Best One Horse Poems
You saw me from across the room
beside an open door.
Your smile erased all of my gloom
and touched me to the core.
The mistletoe tied in a bow,
your kiss that caused my cheeks to glow!
The mistletoe, the mistletoe,
sweet start of something soon to grow. . .
Then on a most romantic ride
as we sat hand in hand,
you asked me if I'd be your bride
in Winter's Wonderland.
The one-horse sleigh took us away
where snow swirled down, then gleaming lay.
The one-horse sleigh, the one-horse sleigh!
My fondest dream took hold that day.
We snuggle by a crackling fire
here at the winter's end.
No other lover could inspire
me more than my best friend.
The warm fireplace, your angel face
which softly now my fingers trace!
The warm fireplace, the warm fireplace
shows love aglow as we embrace.
*This is actually called a Trijan Refrain, but it's very similar to quatrains.
11/26/13 for Rhonda Johnson-Saunders Kiss Under the Mistletoe Poetry Contest.
Beyond the skills of escorts
and the appeal of other playthings,
smolders the need of the soul
infused to best every man.
Twelve years have taken
the scars out of the memories,
from the last time I was
up and through
just to come down and out
to find every fairy tale
extends it’s hand
to some tragedy.
The odds don’t warrant
the time of practical effort.
Too keen to the liabilities,
always calculating ends.
It is not the demands of over
or having to start something new
rather, better to remain alone
than to be let down again.
But now I see you,
and it makes me pause
so still, with the whisper --
Are you sure?
Falls into a deafening singularity
forbidding even a scream, it’s escape.
I sit and can only see
the touch of Heaven
reaching across the Caribbean
to color your face.
As your smile holds the songs
of every dawn’s temptress,
under the soft disposition
of your eyes
rests a divine spirit’s symmetry,
smoothing features
while lensing each strand
the perfect frame.
That once moved a favored King
to murder a man, only to bring
the sword into his own house.
Enabled an army to take
a strong city with just one horse.
And enslaved the envy of Venus
to sharpen leaden arrows,
but fury slipped her hands
and bled her wrists out.
Blood clotted on the cold muck
of her grave, a suffocating cocoon.
Immersed the viewer becomes,
and timeless the window
of the heart that is God’s craft,
denying the deceiver’s forgery
of any singed carnality.
As if proximity has been given
within the mist of your perfume,
in just this one picture
of your face.
Sittin' on the front porch with a brand new lover
Twinkle in her eye and the moon above her
I said,"What you thinkin'? -Something you could share?"
She said,"Somethin' naughty - somethin' I don't dare."
So we talked a little of this one-horse town
How we'd leave it one day when our time came 'round
But like a lot of things our time came and went
Raisin' cows and kids was how our time got spent
Three cowgirls and two cowboys make up our ranch
A Cody,a Wesley,June,Jane,and a Blanche
Sittin' on the front porch with my grey lady
Texas sun beatin' down, but the porch is shady
The one-horse town has served us well in the end
Our time was well spent and life is good my friend
3-8-18
A Prince of Life,
A Prince of Death,
two courts for him to flee
One horse disappears under a
ransomed moon,
a drawbridge now unseen
Eyes close tight
and turn within,
all royalty disowned
As the King calls once
and the Queen calls twice
—the Jester on the throne
(Villanova Pennsylvania: December, 2016)
Perfecting skills to calm a flighty horse.
Compact its trombone limbs with reins and legs
performing with no noticeable force,
all trouble and delight that beauty begs.
One horse, one rider, indivisible;
sky-born with earth-bound duty to endorse.
Control from legs and seat must be invisible,
obeying smooth transitions on the course.
Struck by awe, crowds watch, as in a trance
a pleasure trip controlled by aids precise.
Such liveliness contained in equine dance,
by what divine device - this Paradise?
Each discipline involved must ne'er be seen.
Before our eyes must seem a floating dream.
A STUNNER JANUARY 2018
Contest Judged: 3/17/2018 8:08:00 AM
Sponsored by: Line Gauthier |
2nd Place
They formed a posse and it was loaded
Three experienced at tracking
And their guide
He was a one-legged kangaroo
No one dared to waltz with him
Even Matilda kept clear
The heat was unbearable
Australia
And no one liked bank robbers
Crossing upstream the three rode through rapids
One horse was bitten by a bee
It startled him and reared
Throwing the third rider into the rapids
One scream and carried downstream
The other two rode the banks and the rapid
And their one legged kangaroo hopped
One hop forward but always angles
They came to a suddenly quiet pool
They saw a hat that was clear
The horse whinnied and a single tear
The kangaroo was exhausted and thought of a new line of work
His master lay face down and floated
The three horses gazed at the floater
And the two men followed their lead
And what about the bank robbers
They had a pint
A Lil' Bit of Aus... Free Poetry Contest
Sponsor Tracie ~*~ Indigo Dreamweaver
(this is a type of quatrain called Swap Quatrain,
wherein the fourth line of each stanza
is actually the first line, just swapped around)
Another Time, long long ago,
there was no Rain; there was no Snow.
No reason was there, and no rhyme
long long ago, another Time.
A desert only, lifeless land -
boulders, pebbles, grains of sand;
hot and windswept, barren, lonely
lifeless land; a desert only.
From Sky was tossed one day, a seed
onto this land so much in need,
whose dreariness would soon be lost.
One day a seed from Sky was tossed.
In Sun’s bright heat, the small seed grew
until an egg it changed into.
It needed only moisture sweet.
The small seed grew in Sun’s bright heat.
Sky clapped loud sound; a bird appeared.
The egg was pulsing as she neared.
White feathers fluttered to the ground.
A bird appeared; Sky clapped loud sound.
As Rain came down. . . A sudden change!
The bird turned into something strange -
A lovely girl with feathered gown!
A sudden change as Rain came down.
With Rain’s soft fall, the egg had burst.
Emerging from the egg came first
One horse, then two. Fantastical!
The egg had burst with Rain’s soft fall.
The horses grew beneath big Sun.
They thrived; with Rain they were as one.
Along with her, like Wind, they’d run.
Beneath big Sun, the horses grew.
Twin beasts and Rain, that dry land’s three
became a new world’s trinity.
And with them, green and springtime came.
That dry land’s three: twin beasts and Rain.
With so much spring, with Rain’s pure grace
came poetry into that place.
Bright flowers bloomed when she would sing
with Rain’s pure grace, with so much spring.
Variety, the needful thing,
Rain prayed out loud for Sky to bring.
And so was born for her to see:
the needful thing, Variety!
Then came down Snow from up above.
This counterpart was Rain’s true love.
When white Snow ebbed, sweet Rain would flow.
From up above, then came down Snow.
Sweet Rain, white Snow, atop each horse,
still ride the land and set the course
of when their seasons come and go.
Atop each horse, sweet Rain, white Snow.
By Andrea Dietrich
Inspired by A Rambling Poet's Contest:
"Rain: the Story"
(sorry, Tirzah, I could not do a nice long poem on horses.
I just felt like doing some silly limericks playing off expressions
for horses. Thanks for the inspiration!)
I Hate that Horse
There’s a horse that I so hate to see,
And at night sometimes he visits me.
His attack to my thigh
Makes me think I might die.
That Charly Horse acts horribly!
Horses Have Ears, Ya Know
“I could eat a horse!” hungry bob said
To his friends as he rode his horse, Ned.
Taking it the wrong way,
Ned reared up with a “neigh!”
Bob fell off and got kicked in the head.
Pony Up
“Pony up,” said the seamstress in town
With the new bride’s hand-sewn beaded gown.
But having no dough,
The bride cast her eyes low,
Saying, “Sorry, but my pony is down.”
In Our One Horse Town
We love ostriches. Haven’t you heard?
Yes, it’s true, and I give you my word
Just one old mare lives here.
Had no foals; she is *****.
So each cowboy just rides a bird!
For Tirzah's "A Horse is a Horse of Course" contest
(Apologies to any cowboys in Derbyshire)
The telegraph came through, but just in time
before my coach had passed the county line
mah girl wuz all alone and in distress
only one guy could go save her- well, you guessed.
Ah told mah driver “stop! I gotta help her
drop me off- ahm headin' back to Belper!"
"Yo crazy boy! The old guy spluttered forth
there ain't nuthin' but trouble that far north”
His words had barely registered, I'd say
but I was in Duffield, post-haste, half way,
that one horse town of Derby far behind
but only winsome Janet on mah mind.
Time wuz almost out when I rode through
she'd almost given up on me, I knew
as when I burst in through that old front door
and spotted her, alone, on that shop floor
mah old lady there, terrified, no doubt
cryin' "Help me, Lord- mah credit card's maxed out!"
We all know a man does what he's gotta do,
I reached fast for mah wallet and broke through
passed her mah card, and though it be a sin
I'd told her long ago mah chip 'n pin.
She spun real tight and, takin' no more lip
swiped up the card, dang! Shootin' from the hip.
We road into the sunset, purchase done,
and before nightfall, hey- someone had some fun,
Woke up just before dawn, mah eyes still poppin',
so what- who said us guys just don't dig shoppin' ?
Competition- ' Let 'er rip- shoot from the hip 18th March 2015
They said “La Coquille is beautiful” they led me on, they lied,
It's nothing but a one horse town and now the horse has died.
It sits astride a major road, it's neither here nor there
Amazing if you're passing through, but visit if you dare
There's absolutely nothing there for you to do or see
And I know of a thousand places I would rather be
It's time to go, we're moving on, we've almost served our time
But really for the life of me, I can't recall the crime
So fare thee well, you cockle shell, a memory soon to be
And Bon Courage and Best of luck to those replacing me!
