Best Unwelcome Poems
Time marched ahead relentlessly,
While I was unaware.
I jogged around the corner and
Old age was waiting there.
I didn't want to meet her,
But had to be polite.
She said she'd like to stay with me,
Perhaps just over night.
I let her stay, " Oh, woe is me!"
She hasn't gone away.
She brought such heavy luggage that
I fear she's here to stay.
A satchel full of aches and pains,
A bag of moans and groans.
She is becoming so entrenched
I feel her in my bones.
She follows me around all day
And spoils my appetite.
If I escape to early bed,
She awakens me at night.
Take my advice dear younger friends,
Don't stop to tell her "Hi"
If you should catch a glimpse of her,
Just keep on jogging by.
We gave Johnny a gun and a uniform
Trained him to kill, in a regiment conform
Sent him deep into Vietnam jungles warm
With little regard to how we did him harm
So certain we knew what we joined to fight for
We were shipped off to fight an unwinnable war
A war of "containment," unlike those before
Mothers screamed, fathers wept, siblings ached to the core
By parachute dropped to a ghastly death scene
Johnny ached for the life left behind, so serene
His family, fiance did not know what war means
Especially the haunting of lost children's screams
Those of us who survived thought we'd just done our jobs
We returned and were shamed by violent gobs
Of silver-spoon white kids in hate-spewing mobs
Spat-on and welcomed as baby-killer slobs
No heroes welcome would await these young men
No ticker-tape parades were staged for them
Just jeers from crowds, uncaring government
Greeted the lonely Vietnam Veteran
Too classy and noble to demand our fair share
We lay in that shabby old hospital there
In a closet-sized room with no visitors' chair
Understaffed, underfunded, with short-handed care
The "benefits" they found would astound all now
And it leaves one to wonder how our hallowed ground
Would be filled with unnamed graves of men once proud
Before the rows of white crosses we should bow
Our Wailing-Wall stands now in Washington, D.C.
So shiny but black, a telling-tale of the fee
We have paid for our nation, our land of the free
Will you come pay respects? Will you not at last see?
Some veterans still suffer disgraceful neglect
So please explain who more deserves our respect
Let us pause with angelic choirs and genuflect
To show gratitude as on this Wall we reflect
Friends, Dane Ann is among those who served in the army during the Vietnam war and is
now recovering from long-overdue hip surgery performed at an old VA hospital in
Gainesville, Florida. Thank you for your prayers on her behalf. Many thanks
to Tim Ryerson, another Vietnam veteran, for joining me in this write.
The picnic was set for today:
A cause for two hips and hooray.
With Split and Blueberry,
Their time would be merry
That’s if nothing got in their way…
The deviled eggs had to come first,
‘Cause a picnic without them’s the worst.
They proceeded to beg
The hens for some eggs,
And boiled them when they were submersed.
But when Bat and Gat started to pack,
Their picnic plans went off the tracks.
It was almost Bat’s fault,
Since the pepper and salt
Hadn’t made it yet into the sack.
The only thing they had to do
Was to pick up their friends Split and Blue.
With a rabbit and goat,
And their deviled egg tote,
They could hike to the overlook view.
Well, the eggs made a pretty nice spread
When added to Split’s honey bread.
But, sitting down eating,
An unwelcome greeting
Then filled them with terror and dread.
’Twas the sound of a huge rattlesnake;
What a racket that rattle did make!
Though none could find him
Out front or behind them,
Poor Blue and Split started to shake.
Then Gat sprung away like the breeze,
And spied him from up in the trees.
She pointed to Bat
Where the rattler was at,
And told everyone else to freeze.
Yikes, the snake tried to strike at his knees;
Bat evaded his strike with great ease.
Quick did a side-stepper,
And doused him with pepper,
And the rattlesnake started to sneeze!
Well, that was the end of the battle;
They all could now safely skedaddle.
The pepper, in fact
Brought such an attack
That his sneezes set off his rattle!
They all walked home in the sun,
And all had turned out to be fun.
An eggcellent day!
Yes, hip, hip hooray!
Bat and Gat, hero cats, number one!
Conjuring anxiety, obstructing path of hope,
A quivering hesitation, frightened to cope;
Fear is omnipresent causing anguished moan
Agitating aspirations in distress of unknown.
Fear is darkness, a trepidation upon norm,
Worrisome, trembling, turbulent as storm;
An obstacle threatening progress of life,
A messenger of panic, an architect of strife.
Treacherous to audacity, fear is a cheat,
A betrayal to victories, fretting of defeat;
Fear is melancholy, an expression of gloom,
Hampering courage, perturbing in doom.
