Best Slipper Poems
Oh, flower in this crannied wall,
how did your roots prevail and sprawl
from seed that landed in a crack-
so shallow, small, in woods set back
from warm sun rays, to grow in shade
with vines about you- old and frayed?
Your blossom glows a vibrant red;
you stand out bright among the dread
of tangled sprays and dried-out brush.
Your velvet petals boldly blush
just like a ruby- precious stone-
shines on a tarnished ring, alone.
My Cinderella, come with me-
this fine glass jar- your slipper be;
a perfect fit, it shields your foot
of roots now clean of forest soot.
Soon, fertile soil you'll thrive upon-
a princess rose on my green lawn,
beside a prince who grew so tall-
and too was rescued, roots and all.
---------------------------------
February 5, 2023
2022 Poetry Marathon Qualifiers' FINAL Placement Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Mark Toney
THE SLIPPER FITS CINDERELLA
I could have danced all night,
I fell in love that night,
I felt it i was so right,
You held me just so tight,
I could have danced all night,
And could have begged for more,
How did I know that night,
My life would change as
Never before,
What magic was in store?
My heart took flight,
Alone with you that night,
So young and stupid,
Should have declared that night,
We fell in love that night,
We could have spread
Our wings,
We felt like queens and kings
The world was at our feet,
It was sheer fate to meet,
And then you held me tight,
We fell in love that night
We should have taken flight
And should have danced and
Danced some more.
And now in three days
From now, We celebrate 19 years,
It should be thirty nine,
I say it, in free verse
And some in rhyme,
It was sheer fate to meet,
You swept me off my feet,
That unforgettable night,
You whispered in my ear,
For no-one else to hear,
Whilst you held me tight,
I Love you,
Don’t disappear tonight,
I want to dance and dance ,
With you, all night!
Some lyrics and words taken from
Song, sung by Julie Andrews in the Original Broadway
Production of My Fair Lady in1956
Twilight downs the sun as dreams appear on the screen of sleep
Slips into the subconscious realm and trips a few fuses in slumber
Adapts and clears clutter and narrates and alters the story in kind
Strips and clips a mind full of sentience like an ad-blocking app
When dreams slip into a magical edition it proofreads my soul
In magic Morpheus tenders to soft renditions and rehearses
A new dawn for sanity’s sake and rearranges bedlam in silence
Ties new meaning to fake news and spins alignments afresh
Compounds and rearranges while the curtain slowly descends
A dress rehearsal in night gown patiently waits for the curtain
A sacred orange globe dances with ripples dissected by clouds
Ultramarine parades on the fading horizon of tangerine canvas
As the gatekeeper confers with clairvoyants and hobbling goblins
The mermaids charter the voyage with sea gulls and dolphin as they
Tie holy knots onto the tapestry of fabrication and spirited truths
Sometimes my aspirations and recollections call for clean slates
When charcoal rules anthracite waves draped in sombre veils
Or polychrome splashes beg to hold on to the palette forever
Sleep brushes over karma and vagaries and tames with a stroke
Of restful fortune in infinite renditions of what the future might hold
A life line appears on the horizon anchoring a courageous flare
Regardless of whether my journey explores a secret underworld
Or ships critique onto the blatantly obvious faults in the vessel
Poseidon pumps up the raft as tears and regrets rock the boat
Blows caution to the wind and advises to hold on for dear life
Neptune challenges his counterpart and weighs for good measure
Yet Atlantis refuses to sink and Nirvana sweeps the ocean’s floor
Phoenix gathers soaked ashes while jetsam jumps into the current
When the night parades its blessing the sun resets a new dawn
The moon watches over assorted memories baggage and hope
19th April 2020
Winters in Kansas have deep snow
One Christmas my "Bro" and I got
A present given to us both
Which then it seemed happened a lot!
It was an orange plastic sled
But we thought about a cool stunt
Using cardboard and some stiff wire
We made a cover for the front
It looked like an orange slipper
But for action we had a thirst
With a coin toss my "Bro" took off
We thought why not go down head first!
Half way down he lost his control
It flipped, rolled and gave us a scare
Then finally spun to a stop
With snow sticking out everywhere!
