Best Smithsonian Poems
French trader Tavernier in a greed-inspired way
Glared at an idol of a temple in Mandalay
Prying a gem from its eye socket, a curse prevailed
Tavernier died bankrupt soon after making the sale
Louis XIV bought the stone, 1668
A gift to his mistress, Louis had it cut heart-shape
For dabbling in Black Magic, this madam was burned
A century passed with the curse’s power unlearned
The diamond was then bestowed on Marie Antoinette
For wearing it with boastful pride, Marie lost her head
She lost respect from the commoners of her nation
This gem has since been linked to the French Revolution
Cut far smaller, the gem resurfaced, 1830
When a London banker bought the rock of infamy
Henry Thomas Hope survived; the curse appeared to break
For 70 years the Hope Diamond’s wrath lay in state
A Hope heir’s marriage collapsed; his wife evoked the curse
As she foretold, subsequent owners’ fates would be worse
French broker Jacques Colot went mad, suicide his road
Sultan “Abdul the Damned,” insane after being deposed
Then to an American the Hope Diamond was sold
Washington Post owner Maclean watched horrors unfold
Other household members died, but it was Maclean’s son
Ten years old, struck by a car, his Dad’s mind came undone
Ultra-light ray tests caused the mystery diamond to glow
With safety in mind, Hope’s eerie stone found a new home
It remained locked on display in the Smithsonian
Could it be to blame for all that’s wrong in Washington?
Tragedy also tied to raiders of King Tut’s tomb
Perhaps lessons can be gleaned from those who met their doom
Robbing temples, burial sites, outcomes always bad
Greedy souls’ quests for wealth can leave them totally mad
So don’t expect me to purchase a diamond in the rough
Considering this gem’s history, a sandstone’s quite enough
It was never exactly pinpointed
for only the African Crowned Eagles knew of the twisting paths
to its misplaced place.
In that crystalline chamber, upon that gold dusted floor
were found much thumbed volumes of all Nietzsche’s
works,
a penguin in a glass bell,
a twig cut from the tree of Life one million years from now'
A windblown leaf but only the wind that blew it.
a silver cuspidor, a ancient helmet made of Pittsburgh steel,
a Neolithic moonshine still,
a copy of the illustrated Karma Sutra,
several debunked words of wisdom from Aristotle,
an Olmec Letter Opener.
and a stuffed tufted rat.
The find has been carefully transported to the Smithsonian
where neuroscientists are trying
to solder together all these missing links.
The NYT has declared these odd finds
to be ‘Russian disinformation,’
but ‘Bokonon’ the mythical poet-sage of the Republic
of Never-Never Land
has blessed each artifact and declared them
to be far too strange not to be absolutely true.
I've got this awesome idea
To write the greatest of poems
It'll start out nice and easy
Then with a BANG make some noise
It will be widely read
In every coffeehouse in town
Soon to catch on like a wildfire
Then #1 with a bullet nation bound
Writing so amazing
It'll astound everyone
Why it might even get hired killers
To turn in their guns
It'll make the strong want to weep
And the weak to stand strong
There will be waves of applause
This poem will have it all going on
They'll beg me to let them use it
In a Presidential speech
Afterwards they'll fly it straight to the conflict
Where it'll bring peace to the Middle East
Finally coming to rest at the Smithsonian
Taking up it's rightful place
They may have to move that old Shuttle
To give my poem plenty of space
But before any of this can happen
Before it rings true, buckaroo
I suppose I should think up something special
And jot down a line, maybe two...
Peridot
Of all the fine gems that I know, my favorite is Peridot.
My August birthstone pleases me, since color green and I agree.
Now, Peridot is lesser-known among most gemstones that are shown.
It once was called 'Gem Of The Sun', and Cleopatra's most loved one.
Egyptian scrolls say priests had cups, adorned with Peridot for sups;
that Peridot empowered them to speak with Gods thru this fine gem.
Ancient Hawaiian history, says stones are tears of dear Pele,
the Goddess of volcanoes, fire; her gift from earth they so admire.
Mysterious, some crystals of our Peridot, came from above,
in pallasite meteorites, a gift from space that sure delights.
Our Peridot is only seen in varied shades of color green.
Most other gemstones will be found in multi colors 'neath the ground.
Smithsonian Museum shows a famous Peridot which glows...
a forty-six plus karat stone from Pakistan, and is well-known.
