Best Prickle Poems
Goodnight my dear boy and what's that you say?
You want me to chase the bad monsters away?
Well, I'll tell you a tale that may just be true
And if it's made up, it is done just for you...
I know you're afraid of the dark and the gloom
When you lie wide awake all alone in your room
'Scardy cats prowl and their tattle-tales pester
Goose bumps may prickle and worry-warts fester
Shadow-ghosts creep up and crawl to your cover
You roll on your side but then you discover
The thump in your pillowcase whispers too loud
So here's what I've done and I know you'll be proud...
I've met with the monster man under your bed
He thinks you will find he is not much to dread
He just needs a friend and to know that you care
So if you reach down he'll shake hands from his lair
I've found where that boogie man hides in the wall
He's cramped and alone and he waits for your call
He believes you're convinced he is ugly and mean
And hold him to blame when you have a bad dream
Your monster man's fierce and has razor-sharp teeth
But he understands things that may stir underneath
Your boogie man knows what you don't want to find
And what's around corners and hidden behind...
They'd like to come out and tell you a story
(Perhaps something scary but nothing too gory)
Sit up and talk with them late into night
Come morning they'll gladly slip back out of sight
But at night they'll grow strong to protect like they should
To face down your fear and show evil what's good
Stand watch while you sleep, they will stay by their mark
If you wake you might catch their eyes glow in the dark...
It's then as you grow you may find you walk bolder
With two fearsome friends striding close by your shoulders
They'll go anyplace as a general rule
(But maybe you'd better not bring them to school)
If witches and dragons can streak through the sky
Then monsters and boogie men surely must fly!
At the edge of your sleep (when you just start to doze)
Whisper the password and wiggle your toes...
And they'll sweep you away to soar like a dove
Over the rooftops to heavens above!
Up into orbit to your own private place
High on a mountaintop floating in space
Sit back and relax with a satisfied grin
Laughing and singing as you watch the earth spin
Hum along while your boogie man growls a brave tune
Count stars while your monster man howls at the moon
A Murder of Crows
A Shadow of Jaguars
A Flamboyance of Flamingos
A Mess of Iguanas
A Congregation of Alligators
A Crash of Rhinos
A Band of Gorillas
A Thunder of Hippos
A Pot of Water Buffaloes may wallow away,
while A Wisdom of Owls roost for the day.
A Battalion of Falcons would indeed prey,
upon A Horde of Hamsters if that horde came their way.
A Tower of Giraffes galloping by,
while A Caravan of Camels migrate close at their side.
A Conspiracy of Lemurs,
A Court of Kangaroos,
A Harem of Chimpanzees,
A Nursery of Raccoons,
A Shiver of Sharks and A Fever of Stingrays
compete to survive beneath our oceans' waves.
A Pride of Lions,
A Prickle of Porcupines,
and that's today's lesson in animal group classifying.
Spooky Ghostly Halloween
the sky looks like velveteen.
Wild loud howls, nowhere to be seen,
echo through of the wolverine.
The citrine moon hangs, high,
a wicked smile, cunning, and sly.
In a blink of a dominant eye
bats chase the clouds across the sky.
Eerie, Pumpkin Head quite brickle,
waving its sharp rusty sickle.
Haunting nightmares hairs prickle
as crows fickle blood caw, caw trickle.
In the old manor her ghostly spirit
appears roaming through it. Do you see it?
10/17/2023
It waits...
A prickle about to lodge
In the heart of a Mighty Light
Above the low-dipped setting sun
The Knightly Night prepares to come
To lift me like a rising fog
Up to greet the countless stars -
That twinkle at a Sun's descent.
The horizon painted with lullaby
Of colours and their somber tune
Day's bed is laid behind blue mountains
And quietly it goes to sleep.
Inside the womb of a Sleeping Day
Begins a fierce protest
of dreaming thoughts
Now stirred awake.
Then out of the thick and cluster
And whatever dangers of flight await
Newborn wings of thought emerge
And rise and rise and rise
Captured by the winds of Night -
Arisen
To wander heights
To kiss the skies
To dance to the gentle humming
Of spirit drums -
Wings beating
A duet with the breeze.
So when day comes breaking through
Dawn is greeted by what was writ
At the festival of it's eve.
With merriment's ink:
A Kiss;
A dance;
A song etched deep:
Art carved out of sky.
Title: Night Poem
So and Sew
I sew
it’s so
So Fine
nimble
thimble
Lost Pattern
quilted
wilted
Chain Stitch
lost link
pants sink
Running Stitch
pants torn
forlorn
Stitch in Time
mended
splendid
Long Stitch
I sew
so slow
Prickle
needle
bleedle
It came in with ice cream and half empty sunscreen
And went out with goosebumps and “EEK!” Halloween
That autumnal breeze and the fire in the trees
Gave way to demons and trembly knees
Leaves all relinquished their sure Summer grip
Fluttering down they would duck, dive and dip
To settle in russet hues there on the ground
But eddy and flit as the breeze whipped around
And by Halloween with the ground full of leaves
There’s zombies and ghouls in whom no-one believes
Well maybe the numbskulls who worship the night
But then monster lovers were never that bright
That late autumn day there was warmth in the air
I sat ’gainst a tree and I slumbered right there
Twas All Hallows’ Eve but why would I care
No fancy dress demon would give me a scare
I’ll suffer no grief from some worn out tradition
I’ll scoff at the undead and show no contrition
No werewolf nor vampire would make my skin prickle
Well... not til the leaf monster gave me a tickle!
