Best Scampered Poems
Rodents can be loquacious
That includes your average gerbil
They love to prattle, chat and blather
They really are quite verbal
Hamsters are talkative too
Just as garrulous as can be
With running mouth and wheel to match
They are a sight to see
But I am loath to squander words
Sparing usage is my way
I gather them like so many acorns
Against a rainy day
Yes, word collecting is the passion
Of this precocious squirrel
I garner adjectives, verbs and nouns
Be they singular or plural
The park is fecund land
There a plethora may be found
Vociferous, vehement and vex
I lately scooped up off the ground
The verb tree is prolific
Its discovery quite a boon
The other day it bestowed upon me
Flaunt, foster and festoon
All along the sidewalks
Concrete nouns lie strewn about
How blithely I did snatch up
A lummox, a laggard and a lout
To command a better view
I nimbly scampered up a pole
From this lofty perch I spotted
Wheedle, coax and cajole
Away in the distance
I spied a tempting pile
Heaped up for the taking were
Enticing, alluring and beguile
What do I with so much verbiage?
You would be fair to ask
Squirreling away so vast a lexicon
Must prove a mammoth task
The answer lies in my arboreal abode
Where these many words I stash
In alphabetical order they are arrayed
From zealous to abash
In a capricious mood one day
I grouped them by part of speech
Such a cacophony arose from clustering
Banter, badger and beseech
No matter how I sort them
The wasting of words I spurn
Reserved for rarest use I keep
Reticent, laconic and taciturn!
_________________________________
by Brian McClain - Feb 17, 2016
Originally posted Feb 17, 2016
Accidentally deleted Feb 22, 2016
Reposted Feb 22, 2016
Humpty Dumpty always sat on that wall
Except for the one time he had a great fall
So always but once that anyone can recall
Which is why today is a big deal after all
Since Little Bo Peep had lost her sheep
She wanted to ask Humpty to take a peek
If he could see where she should seek
She could round them up within the week
He wasn't on the wall, she rang Missing Alert
It sent shockwaves far and wide and overt
The Three Blind Mice scampered in the dirt
Three Little Pigs squealed like they were hurt
Next thing you know, Little Miss Muffet,
Told Tom Thumb to find Humpty or 'ef it'!
Three Little Kittens told Jack Spratt to "Stuff it!"
Itty Bitty Spider crawled the wall and jumped it
The Old Lady Who Lived In the Shoe
Panicked about what to do
Earlier she and Humpty had a rendezvous
He fell asleep and now had no clue
Most all those in Mother Goose Town
Heard Humpty was missing, wasn't around
Everyone was afraid he fell down
All were searching, wanting him found
Jack In the Beanstalk knew of the tryst
He told the Old Lady they would fix this
They covered up Humpty, he didn't resist
Henny Penny yelled, "Sky falling!" and insists
Hey Diddle Diddle got the cow to jump
And dropped Humpty on the wall on his rump
Starlight First Star said he looked like a lump
Even The Owl And Pussycat were stumped
The rain, at last, has finally tiptoed in
I almost missed the laughter, but for leaves
that murmured quick surprise along the eaves
It caught my eye, with tapping on the glass
as I looked out to see a somber cast
bringing change to evening's sky
Then, having heard, I left my cozy place
and stepped outside to drink the fragrant air
And felt the slope of rain upon my face
I heard the dance of dripping leaves
against the fray of windswept trees
And watched the rope of silver coils
in casement light, as evening fell
Puddles in the nearby street
were playgrounds, dancing to a beat
Each slanted chain from heaven fell
with balmy incense, in the night
Then quickly over, like a dream
rain scampered east, without a glance
and without a chance to wipe its feet
Away it flew in fickle flight
So brief it came, to quickly cover
the leaves, the grass, and even me
with showers, sweet, before my sleep
But, left the scent, of sweetened clover
.........................................................
11/13/13
Contest: Rain
Sponsored by Eve Roper
I walked through falling confetti of colorful autumn leaves
I twirled and danced in the crisp air and warm sunshine
The gray clouds that hugged the distant mountain let go
The sky became clear blue all around, for miles I could see
The ground filled with the recent cold rain, quickly dried
As the breeze shook the other leaves still hanging on tightly
To the many branches that shined deep into the woods
Along the road the brook gurgled, chipmunk scampered,
In a world where I danced on my own
Heidi Sands
10/22/21
Up in Colorado, in the forests of Pikes Peak
A cranky critters conference was held just this week
It was led by a mouse, 3 legs, whiskerless & without tail
"Against a common foe!" He said "We must Unite! We must prevail!"
He hobbled out to the edge of the woods & pointed toward a house
In that house, I once lived a good life, a young & healthy mouse
Then one day the rancher's wife decided she'd had enough
I will say she is a worthy adversary, Mercy she was tough!