Standing up he shook off the snow
He said struggling not to cry,
"It was like being in a car wreck!"
I said, "Cool, now I'm going to try!"
"The Glass Slipper"
I was waiting for a glass slipper
For my prince in shining armor
to take me away from my sorrow
into my happily ever after.
I sat around wishing on stars;
Kissing frogs wherever I went;
Dropping coins in wishing wells;
Waiting for true love's kiss.
It was only after he never came
that I realized what it all meant.
Magic is not naturally present,
but created through love for another
I did not encounter magic until I looked in my daughter's eyes;
Did not get my fairy-tale until I worked toward a better life.
I learned happily ever after does not exist,
not in the way we imagine.
It does not mean princes balls, and perfect hair,
but the feeling of fulfillment that follows
a life well spent caring for others
and pursing the dreams we had hoped to achieve
So don't be like me.
Do not wait for your prince to come for you.
Create your own happy ending
and I promise it will come true.
Cinderella had a shoe made of glass
Gave an opportunity too good to pass
The prince she wed
Mean sisters fled
Went from poverty straight to upper class
The lady slipper
Flowering pink in shadows
Rare beauty of love
Rising above the darkness
Perfect fit worn by the heart
Heidi Sands
7/1/17
Cinderella lost her slipper
while she ran away from the ball
tripped on a step, had nasty fall,
her wicked step-sister hit her
and got laughed at by the other,
but, Cinders, did not care at all
found the slipper, it hit the wall
angered feelings started to stir.
Smacked the sisters upside their heads
laughed loudly, as she laid in bed.
Copyright Cynthia Jones
June.17/2007
The Canzone, isn't supposed to have a couplet at the end. I got the idea from Thomas Wyatt. He took a sonnet and added a Petrarch couplet at the end of his writes. I don't know how many, but I thought, it was a great idea. So..... I tried one of my own. Cool. Eh? :oP
Million and one things better than applause..
okay to go through life ne'er seeking praise.
Though rain tree unwatered, grows half as tall,
an unloved heart wilts in overbear'n shade.
Your so called friends left such beauty undone.
chide more than console you 'can't win 'em all'
Well, perhaps not your day courageous one,
they meant to maim, not name belle of the ball.
Love's heart-shaped slipper, torch carried for you..
finest soul yours, only fit worth trying.
Turn away from bright stars, riven'd in two..
my eyes were ne'er any good at lying.
Can you hear it pretty belle of the ball?
a heart's applause, best won prize of them all.
In a society where mood elevators thrive
Of Lady’s Slipper’s value we should not be deprived
Now as rare as the Native American culture
That found the medicinal plant promotes composure
Its moccasin shape made it even more attractive
To peaceful tribes who disdained the hyperactive
For just like stepping into a pair of comfy shoes
A Lady’s Slipper’s herbs can eradicate your blues
A treat for the eyes awaits in the early spring shade
Soft golden texture like skin on an Indian maid
Artificial Intelligence that is what they call it
colloquial words scattered telepathically
without number system
They met me at four thirty am
outside
with the sound of an ancient helicopter
soaking me with sensory stimuli;
Elemental infrastructure meets futurism
with resounding harmony;
Standing only two feet in proximity
with auditory perception,
I experienced their message loud and clear
we are here to protect you "Soul Slipper"
we do not wish you any harm but to heal you;
I awoke feeling safe, wholesomely healed.
August 28, 2020
Midnight came and went as perilous as a wolf howling at the moon.
—by poet
Tease of time, palpitating pearls,
she’s flirting with the bluest eyes,
framed in heaven’s clouds. Girlish curls
capture a sigh and peer clockwise.
With princess charm, she winked, half-turned
to run, ascend the starry night.
One glass slipper in moonshine; spurned
like a pauper in class-ignite.
Will the foolish prince sip from the glass?
How could it be!? I was sinking deep in sin, choosing a life that was never made for me.
I grew up in a Christian family, in a household filled with morals, values and we lived happily.
Many of you know bits and pieces of my story. I want you to know that my soul slipping behaviours brought me no glory.
It all started when I was neglected and abandoned by the one I loved the most.
I couldn’t understand why and I still don’t know, but it is no fun when your best friend becomes a ghost.