For those avid crossword groupies of which I are one,
I'm offering free of charge vital data to add to your fun.
So you're stuck on 15-down for the name of a barren of mules!
Groups of creatures you can now name if you use this set of rules!
A group of apes is a shrewdness and a gang of asses is a pace.
Tigers are a streak and you'd better streak should they give chase!
Can you believe that skittish plovers are called a congregation?
(I wonder, perhaps Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic or other denomination?)
You might see a cackle of hyenas or a tower of giraffes at zoos,
Or if on a Kenyan safari a bloat of hippos or a fleet herd of gnus.
The name for a prickle of porcupines is an appropriate moniker for sure!
A sleek bunch of ferrets is called a business, and, why, I'm unsure.
Pesky squirrels are called a scurry and a warren is for rabbits.
(There are many warrens of rabbits due to their promiscuous habits!)
Badgers are grouped as a cete and leopards are known as a leap;
Moles are known as a labor and a herd or drove identifies sheep.
Parliaments of owls meet in trees and eagles in convocations.
Jellyfish waft about in smacks and peacocks strut in ostentations!
Screeching cormorants are a gulp which sounds mighty weird.
Steer clear of a crash of rhinos since they are to be feared!
Charming finches are called a charm and larks an exaltation,
Turkeys a rafter, frogs an army and starlings a murmuration.
Locusts are known as a plague and cockroaches an intrusion.
An unkindness of ravens and their raucous caws just causes confusion!
Groups of humans are known as Republicans, Democrats or Nazarenes,
Jerks and morons but this barely includes all human species by any means!
Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired
(c) 2014 All Rights Reserved
Also known as a furze-pig, urchin or hedgepig
Your collective name is an array or prickle – how apt!
To me you are one of the cutest animals in the land
Born blind but soon you open beady black eyes
Your little snout pokes out and helps you forage
You love to eat worms, caterpillars and snails
Sometimes a tasty frog, baby bird or eggs
Your body is covered in defensive prickly spines
These are prone to fleas, oh that would make me itch!
Curling into a ball at the first sign of danger
Badgers, foxes and owls are your main predators
How I love the autumn, I find you nestled in the hedgerows
You sleep until you come out to play at night
Sometimes I wish I was like you and could hibernate
Sleep though the cold dull dreary dark winter days
You communicate by squealing, grunting and snuffling …
(I wonder… are all hedgehogs male!)
Sadly you are not very adept at crossing the road
I often see you as road kill and that makes me sad
09~29~14
Contest: Animal Poem
Sponsor: Regina Riddle
~awarded 3rd Place ~
She rides through the night in command of the darkness,
her crown encrusted with renegade stars;
all the forest bows to her regal commandments,
bound to her will with invisible bars.
She sees and hears and knows all your movements,
though you think you are hiding away;
she will extract of your heart deepest penance
and bend you to her intractable sway.
Once I wished to go back and be human,
to love like a man loves a maid;
she caught me kissing a girl in the gloaming,
crushed us beneath her wrath cavalcade.
Mists rise and drift and wrap round the forest,
moonbeams prickle the glades;
night time reveals her illustrious kingdom
mirrored in shimmering dew enfilade.
I am her thrall, snatched away one May morning;
she is Titania, queen of the night.
I no longer wish for the warmth of the sunshine;
I live for Titania's onyx delight.
© Faye Lanham Gibson, April 17, 2015
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The Wandering Yogi
From city to city, from every town to town
Catching every smile to smile, every frown to frown.
His allegiance goes to the exalted one, not any nobility nor the crown.
The mysterious venture itself is a compass – forever trailing up and down.
He vision’s more to the sandstorm than just the sands might.
What he really seeks is the commandeering winds, hidden from man’s sight.
For he is like a moth, forever trying to follow the mystical light.
A servant of humanity, here to douse out ones fiery plight.
The mystical light to him, is like the sweet essence of nectar to a bee
His journey has no fragrant flower to guide the way, only his heart must see.
The burden of Caste, Creed and Colour cannot weigh him down – forever he is free.
These bitter ingredients are for his pestle and mortar, mixed together to serve he.
Always alert, always ominous. Wary of the treacherous thorns.
Even the smallest prickle can poisonously permeate – towards the path of the one with horns.
Decorating his path to God for others to follow – moving on as he adorns.
And for those who have permanently set their ship astray – he shall set up half mast, for he mourns.