He looked around at all the critters, weasel, skunk & squirrel
& said "I hate to admit it but I was bested by a girl!"
Its true, I escaped alive but she got her trophies, too
For I left my tail, paws & whiskers stuck there in her glue
The squirrel spoke up in a streetwise Brando voice
I'll accept the challenge! For this mission, I am the best choice!
I know this lady well, having enjoyed seeds & nuts out on her deck
I am not afraid of her & will show her we deserve respect
So the squirrel plotted & waited until the time was right
He saw his chance & took it while in the birds she took delight
He scampered up a pine tree & scurried out on to a branch
While she was distracted with a phone call & a pretty bird, he seized his chance
He took a flying leap, landing square on her blond head
Taking great delight in her squeals of surprise & dread
He then let loose with a torrent of the defecation sort
"That's for all the dead & walking wounded!" was his parting retort
The moral of this story, for one there must be
Is be mindful of avenging squirrels when you sit beneath a tree
Just the other day
So out of the blue
My granddaughter says
I have a secret to tell you
With a pensive look
She blurted out
I have evil inside of me
Said with a factual pout
Why do you think that
I question gently
It's transferred from my doll
She said intently
Your brain can make you think
Many things that are not true
Show me your doll
I will examine her for you
I said, you are not evil
Your imagination is very strong
I should not have told you grandma
I'm right and you are wrong
With a little huff
She scampered away
Left me with a smile
And some dismay
November 19, 2019
For Contest ~ 2 to 12
Sponsor ~ Beth Evans
I walked past headstones old and crumbling and others newer,
past decaying flowers and planted flowers and fake flowers:
while hidden birds sang me a symphony and squirrels scampered,
and then, I was standing at the family grave reading the names,
Mom had just died, dad, my sister and grandma were gone too;
just names engraved in cold stone for eternity, I stood weeping.
My secret inner voice was chattering, murmuring, whispering,
crying you need to go to the cemetery office, there is something:
there it told me, something you need to know, I was so confused,
leaving the rose bouquet I had brought, I retraced my steps,
at the office I gave my name and the plot number and said;
I would like the names of all buried there (where did that come from.)
Waiting as the lady checked, my subconcious was talking,
done with her search she told me the name of all I expected:
and then she said something I could not believe ... and the baby,
I heard myself ask, the date of death, and I thought I would faint ,
you see I gave birth as a teen on exactly that day years ago;
and had been told my baby boy had been adopted from the hospital.
I had to swallow my hurt and I asked her can I still engrave his name,
yes, she said, and we worked out the details and I paid for it;
we will call when done ... I left thinking why, why was I not told,
my mother never told me, even on her death bed she revealed nothing,
and what of my father, or my grandma, never a word did they say;
over the following days I talked with my concealed inner voice.
I wept tears and tried to imagine my baby boy in my arms again,
the same word echoing, repeating, why, why, why, why, why, why:
went back when the engraving was done, he had a name, he existed,
not some dirty secret, buried ... I have learnt overtime to forgive them;
though will never understand, but I believe in God and he told me to.
Staring through the window pane as her reflection peered back
A reflection full of pain, with her own life now being so off track
And as she continued to peer and the sun had continued to rise
Her fearful reflection became clear right before her very own eyes
The birds still flew about and the squirrels scampered around
All alone in fighting this bout for no one else could be found
Then a slight breeze blew as a few leaves went fluttering past
So with little else to do she decided to make the moment last
But as she went to turn she heard a little tapping sound
Looking back to discern, she was shocked in what she found
There staring her in the face a praying mantis on the other side
Praying right there in place as if he had nothing at all to hide
She moved a little left and then right but he just kept on praying
Even moving out of sight but no attention was he even paying
Despite all the danger around even a fear that he could die
Serenity he had found perhaps praying is what she should try.
At this very moment coolies screamed, ‘train',
We scampered, packing up our bags and bales;
A long-awaited train’s at times a bane,
But this one turned a boon, such were the tales.
An English gentleman hailed our hero
From his carriage, and we parted to go
Our diverse ways—to our cattle-class seats.
There was no chance to know who that man was,
Nor could more light upon his tale be lit;
Indeed, never-ending may prove some pause.
Some truths, some lies of life lie ever so;
Maybe, he took us as credulous fools.
A painful nerve, if anxious, seldom cools,
Some truths and lies forever curious grow.
Perchance the man minted fun at our cost,
And damsels in distress lay buried, lost.
_____________________________________________
Narrative |01.04.2024|
Note: A poetic translation of Rabindranath Tagore’s story in Bengali: Kshudhaarto Paashaana, divided in I to XIV parts, largely in blank verse that lapses into rhymes along with its twists and turns. The story is known to have happened during Tagore’s stay at Shaahibaug palace in Ahmadabad, the nearby river Sabarmati becoming river Suista in the story.
