Best Rule Of Thumb Poems
Youth, Life, Love And Its Most Precious All
When young, life was full of joy and great thrills
I recall that was how happiness feels,
a new toy a trip to the nearby park
birds singing, magical flight of a stark.
Ice cream served on a sweltering hot day
out of classroom watching a new school play,
Majestic day fishing, feet in the pond
our favorite movies, we were so fond!
Growing up, tremendous change had to come
too oft heartache became the rule of thumb,
Love gave its kiss and even sorrow too
in its realm, sweetest of desserts were new.
With such beauty and deep satisfaction
sometimes came the opposite reaction
truest of our sweet love, was denied-rejected
in pain hurt, we felt our soul was neglected!
In living through life, its good* and its bad
if wise, we could find depth of what we had,
love and sorrow are both needed to grow
happiness found, oft sorrow comes in tow.
Treasures great and small are in youthful past
best we embrace it and not run too fast
Through it all family, love matters most
without that, time was no more than burnt toast!
Robert J. Lindley, 7-10-2018
Poet's Note: On July 10th, 1978, a most beautiful and very precious soul that I loved so very true and deeply died in a car crash. Her death almost completely destroyed me and this is the first time I have ever mustered up the courage to write a poem about it. She was its " good *", - its greatest beauty* at that time in my life, its most - precious all*....
For 40 long years, I could not find the courage to sit to write this tribute to the memory of her sweet and kind soul.
I have now found such, because "family and love matters most", and I am now truly blessed with such a God given gift....
Your lover’s drawing straws without you, better bid farewell;
he’d never time for rhyme or reason, so it’s just as well.
Slip out the curtained window quick, the future winks and calls,
ignoring paths of pagan gods, where faulty footsteps fall.
Identify faint flashbacks, cloaked and clustered in a heap
and sort out those you treasure most, you need or long to keep;
Forget about the epoch past, which wasn’t what you’d sought,
pursue instead remaining dreams before they come to naught.
Reflect no more on what it was he’d meant for you,
strike out ahead where something waits, has sent for you.
The graveyard night is haunted still, it hovers where you sleep
recalling souvenirs amassed, the ones that made you weep.
The poets poised in dungeon vaults, now growing old and bald,
retrace their palsied pleas in dust, like those that you once scrawled.
Except for runic proverbs carved on stone walls ill defined,
assumptions will not dog you that you dare to leave behind.
The fortune-tellers waiting at the moat for you
read tarot cards while setting sail a boat for you.
The road behind is empty now, the sky is painted black
so gather all the wisdom gained, no time for looking back.
Forego the prophets’ prophecies, so tempting to pursue -
although they might be asked advice, they seldom have a clue.
Reject the secrets they reveal, enveloped in their guile,
which be betrayed between the tombs in ruins of their smile.
They’re waiting with a fractured rule of thumb for you
while beating on a perforated drum for you.
A sand-glass dribbles distant dunes, the sun dial’s shadow’s late,
so now’s the time for slipping through the open swinging gate.
A joker wild defies the fools to read between the lines
in search of cryptic radiance the future world enshrines -
“the days ahead will wake again like waves before the dawn
when picking up the pieces left behind a passing pawn.”
A noble knight awaits to clear the board for you
when, soon, a cup of nectar wine is poured for you.
Based on BBC news article "Maths zeroes in on perfect cup of coffee"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-37989169
Two billion cups a day we drink
To stay awake so we can think
Tireless workers - every nation
Need a caffeine drink equation
Lattes, mochas, cappuccinos
Our calculator super heroes
Measured, reasoned, wrote a theorem
Clockwork system - mighty fearsome
Divide the beans and add hot water
Multiplies the bean aroma
Takes away the taste chaotic
Get this right - it's sums and logic
China cups the theory goes
Helps the smell go up you nose
Cardboard mug with plastic roof
Not as good, but where's the proof?
But their reason's most disjoint
Like whole numbers - has no point
You just need a rule of thumb
QED for us dumb-dumbs
(Entry for "wake up with coffee or tea" contest - shortened to meet rules)
Outside stars sparkle while daffodils await the morning sun.
Crickets sing their cheery song hoping for a night of fun.
Roosters and hens sleep hidden, snuggled in branches of trees.
Owls are awake, looking around, feathers ruffled in the breeze.
Inside, folks are fast asleep without a sound or a peep.
