Best Stumping Poems
We live in a world where sickness abounds,
Sometimes stumping the best of providers.
Symptoms and tests almost always expound,
While the emotional costs grow wider.
The travel and care and expenses we bare,
In dollars and tears for a healing.
Pale when compared, with the voluminous prayers,
Our reverence and humility kneeling.
Seeing through to the end, great strength we must take,
And the position that attitude matters.
A stiff upper lip and a smile sometimes fake,
Anything less, and fragile hope easily shatters.
Yet until we’re called home, to streets paved with gold,
Or abodes filled with love and affection,
Widely known in the hearts, of the young and the old,
Laughter remains, life's greatest healing medication!
Categories:
stumping, faith, health, life, miracle,
Form:
Rhyme
Close to election time, we have the chance
to hear the candidates for office speak,
or “stump,” in nearby towns, to give their stance
on issues and improvements that they seek,
to promise they will strengthen all that’s weak.
The term “stump speech” dates back two hundred years,
when it was not used figuratively;
and those of the American Frontier
who ran for office stood, for all to see,
on tree stumps while they campaigned movingly.
All-day affairs complete with food and beer,
these rural fetes were rollicking and loud.
The speakers then (as now) tried hard to steer
the votes their way and captivate the crowd.
By hecklers’ jeers, the brave ones were not cowed.
With jokes and boasts, some livened every speech.
Sharp jabs at rivals filled the country air.
As time progressed, some speakers chose to reach
the crowd, not from a tree stump—but a chair
or barrel. Such scenarios weren’t rare.
Historical accounts of stumping state
the names of stand-out speakers in that day.
Three skilled men who excelled in a debate—
Abe Lincoln, Stephen Douglas, Henry Clay—
were stumpers whose wise words held unique sway.
Today some folks flock to the county fair,
not just for entertainment but to see
the candidates debating with great flair,
expounding on the facts; but they won’t be
atop tree stumps to shout, “Please vote for me!”
February 1, 2022
entered in Emile Pinet's Quintain (English) Contest
Categories:
stumping, political,
Form:
Quintain (English)
Tibetan monks share colorful lore
Taking wide-eyed listeners from a valley floor
To peaks in the sentinel Himalayas
So how could such holy men’s tales betray us
A dark, furry creature’s outline has been seen
Startling climbers on mountains so serene
Leaving bipedal footprints on pristine snow
Stumping searchers who try to learn where they go
Yeti, the not-so-abominable snowman
Much maligned being of God’s creative plan
Never attacks, just appears and quickly flees
Allowing sighters to suspect what they please
Howling in the pain of loss from lofty peaks
Perhaps for a missing cousin Yeti seeks
One who traversed a lost land bridge from Asia
Then made his way south from the Arctic Tundra
To explore lush forests now U.S. Northwest
Where for centuries Bigfoot has done his best
To elude capture by settlers and hunters
And scoff at ever-hopeful photographers
Publicized encounters still boggle the brain
But only footprints, blurry photos remain
Of man’s intriguing, unevolved ancestors
Scientists think they’re human predecessors
Far smarter than we, they blend in with nature
Appearing now and then in the newspaper
But their imprints on Earth have been minimal
Never chopping trees or scarring a pinnacle
They’ve reason to hide from one who pollutes
One who doesn’t reason, but only shoots
Perhaps these “beasts” we should emulate
Learn from our ancestors before it’s too late
*Entry for Joyce's "The Rhyming Game" contest
Categories:
stumping, mystery, cousin,
Form:
Rhyme
Prayers descend like acid rain from
oligarch-soaked manchurians, stumping
for elected office, praising hybrid
demigods, passing out vouchers to the
peasants.
A slow rumbling-
part of the night-sounds-of-curfew;
descends like fire ants.
Cleaners of the guilt, hidden in plain faith,
unable or unwilling to walk, feign
blindness, darkness helps.
Cellphone towers only reflect scripted
light, as memories of real sunshine, fade
to black. A good cup of coffee is hard to
find, all the fine beans were swept away
early on, replaced by dancing bears,
politely ignored. Thunderclouds, imagined
in shapes of our founding fathers,
encourage the deluge, slowly ascending.
Underground-
a grim band-of-believers watch (again)
a pirated tape of their favorite '80's movie,
'They Live' from the fabled city called the
new capital in 'The Postman' Minneapolis..
while the tormented sounds of-
plows
scraping overhead, and
hydrants,
bellys full, feeding power washers,
cascade
over hardened
faces.
05/11/14
minneapolis
© All Rights Reserved
Categories:
stumping, allusion,
Form:
Free verse
Hearty Island Vacation
Hurray, hurray, step on the gas
family summer break jumps today!
We started out late, Jessica kept stumping "whining"
we stopped by the horse corral, he was neighing.
We’re going now, through dusty desert and long lonely stretch
unmoving in Barstow, California, so not many excitements.