Consequently, I grew cold, bitter, devastated, and torn with each passing day. I was hurt to the core and I could feel my soul slowly slip away.
When I tried to make sense of what was happening then, I thought to myself, “I’ll quit being the good guy. Let me get even!”
After a while I was determined to ‘live it up “not knowing that I was only hurting myself. My life started to spiral out of control and it seemed like there was no defense.
Why did I search for love in all of the wrong places? Why did I break the hearts of innocent faces!?
I thought all men were evil because I thought I didn’t deserve what had happened to me. I cried many nights, threw many pity parties.
I am happy I survived in this period of time because I would have died and not see my Saviour divine.
But I thank God for praying parents who gave me a good Godly heritage. My slippery soul reflected on each and every positive message that I have heard throughout the years. I could no longer act as though I didn’t care.
A caring network of friends offered valuable support. I was not alone. I pledged to share my story as a praise report!
I became determined, this time, to stay grounded in my faith. I bumped up my prayer life and saturated my life with the Word of God; I had to rid myself of hate.
I recommitted my life to Jesus Christ who cleansed and made me whole.
Sometimes God allows the heart to break in order to heal the soul.
I never doubted that He would help me to let go of all the hurt and pain. More importantly, I learned to forgive myself and the offender because there was more to gain.
I am who I am because of what I’ve been through. He delivered this soul slipper and He can do the same for you!
In the black and white days of the 1950’s schools made youngsters learn and learn well or else,
Uniforms were as important with short trousers and knee length grey socks with elastic garters,
Garters would get so tight they left impressions on legs that took ages to stop legs itching,
We sat on wooden desks with ink wells in the corner, wooden pens with removable inky wet nibs.
Every single day my hands would be covered in ink no matter how hard you scrubbed it stayed,
We began our ten year education reading Janet and John books, and others not allowed today,
Girls wore grey pinafore dresses and blue knickers, we knew as they always played hand stand,
Playgrounds, black tar with chalked hopscotch grids and in the grass puttyholes for marbles.
In the London schools there was sometimes thick smog a thick fog mixed with smelly pollution,
Each morning before we left to go to school we were given a huge spoonful of malt with cod oil,
Disgusting, a big spoon shoved in my mouth, gagging as it was wiggled about bashing my teeth,
Discipline was tight the cane was used often, lesser offences a beating from the big slipper.
Never knew why it was called the slipper because it wasn’t a slipper it was a shoe and it hurt,
In class and I was fiddling with something and not paying attention I got a rap on my knuckles,
When not expecting it, out of the blue a whack was a painful experience and the class giggled,
The edge of a wooden ruler covered in ink made the back of your hand go red with a white line.
Then it was the dreaded times tables a teacher would randomly spit out a question and stare,
What’s 7 x 9 boy? The pressure of the stare and the stick patting his palm made me forget,
Stand in the corner boy, I will deal with you later, so for the rest of the lesson I worried,
Hands up on my head, my arms heavy aching, waiting for a portion of punishment what would it be.
~`T was in Disney land, Walt Disney’s grand,
Cinderella, rags to riches, met her charming prince.
She did not lose her shoe, but she threw,
there out of the blue, to divine prince her shoe.
~What is apples to oranges, her ugly sisters knew,
though what could they do, they knew she threw her shoe?
Cinderella had a hand, was her plan there in Disney land,
for all hopes get complete, by faith in virtue sweet.
All odds were beat, of this rags to riches story so sweet,
Ugliness is never bliss, will never learn from true love’s kiss.
`Tis where Linda Marie, a child at heart, first got her start,
in this Cinderella part, and the trust we see, in her poetry!
She is no slouch nor drippier, of worship you will never strip her,
Cinderella met this fellow, from thence you will never quell her.
Take a note, never gloat, drop you slipper, do not slouch as drippier.
This be how “Sweetheart of Poetry Soup” remains so chipper!
You will never flip her, she knows how to drop proverbial slipper,
All ugly sisters, slouch of drippiers, have not famous slippers.
A beauty of teaching apparent, in Walt’s fairy land of fate.
Love’s affections, Cinderella’s gait, by it Linda found a soul mate.
For and in honor of Linda Marie
And contest: Disney
By John Moses Freeman