Fear is a loathsome impediment to goals,
Dashing endeavors of endearing souls;
Averse to commitment as love goes awry,
A remorseful cry, where lost kinships sigh.
Unwelcome emotion imprisoning ambition
Unleashing inaction of paranoid inhibition,
Fear immobilizes, as if, bird trapped in cage;
Paranoid, valor-less, upon life’s center stage.
January 21, 2023
Placed 1st: Fear Is Liar Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Sotto Poet
Yearly - for a spell - I come calling,
not unexpected.
But there are times my travel may be slow.
On such rare occasions when I’m late,
you’ll look and see the mountains’ crowns
remain uncovered,
and in the valley, meadow grasses
dance with gentle breezes,
reveling in verdancy prolonged.
Other times, I roll across the prairie bellowing.
Assassin of startled vegetation,
I wield a force God-given,
and even dry terrain, where soil is sand,
might feel the touch of my icy hand.
And though I be unwelcome,
I’m certain there’s a moment
you look out on a pristine field
where I have softly laid my eider down
or to a street now silenced
that strangely gleams in peaceful white.
Or maybe you gaze up at stately mountains’
lovely snow-capped crowns,
and in that tranquil moment,
you are awed.
For John Freeman's "the Pictures of winter Poetry Contest"
Sometime last night, resting
inside of my home
I heard a voice singing(?!)
I was not alone
Not sure what to do
I just tried to ignore...
But he went on for hours
in unwelcome encore
Oh, that freaky falsetto
went on for so long
in a shrill, shrieking, trembling
annoying song
That at last, I had had it-
how dare he invade
my home with his frightfully
screechy serenade?
I searched every room
behind curtains, under beds
if I found that intruder
he'd wish he were dead!
Then I began to wonder
if he wasn't outside
for I'd looked everywhere
no more places to hide...
But, at length, he grew louder
I knew he was near
so cheekily taunting me
offending my ears
'Til at last, he popped out!
Cheeky chap in plain view
so I swung into action
and pursued him anew-
Round and round thru the house
how I chased and he fought
until spent and exhausted
he finally was caught!
I carried him to the door
and tossed him out, satisfied-
when (to my horror)
three more crickets hopped inside!
Hi I'm a guest in your home, yes that's right your not along
But, you don't like me
I'll never understand why
When I run across the table I'm only trying to say hi
But you try and hit me like I'm the bad guy
Why can't we be friends?
Come on lets shake hand but if you don't feel up to it I understand
You stand so tall
I stand so small
You should not be afraid of me at all
But when you see us who do you call?
The terminator the exterminator to try to make us leave.
But, all you really have to do is say please
Stop being so mean!
We love your house so nice and warm and the food oh my who could ask for more?
We love living here and would not leave for the world
We love sleeping in you bed even though we may bite you now and then
We only want to be your friend
So put down that can of RAID you'll be a murder if you spray.
Please think about what I have wrote
A poem for you form a unwanted guest a Cockroach
Alone at home on a stormy night
You knocked at my door
I opened, but saw no one
You whispered to my ears
I listened, but heard nothing
A strange chill ran down my vein.
I looked around and asked "Who is there?
You whispered
I am the UNWELCOME GUEST!
You had a laughter that grew and filled the air
I RAN to my door, slamming it violently behind me,
Then to my windows to close them tight
Your laughter grew even more!
LEAVE me alone! you are not welcome here
I yelled with a voice mixed with FEAR and anguish
Silent CHILD! and SILENT at once!
I am here to take my dues
I am FEAR himself and my friends over there are PAIN and ANGER
You came CLOSER, I saw you had no FACE!
We will be spending the NIGHT at your place
And UNWELCOME as we may be,
We are taking comfort at your HOME tonight
Come tomorrow, LEAVE we must!
But not without granting two gifts of STRENGTH and WISDOM
In the saloon Tom, Jenna and Tania were talking about Christmas week
They wanted to spread some cheer for the good folks of Soup Creek
Tom thought Milton would make a good Santa and hoped he'd agree
Their meeting was rudely interrupted with sounds of a noisy melee.
They went outside and Ranger David was looking very bemused
In handcuffs was a scruffy individual who was looking very confused
And had mean beady eyes with long hair and a long unkempt beard
He was shouting obscenities waving his arms and acting very weird.
Just then Sherrif Koplin appeared and asked David what was wrong
David replied "I think he's on drugs or he's been in the sun too long
I was over by Calypso Canyon on patrol, when I came across him
He pulled a gun on me but it jammed, and said his name was Jim"
Sheriff Koplin said "he's scaring the kids we'd best get him inside
Then I'll telegraph Doctor Keller to come and get him certified
I'll put him in the jailhouse for his own safety and for ours too
Maybe he needs a spell in an asylum that's probably long overdue.
