Best Off Key Poems
Where has she gone?
I can't seem to find her
though I try to play her part
imitating her laugh
coaxing my lips
into one of her smiles
mouthing her words
singing her songs
her dance is my dance
I leave nothing to chance
Practiced through and through
what else can I do?
I try
real hard
I try
Where has she gone?
I can't seem to find her
the laugh is laughable, unreal
the smile wobbly, no glee
the songs, off key...off key
the dance, lackluster mockery
I try
real hard
I try
Where has she gone?
You know...that young woman
the one not terrorized by her mirror
whose songs were solo praiseworthy
her hair, shampoo ad noteworthy
the life of the party girl
who swayed and who twirled
spinning their world
making them stare
unaware...of time
caught in the moment
Sublime
Where has she gone?
If you find her
I'm looking for her, you see...
she visits now and again
and then it's like....
it's again way back when
when youth and beauty
were on full duty
Where has she gone?
Why won't she stay?
Help me make her stay
because that woman of yesterday
has to help me be
the woman of today!
Eileen Manassian
Categories:
off key, age, how i feel,
Form:
Free verse
I am frustrated and annoyed by his ticking,
or perhaps it should be labeled the 'tocking'
By the never-ending tongue wagging clicking
in the language better known as 'clocking'
Must Grandfather Time command my life?
He so rudely continues without a thought
that his hammer yammering rhythm of strife
mocks the beating pulse of my human heart
What a wonderful fantasy my life would be
if for one day I'd not hear his unrelenting beat
I'd be stress free if time would stand still for me
for without his gonging life would be so sweet
In solace of night, I seek sleep and close my eyes
in need of escape and retreat from earthly chore
but I cannot find a moment of tranquil paradise
for his insistent knelling peals out once more
Each quarter hour his mallet chimes out to me
but his clappers sing off key in monotonous song
Not a lyrical lullaby, but a torturous rhapsody
whose tireless verses antagonize me far too long
I'm tenacious to put an end to his wagging tongue
and shackle the swinging motion of his pendulum
Each hour of the day and night would go by unsung
Being silenced is the price paid by the meddlesome
Categories:
off key, time,
Form:
Rhyme
The old upright piano sits flush against the wall,
has been hushed into silence, out on the sun porch
Ignored, neglected, but standing erect
I can imagine it was treasured in its prime,..polished, stylish, and new
But age has turned the varnish yellow
The veneer a bit buckled, the bench has been repaired
with clamps, screws, and Elmer’s wood glue
A relic from another time.
Songbooks are still cradled, but pedals are disabled.
We can almost hear its breath exhale, with tinny-rhythmic sighs
Two white keys might stick,...and three or four are chipped...
And tears, chopsticks, hearts and souls were spilled on ivory seas
If only clocks could turn back time
Mother sitting next to me, side by side, ... our worlds aligned
Keeping the rhythm, over and over, measure by measure,
... playing together the “The Blue Danube”.
___
With her hands over mine, pointing out the key of C
And what I can still see,...so clear in my mind..,
are the blue veins of her hands enveloping mine,
leaning into the waltz, a bit off key
(It needed tuning…It always did. Never mattered. Never will)
I was small. My fingers couldn’t reach them all,
those pock-marked, scarred, and magic keys
But the measure of Johann Strauss would bounce off the walls…
She would hum into my ear…
Her soft brown hair would mix with mine
I could smell Breck shampoo, and feel her breath upon my cheek
And feel the music, soft and sweet, classic light…from that old Upright...
A simple tune…the waltz of time
that has played on and on... long beyond her life
and will play on long beyond my own
__________________________________________________________
Categories:
off key, blue, childhood, mother, old,
Form:
Narrative
Encouraged by the masses
is mediocrity,
like when someone at a bar
sings bad karaoke.
As they belt out notes off key,
we might give guffaws.
Drunken with good will, though,
we offer up applause.
Written Feb. 14, 2016 for the Grook Contest of Silent One
Categories:
off key, art,
Form:
Grook
The poet Marshall Mathers
whilst "Cleaning Out My Closet"
blasted with inquiry-
"Have you ever been hated on or discriminated against?
