Best Toulouse Poems


I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

i won’t forget the times when i made roundish letters 
in blue-black ink 
as if i were crushing blackberry beads 
perfumed and wild 
and in the eyes of that man by chance 
it was always the same toulouse-lautrec painting 
with my watery blue dress 
like a cloud in an armchair the color of rose petals 
frozen rotted in november 
with his checkered hat thrown 
accidentally over my raincoat 
i wondered too much 
why he squeezed the whole sun between his teeth 
while laughing 
i continued to write about the dreams 
like white dead pigeons 
my lord 
with the heart shielded between wings

Premium Member Seahorses

We humans like all creatures to have a purpose, an aim,
From one-celled amoebas to fungi-spore glebas,
They need a good reason to compete in life's game.
Consider cats: They school us in hygiene
Licking their paws and their fur shiny clean.
And how 'bout tiny ants, who teach us industry,
Or lions and their bravery--and foxes with their knavery?

But what reason have seahorses to be in the sea?
What can they teach us?  How can they enlighten you or me?
Can they sing or dance?  Can they 'cut a rug' in the water?
And if they can't, do you really think they should ought to?

Well, please know that things aren't quite what they seem.
Seahorses are special, unique, and highly esteemed;
In the eye of the sea, they're jewels, all sparkle and gleam.
   See the distinctive manner wherewith these fish swim:
   Upright! propelling themselves ever higher via dorsal fins.
   Then there's the spectacle of seahorse sex and mating--
   No other males on the planet hold the eggs while waiting
      To release them of a sudden by the thousands at a time,
      And then go back at it with their 'exes' on the turn of a dime.

All this leads up to how traditional Chinese physicians
Prescribe 'seahorses' for whatever their patients get sick in:
Everything from wheezing and pain to inducing labor,
With TCM's** practitioners, these fish are ever in favor.

It's clear, my fellow humans, 
From Peking to Paris and on to Toulouse,
Seahorses can certainly be put to very good use...

                                  *****
                ...Prompting this little 'caboose:'
Let US ask this question: Is human activity equally productive?
---Or do WE choose to engage in things far more destructive?


                               April 19, 2018


               **TCM = Traditional Chinese Medicine

Premium Member The City of Toulouse

She's far from Faro
and I s'pose Berlin.
There's something in her buildings -
they are rose in certain light.

She's far from London,
and I s'pose New York...
(Make that I know.)
There's something in her windows -
they are bright in light.

She's where I don't live,
but I may do one day...
That's if I don't go to
Faro, London, or New York.

Berlin's another matter.
Write it in the chalk!





5/13/2017
© Julia Ward  Create an image from this poem.


He's Really Just a Tiny Chap

He's really just a tiny chap,
no bigger than a speck, 
but when he sits upon your lap
it's hard Toulouse Lautrec.

Violets.Wear.Us

Color'in books AND crayO.La looks
with a smile wondering while she
might be craZy or knot.ting a note
hear it ring from a ;ping! and a ling
a long song sing.ing over and over.
Again.

What's the color of my pen?


mmmm...
violettes de toulouse.


Sugar ;)

The flowers, leaves and roots of various Viola species are used for medicinal purposes,
being rich in vitamins A and C. They also contain a type of antioxidant called an
anthocyanin. Viola flowers are also used to make an herbal tea that is used in Chinese
herbal medicine... 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_(plant)



purrr pple... be sweet and be well.
© Izzy Gumbo  Create an image from this poem.

Lautrec, Please Draw

Toulouse, oh please do place a hand on me
Your pen will sketch what your eyes can see
The ladies’ legs as they dance the can-can
Make me feel like more than a napkin

Toulouse, oh s'il vous plaît placer une main sur moi 
Votre stylo esquissera que vos yeux peuvent voir 
Les dames les jambes comme ils dansent la Marque de french-cancan 
Me me sens comme plus qu'une serviette de table


Dreams Under Dust 1of2

i read and hear online the words 
from the other side of the world, 
the bearded angst and deeply rutted face 
of a soul with far, far too much 
sorrow to carry.

my eyes well, as i 
cannot help but too, 
share in the sorrow 
of the loss born by 
farmer Muhammad Wazir

Muhammad, from Panjwai district lost:
his mother, Shakarina,
his wife, Zahra,
his four daughters, 
Massoma, Farida, Palwasha and Bibya
two of his sons, 
Ismatullah and Faizullah,
a brother, Akhtar,
a nephew and 
a sister-in-law

Only the youngest son
Habib Shah is still alive
How can a father, a husband,
a son, a brother, bare it?