From sunrise to sunset. From a healthy youth to a venerable age.
Adhering to his spiritual principals. A beacon of knowledge – a mystical sage.
Until he reaches his beloved, his only shelter against this life is faith and a hermitage.
Walking steadfast on an arduous journey of pain and languish – travelling away from life’s cage. The Wandering Yogi.
Feedback would be great!
Nihonzaru waits for the sun, in the valley where steaming pools warm. This is the north, the far north of ice and snow and trembling bones. He will survive as he always does.
Thick greying hair, flecked with flakes of snow, protects from frostbite sting. Anxious and fatherly, he browses the breeze with his nose and eyes the surrounds. Pins and needles prickle numbed skin, unrecognized. His family eases in to the lake simmering slowly just off the boil.
I tell him he looks like an Eskimo, wrapped up in a woolly parka. Face pink from the bitterly cold. He is tired and wary, but content.
happy winter springs
cold touch hands on warming hearth;
burns like summer sun
Snow monkey, throw me a snowball.
I'm of two pieces
one piece of mine is
an island
the other is the sea
in over all of me
has brought me in
the middle, is in my
everywhere
warm/tender, shining
bright, deep and
silent
every day, ever
moment I go beside
doesn't see, doesn't
hear, doesn't know
perhaps
I sit and look,
caress her hair
through her picture
I kiss, talk, look
deeply long and long
dive and listen to
her silence
I'm of two pieces
my other piece is a
rose
delicate, fragile,
has pretty face, a
scent of musk
sometimes her thorns
prickle, doesn't
hurt, I put up with
for I Love her
I love her 'cause
she has my heart
My breath, my soul,
affection and my
Life
and hope, happiness
and Love
upon me her scent
traces of her thorn
in my everywhere
on my skin, hair, in
my heart, and soul
never gets out of me
her traces
is never erased
I'm of two pieces
one piece of mine is
an angel, there
always beside,
inside and in my
every side
always fetches my
pains, passes to her
side
never bears I be
harmed, never can
put up with
wipes away tears in
my eyes
lays a hope, a
happiness each time
'cause of her deep
Love, of her
affection
causes one fall in
Love with her and
worship
unconsciously
appends one more
soul to my inside,
a voice, a touch, a
look and a kiss of
her
unconsciously grants
me the worlds
just for a moment of
her happiness
I could abondon my
Life, without
thinking
I'm of two pieces
one is YOU, one is
ME
There's power abounds within our worlds,
that science will deny.
Just silly folks with twisted minds
who rant and rage and lie!
If they can't see, or touch or smell,
they know it isn't there.
Until the day, to their dismay
it's forced on them to share!
Now television, planes and phones,
it's very true to say.
Would surely have been witchcraft
in a not so distant day.
But seeing TV, seeing ghosts,
convinces you they're there.
Or does it... do you choose the things
you let your senses share?
You can't see evil's presence
when it's aimed to do you harm.
You think it rather silly
to return it with a charm?
So live in total arrogance
and die because your ill.
No doctors precious potions
will cure evil with a pill!
Believe in what you care to,
and say I’m off my mind.
But there's many times I thwarted
things of supernatural kind.
I will use the things I need to,
be they physical or 'crap',
But if your directing evil
then I'm going to send it back.
Take a warning from my ramblings,
there's more than meets the eye.
It's not the ground you stand on,
or the covering of the sky.
There's things that some call heaven,
and things that some call hell.
That combine to make our lifetimes
and we all live in their spell.
So if you ever feel a prickle
from the hairs upon your neck.
You will know that evils found you,
......so you'd better run like heck!
Ivor G Davies
Want You know the worth of Love,
Way never end, the journey never Quit,
Height neither achieved nor the depth End,
The everlasting prickle in your eye sight,
Freeze thoughts and awful memories,
Would not leave you lonely,
Every day goes by,
Turn you the stem solitary,
Frightful nights and dreadful days,
Miserable morning and Depressed Twilight,
Stand for fameless achievement,
Faced it all for hoping day of Bright,
Exam with no result, game of grief,
Neither you fail nor you pass,
Sunny day Rainfall, sweating in cold and fruit of Autumn,
Love is stream that you won’t cross.
Cause, we don’t know the price of Love, cost of Beam,
If you wanna know the cost, die with your dreams.
M. Shahid H. Chouhdry
Bahawalpur, Pakistan
shahid817@gmail.com
I tiptoe through the darkness as silent as the night,
My ears attuned to any sound, there’s not a soul in sight;
Goosebumps prickle across my skin as panic washes over me,
I hear the slightest noise ahead and I strain my eyes to see;
My uneasy breathing fogs the air as my heart pounds on in dread,
I stand in the black frozen in fear, my feet have turned to lead;
I shiver uncontrollably as I wait in the dark alone,
Terror grips my heart as I prepare to face the unknown;
I’m poised on the balls of my feet ready to bolt into the night,
Then as I’m getting ready to make a dash, my hubby flips on a light!