I have...''
Interesting enough
in these crooked times
it is impossible to make a man like you,
or your art,
especially with unbounding determination.
Nevertheless,
It sure is mighty easy to attain their hatred,
through no fault of your own.
When they protest or demonstrate against you...
finally you have arrived!
That's powerful!
Common sense says,
"Never drive in the rear view mirror!"
Though, it sure is helpful to take a quick glance back
periodically
to check out Jealousy,
back there
doubting and shouting and eating your dust!
Take a whiff...
Listen...
AHHHH....
The band begins to play ferociously!
Off-key.
Off-color.
Slander Slogans pasted upon your face.
Furthermore,
Suddenly,
Systematically...
like roaches with lights bright,
they disappear into the night,
back to the slums;
begging for crumbs.
Once you've been Blacklisted;
Swallow.
Digest the miracle.
Pure, glowing gold
the alchemy of their anger,
visibly discernable from the glossy pyrite
appearing with fake praise.
Heed the old adage:
---------------Keep yir' friends close, and enemies closer.
Their futile harm repels from the Teflon donning your heart.
Envy
burns bold, boils,
melts and cools, then cold,
forging the sword.
Adding to your arsenal.
Stumble not
upon bone fragments,
brittle blacklist bandits...
the Catacombs of those
who aimed to defame your name,
staking claim for their
shameless sea of debris
and Rotten Forgottens
which only bolster your begotten flame.
Remain steadfast, undaunted
TROUNCE THOSE TREACHEROUS TROUBLES;
________________________ TO ________________________
MARCH THROUGH THE RIGOROUS RUBBLE!
*Heads High,
Let me see those eloquent eyes!~JsL
~Inspired by written words of Marshall Mathers, Cleaning Out My Closet,
Shady Records~
Categories:
off key, anti bullying, appreciation, betrayal,
Form:
Alliteration
To become one
Even if moonlight is broken
and wild flowers wilt
beneath a stolen sun
lost in a twilight song,
sung in off key silhouettes
along a choral reef
drenched in caramel pages
of forgotten ink...
amidst an ocean’s marathon,
waving to popsicle patrons,
melting your heart
in every sweetness now
clinging to shirt tails
of written directions
leading away
Even if they take your hand
in cotton candy promises
and merry-go-round whispers,
those of endless phrases
of love’s poetic mist
gathering about your eyes,
enticing your smile
as if they are owed it…
hear my pleas in truthful cries,
teardrop wishes
flowing steadfast feelings,
beyond any rose petal stanzas
or peppermint verses
of unfelt meanings in
penned deception
luring you…
and walk with me,
so I may show you a place
among the hidden forests
and daffodil daydreams,
where you will know
my love is real,
where affection’s map
leads to a wondrous
treasure of happiness,
where the moon and stars
dance pirouettes
in tempo with
our hearts…
where we may
invite eternity
to become one…
with us
Good night Soupers
Have a great weekend
See you again on Monday
Categories:
off key, good night,
Form:
Free verse
I no longer love country music
Or Afton, Wyoming just to be the girl
In someone's non-existent dreams
Indulging in a glass of wine
Isn't a thinking session of
Second guesses to philoso-fry myself
Conflicted as a child, repressed from lies
Found under stacks of girly magazines and
Booze, hidden in the basement by
Role models as they lectured
About the importance of virtue and Scriptures
In control, on a journey of my own
Where I'll end up, no idea, but it must be
Better than being strung along to
To the wrong song, sung off key
I built a bonfire and burned the inclinations of
Fitting into skinny jeans, quitting bad habits
Well most of them, I've re-invented myself
Through the unkindness of cold winters that
No longer plague in phantomed shadows
I gave myself permission to wreak havoc, when necessary
And sneak outside to play in my best Sunday shoes
Not playin' by their rules
It's 'Wild About Pink' lipstick, clad in shiny kick a** boots
Attending a Mad Hatter's tea party, yes
Riding my whims as they change, just like the seasons
Categories:
off key, celebration, change, character,
Form:
Free verse
“God like, not so different”
She wrote,
“where do you go to my lovely?”
