Best Pony Express Poems
Minter Bridge Road to Burkhalter Lane
Alpaca farms dot the hilly terrain, baby llamas
Wear thick curly fur, until the shears come
They look really funny when the fur is all gone
From the top of Chehalem, a significant drop down
Now into Newberg a quaint little town
Velvet moss cloaks the ivy in emerald green
Entwined through a forest of Juniper trees
On to Spirit Mountain, Grand Rhonde’s old legend
Where old spirits dwell, their holiness beckons
It’s best to go slow in a horse powered engine, that
Would have impressed the Pony Express, the
Ghosts of Rogue River's tribes of Kalapuya
Smoking peace pipes in wigwams
On the banks of Nestucca
KA/ 2003
Note: A place where you can truly feel the old spirits dwell. Kalapuya (Calapooya) means “wealthy way of life”. A semi-nomadic people who lived in permanent winter villages (near present day Portland, Oregon) and traded with their neighbors of Northern California, Oregon Coast and Columbia River tribes.
Categories:
pony express, environment, spiritual,
Form:
Free verse
American Osmosis
Jamestown was the source of this
Movement that swept across the continent
At first the ships were left behind
And people used what they could find
A mule, an ox, a Percheron
Whatever they could sit upon
They loaded up and west they went
Some went north and some went south
They filled the land e're which they went
The Louisiana Purchase was the big event
That sealed America’s destiny
Soon the country was spilling westward
To be the first to make a print
Where no one else ever went
They hoped for happiness as their destiny
The Donners never did find any
There were others rushed by gold
With hopes of riches they would hold
But mostly what the immigrants found
Was this great nation which was bound
To fill her borders sea to sea
With citizens like you and me
We owe thanks to Conestoga and Civil War
Beaver hats and railroad cars
Pulled behind the great iron horse
Of muskets bore and coon skin caps
Horses and cattle and leather chaps
Cowboys, six guns and barbed wire fences
Rangers, Marshals and bar maid glimpses
Pony Express and long coach rides
Wagon loads of buffalo hides
And the Indians who gave their homes
Of mountains and prairies where bison roamed
To live among us brave and bold
Absorbed by the manifest destiny told
Of the American Osmosis
Categories:
pony express, adventure, history
Form:
Free verse
THE PARADOX OF PROGRESS
Communication has been around since the dawn of man,
It’s evolved from smoke signals and the beating of drums,
Hieroglyphics gave rise to alphabets and the written word,
Along came the inventions of the telephone, fax and intercom.
We had Morse code, the pony express and radio,
Which eventually gave rise to TV,
Homing pigeons used to carry messages,
And truckers would converse on their CB’s.
The world has gotten smaller and more connected since,
The phone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell,
But he never dreamed that one day,
You’d be able to access the internet and send a text on your cell.
Recently, I observed 5 people at a table, having lunch,
So it was quite obvious that they were not alone,
Yet those same 5 people were oblivious to each other,
Because all of them were using their cell phones.
With the continuous advancement of communication,
The population feels the need to always be in touch,
But when it interferes with face to face conversation,
When does texting, facebook and email become way too much?
These days, people bring their tablets and I-phones,
And other mobile devices wherever they go,
With the touch of a screen or the push of a button,
We’ve become addicted to sharing all sorts of info.
Quite often when someone is in the company of other people,
And their device prompts them for something to be viewed,
Their attention is diverted, and they ignore the people they’re with,
And most people would agree this is quite rude.
With the advent of social media technology,
Mobile devices have caught on like wildfire,
But at the same time, it seems that,
People’s social skills are lacking, and something to be desired.
Technology is certainly a marvelous thing,
And it is definitely here to stay.
But while we are in the company of others around us,
Let’s all be courteous and put our devices away.
Categories:
pony express, conflict, history, irony, people,
Form:
Rhyme
Imagine the joy! A word from the east
Delivered by pony express,
I ride into town on this nag of a beast
Fetching mail for my humble address.
Imagine the miles! Stretched far 'cross the plain
One rider, horse, saddle and bag,
Crouched o'er the withers, nose close to the mane
Spurred to relay before they might flag.
Imagine the hand! Crossed over the reins
As one man pulls back on the bit,
Another spurs on, fast and far 'cross the plains
Thus defining the truth in true grit.