"I loved them all like 
they were parts of my body,... 
All my dreams are buried 
under a pile of dust now"
Wazir states. "My little boy, 
Habib Shah, is the only one 
left alive, and I love him 
very much" says Wazir.

I have a hard time
with the concept that it
must be God's will
to condemn anyone to this

Did Staff Sgt. Robert Bales
snap like a twig in the 
wanton disregard to sanctity
of children and mothers...
civilians. Who can forgive?
...Who can stand it?

Bales' wife Karilyn sends 
"condolences to all the people 
of the Panjawai District ... 
especially to the parents, 
brothers, sisters and grandparents 
of the children who perished"

Though heartfelt to be sure
she must realize that Bob
is beyond "normal" forgiveness
A strength like the Amish 
is needed to look into 
enraged hate filled eyes
with tearful forgiveness

What good...what good can
we possibly squeeze from
such tragic carnage?
Maybe God knows that answer.
I can only feel the sorrow.

meanwhile in Toulouse, France
Mr. Mohammed Merah,
a Frenchman of Algerian decent
knows in his heart that
retribution is necessary

and three French paratroopers, 
of North African descent, 
as well as a Rabbi and 
three Jewish schoolchildren,
pay with their lives

the Rabbi, and his two daughters
might have been aware of their
responsibility for the Panjwai
tragedy, perhaps not,

....{continued in 2of2}

© Goode Guy 2012-03-21
© Goode Guy  Create an image from this poem.

Premium Member I dreamed I was drinking with Toulouse-Lautrec

I dreamed I was in Café Terrace with Toulouse-Lautrec.
We were downing glass after glass of orange triple sec.
And quite drunk, he muttered something that shocked me so ~
he slurred he'd eaten the ear of Vincent van Gogh!
And I jolted awake ~ sunflower bedsheet wrung around my neck.
© Rio Jansen  Create an image from this poem.

Pacing

It took fifty-seven paces to the end of the track
But for some strange reason, only fifty-six back.
I tried it again, for something to do
While constantly phoning for breakdown rescue.

The ants were enormous, the grasshoppers blue
Inside of their wings only showed when they flew.
Thistles and lavender, cornflowers too, 
But mostly just tarmac, a magnificent view.

Of the village below, a distant haze
Whilst here on the hill, we’ve been waiting for days.
Well that’s how it seems here in the heat,
A broken down car, my life at my feet;

Two tents and three cases
A bag full of shoes,
Four roll mats, gas cooker
And a map of Toulouse.
Wet suits and sun hats
A blow-up canoe,
Cool box and sun cream
A deck chair or two.
There are pillows for night time
A towel for the beach,
Two picnic rugs
And a goodie bag each.

“You can take what you like, 
if it fits in the boot”
I spy a small gap
And fill it with loot.

The back seat is clear
Tunnel’s booked for tonight
We’re off and our hols
And we’re travelling light.

Premium Member Smile For Me, Bruce

Just a big overgrown kid, my Bruce
Wanting to hit the road and vamoose
Dreams of conducting a caboose
Go all the way up to Toulouse

Bruce refuses to grow up, what’s the use
He can rhyme off one of many old excuse
And sometimes swears to All and to Zeus

Bruce wasn’t always this way, something came loose
He’s become simple yet ever so abstruse
Can’t differentiate a moose from a goose
Doesn’t have a clue what to do with his papoose

The best we could do was come to a truce
Now they both get an afternoon nap after their juice
Sometimes I feel like a recluse
But never a victim of abuse
Or that life dealt me a deuce

When Bruce smiles he can still seduce



AP: Honorable Mention 2020

Posted on March 17, 2018

Premium Member Lautrec At Night - Sg

*Image of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec provided by Sotheby's.

