Best Shake A Leg Poems
~ The night's alive and a-shiver ~
The moon's a sliver
a hammock without strings
a pale banana with wings
The night's alive and a-shiver
Just you and me on a musical spree
hitting the clubs, dancing up a storm
sleek in our costumes, displaying fine form
Doing the splits cross the floor, spread-kneed
The hour grows late, but what do we care
feeling boundless energy nearly exploding
at midnight we drink a toast to re-loading
Ahead of us lay new and brave dares
Tick-tock, one o'clock; it is already two
Our hearts are still young, but our feat feel weary
We retreat to a corner, vision somewhat bleary
So we sing Auld Lang Syne and down a few...
Brrrrrriiiing goes the alarm. 6 am. Can it be?
Time to shake a leg, get out ahead of the day
The music and dancing yet whirling in our heads
We turn off the blinking alarm, and go back to bed
Apple Tree
I do not know why, but for the longest time, it has been assumed that I was in the Garden of Eden. I’ve been seen in gardens, orchards, and the yards of many people, but there is no proof that I was ever in Eden. But let’s just assume that I was indeed the tree realistically known as the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
For heaven’s sake, let’s just assume that I was an innocent bystander, absorbing nutrients from the garden and producing juicy apples. Yes, I was climbed upon by the devil, picked from by the woman, and eaten from by both Adam and Eve. And can anyone imagine how disrespected I felt and taken for granted? Remember, neither the devil nor Eve consulted me about apples from me.
I grew and produced the apple that caused God to be displeased, and forced him to drive them from the garden. Moreover, at least two bites of an apple from my limbs changed the course of history for both nature and all of mankind. I must say that I am not proud of any of this. But you must remember, there was plenty of blame to go around, but when the punishment was handed down, I was not included.
And remember, I have the knowledge and remember very well, because I was there and witnessed literally everything. I even heard the devil lying to Eve, and if I could talk, I would have rebuked the devil, and advised Eve to slowly walk away. I didn’t know where Adam was, but the least I could have done was to call out to him saying, “Beware the devil on my limb!”.
I tell you, I was so sad when I heard God’s voice telling Adam and Eve about their future lives, their limitations and restrictions. Adam was to work hard enough to sweat; and Eve would always have pain when she would give birth to their children.
It was painful for me to listen to, and enough to make even a tough apple tree like myself break down and weep. But the best part was when I heard God tell the devil about his punishment. That’s when I began to rejoice. Wow! I could not shake a leg, but I shook every limb and all the bark on my body.
08262015 Curtis Johnson; Contest, Trashed #4, Sponsor, Broken Wings
Under the stern, watchful superintendence
Of whispering palms on the white sand coast
Where a thousand strong bow to the breeze
And thousands more swing to the beat
Giriama dancers caress their kayambas
With bared breasts teasing the gathering
With bared chests beating the drums
Enhanced buttocks mesmerizing the palms
And semi-nude tourists wondering aloud
How this state of undress survived it all.
The waters of the ocean had receded
To eat grass, those in the know said
And would return in an hour or two
The sun had climbed above our heads
Fiercely defending its lofty position
As the coast dancers in seeming ease
Perhaps unafraid of the damning rays
Defied the heat in typical fashion
And dared the eager, curious visitors
To shake a leg, or break it trying!
Happy belated birthday Meg
This is your time to shake a leg
Hope you celebrated your way
Go ahead and have a great day
May your territory increase
And in you God’s blessings release
Holy Spirit hands on you lay
Go ahead and have a great day
From you evil spirits depart
They will not cause grief to your heart
This is your time for fun and play
Go ahead and have a great day!
Happy belated birthday Meg
Go ahead and have a great day
© Joseph, 4/19/08
© All Rights Reserved
Comments: For my poet friend Margaret Okubo on her birthday. The Kyrielle
Sonnet has 14 lines (three rhyming quatrain stanzas and a non-rhyming
couplet). It has a repeating line or phrase as a refrain in the last line of each
stanza. Each line within the sonnet has eight syllables. The French use the first
and last line of the first quatrain as the ending couplet. This reinforces the refrain
within the poem. The rhyming scheme for a Kyrielle Sonnet normally is: AabB,
ccbB, ddbB, AB -or- AbaB, cbcB, dbdB, AB.
Gulped in the morning or sipped at night,
For a host of debilities the doc says they’re right.
From consomme to Bovril and the dark marmite,
Even in your twilight years make you feel like a sprite.
Is it their viscosity that makes them the priority?
Or do they get us all pepped up and sometimes too naughty?
Drunk from a bowl or some broken cup;
Mother says they keep your spirits and your chin too up.
You can have them cold or real steaming hot,
Of the whole lot of liquids they’re a nourishing lot.
Thin or thick? If had in the nick,
Could save you from tiredness or falling too sick.
Ganished with macedoine, brunoise or the good old fried egg,
Make them your staple, you’ll sure shake a leg.