Imagine the thrill! Mail passed hand to hand
From rider, to office, to nag,
Far west came my missive; a tip of my hat!
To the rider, horse, saddle and bag.
~TH~ http://wrongwaywriteway.com
Categories:
pony express, america, horse, travel,
Form:
Rhyme
Once knew a gal named Juliette
Who always wanted to perform a duet
On the back of a horse
Riding bareback of course
Delivering mail for the pony express
© Jack Ellison 2015
Categories:
pony express, humorous,
Form:
Limerick
Tattarrattat
…amazing how things change over time, from a simple knock at someone’s door, smoke signals, walking & serenading to the Pony Express, and now Cell Phones…what next, microchip implants?
Tattarrattat of sounds making universal calling to chitchat
Habitat denned of words hovering upon stagnate doormat
Dialling friends like Anna and Christine while vanity filing
Smiling Hannah throughout texts and hashtags reconciling
Taking selfies selfish as snapping shots peep after faking
Breaking stats texting thru speeding with fingers aching
Money making Facebook and Twitter toot sucking honey
Funny folks frolicking in wow of gibberish words chummy
Implanting microchiping radar loves of illusions enchanting
Ranting and deleveled amidst abysses of misunderstanding
Evaporating thoughts deified through fanatic futurists dating
Frustrating still mom and dad tired of escaping callwaiting.
...this may also be read backwards
1.Tattarrattat – the longest palindrome in the Oxford English Dictionary, coined by James Joyce in Ulysses for a knock on the door
2.denned – past tense of to den, meaning to live in a den
3.deleveled – past tense and past participle of "delevel", to demote or be demoted to a lower level.
4.deified – past tense of "to deify", meaning to consider as a god
...originally I was going to enter this in Joseph May's Palindrome contest...but at the last second, I noticed the theme was about the Seasons...dah!...hello Brian lol
A Palindrome is a word or phrase which reads the same backwards as forwards, such as level, or deed, or "never odd or even".
Sept.24.2018
END SEPTEMBER 2018 STANDARD
,ANY FORM,ANY THEME
Sponsored by: Brian Strand
N/A for contest
Categories:
pony express, community, culture, relationship,
Form:
Free verse
I sang a song over the olive branch today,
And nobody listened.
So I remarked how cruel death is
When life is dead
And dreaming is only violent.
Still, I was not heard against the night.
Then I whispered long and low
To an empty room
Wherein I slept, uncovered.
It was very hot in that close room.
There was a rider approaching
from the dawn.
It was the pony express, almost.
His saddle bags were empty,
And the pale rider was only thirsty.
Finally, we sat together
At an empty table
And gambled what we had.
He bet his years and his trail of dust.
I could only ante up my life,
Wanting his pony.
At the end of the story
I rode away on his bare steed,
And the rider kept the saddle.
Categories:
pony express, dream,
Form:
Free verse
"Young, skinny, wiry fellows needed!" want ads and posters stated!
(Thus the Pony Express to deliver the western mail was created!)
"You mustn't weigh over 125 pounds nor be over eighteen years of age.
We'll provide a horse and saddle - 25 bucks a week will be your wage!"
One of the fearless founders, Mr. Majors, was a very religious man,
And he had 'em take a solemn oath even before they began,
Swearin' not to gamble, cuss er git drunk er they'd be fired without delay!
He gave each of 'em a Bible and sent 'em on their perilous way!
They galloped frum St Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, Californy and back,
With a gun, their Bible and twenty pounds uv mail in their saddle pack.
They had a horn they blew to alert the stationmaster to saddle another horse!
'Twas the latest and greatest system 'til the invention by Mr. Morse!
They kept the mail movin' day and night through rain, sleet and snow,
Greeted now and then by disgruntled Indians and their twangin' bow!
They crossed the Rocky Mountains, arid deserts and Great Plains.
To avoid such rascals as Jesse James, they took the greatest pains!
This great experiment lasted about 18 months and gradually fizzled out,
When the telegraph and "iron hoss" took over that treacherous route.
But durin' its short-lived life it did the job the founders designed it for.
'Twas just another chapter of American history consigned to western lore!
Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired
(© All Rights Reserved)
Categories:
pony express, historybible, bible, , western,
Form:
Rhyme
Pony Express Christmas Card Ride
You asked about our Christmas here.
Do reindeer pull the sleigh
to carry loads of gifts and cheer?
Hoofed beasts we have, they eat fine hay
and in the rain or snow and cold
deliver Christmas cards, as gay
and warming as the cheer of old.
You’ll hear the hoof-beats – not on roof
but Main Street paved with lamplight gold.
The Pony rides on clopping hoof
with saddlebags packed safe and tight –
good leather and quite weather-proof.
Chaps and Stetsons, what a sight,
they leave the packs of mail right here.
An Old-West sort of Yule delight.
Categories:
pony express, christmas, history, holiday,
Form:
Terza Rima
Young orphans wanted the ad read
Will help bring this country together is what they said
From California to St. Jose they will carry the mail
These young boys had a mission and they would not fail
And so into history they rode
For two years they carried out their goal
But when the telegraph came their end would be foretold
Soon the boys were just a memory
These unsung heroes
These brave young boys
Have the admirtation of their country
To the pony express riders your courage will be
An important contribution to this nation's history
Categories:
pony express, history, life, people,
Form:
It is said that in the good ol' wild west
the promptest postal mailing was the Pony Express.
greatest agile riders in the nation
the ten-day journey of mail
what could go awry?
Johnny fry was the leading jockey
Mail deposited in a mochila saddle and
POW!!!
the explosion of a cannon signified the commencement
of the dash against trains.
Galloping onward at a near ninety miles per hour
the mustang relaxed to a halt as
Harry Roff seized the limelight.
And there you have it, cowboys and cowgirls
all the way to Sacramento
mail was delivered.
Categories:
pony express, 7th grade,
Form:
Free verse
It's been said,
if you don't know where you're going
Any road will get you there
Believe it or not,
there's a peculiar road
that will take you anywhere
The Nowhere road will take you there ...
wherever it ends, you don't care
You've been living your life on empty,
running on fumes
Sputtering here and there
You got plenty of children that have no ambition,
the blame is largely due to you
But your payments are always late,
your Pony Express is always at rest
Procrastinating is what you do best
Take the Nowhere road,
and mellow out, cruising in your self-hate
The Nowhere road will get you there ...
wherever it ends, you don't care
Wherever it ends,
you won't be late getting nowhere
Wherever the Nowhere road goes,
you really don't care
If you're chasing after empty dreams,
the Nowhere road will lead you there
Categories:
pony express, education, perspective, psychological, wisdom,
Form:
Verse
Cleaner Air
New thinking of
The old ways
Use horse and carriage
In the city
Faster than
A white van can
And for post delivery
Pony Express
Will do wonders
And the bonus
Horse manure
Is good for the roses
Categories:
pony express, arabic, baby, happiness, happy,
Form:
Blank verse
Time to reckon
Time to stand
Stand back
Stand by
Bystanders
Bye bye America
America melting
American pie
Pie perfect
Piebald pony
Pony up
Pony Express
Express yourself
Express mail
Mail fraud
Mail-in vote
Vote USA
Vote going viral
Viral virus
Viral pandemic
Pandemic panic
Pandemic vaccination
Vaccination vexation
Vaccination nation
Nation notions
Nation divided
Divided by Party
Divide by color
Color me pink
Color me blind
Blind fate
Blind justice
Justice ACB
Justice supreme
Supreme Court
Supreme moment
Moment has come
Moment to ignite
Ignite the kindling
Ignite by lightning
Lightning strikes once
Lightning can’t strike twice
Twice too much
Twice ain’t right
Right to fright
Right on boys
Boys will be boys
Boys by stand
Stand …
Boys …
Categories:
pony express, anger, political,
Form:
Blitz
A letter from my brother!
It had been three months!
We invited the Pony Express rider to stay for a meal.
He was grateful, but not half as grateful as me.
We read the letter three times over ham and beans and cornbread.
Wallace, Idaho. He wanted us to come out there. He said there was gold.
My husband was leery, disbelieving, scoffed a bit.
The messenger did not say much, ate fast, and was out the door.
I began begging to go out there. I had not seen my brother in months.
He said there is gold, I argued. Let’s just put the baby in the wagon and go.
I would not leave it alone. We finally went, it was a difficult trip.
We never made it.
Flu got the baby and I along the way.
Not sure what happened to my husband.
Categories:
pony express, 10th grade, 11th grade,
Form:
Lyric