Sandra M. Haight
~1st Place~
Contest: A Gem For Your Verse
Sponsor: Carolyn Devonshire
Judged: 10/26/2016
Form: Iambic Octameter
(16 syllables, 8 feet per line; 8th and 16th syllable rhyme in each line)
Notes:
Peridot is pronounced: PER-i-doh
Pallasites contain crystals of Olivine, which in its purest form
is known as the semi-precious gemstone Peridot.
The actress Farrah Fawcett
In the Smithsonian, her swimsuit they just tossed it
Her poster was the very last sight
I saw in my college dorm room every night
History of the Star Spangle Banner
Maybe idea of Major George Armistead
The glory of Americans who scan her
Of Mary Pickersgill she was begat
The creation of the original flag
Be still a subject highly debated
Mary Pickersgill was not one to brag
Old Glory she made, beauty wind inflated
Armistead first requested it to be
A large garrison flag for reason
So the British have no trouble to see
Good to see our flag has flown in season
Fifteen colonies equal fifteen stars
Having eight red stripes and seven white stripes
Red and white stripes run in parallel bars
She flows in glory apart from other types
Rumor has it two glories were first made
For a small and a large Mary did charge
A document exists a bill was paid
Though small one be lost or is still at large
The varied small Star Spangled Banner
Never made it home to the Smithsonian
Would be nice to see displayed in some manner
In national museum the large is on loan!
For Contest Dazzle us with History
For Carolyn Devonshire and James Frazer
The History of the Real Star Spangled Banner
The creation of the original flag is still a debated subject.
However, the general story accepted by most historians is that Mary
Pickersgill was commissioned to make the flag by Major George Armistead
for $405.90. Following the victory at Fort McHenry, the flag was preserved
by Col. Armistead and it remained in the Armistead family. A smaller one
which was flown during the actual battle, and a larger one that was
flown as a replacement immediately after the British retreat.
This was a common wartime practice of the period.While no one
can say for sure what really happened, documents exist that show that
Mary Pickersgill was paid for two separate flags, a small one and
a larger one. If the smaller flag exists, its whereabouts are unknown.
In 1907, George Armistead’s grandson, Eben Appleton, expressed
interest in donating the flag to the state of Maryland or to the city of
Baltimore. After discussions with Maryland’s governor and the Mayor of
Baltimore, Appleton eventually placed the flag on loan to Smithsonian Institution
and it was displayed in the Hall of History at the National Museum of American
History. The loan was converted to a gift in 1912 and can still be
seen at the National Museum in Washington, D.C.
Lanky’s Chronicles
We meet a long-limbed white boy that said his family was owners of slaves.
He was a leggy ole boy and bony angular in his physical ways.
Uncle Tom was from his past.
He described plantation life as [w]holistic.
We nicknamed him Lanky.
Lanky always got to the point.
He lives in Gross Point Park, Michigan.
He talks for hours non-stop.
He was wealthy.
He was well off.
Lanky was very sharp.
Now, one thing we have discovered about Lanky is that his family migrated
from the South, which really did not make since when he was white.
He said it was done during the surfacing of Industrial North.
They came to form a greater empire.
1930s is when this took place and today Lanky is an ole boy well to do in
Southgate.
Flip the Script
Lanky is an ole boy from the Confederate South.
He married a Cherokee woman and became tribal.
He became Chief of the Creek Tribe.
He was a White Indian in black folk’s lives.
His family migrated to the North.
They established themselves in Chippewa territory.
Peace was kept and life became whole.
Lanky was seen as a canon in focus with a dogma purpose.
His annals are archived at the Smithsonian.
Lanky demised in 2005.
This is to bring forth knowledge of his life.
___________________________________|
Penned on June 5, 2014 @ 12:33 A.M. EST!
Fifty-one years ago, today, on September 21, 1967, Kindness appeared in the form of Fred McFeely Rogers, with his neighborhood of make-believe. We allowed him to enter our homes and support us in encouraging our children, building in them a strong sense of self and acceptance of others. Parents who took time to share the experience were shown the power of kindness and the beneficial effect it could have on their children's development, both physically and mentally. Fred Rogers received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 40 honorary degrees, and a Peabody Award, in addition to other honors. The Smithsonian Institution displays one of his trademark sweaters as a "Treasure of American History." Fred Rogers died on February 27, 2003, at the age of 74.
sure as the sun’s warmth
your kindness was felt by all…
you were our neighbor
09/21/2018
Dental Dream
After death, to whom will I want to bequeath
Each and everyone of my beautiful teeth
And after I just have completed a phone in
Someone said to store them in the Smithsonian.
Had another great idea when I got out of bed
How about showing in dentist office instead
While they will be all shiny and glimmery
And can thank me for having the memory.
Constantly considered and then contemplated
With all of me want them to be incinerated
And every time when you have a dental dream
An alligator was wearing mine floating downstream.
Do they actually have thorns in a dental crown,
And when you scream they have surround sound
For more words looked like I was at a complete loss
When my dentist was angry and became cross.
So if I were to smile while sticking out my tongue
Would I have to be one of those who are among
Some of the dastardly dental chosen few
Who now have teeth which look brand new.
James Thomas Horn
Retired Veteran
Imagine, if you possibly can,
The primate called orangutan.
A great many people admire his cuteness;
They don't even seem to mind his hirsuteness.
His arms are too long so his shirts never fit right,
And his legs are so bowed that he scarcely can sit right.
But for honey or figs high up in a tree,
Those long arms are perfect for plucking, you see.
So unless you're a barber or tailor man,
There's no need to pity orangutan.
He's been seen on the news with his latest fad,
He was learning to use an Apple iPad*.
So if you wanna find out what he's gonna do next,
You can friend him on Facebook or send him a text.
*Per the Smithsonian Zoo, Jan. 2013. Obviously, dear readers, this piece was written a few years ago. Don't know why it took so long to make it to the PS site.
Smithsonian Folkways Catalogue #709-300-25.
RASTA WEDDING VOWS
Gunna pledge mi soul an body in di spirit uh di trut.
Gunna stan an mek a promise an delivah u da proof.
Mi seh nevah gunna evah turn u loose.
Gunna free u frum di darkniss for to bade u wid a lite.
Usin’ bot mi han tugedda – gunna really do it rite.
Hunny, I’ll lay down mi cloak for u tonite.
Gunna swear mi life’s protection wen I giv mi solemn wurd.
Gunna mean da ting I’m sayin’ wen I set ur hart assured.
Den I kiss ur han an offa u mi sword.
Gunna luv u lek u need it. Gunna luv u lek a tease.
I be holdin’ back mi horses, till u beg me, “pretty please,”
Makin’ all dem sweet mimosa guarantees.
Gunna dally in di tropics. Run mi finger tru ur hair.
Gunna play wid dem intentions in di salty ocean air
As we live di island lifestyle laissez faire.
lost subterranean city of the Grand Canyon
Fact, legend, Hopi story or cover-up?
In 1909 Arizona Gazette printed the story
A secret underground citadel a mile down
discovered by G E Kinkaid, a renown explorer
also the first white baby born in Idaho
the mysterious cavern was etched out in rock
shaped like the spokes of a wagon wheel
could have held up to fifty-thousand people
a highly evolved civilization, sharp-edged weapons
ornately decorated gold and copper cups
the multitude of mummies turned out to be male only
this could be the oldest archeological find in the USA
tablets were engraved with hieroglyphics
appeared to be a link between Egypt and Arizona
Hopi Indians claim their ancestors lived in such a city
Under the Grand Canyon
Hoax or truth? Smithsonian scientists believed it was true.
“I should submit it to the Smithsonian Institute it seems”
“ Be careful this could all be in your dreams” By the poet to the poet.
Euphoric stimulation rushing through my mind,
When I read a poem which was quite a find.
It dazzled my mind, I felt the poem’s vibration,
Did this genius come from some Divine inspiration?
Compelled my heart to flutter, breathing quickens.
Who wrote this, could it have been Dickens ?
Remembering, it was I that these words did utter.
Breathing quickens, compelled my heart to flutter.
Am I experiencing poetic inhalation, is this a holy grail?
Gasping for breath with untold fiasco, an effort to exhale.
Hope Diamond is worth two hundred millions.
Donated to Smithsonian by one worth billions.
This forty-five carat gem was sent to them by regular mail.
They were lucky the 1958 postal service did not fail.
Casandra,
She is so sweet and a poet for sure,
Wonderful musician like to endure;
Well trained;
When rained;
For her great beauty no known cure.
James Horn
My biggest regret is that I never
learned how to read music or
type you can probably tell by
now.
Has the Harrisonian been rising?
Is that the name of the museum
like the Smithsonian?