The sun is on the other side, warming the shepherds’ sheep.
Around the world people love and hate, it happens here and there.
Let us turn our hearts to peace; show tolerance everywhere.
Let us set aside our greed and use only what we need.
Let replenishment be man’s rule of thumb…please, God speed-
Value thrives in the soul of a man, not in what he “owns”.
Wisdom holds the key to love and to the Creator’s throne.
The heavens shine a warming glow; it does not hesitate.
Likewise let us show forth love and bring earth’s peaceful state.
Before the daffodils look up, let us end hate’s bitter cup.
Love one another around the world…God’s creatures…waking up.
When the night sky sparkles each star as earth revolves around.
May wisdom fill the heart of men and peace on earth abound.
© March 26, 2011
Dane Smith-Johnsen
Well it’s not a laughing matter but I’m grinning once again,
‘cause out of nine of us at work, five have felt the pain,
of suffering as a ‘bloody idiot,’ after having a few beers,
and trying to do the wrong thing, which ended up in tears.
Before I tell you what one done; although I think you know,
If you want to drink and drive then there’s a chance you’ll blow
into a tube of crystals, that changes colour if your breath
contains a hint of alcohol; and that is certain ‘driving death.’
Now young Winston from the office is looking very glum,
for he tried to shun a breath test that as a rule of thumb,
is the silliest of options, so when he turned into a side street,
two coppers waited patiently and who Winston got to meet.
I lectured Winston on his silliness but young blokes never learn,
‘cause four blokes here before him have already had their turn,
at using ‘shanks’ pony’ transport to convey themselves to work,
and now they watch from footpaths where coppers tend to lurk.
But not me, I’m too smart for that; I told these bloody fools,
I would never drink and drive my car, or try and break the rules
by dodging breath test stations; and Winston dropped his head,
‘cause he didn’t heed my message but defied what I had said.
And I proved this at a Christmas party that we held last year,
when whisky started flowing and chased with full strength beer.
I was way above the limit but my car stayed off the road;
instead I took a bus home and I was still in drinking mode.
And sure as heck at Christmas time, a breath test station’s up ahead,
but coppers waved the bus through, what car drivers surely dread,
and I arrived home safely which surprised me quite a bit,
for I’d not drove a bus before and don’t know where I got it!
When options are presented
And I have to make a choice,
The more I see, the less that my
Opinion I can voice.
For choosing A or B or C
Sets limits I’ll accept.
When there are more alternatives,
My certainty gets swept.
The smaller the selection,
That much quicker I’ll decide,
A rule of thumb that in all walks
Of life can be applied.
Once upon a time, in the early years
before I walked and talked,
a cell phone at my ears…
before Instagram or Pinterest or Facebook
strived to overtake my very mind,
sometimes, I felt like my heart had been forsook
leaving me troubled, on the edge of life’s shadows
forgiven by God, even though I’d often mistook
darkness for light, wrong for right, day for night.
Once upon a time, in those days so long ago
before my heart’s regrets, I’d reject
knowing I could never pay all that I owe…
I owe Him my life, my love – all the hope that I can give
I owe Him the kindness of grace and mercy,
the beauty of a faith who knows He will truly forgive,
despite the truth of a heart who is reckless,
a heart who has led others to be too combative,
a spirit who is filled with too much pride, too much self
until God Himself paid the price – it’s transformative!
Once upon a time, before iPhones, iPads and iPods
I knew the meaning of friendship full of love,
Friends were so important, loving against all odds…
Back then, I felt the inklings of sin in the air
But before walking toward the shadows so feared
I knew that my Savior would never, ever dare
To leave me without a hope, without His gentleness,
I knew that His love would forever be there,
Guiding me on, toward the promised land – in His Presence
I would know the wonder of grace beyond compare!
Once upon a time, in the past where I come from
There was a hope, a dream, a promise that comforted me
His love was alive and it was free, and as a rule of thumb….
His light shines so that I’ll forever be –
walking on the path He trod, the path
of everlasting peace, eternity I’ll one day see…
forever with the One who lifted me from the pit,
taught me about love that was heaven sent, completely free
offering me grace that saved me from me!
She’s rolled up with patience
dedication and faith in the Lord;
her strictness punctuated a shared vision
that focused on learning acquisition.
Her punctuality, precision, and determination
to teach her pupils with discipline and right focusing;
as a rule of thumb she always obeyed
made the essence of what music means to all.
Rain or shine she’s there in her cubicle
waiting for her pupils scheduled to take their lessons;
those Hanon exercises, arpeggios, and other finger articulations
would lead off in concentration or warm-up in every lesson.
Perhaps she’s a scarecrow to some who hadn’t known her;
but she’d a listening heart described as a story line;
with depth and assurance that no one is denied,
along with other slow learners who coped with perseverance.
Truly, her endless word to slow down in every measure,
her technique that entailed so much discipline and correction
through memory lane I still remember a constant repetition;
her affinity for perfection that requires discipline and proportion.
She’s a teacher keenly aware of her pupils’ emotions,
her generosity explained either in time or learning a score;
as a sign and meaning to pedagogical association
with thriving efforts to play the music with technique and precision.
She’s held in the affectionate memory of her pupils,
their collective thoughts about her fittingly honored her
a woman like her with a horizon of meaning to everyone
a true Filipino educator with a glowing torch in her soul
and her music sustained my vocation to go on.
Its magical link to depth and soul of human expression,
its beauty and inspiration that kept me to deepen my own calling;
to make piano sing in the balance of emotion, technique and celebration
a way to experience Him with wonders and beauty – limitless world.
Maraming salamat , Maestra Marina M Diokno!
I really missed you; I really treasured whatever you taught me;
your strong affinity for virtuousity, allegato and sostenuto,
indeed, a memory lane suffused with gratitude and threads of appreciation.
PATIENCE ENDURES!
The world and the people and the individuals that come together to populate universal thinking.
Society-at-large development is seen.
How come then everything seems to be slowing down extremely?
What is patience?
The entity and the government and the bureaucrats that make economy to provide industry and growth.
Topical to socialism.
Therefore, the theme becomes exploitation.
What is a virtue?
Capitalizing upon what is known.
Establishing a mundane focus to define new norms manifests those of God.
Seriatim to generations to come.
Thus, a frustrated point and transgression is always a rule of thumb.
Patience tantamount.
Perception inculcates the thoughts while
Asinine perpetrates conflicting insight
That is unfulfilling to what is right.
Is justice true to life formed…
Either to what is right or what is wrong? Does
Nondiscriminatory discriminates intelligence decorum
Cause virtuousness statue law which is
Efficacious to the frustrated point?
Why patience?
_____________________________________________________________________|
Written May 30, 2016!
When in swanky restaurants, 'tis easy to daintily dine on cordon bleu,
But dining on lobster requires deft finesse without humiliating you!
For what its worth, I offer the following that I've learned o'er the years,
To show snobbish waiters you're really not all that wet behind the ears!
First of all, a wizened waiter will provide a bib if he's really on the job.
(Somehow, they perceive right away that you are a rather artless slob!)
When cracking open each morsel, some violent squirting may occur!
Should juice spritz the guy at the next table simply say, "Sorry sir"!
The hapless lobster is dissected in certain order to make the meal complete.
First, remove the claws, crack the shell with a claw cracker and remove the meat.
For this a fork is provided, then discard the shells in a bowl being discreet!
Next, twist the tail from the body and break off the flippers - those you musn't eat!
And now for the piece de resistance, that long anticipated holy grail,
(That you paid fifty-five bucks for!) - that scrumptious lobster's tail!
Insert a lobster fork into the flesh and gently ease it out of the shell.
(Sucking meat from the legs is optional - on that matter I will not dwell!)
A female lobster might contain a bit of roe considered a delicacy by some.
(If that is your fancy, quietly asking about the lobster's sex is the rule of thumb!)
Plunge lobster pieces in butter taking care not to let it run down your arm!
(Leaving a sizeable tip for the disaster you've created wouldn't do any harm!)
Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired
© All Rights Reserved
Based on BBC news article "Maths zeroes in on perfect cup of coffee"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-37989169
Two billion cups a day we drink
To stay awake so we can think
Tireless workers - every nation
Need a caffeine drink equation
Lattes, mochas, cappuccinos
Our calculator super heroes
Measured, reasoned, wrote a theorem
Clockwork system - mighty fearsome
No longer need barista instinct
Random variations extinct
Future bistros turn bizarre
Robots running coffee bars
Divide the beans and add hot water
Multiplies the bean aroma
Takes away the taste chaotic
Get this right - it's sums and logic
China cups the theory goes
Helps the smell go up you nose
Cardboard mug with plastic roof
Not as good, but where's the proof?
Coffee can't be served alone
You don't need maths - it's just well known
Donut, muffin you could try
Bagel, biscuit, slice of pi
But their reason's most disjoint
Like whole numbers - has no point
You just need a rule of thumb
QED for us dumb-dumbs
Stereotypes
Black people all have rhythm and are good at basketball
Not a single blond in the world has any brains at all
Englishmen have bad teeth and Mexicans are lazy
And if you think the Dutch aren’t cheap, certainly you’re crazy
All Chinese are bad drivers, and hairdressers are gay
Consensus is that Irishmen get plastered every day
Construction workers are all fat from eating too much dinner
Korean people eat doggy meat trying to get thinner
All athletes have large muscles in between their ears
Italians run the Mafia; at least it so appears
Jews don’t pay retail and they all have giant noses
All teenagers are rebels, everyone supposes
All the French are rude, and Poles aren’t very bright
And Hawaiians hit their surfboards long into the night
Asians all have high IQ’s, and Germans are efficient
Nowhere is there a doctor whose judgment is deficient
All Arabs support terror, and Latins make great lovers
All Navahos snort firewater underneath their covers
Every single homeless person’s on welfare ‘cause he’s needy
And try to find a politician who isn’t mean and greedy
All people who are fat have a tendency to be jolly
And women are bad drivers; you can count on it by golly
Lawyers are out to cheat you, as a rule of thumb
But most of all, don’t you think that stereotypes are dumb
My mountain man was born in June.
He could do everything, even lasso the moon.
No problem was too big for him to undertake,
Even if it was a fixture that he had to make.
He was like Paul Bunyan, chopping trees and cutting wood,
To keep his little house as warm as he could.
In business he was about as hard a worker as they come.
To be astute and shrewd was his rule of thumb.
He and his wife owned a business and did all right.
Lots of good things were bought to their delight.
But the most important thing that had the highest cost,
Was the love they had for each other they somehow lost.
Now the two people that loved each other for years,
Cannot be in the same room without valid fears.
What happened to their love that began years ago?
Greed crept in, and they did not even know.
They should have been retiring together, holding hands on the beach.
Instead they are going separate ways, and thinking of the breach.
Money is not everything, there is only so much life you live.
Value the love you have, and in your heart forgive.
I am what I am, not what you'd like me to be. I see, do, & believe in all that I believe, do, or see. I'm not on this earth to impress you. I'm a Chicagoan but no I will not finesse you. I leave distress clues for fools; clue's that blue wouldn't even be able to get through. My rule of thumb: NEVER BE DUMB, KNOW HOW MUCH YOU'VE RUN, AND ALWAYS COUNT UP THE SUM! Just because people see me living in a city full of Sun, by no means does that mean my life is full of fun. Sometimes I move like the beat of a drum, erratically; but fantastically I'm FREE! No, I don't live in a tree and no I'm not a bee; I won't sting. But as I continue to write it feels like I sing. I'm so focused and this ain't no joke. Where's the remote so I can change the channel! I'm tired of watching mammals act like animals. Seeing them destroy things like they own things! This is it, I've had my fit; my fair share of all this foolishness. No! I won't be who you want me to be, I'm blind; I can't see what you want me to see, it's my mind; I'll believe what I wish to believe. At the end of my time, I'll still be who I am, not who you thought I should be!
The death penalty.
What a laugh
And their pulling on strings
To keep this going
As their money bags swing
Lifelessly
From left to right.
How dare they take an old mans
Walking stick.
How dare they beat their wives,
Breaking the rule of thumb.
What catastrophe could place
This sodden child in their
Arms tonight.
She withers with fright
And is ever watchful of
The innkeeper
Who is paying his debt
To society with offhand eyes.
It is not the pangs of living
That silences her pleading.
Nor is it the throttler
With his sweaty palms so bleak.
It's not the putrid taste of
Tomorrows casualties
Or the attempts to stop the bleeding.
It is the innkeeper
Who is regarded as the man who
Sells perjury by the mouthfuls.
The innkeeper
With his iron stomach and
Scruples drunk
On sloth and negligence.
This wear and tear child
Can spot his hands through
The arched back of her manipulator.
His knuckles are white.
His knuckles are screaming
And singing the song of lechery
While he's avoiding whimpers
Of an exploited adolescent.
Avoiding interrogation.