-Prince Freakasso
(Painter & Poet)
Well shut my mouth you honey bee,
y’all come round for gab an tea
At end of day, when all’s bout done,
lain in the hay we’ll have some fun
Gurt deep we’ll think and spin a pun,
shake a leg, you son of a gun
Well I’ll be damned to hell and back,
now you’ve got me on the rack
Your bright ideas, they come in shoals,
and drag me o’er the cruel hot coals
A slap in the belly with a cold white fish;
cross your fingers make a wish
Now you’ve got the cuffs on me, count
your blessings, one, two, three
Colloquially speaking, life can be cruel;
you won’t catch me, playing the fool.
Written for contest Colloquiallisms, 3/7/15
Up, up, up you go. Shake a leg. Out you go, lazybones
-- Aw, come on. Linger a bit longer. It's so comfy under the covers...
No! Don't listen to him! You've got places to go, people to meet. Get a move on!
-- Relax! What's the rush? When you're 97, what will five more minutes matter?
It matters now. And it'll matter then too! You've already scheduled some appointments. Your word is on the line here, you know...
-- Hey, don't panic! Anyone who won't grant you five more measly minutes
is no friend of yours!
You've really got a choice here: You can be your own boss, or you can be
forever henpecked
-- Yeah, yeah, yeah: Your enemies always trot out the same old tired canards
*******************
You're not hyper, naive, foolish or just plain 'chicken'
-- Don't ever let the devil's false, phony narrative kick in
WAKE up man
SHAKE a leg
MAKE a turn around
TAKE your place man
RAKE in all for what it's worth.
HOVERING on the BRINK
SEARCHING for a lost missing LINK
SLIDING on a slippery icy RINK
TIGHTENING a loosening KINK
NEEDING perhaps a total RE-THINK
GRIN now and bear all man's SIN
SPIN the line, minus kith and KIN
IN maybe white or black SKIN
WIN over, and empty the money BIN
DIN perplexed, creating THIN.
Lazy-bones, forsake your bed!
Shake off dull sloth, rise from the dead!
On the bridge of Avignon
there is dancing. Join the fun!
Ye gold-laden, ye who beg,
off to that bridge and shake a leg!
Young men dance with dash and vigour,
old men cut a less bold figure.
A priest and soldier back to back
flash their colours, red or black.
To the sprightly, to the lame
the piper's call is just the same.
Will you dance or will you nay,
all must dance, come end of day.
it started twenty-six years ago
in a twisted, cramped recast
bathroom
the sun's rays would perforate
from the right hand side
window
at first there were no
implements, neither a
zither
it was just shake a leg
shimmering by the bed
stuff
and not knowing if it
would be punctuated by
taxpayers
things began to change
minacious, more from the
heart
a clamorous insistence
discovered an obligatory
blowhole
and playing air guitar
in my room with an air mic
floating
pretending to be someone else
When I write you a letter, you had better reply!
All the time it eats up isn't easy to come by.
Do you think that I've got nothing better to do
Than to squander myself on a wastrel like you?
Why can't you get off of your fat derriere?
My urgency here leaves me no time to spare.
Your many excuses and the way you delay
Just fill me with ennui and a ton of dismay.
Hey, how many more times must I grovel and beg
You to find a good sitter and then shake a leg?
Get yourself to the bank and secure a big loan
Then transmit it to me so my mistress won't moan.
She has much on her mind since I landed in jail,
And I gotta get back, so I need to post bail.
Then we'll flee to Havana on an overnight barge
And I'll write you again once we start livin' large.
Before Duke shakes a leg, he sniffs around
Some doggies chase squirrels like Harry the hound
Sparky crying mutt
Says he’ll bust his gut
Begs for more pee-trees in the park playground
Thought spirals endless come and go
What’s it to do with us
We’re blissful in staid stillness slow
Why for would we make fuss
Save us, save us, we beg
Come now, be a good egg
To bliss beats, shake a leg
They scar blissfulness
Thought spirals endless
24-April-2022
Quietus
You should see us move to the beat
with Ciara in the driving seat.
She’s on the stage ready to rock
as on us older ladies she takes stock.
To join our club you have to be
over fifty years old you see.
Our local council’s ideology
To have us interacting socially.
The music is the magic key.
It’s from that time we were
Young and care free.
Be it country and western
or rock and roll we shake a leg
and have a ball.
Ciara’s enthusiasm has us enthralled.
Her playlists and encouraging calls.
She wants us too to sing out loud.
As we kick and step and twirl around.
If there are fitness facility awards
Ciara and Fitness LK deserves applause.
"Eeny, meany, miney, moe"
"We all fall down and go boom"
"Oops a daisy" and "Shake a leg"
And my favourite, "Silly baboon"
Heard 'em all a million times
Oh to go back to those days
Just to experience the fun again
The simple games we played
Not a solitary care in the world
We'd come in for lunch and dinner
Then off we'd go exploring again
After all, we were just beginners
Experiencing things every day
Like skipping rocks on the pond
The joys of the world around us
It was like waving a magic wand
Too bad we all have to grow up
Do serious adult like things
I'd much rather travel back in time
And jump and skip and sing
© Jack Ellison 2014