Lautrec At Night

He leads amongst the bustle
sedate naught condemn
the noise, music, and high kicks
late in the pm.
Paris famed tower
drunk paint blithe vibrant visions
artist empower.

2021 May 27
© Hilo Poet  Create an image from this poem.

Premium Member Why Orange Is My Favorite Color

orange delights, encourages, uplifts, stimulates
Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec. Dali
According to Buddhists, orange is the highest meditative state
a state of illumination and enlightenment
she symbolizes a journey for knowledge

Premium Member Vignette-Rich Boy,Made Good

Genetics,kept his stature,small
'As is life' became his call
Graphic posters on city walls;
Murals,pasted,for just a while
Now,timeless.signatures his style

Th Warhol of the 1890's Hernri Toulouse Lautrec 1864-1901

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_de_Toulouse-Lautrec

Premium Member Censored

Thoughts;
freedoms
wave goodbye-
all confined things
die



Inspired by the maxim of Toulouse Lautred's father about nature/birds etc

Dreams Under Dust 2of2

{continued 2of2}...

the third girl took her
bullet reluctantly but
Mr. Mohammed Merah believes
in an eye for an eye

i wonder if Mr. Muhammad Wazir
would have preferred to take
his farming plowshare,
beat it into a sword
and bring writhing attrition
to still more children.

i think...i prefer to think,
that Mr. Muhammad Wazir, 35,
of Panjwai, Afganistan,
would tell Mr. Mohammed Merah, 24,
of Toulouse, France
that children are innocent

not just in God's eyes, 
but in truth, in his too,
that killing only begets more killing
Alas, it is too late for Merah's merit,
and the sky still shines blue

© Goode Guy 2012-03-21

http://www.npr.org/2012/03/20/148974952/afghan-farmer-lost-11-relatives-in-shooting-rampage
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/03/20/148976984/all-my-dreams-are-buried-under-a-pile-of-dust-now-says-grieving-afghan?ft=1&f=1001
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/03/21/149080247/sifting-through-what-we-know-about-the-french-slaying-suspect
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304636404577294632810920116.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
© Goode Guy  Create an image from this poem.

Get a Premium Membership
Get more exposure for your poetry and more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry

Member Area

My Admin
Profile and Settings
Edit My Poems
Edit My Quotes
Edit My Short Stories
Edit My Articles
My Comments Inboxes
My Comments Outboxes
Soup Mail
Poetry Contests
Contest Results/Status
Followers
Poems of Poets I Follow
Friend Builder

Soup Social

Poetry Forum
New/Upcoming Features
The Wall
Soup Facebook Page
Who is Online
Link to Us

Member Poems

Poems - Top 100 New
Poems - Top 100 All-Time
Poems - Best
Poems - by Topic
Poems - New (All)
Poems - New (PM)
Poems - New by Poet
Poems - Read
Poems - Unread

Member Poets

Poets - Best New
Poets - New
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems Recent
Poets - Top 100 Community
Poets - Top 100 Contest

Famous Poems

Famous Poems - African American
Famous Poems - Best
Famous Poems - Classical
Famous Poems - English
Famous Poems - Haiku
Famous Poems - Love
Famous Poems - Short
Famous Poems - Top 100

Famous Poets

Famous Poets - Living
Famous Poets - Most Popular
Famous Poets - Top 100
Famous Poets - Best
Famous Poets - Women
Famous Poets - African American
Famous Poets - Beat
Famous Poets - Cinquain
Famous Poets - Classical
Famous Poets - English
Famous Poets - Haiku
Famous Poets - Hindi
Famous Poets - Jewish
Famous Poets - Love
Famous Poets - Metaphysical
Famous Poets - Modern
Famous Poets - Punjabi
Famous Poets - Romantic
Famous Poets - Spanish
Famous Poets - Suicidal
Famous Poets - Urdu
Famous Poets - War

Poetry Resources

Anagrams
Bible
Book Store
Character Counter
Cliché Finder
Poetry Clichés
Common Words
Copyright Information
Grammar
Grammar Checker
Homonym
Homophones
How to Write a Poem
Lyrics
Love Poem Generator
New Poetic Forms
Plagiarism Checker
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter