Best Unflappable Poems
Thankless job, I think watching
as Thurman tries to teach the young man
The lad sitting up
on the tractor
like a proud young pup
is full of piss and vinegar
half the time not listening
and half the time telling Thurman
how much he already knows...
As Thurman patiently slumps
his still-sturdy but ungainly frame
against the tractor
fingers strumming his red suspenders
a good-natured grin
slowly spreading
across his grizzled face
gleaming behind think glasses
I see a glint of soft amusement
at this grandiose greenhorn
Thurman has lived through
the Great Depression, and then
the horror of hand-combat
in World War II
one of three from his unit
to make it through-
so there is nothing this little ingrate
can possibly do or say
to break Thurman's composure today
he remains uncommonly calm
and utterly unflappable
a small chuckle slipping out
every now and then
And while the young man boasts
and blusters on about
his plans for next week
Thurman is mostly quiet, until
at length, asked about his plans
“Lord willing-
and the creek don't rise...”
he begins, knowing how
much could change by then
I'm new to this language; it baffles me so!
With so many mysteries I wish to know:
Why doesn't 'resolve' mean 'to solve it again'?
And why are 'wise guys' not the same as 'wise men'?
Why doesn't 'extraneous' mean 'once was traneous'?
Why's 'miscellaneous' not NOT cellaneous?
Enigmas that seem to me very unmappable,
Unflappable me has become simply flappable.
"You're incorrigible", my friend Mike said to me,
I said, "Corrigible I'll endeavor to be."
One museum we saw had a fossil exhibit
I asked, "Every bone was at one time a hibit?"
"I don't care for inquisitive people", said Mike.
So I asked, "What's a quisitive person look like?"
He looked at me plussed with a look of disgust,
now I hope I can change it to gust and nonplussed.
"Disgruntled employees", my boss said, distressed,
"are a pain in the neck!" I thought, "gruntled is best!"
He scolds my appearance: "Your hair is unkempt",
so I'm bringing a comb to make sure it stays kempt.
"Avoid work mishaps, and do not act unruly".
"Yes sir, boss. I'll only make ruly haps, truly"
He tells me, "Just try not to look so disheveled."
My note to self: make it my goal to look sheveled.
"Intrepid Improvements" the work poster says
"Avoid trepid provements" is my New Year's res.
"Such reckless abandon" someone said to me
so from now on, more reckful I'm hoping to be.
I've tried to appear nonchalant and undaunted,
I'm daunted that I'm more chalant than I wanted.
This poem I'll write in indelible ink -
…much better than delible ink, don't you think?
As The Crow Flies
Staring past the curtain,
At the vigilant crow upon the mast,
The creature unaware of a presence,
In a moment forever lost.
Unflappable in its endeavour,
A breather from its hunt,
A distorted view of the world,
Its cackle alerting its murder..... of its next tenacious stunt!
Unperturbed by darkness,
Its itinerary meticulous, movement, stealth like,
As day gives way to darkness,
A sky drifting magenta decline
Copyright
S Rose
I am empty of empathy
come sympathise with me
Cue the violins,
or just fiddle
like a bad-tempered Roman
Offer me hope:
bring flamboyant symbols,
cheap gold pendants with wings
Maybe a big gaudy
unflappable albatross
nothing too flash,
mind you!
Take my hand,
lead me towards the edge
it’s time to fledge
Sidle me onward,
watch as I waver
Try not be over-critical
of the albatross
He’s become a hanger-on,
too far gone
and addicted to flattery
If I drag you down
or appear inhumane,
it’s all secondary
I’m merely feeling depressed
by a pouch in my brain
A séance sensed
it was next of kin,
X-rays revealed tiny pleats,
masses of tissue within folds of skin
An exorcist said it’s
my vestigial twin
Google diagnosed
(Visual agnosia)
taking shape from within
Oh! And the indifferent
chatbot I confided in,
has begun self-harming!
I once met a man with ears so large
That “Dumbo the Elephant” had less by far.
Protruding outward from his head to the sky
Way up to the clouds where the birds did fly
Landing upon his outstretched sails
Building their nests inside his furls.
And so he lived with birds too many
Hanging ‘round his ears a plenty
With people looking on chagrined
Wondering what on earth transpired with him
To make his sweet sound catchers grow
Larger than Jacks Bean Stock
Wouldn’t you know?
