or so. Anyway this farmer
looked like Hitler because he had a moustache
like he did, plus he talked in German, he even combed
his hair like Hitler, we could not understand him at all,
so we were always making fun of him and teashing his bull.
This was not very nice I know and was not a smart thing to do,
but hey we were just some dumb kids.
One day we stepped over the fence,
to see how close we could get to the bull,
I got closer and closer, then I stopped and looked
behind me to see that my friends had left me and
were back in my yard across the fence. I had been teasing
the bull and he was real mad by this time, then he started chasing me,
I ran like crazy crabbed a hold of the fence, threw my self over,
cutting my hands real bad, but better that, than being mauled by the bull.
My friends thought I was a real hero, they patted me on the back, saying way
to go Jimmy, Just one of the things I did as a kid, wonder I ever grew up.
written 8-8-11
Categories:
mauled, nostalgia, me, me,
Form:
Free verse