A mouse tore across her toes
then, a scream from her, or it
as it scampered up her hose;
did the boy do what was fit?
She coyly looked into his deep, dark eyes
he, glancing at her slightly parted thighs
soft said, " Ma’am, can I be of any aid?”
“It is but a mouse; do not be afraid.”
“It is a rat that I most fear,” she said
“with eyes so dark that see through me,
attack me in my bed,
sir, is that thee”?
“Yes”!
The lizard
Swift and Rugged
Slithered and scampered
Scaly
Reptile
Hovering in the new city one night,
I found a box on the ground.
The box so bright,
no one even noticed underground.
As I was waiting on a pew,
children rushed in
On a train they scampered
and ducked in.
I didn't get the last ride on my way
So I just kept my card for the subway.
The next day I saw a box anew
Nobody picked it up again, that's what I knew.
On the third day, I saw a different box and took it
Laid it down where I stored the first two boxes
I previously got.
One policeman approached me and asked,
"Have you seen a strange box these days?"
I replied, "What kind of box?"
The policeman said, "Three small boxes are missing
from the subway store and they contain valuable
items. There's a reward for the finder."
I said, "I am the finder, but not the keeper. I know
where the boxes are."
The policeman expressed his gratitude,
"Then, you're the keeper!""
I said, "No, just the finder. You need not ask again.
You are standing on them right now..."
The policeman stepped aside from a terminal vent,
opened it and found the three missing boxes.
The store insisted on rewarding me.
I just said, "I am already rewarded without being
awarded."
God will take care of me all the time!
(Prosebite)
sammy scampered up a tree
to see what she might see
so far she boosted
an old owl roosted
on sams precarious knee.
Our fortified camp is well out of range of arrow, or gun shot, except the rear flank,
of course the Shoshone are reputed to be deficient in firearms
but are expert in hand weapons and guerilla tactics,
its a gamble, but we must seek to establish identity and intent
I'm taking a recon group of twelve into the valley
we're spread out to mitigate the impact of ambush
remaining close to the brush and treelines
the interior of the mountains look like the inside of deep candle wells
and we are the flame that attracts attention,
I see three people by a popping creek,
its a girl child, a teenage girl and an old woman with baskets picking grapes,
for an instant I think of the mythological Fates, have we been plucked and cut,
signaling for Drouillard, I procure a mirror, a comb and other small trinkets
to offer as gifts, and I'm rolling up my deerskin sleeve to show I am a White Man,
tactfully I step out of the snowberry thickets unarmed
pleading repeatedly the Shoshone phrase I've learnt from Sacagawea,
" Ta ba bone...Ta ba bone...Ta ba bone..."
the child has immediately wrapped herself around the old woman's leg
the teen has scampered like a doe in silent terror
looking back at me with eyes of screaming innocence, mouth crying open,
the woman is standing frozen with a face of defense
and from her beaded belt unsheathes a carbonized dagger,
Drouillard comes out gently doing his best with the speech and sign language
as I go on one knee showing the gifts, thank Deity they calm, smile, and accept,
we have convinced them to lead us to the village
the woman has persuaded the teen, named Maraseca to rejoin and receive the mirror,
J.A.B.
They were nearing LaGuardia Airport when the pilot felt a sudden urge.
He told the copilot to grab the yoke saying his bladder he must purge!
He left the cockpit and wended his way to the lavatory in the rear.
Thus, a series of events unfolded, some of which remain quite unclear!
Things 'flowed' along nicely until the pilot attempted to exit the john!
Alas, the door was jammed and he mused, "Is someone putting me on?"
When he tried to escape from his predicament he discovered a catch;
He was alarmed to find that the doggone door had a defective latch!
In the cockpit the copilot was growing very uneasy about their plight.
The tower called to say they were 50 miles out and were cleared to alight!
To add to his consternation, some jerk was pounding on the cockpit door,
Yelling with a foreign accent - a serious situation he dare not ignore!
The tower operator, just to be certain there would be no later regrets,
Wisely called the Air Force and they alerted a squadron of their jets!
The copilot proffered a prayer saying, "Lord, have mercy on us please!
Help, Lord! Landing this bird alone will test my fortitude and expertise!"
In the meantime good Samaritans helped the pilot to escape his cell!
He scampered to the cockpit to take charge and all turned out well!
This mortifying escapade will be long remembered in airline lore,
About the pilot whose wings were clipped by a faulty lavatory door!
Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired
© All Rights Reserved
(Based on an actual incident that occured on a flight from Asheville, NC
to LaGuardia Airport, 16 Nov 2011. Written with just a tad of embel-
lishment!)