And so he lived his life with nests
Inside his lobes and gave his best
To all those birds and people too
Laughing and joking ‘til they turned blue.
No less than the air he often shared
With those who came to see
This man with the pair of unflappable flappers
Was no less than you and me.
Did the creator(s) of his chemicals
wreck his chemicals ?
Or did he recklessly
wreck them on his own ?
He stormed almost violently
through the evening, half an hour after dark,
scowling and barking at enemies unseen;
he seemed to be peculiarly caught
between reproachful suburban streetlamps,
always half a pace ahead of and behind
the previous and the next.
He marched almost violently
through the midday, cool and bright;
his scowl and bark were armed
with a lead pipe to secure
his next square metre of temporary space,
and even the speeding traffic
could not deny his belligerent passage.
He sat almost violently
in the cold, grey defeat of early morning,
scowl and bark, as always, I think,
and the bricks and cars and shopfront windows
may have quivered or laughed,
I haven't had time to ask them,
not that they'd be bothered with me.
The uniforms were calm, unflappable,
his bark and scowl remained fearless as ever,
but became oddly innocuous,
they knew each other by now.
He may be smart enough and unsound enough
to understand that a dark, familiar cell
is a place to go
when you have no place to go;
or it may be simpler or more complex,
he may be smart enough and unsound enough
to not know the difference at all.
It's Friday, late afternoon,
and I have no idea
where he'll be tonight.
24th August 2018
Our friend was unflappable,
regardless of what happened.
She handled every trial
smoothly—without weary sighs.
We considered her our guide,
and she coached us through hard times,
like a well-trained therapist,
this unique friend we cherished.
We saw how focused on self
we’d been when SHE asked for help—
advice! Now we’re equal, each
with strength all the others seek.
My FIRST Englyn, placed 5th of seven in Beth Evans's contest in June 2020
Grace under pressure
Unflappable class
Overtones of elegance
Strength of brass.
Tending splendid gardens
Where laughter and fun
Sprout as if native
In the warmth of her sun.
Incensed by thoughtless actions
Yet steady in her mood
Mixing sweet persuasion
With wisdom for food.
A Virgo mom’s a blessing
For one raised in her nest
So just today this Taurus says
That Virgo is the best!
In the heart of the Philippine’s embrace
Is a metropolis pulsating with life
Concrete veins coursing with stories
Unfolding each day within the urban tapestry
Tall buildings stretch towards the sky
Mirroring the aspirations of millions
Each window a glimpse into dreams
A city’s determined and unflappable vibe
Streets are alive with endless motion
Jeepneys weaving through the bustle
Railing against functional dissonance
Manila reverberates with fierce pride
Subjugated by a multitude of countries
History whispers a familiar narrative
From the cobblestones of Intramuros
Throughout the barangays of the metro
A resilient energy takes flight daily
Overcoming setbacks and carving a path
The positive Filipino spirit alive and ablaze
Rising above it all as suns of a new day
Hate is a feast for crows. Feast your eyes, instead, on love.
—by poet
Singsong of Spring
Caw of unseen crow and chorus
of potentially pretty wings.
Singsong may have interrupted
the murder - melody was sweet.
Tweeting torques communication;
hate fades with unflappable faith.