One Horse Town
The boardwalks full of people only two stood in the street.
The showdown of the century counting down to thirty feet.
Black Bart said this towns too small for you and I to both be in it.
Today's the day we found out which one of us will win it.
Handy Randy took a spit and looked up at the sun.
He said yep, the truth be known by the time this day is done.
A hush fell over the town folks mother's hid their children's faces.
The two men in the desert sun walked just a few more paces.
The sheriff called out that's close enough! I'm a countin down from three.
Who's the best in all the west this whole damn town will see.
When he called that magic number Barts face turned black as night.
Handy Randy drew his pencil and they both sat down to write.
Randy wrote of springtime rain and the sound of childrens laughter.
Bart penned a verse about Randy moving on to the hereafter.
Then Randy wrote another verse so quick he made it rhyme.
The sheriff said time is up Bart finished just in time.
They filed into the saloon and they ordered up a drink.
While the judges read their writings and told them what they think.
Again the crowd grew quiet as they eagerly watched the show.
Old Hank from the hardware store said he really liked Barts flow.
The blacksmith from the stable stood up and cleared his throat.
And in almost a whisper said I loved what Randy wrote.
Bill that ran the old hotel said there ain't use denying.
My wife is a Randy fan but she always ends up crying.
The barber from on down the street trembled neath Barts gaze.
He said Barts poetry's kinda dark but he likes it anyways.
Some town folks started clapping you could hear the women sigh.
For the third year in a row the judges ruled a tie.
For some folks love the softer side while there's some that like it deep.
And not all men do their dreaming at night while fast asleep.
Once again the call was made the choice was handed down.
Black Bart and Handy Randy stay in this one horse town.
Edwin C Hofert
around and around
up and down
the merry-go-round
goes round
again and again
and again
as the sounds of music play
fond of youth and the gay
and the bells
in the one horse open slay
flashes of color and detail flash quickly by
elegant wooden carved animals
with shiny painted tails
prancing horses with nostrils flaring
regal lion with full curly mane staring
and a golden chariot awaiting fair
Cinderella
Well I'm a heading back to NEW ORLEANS
Tonight, gotta get out of this one horse town
And back to Bourbon street where the night
Life is hot to trot in the big city lights and the
Music keeps you on your feet and the vampires
Could be just about anyone you meet...
Just hanging out in the French Quarter and
Having a good ole time, it depends on what you're
Looking for that depends on what you will find...
Reading of the cards, a drink or two at this bar, a
Drink or two at that bar, or just a one night stand
Take your pick it's all there like liquid gold running
Through your hands and that's why I'm heading
Back down to NEW ORLEANS, the city of dreams
Down in NEW ORLEANS, NEW ORLEANS!
fable
Farmer Brown never works on Sunday,
for Sunday is special and they go to church.
Two horses in his barn know of kindness
for of kindness, the Browns talk a lot.
Each Sunday one of their two horses,
one horse drives their wagon to church.
The kids are nice kids, Mrs. Brown is joyful, too
joyful and compassionate like Jesus.
This Sunday, the oldest horse stayed back
stayed back with a weak leg to rest.
Looking out the barn, Ole Pokey saw the sheep,
wild and wooly sheep had broke through the gate.
Knowing how important the sheep are …
the sheep are the Brown’s livelihood,
Old Pokey wakes the lazy dog with a start
with a start to start rounding up sheep.
As the family returned from their worship
worship of Almighty God, they found
their horse limping, but pacing the open corral
corralling the sheep back inside.
Children, this story I tell to show you
to show you that kindness to animals pays.
Old Pokey was hurting but that didn’t matter,
what mattered was a love for his master.
Its Going To Be A Wonderful Christmas
I watch you across the room and I get a feeling inside
It is a feeling of being a part of a most wonderful ride
As we ride down a snowy lane in a one horse driven sleigh
You snuggle close to me and bells ring out as if to say
It's going to be a wonderful Christmas
Everybody seems to be in great Spirit this year
Its going to be a very merry Christmas
A Christmas when couples fall in love
And I know how they feel down inside
Like stealing a kiss on a snowy sleigh ride
I take the reins while you snuggle close to me
While we watch the snow falling all around us
And I lean your way to steal a quick kiss
You do not for one moment, resist
Oh what a wonderful ride we share
While the children throw snow balls our way
Laughs and giggles fill our voices
We kiss again and we sing songs of our choices
AH Ha Ha, there is joy all around us
The world is a place of fun and glee
Especially when you lean in
To steal a kiss from me
Yeeesss! It's going to be a wonderful Christmas
Everybody seems to be in great Spirit this year
Its going to be a very merry Christmas
A Christmas when couples fall in love
And I know how they feel down inside
Like stealing a kiss on a snowy sleigh ride