my response,
“I sink into the screen
like a scream queen goddess,
I am Lilith most of the time
tap dancing away and
singing off key unashamedly
loudly in life out of step, always
out of time, the ballyhoos
clap apathetically warning,
"watch out, incoming, car wreck!",
more like a shipwreck
broken-in-half, sunk in the deep,
treasures scattered on
the seabed, keys missing
loot unreachable
the flotsam of an ego
jetsam to lighten the
sinking load, arriving
amidst the shallows,
half cracked open
on the Ocean's shore,
waiting for the electric storm
to penetrate the brain, then
I become the electric storm
come to defibrillate the broken heart,
the haunting hero haunting heroes
dashed on their cerebral rocks
like Sirens alarmed all going off,
the feet both punctured,
walking over the sharp unopened
and opened broken shells,
mothers of pearls
bleeding stories,
their cornucopia unblessed
blessedly overflowing in the flow
of long nights' bittersweet darkness,
walking from room to room
talking in tongues,
strange and estranged,
adlibbing alienation
through boundless walls,
carrying a heavy cross like a ghost
in a residual haunting,
a storm in a teacup
sometimes passing,
the cake all eaten,
hungry for more
of something;
but on the 7th day I rest
and become God like
pleased with the turmoil
and calm I have jusifiably created,
there I will be seen
heavenly comotosed
resting under the duvee;
I am what I am,
then to the relief
of my monsters,
I fall,
I sleep …
I sleepwalk
commanding them all;
there is no escape.”
“you gotta larf,” she says, "how do you stop?"
the response,
“easier said than done, my friend;
the red shoes are killers to take off."
(LadyLabyrinth / 2023)
ljb - llb, klb, mlb
llb - gvlm
“Most poets are mad. It doesn't qualify us for anything.”
Anne Sexton
“Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard.”
Anne Sexton
“I am not immortal. Faustus and I are the also-ran.”
Anne Sexton
The Three Graces
The Three Fates
The Morai
Categories:
off key, muse,
Form:
Narrative
He caught a ride to somewhere going nowhere;
first hopped inside a slowed-down limousine.
The driver felt a chill and turned to stare
at someone seated in the back unseen.
A new car’s scent; the passenger smelled nothing.
The seat of luxury he could not feel.
The driver then off-key began to sing
to no one as he slowly tapped the wheel.
His passenger joined in and crooned unheard
that ancient tune “It was a very good year,”
his old blue eyes once clear becoming blurred,
and down his cheek there rolled a single tear.
Again compelled, the chauffeur turned his head -
then saw a small spot where the tear was shed.
Categories:
off key, nostalgia, people,
Form:
Sonnet
A father is….
….that grouchy, cursing guy
who just banged his head
on the cabinet door
getting under the sink
to fix a leak
…that “voice” resounding
off the walls
singing – off key,
talking to the dog,
whispering
“I love you’s”
to sleeping children.
…that firm hand
patting you on the back
when deserved,
a bit lower at times
also when deserved.
…he is that “look”
that can inflate,
or deflate, you
amuse and confuse you,
stop you
in your tracks
to ponder – “why”
…he is the ears
that don’t seem
to be listening,
yet hear everything
…the eyes
that don’t seem
to be looking
but see “you”
when you can’t
see yourself
A father is
“that wry smile”
that grin
that says “I love you”
without words.
5/19/2016
submitted to – A Father is…- Poetry Contest
sponsor – Brenda Chiri-Carroll
Categories:
off key, character, dad, fathers day,
Form:
Free verse
Springing and bounding like a lamb
Playfully, gamboling over the ground.
Rumbles of thunder assaulting the ear
Incessant lightning, earth trembling in fear.
Nature is fickle, and inscrutably wild,
Glowing with vigor--an unruly child.
Shimmering heat waves swim and rise,
Under the blazing, noonday skies.
Mercury rising, seeking the sky.
My vision is bleary--sweat in my eyes.
Everyone wondering, “When will it end?”
Remembering winter--bring it again.
Autumn colors flaming bright
Under azure autumn light.
Tender hearts holding fast
Untold feelings from the past.
Mellow, yellow, harvest moons,
Night time bonfires, off-key tunes.
White snow blanketing fallen leaves,
Icicles forming on dripping eaves.
North wind moaning through the trees,
Temperature falling below the knees.
Eagerly waiting for robins to sing,
Readily awaiting arrival of spring.
Categories:
off key, life, nature, seasons, autumn,
Form:
Acrostic
Hearing talented young voices provides such pleasure
In our quest for America’s latest idol treasure
Next year the judging panel will not be the same
The man we love to hate will leave for bigger game
What will it be like without the infamous scowl
Of the Brit who tells it like it is -- Simon Cowell
“That was simply dreadful,” says he with a wry smirk
“You came off karaoke; it just didn’t work.”
Randy asks, "Yo, Dog, what's with the off-key pitches?"
Ellen’s there for laughs; she leaves us in stitches
Kara strokes her long, brown hair, bats her lashes too
Asks Casey to remove his shirt, flirts as he follows through
But Simon never offers consolation prizes
Contestants' egos crash down as their anger rises
If he tells Big Mike he sounds karaoke
We may find Simon adrift in the Okefenokee
Choosing a replacement will surely not be easy
Adam Lambert? Paula's return? Oh, it makes us queasy
Simon will be missed, the show will suffer ratings
Viewers may depart for loss of the man they’re hating
Categories:
off key, funny, music, peoplemay,
Form:
Couplet
My smiling Cedric sings to me.
He's loud and often gets off key.
I just don't care cuz he's so fine!
We can't date yet. We're only nine.
*******************
We’re nineteen. Cedric’s still the one.
Our wedding plans, we have begun.
Although he sings to me sometime,
I know our life will be sublime!
*******************
My Cedric often sings to me
and--Bless him!—still can’t find the key.
No other man could be so fine.
Our years of marriage? Twenty-nine.
posted January 31, 2018 (revised, added 3rd stanza, September 1, 2018)
February 11, 2018, entered in Cecelia-Hopkins Drewer's Valentines Day
Poetry contest
September 1, 2018, entered in Michelle Faulkner's Still the One Contest
Categories:
off key, love,
Form:
Couplet
~
Even if moonlight is broken
and wild flowers bloom
beneath a stolen sun
lost in a dawning song,
sung in off key silhouettes
along a chorale reef
drenched in caramel pages
of forgotten ink...
amidst an ocean’s marathon,
waving to popsicle patrons,
melting your smile
in every sweetness now
clinging to shirt tails
of written directions
leading away…
we will find our place
deep within the twilight secrets
on the crest of a
November whisper
among the hidden forests
and daffodil daydreams…
as evening swirls in
enchanting vistas
painted the color of your eyes,
where lingering stardust
serenades melodically call
in the echoes of our hearts
inviting forever
to become
one with our love
~
Categories:
off key, good night,
Form:
Free verse
My own gypsy roaming in countless hemispheres
A painter who splashes emotions of life’s tones
Maybe a lightkeeper flaming a child’s wonder
Also, a bookworm awed by enigmatic anti-heroes
My siblings’ event planner for grand occasions
Yes, a film buff loading adrenalin at plot’s turn
This off-key singer come open mic time
An insolent activist when values are compromised
My kin’s nervous wreck... afraid of heights
A non-stop dancer jigging even on tabletops!
Indeed, an angel card reader faking psychic powers
A believer of joy based on destiny number 7
The female version of Pan trapped in child-like whims
An incurable romantic who dreads goodbyes
This poet draining the marrow of a parched pen
A meditation/ yoga soul grounded in nothingness
Thus, one pilgrim in search of my higher self’s grail
~ In my roller-coaster, charmed world, I am still
finding parts of myself that thirst to be known.
I AM Contest
Sponsor: Andrea Dietrich
5/11/2020
Categories:
off key, me,
Form:
List