Despite the pulsing pirouette of urban thresholds,
coruscating catalyst amid detachment,
of golden spoke carousel magnetism,
circle-shape swivel platform roundabout,
that spreads incipient wish fulfilment caper,
as townscape dweller devotee who revels,
in gargantuan silver tinged mineral rush,
of prodigious scoop simolean ascent,
whilst duty bound vociferation from the margins,
will enlist majestic magnanimity befitting,
one of fundamental fortunate flair such as I,
yet one’s habitat has been subject to gauche portrayal,
shelter from Olympic speed amorphous target setting,
where serenity in its multi form expression predominates,
as insidiously potent though urban zeitgeist is,
the off peak bonhomie provided by one’s abode,
must underpin a validating resonant counterfoil,
that lustrous seam jewel-embedded notion,
commonly referenced as unswerving loyal cabal,
though hybrid nuanced fusion on request,
is such an option for assiduous assimilation,
there is no hint or faint suggestion in the slightest,
that one should jettison endearing aspects of street esprit,
and the cataclysmic upsweep inherent in its brief,
the adrenalin so integral for buoyant enterprise,
deep equanimity and raucous daring should coexist,
and not a juxtaposed anathema that clashes,
they converge on several sprouting plots,
contrary to glib assumption blindly trending,
to be unflappable should not imply a bland persona,
effervescent office tumult wayfarer,
still quite the icon in yoga leaning domed quarter,
diffusing stored exuberance in feldspar chip backyard,
where gorgeous inlaid stream’s sunlit gurgle,
is that interfaced amalgam as companions,
from a myriad of disciplines beehive swarm,
to absorb one another’s acrobatic zest,
and synthesise its hub with meditation’s equilibrium,
mantra magic mediating mirthful mayhem,
yet inveigling a crimson ribbon of tranquilness,
to mingle with a whirlpool suction entropy,
in an atmospheric crucible of nonchalant ferment
On The Lighthouse Watch
From the ocean floor rocks grew over time
Reached the surface, gray black boulders on the day peeked through
Open air exposed them as they spiraled up in jagged angles
They came to inspire lighthouse, beams of light and dreams
Blasting across the skies and seas, across the universe immortalized
Across the bows of ships and fleets of war with scores to settle
Inevitably, eventually, to retreat into the sea
Restoring, reassuring nature’s paths of life and light on ocean top
Solid as the foundation’s rocks that hold it steady in the storm
A warning beacon kept by a castle keeps old man
Who tends his lights like shepherds mind their sheep
Reaching out forever, rolling on the mist of tranquility
Holding sky and unencumbered seas immobilized within its boundaries
Keeper on the walls keeps watch for gradual movements of gravitation
Their names evolve as ingredients for a storm
The forces here named as follows; wave and wind
When woken from the sea they wake as fierce and dangerous
Their elements congregate to raw obedience as time and tide repeat
Watchers of the definable lighthouse hold unflappable
Bashing waves withdrawal like flooding tears
Streaming down the cheeks of etched out rocks
The one bright flashing eye of light, does not cry
It penetrates the darkest nights and wildest storm
And holds back imposing waves once more
Sensual and passionate by disposition.
Calm under pressure; brave and resourceful.
Oftentimes open and unflappable.
Repulsed by dishonesty and passiveness.
Pushing beyond obstacles and limitations.
I'm a red-blooded go-getter; infinitely proud
October boy, from the cradle to the grave.
Submitted for...
Star Signs Acrostic Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Charlotte Puddifoot
Date written: 03/31/2021
THE WISDOM OF THE AGES
gently, the breeze wafted, past the me
as i stood sentinal to the grass
empty now i lay so silently
as the world swirls, and whirls on past
the birds flitter about 'pon my head
leaving marks of white and grey
i've no indignation, now, being dead
i find i'm much more unflappable today
a headstone, a marker, a name in stone
memories live on in others, oh so finite, lives
but for me i'm quite bored, and all alone
only my name in stone survives
gently , the breeze wafts past me
as i wait, for eternity
to pass.
sometimes, i wish, i had accomplished something
like, something that would have made me immortal, then
what would riches, and honor, and glory bring
that i should ever hear my name again?
to conquer, invent, to carve in stone?
to found an empire, a nation, company, or state
what, after all, would laws and society condone?
after all, the New World wouldn't forever wait
the Incas, the Mayas, the Dakotahs, too
just couldn't wait
for folks like me, or probably you
is it much to late?
namer of nations, up to me, what would i say?
statues in honor, what would i be?
still, i'm here, i found no earthly way
to live on, eternally
as me
and , if there was a way to found some earthly dynasty
i think that it wouldn't have been free
my world would have been burdened with my me
and wouldn't have been quite so free
gently, the breeze wafts past my me
and goes on and on, wild and free
of me
they say with age comes wisdom
now i'm so smart
if i could found a kingdom
i wouldn't start
i'd plant a field, raise a daughter, and a son
and try to ignore
everyone.
Our loud and proud spanking new sixth grade student named Tony Maloy,
Had bragged about being from the island of exotic St. Croix.
He brazenly came late into McD’s classroom, screaming, “AHOY!”
Our teacher rolled his blue eyes, and under his breath whispered, “oh,joy.”
We became instant friends as I knew he was going to be a really fun boy.
Because quite frankly, unflappable Mr. Duckbill is rather hard to annoy.