The overland stage arrived next morning, Doctor Keller had arrived
It had been a long sleepless night for the Sheriff but he'd survived
Because the unruly prisoner had shouted obscenities all night long
And for a man to behave in that way something was seriously wrong.
Dr Keller had brought an assistant along, who looked like an assassin
The doctor spoke briefly with the Sheriff then to the jail they went in
The docs assistant had a straightjacket and rope; tools of the trade
A crowd had gathered to listen to the racket that was being made.
They came out half an hour later with the patient who was now secure
But in the scuffle had badly soiled himself and stunk of fresh manure
Doctor Keller approached the towns people and he had this to say
"This poor wretched man is quite sick and we'll be taking him away"
The overland stage then arrived in town and all three climbed inside
A journey to Sacramento Asylum was about a five and a half hour ride
The driver shouted and cracked his whip and they were soon on their way
"Good riddance to you " said Sheriff Koplin "don't come back any day.
written on 22nd November 2022
It feels like they've been here forever,
How long isn't easy to tell.
They claim they arrived from Australia
but I think they came here from hell.
The cats all left home for a fortnight
the fleas on the dog did the same
The washing machine thinks it's having a fit
but maybe it's me that's to blame.
I should have known just what would happen
my house would not be my own,
but instead, I said "Treat the place just like it's yours"
"Please make yourself feel at home".
I wonder if their house has multiple showers
and loo rolls that never run out
I wonder if their house resembles a bomb site
I'll hopefully never find out.
They changed my routines as a matter of course
and I didn't have any say
They made me feel awkward and sometimes as if
it was me that got in the way.
Some gratitude might have helped matters
a 'Thank you' or two would have done
But never a hint from either
they were even having fun.
So now they are gone and the place is my own,
doors are not locked anymore
and if in the future they wish to return
I won't even open the door!
The gloomy days of winter
And soggy clouds of rain
Make me wonder if sunshiny days
Will ever come again.
I am so tired of galoshes,
Umbrellas and rain coats.
I'd like to carry only bottles
Of sun lotion in my totes.
Mr North Wind take your icy blasts
And blow them far away
To where polar bears would say welcome
And walruses and caribou play.
I am sitting by a heater
With a blanket on my knees.
I see my garden through my window
As it slips into deep freeze.
The sports of winter don't amuse me.
I have never learned to ski.
I'd like to winter in Hawaii
Or in sunny Italy.
Now that Santa Claus has gone back
To the land of ice and snow,
I must tell you Mr. Winter,
It's also time for you to go.
1/17/13
Once it was bright and warm
but now wet and dull,
the summer has transformed
into autumn, a season fraught
with chilly winds and changing
colours; first glorious greens but
then striking reds, oranges and yellows.
Autumn is a season that symbolises
change and the un-noticed challenges
that we all face regardless of
whatever form they take.
Many scorn it for being a season
that many seasonal illnesses
suddenly arise, like strained
springs suddenly being released
creating a sound that ricochets
all around, bouncing off every
surface.
But still autumn persists for
it is locked in an eternal cycle
created by Mother Nature herself.
Autumn – a season to be cherished
and welcomed for without autumn
new life cannot form when spring
arrives creating a new blossoming
paradise of colours for the summer
that follows where the sun will bestow
its very light on very living soul.
The wren sings the dirge,
An unwelcome guest, we fear,
Goodbye my true love.
There's something scary
Happening in this place.
I must be very wary,
And not leave a trace.
There are beings here
That just don't belong
They feel unnaturally *****,
So strange, so wrong.
It took so long to adjust
Each layer as filth accrues.
Centuries of cobwebs, dust,
Slimes, molds and mildews.
I spooked a bit their dogs and cats,
And made their youngest scream.
I tried to scare the other brats;
Mother said "just a bad dream".
I've tried wailing and keening,
But they just won't let me be!
They just won't stop cleaning, Cleaning, CLEANING
Until there's nothing left of me.
20190113
"Pallida mors aequo pulsat pede
Pauperum tabernas regumque turris"
Death comes in many forms
And never counts the cost.
A brutal suicide bewilders,
Desolate are the young mother's children.
Carelessness leaves undiagnosed
The condition that kills a grandmother
And a family is left to mourn.
Death shows compassion
To take away a long-suffering
Matriarch in her sleep.
How distraught are those left behind.
Senseless is the public execution
By a disturbed assassin
She fallen in her prime
By this crime is robbed
Of her mission in life
Meaning we must weave
Into such narratives
To retain our humanity
Without which we cannot go on.