We’re scanning for dinner; will it be pizza?
We want something good and tasty!
Heavy five o’clock traffic, oh what a mess.
We went to sleep with dream of island in our head.
The next day awoke and ran out to door.
We drove west, smell of the ocean
the cool, morning air embracing with its fishy smell.
Boat’s nose rose, like the airplane
on a boat in the water feeling free.
The sky above, clear and blue
with the wind blowing in my face.
Arrived at the Catalina Island,
so beautiful, yet so overlooked.
The little island, my heart it took
it was all I could do
to stop, watch and listen.
To the tides slapping on the rocky shore.
Categories:
stumping, vacation,
Form:
Free verse
Tibetan monks share legend-colored reports
Taking wide-eyed listeners from valley floors
To peaks in the sentinel Himalayas
So how could such holy men’s tales betray us
A dark, furry creature’s outline has been seen
Startling climbers on mountains so serene
Leaving bipedal footprints on pristine snow
Stumping searchers who try to learn where they go
Yeti, the not-so-abominable snowman
Much maligned being of God’s creative hand
Never attacks, just appears and quickly flees
Allowing sighters to suspect what they please
Howling in the pain of loss from lofty peaks
Perhaps for a missing cousin Yeti seeks
One who traversed a lost land bridge from Asia
Then made his way south from the Arctic Tundra
To explore lush forests now U.S. Northwest
Where for centuries Bigfoot has done his best
To elude capture by settlers and hunters
And scoff at ever-hopeful photographers
Publicized encounters with both have been made
But only footprints, blurry photos remain
Of man’s intriguing, unevolved ancestors
Scientists think they’re human predecessors
But their imprints on Earth have been minimal
Never chopping trees or scarring pinnacles
They’ve reason to hide from creatures who pollute
Posing threats to life by developing nukes
Perhaps these "beasts" we should emulate
Learn from our ancestors before it’s too late
Categories:
stumping, history, mystery, science, cousin,
Form:
Couplet
I came home one evening whistling a lullaby
when I saw the first ghost ever:
a pirate with a patched eye;
I quickly ran from him with a pounding heart!
He must have returned and look for me,
anytime I turned the light switch on
he disappeared but moved around the quiet room
his good eye glowed through the dense darkness,
in full brightness, I couldn't see him!
Not being afraid of ghosts takes courage,
kids usually think that some friend is
impersonating a real ghost
and laughing they mock him to stir rage;
don't be too sure he's a fake,
be on guard, he won't fail the test!
I waited for him to reappear,
he refused to show his scarred face;
I spoke aloud, hoping he could hear me,
he came closer, I felt his menacing
presence in those stumping footsteps
and groans that did not make me tremble!
Finally, he showed himself to me and whispered,
" I'm sorry, I frightened you that evening...I needed
somebody to unfasten my shackles; I was taken prisoner
when my ship sank in the Atlantic Ocean, I lost all! "
" I like to return home and hug my wife and kids;
home is a long way, my England grieves as I! "
I suddenly replied and accepted his request for freedom,
" I will help you, sir, and relieve your excruciating pain. "
And before he could say another word, I loosened
his shackles feeling his swollen feet shake tremendously!
I looked up and saw the most grateful smile flashing at me,
" Thank you good child for giving me back my freedom! "
He waved until he vanished into that ocean he roamed for years;
I was glad for having been the bravest kid who didn't fear ghosts!
Categories:
stumping, courage, dark, england, fantasy,
Form:
Free verse
We the People Have Been Jaded
By Franklin Price
10/24/2015
We the people have been jaded
By the current happenings
Though the Constitution says it
We are not in charge of things
Takes millions of dollars
To try to even run
If you cannot get the cash
Before you've started you are done
It's rumored that the middle class
Is this country's beating heart
If it has no contribution
The rich are the biggest part
They get all the attention
Dollars given passed right back
When their lackeys are elected
By the wealthy's super pack
Must reverse this bad reality
Though very difficult will be
Get money from the masses
That means from you and me
Take away the Super Packs
Limit contributions each
Candidates will have to work
Their constituents to reach
Invest their cash and effort
Get interest from the common man
By stumping out there on the street
With open hand and empty can
If their position makes some sense
To the majority of us
We should contribute what we can
To let our favorites ride the bus
Categories:
stumping, political,
Form:
Rhyme
Not bothering with his shrew
Chewing, slurping, lip smacking
He takes a deep breath
Chewing, slurping, lip smacking
She was grinning, happy as a kangaroo
She chews, “chump, chump, and chump”
Irritated like a shrew
He drew a deep breath
Pop, goes the sound
As if on queue
She smacks her lips Chewing on that gum
“chump, slurp, chump”
He fidgets, reminding himself
He stares, giving the little girl a glare
“Chump, chump, chump”
She chews, louder than before Glaring back, without a care
Eyebrow raised She blew a bubble
Pop, it spread on her face
She grabbed it and put it back in her mouth
“Chump, smack, slurp”
Pop, chump, smack, slurp
Was all he could hear boiling
“Chump, chump, chump”
He wishes to use glue
He is defeated by a two year old with a bubble gum
She starts to clap, while chewing
Hysterical by his reaction
She doubles over Laughing
Chewing, clapping, jumping and stumping
Categories:
stumping, sound,
Form:
Ode
Who believes in
zombies,
the ugliest
creatures
someone invented
to spread fear?
There are human
beings who actually are!
See them walk
through dark alleys
and quite streets,
stumping on
sidewalks,
staring people in
the eye like a
walking dead!
Who made up the word,
" Zombie " ?
A writer we assume...
is it folklore?
No, this conception
is rooted in voodoo belief;
how can they go into corpses
and resuscitate them?
The real ones roam night streets:
the cocaine addict, the drunk,
and the murderer;
if it were Halloween,
we wouldn't pay much attention,
thinking that most kids
wear costumes like that!
Be careful walking alone at night ,
don't let fright make you imagine
that corpses are animated by zombies
who enter their bodies....
you'll have nightmares!
Written by Andrew Crisci
on 10/26/2013
Categories:
stumping, abuse, horror, imagination, night,
Form:
Free verse
well this week i can say is starting out great
i leave for Las vegas today to go see my daughter graduate
and while im there i might as well have some fun
hitting up the casinos and walking the strip in the Nevada sun
it will be like old times check out my old stumping grounds
cause there are a lot of new things that's changed since i left town
im sitting here now thinking of all the things i want to do
maybe a night on the town just me and my boo
hitting all the hot eatery maybe a show or two
hell we're talking about Las Vegas it's worth it just to view
adios Mississippi for a week and i leave you with all my cares
headed back to the west coast to enjoy that hot sunny air
i might get a little homesick cause a week can be hard to bare
although i love visiting Nevada i'm glad i am not still living there
Categories:
stumping, vacation,
Form:
Light Verse
Its my birthday every day just because I awoke to see another day
a new breath an extra hour beneath my belt, I am God's living ray
Defying all odds I am still here stumping the experts with my drill
dancing in the sunlight like a dervish mendicant ascetic, no pills;
I remember being six and blowing out the candles on my frosty cake
mamma asked me sweetly to make a wish before the first snowflake
I wished to live forever so I could find the secret of a well lit firefly
and summer after summer I watched them as they lit up the sky
It is my birthday today, every hour succinct to the next I like it this way
twirling like a wild baton in a parade I bang my drum and I sing all day
A new breath an extra hour beneath my belt, I am God's special girl
a Mystic soul that refuses to lay down and die, while the stars unfurl
I'll lay on the freshly mowed lawn and watch the stars shine from on high,
while I recall mamma's birthday cake and the fireflies that once lit up the sky.
Date: April 22, 2021
Sponsor Name: Charlotte Puddifoot
Contest Name: Open Poetry 3
Categories:
stumping, appreciation, life, light,
Form:
Couplet
Political Chicanery
By Franklin Price
8/20/1015
Political chicanery
Are spoken words I say
Slightly bending of the truth
Is the politician's way
If uttered words can scrambled be
To turn the meaning 'round
I think I can quite manage
To pound them in the ground
Excuse me while I practice
Take time to coalesce
I haven't done a thing at all
For which I must confess
Contrarily I did it all
Made everything so good
Made no missteps along the way
Did everything I should
No one ever helped me
Bipartisan with my foes
Confronted every problem
From my head down to my toes
Everywhere I fixed it all
Made everything first rate
Now my run for President
Brings my stumping to your state
Give me your nod when voting
I'll guarantee you won't regret
I'll continue fixing everything
Leave it to me and do not fret
I'll always be there for you
You'll never be alone
You know I'll do the best for you
As I rule you from my throne
Categories:
stumping, political,
Form:
Rhyme
Trump's trumpery--stumping slumping
my first attempt at one-liners. "Poemdog"
Categories:
stumping, humorous, political,
Form:
Monoku
I see you
don’t like what I see
Dark walls painted red
Loud bumming sounds
Stumping on the ground
Hand waving back and forth
Speech stutter eating of the flesh
No sleep wont eat
Steeling what is at close reach
Pushing away from close hands
No light in close sight
I see you
Drifting away
But not alone taking
Those close to you with you
I see you
Lost in excuses
To be in the state your in
Blame is just a darn shame
With nothing to gain
The crakes are writhing on your face
I see you
Not trying
Not fighting
Not caring
I see you I also see those
Who care cry out in despair
Going down the same path
I see you
Not reaching
To those that are willing to pull the rope
Tired of living having to see
What we all see
I see you
Categories:
stumping, family,
Form: