Best Watertight Poems
how does one opine
with one’s eyes shut watertight?
— open wisdom’s dam
1/15/2018
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND
Half-Scot, half-English and ill at ease with the past,
Newcastle is sooty black from its coaly drama,
And the breathless town was always in a hurry to grow,
Narrowly avoiding destruction of its past or leaping over it.
Up on the plateau, industrial power-engine city:
Its earlier Norman Castle and Black Gate narrowly missed
By the frenetic hammers of eager Victorian builders.
Elegantly-proportioned Grainger Street and Central Rail Station
Pause unwillingly to admit the Scottish-style lantern-spired
Sandstone cathedral with its delicate shade of sooty industrial black.
Down at the riverside - an earlier town of shipyards and arms factories,
Quayside warehouses with watertight flood-doors,
Its precipitous narrow old port-streets carved into the gorge walls
And pierced by cold winds from the North Sea,
Is leaped over by a platoon of high-level metal bridges.
Across the Tyne, inelegant, they grab the opposite bank and bind the city to England.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
NOTE: 1 Newcastle is situated on the north ( = Scottish ) side of the River Tyne.
The town was an epicenter of the Industrial Revolution,
with coal, steel, chemical, engineering, and shipbuilding
industries, and was also a major seaport.
2 Norman Castle, Black Gate are remnants of a pre-medieval past.
3 Grainger Street, Central Rail Station are 19th century redeveloped areas.
4 Cathedral (St. Nicholas) dates from 14th century.
Wearisome weatherman
Wears watertight wedgies
With wide well-worn webbing
When wading wherever
Warming water washes
Waterborne wastepaper
Wandering whereabouts.
FOURTH PLACE WINNER
Written May 9, 2021
for "Pleiades "W" Contest"
sponsored by Kim Merryman
7 lines with 6 syllables each checked by HMS.
In days of old when knights were bold and dungeons were dug deep
Widely renowned back then was found, a race of hero sheep
These sheep were strong, these sheep were tough,
these sheep were eight feet tallAnd lots of very useful stuff was knitted from their wool
The wool was strong, and woven long to any length was able
To out perform the tensile strength of any modern cable
While nimble hands, pulled finer strands from out that noble flock
Which taut, sufficed to cleanly slice deep through the toughest rock
Those sheep were prized, and many wise men kept their woolly kind
Twas said the bleating of those sheep would stimulate the mind
The wonders that those sheepies wrought, would fill a hundred lists
And fueled a boom for work by loom and wool technologists
They found that wool, if tightly bound would not only float
But closely weaved and interleaved, could make a woolly boat
While natural grease, gleaned from that fleece, if applied just right
Succeeded to fulfil the need to make it watertight.
So woolly fleets sailed ancient seas, to ply the trade in wool
Till pirates knitted cannons, to fire woollen cannonballs
And so, therefore, a woolly war broke out throughout the world
The war was short, but keenly fought where woollen sails unfurled
The brief wool war had one deep flaw, though everyone was willing
For woolly blades, however made, are little use for killing.
This one defect completely wrecked the wool age upward trend
And so the golden age of wool came to a sudden end.
7/30/16
Streetlights
Not turning on until the night
I am wrong not always right
During the day and night
Just trying to live my life
Below satellites
I'm going to roll the dice
More than once or twice
Making sure my family is alright
And helping them through any strife
As I work with a bigger appetite
Nearby minerals, and ores some of which were meteorite
Went down many rapids with beer on ice
And not every cooler or crate was watertight
Cleaned up any of my messes, never once littered during the plight
And didn't always listen or follow advice
Don't care about facebook likes
I can barely remember what exactly I wrote and typed
Below sea levels and atop the heights
I've worked with many chemicals and particles, including dolomite
All these different rituals and rites
Some of which involve a sacrifice
Fantasies and dreams about paradise
But not all can get a slice
Some end up paying the price
In ways that are colder than ice
Leaving behind kids and a wife
You want to be rude and not polite
Then go take a hike
Before I hit you with all my might
And the impact of dynamite
By: Dalton Ogletree
Oh the glory! Of this my story
Upon a colossal, metallic beast
Did I sail, for many a year
Every ocean and sea, seemed the vastness of eternity
My name is Arthur Homer Creed, AKA -“Homie”
Chief Petty Officer, United States Navy
My job, dangerous as it was
Was my one true love.
Director on the flight deck
Of an aircraft carrier
We cruised from Japan to Quebec
The scream of the jet
Was Mozart to my ear,
Adrenaline rush
Newbies full of fear-
But taught them all I did,
To be safe and stay on the grid
To catch a Tomcat became second nature-
And soon, for the novice, a breathtaking adventure.
How I adored the hues of sunset
And the smell of intensity from a jet
Off we sent them,
In the fury of a screaming cat
A hundred miles up they would fly
While we waited to catch them
From a dismissive sky.
“Chief Homie“, my flyboys called me
I was their father, and mentor out to sea
Their only family.
The young ones who were here to serve,
This great battleship,
Only the best did they deserve.
Into ports we swept
Alluring the girls, and scoring some drink,
Then back to the ship we went
Refreshed, relaxed and ready to think.
Onward another month or two we sailed,
18 hours days,
Through high winds and formidable gales.
Then the time came to get serious
There was a threat
The “Old Man” was furious -
F-18’s sent to the Middle East
Dropping bombs
In the name of peace.
Sorties flown day and night,
Blackout ship- we were trying to hide
Manning all battle stations,
This was a defensive action.
Through the bulkhead it came -
Crashing, crushing, killing, exploding
Entire ship, quickly eroding.
This projectile -
Erasing the faces I had known,
My legs, I saw, off were blown-
I grabbed the hatch
To keep
This hell from reaching others,
Up on deck.
Heaving it shut
With all I had left
I got that watertight hatch closed
Then I knew I was dead-
As the water enveloped my head,
I could no longer breathe -
Sea pouring in all around me.
I saved that ship, and those boys
From dying that day-
Or so I suppose,
Because I hear their praises
Sung to me -
In my watery grave,
Under the sea.
A. Green
Anchors Aweigh...Destination Unknown
Weather beaten cap'n,
and watertight bewitched craft
time tested since maiden voyage
(circumnavigating the globe
back in the day
of my youth),
I ranked tough as a pitbull,
when severely pitted
against raw elements
of swiftly tailored,
harried stylish nature
against leathery faced
reptilian skin, hard drinking
(actually as corked
poetic convenience - vermouth
arbitrary bottle of choice
if for no other reason,
than to rhyme
with the above line),
and tobacco spitting, while
colorfully swearing as an uncouth
Furies (of Agamemnon) fighting (tooth
and nail) Pirate,
where rickets, scurvy,
and thrice unconscious,
currently ample proof
could not forsooth
bring me to
Davy Jones's locker,
cuz I never wanna
get relegated to an underwater
whale schooled booth,
this raconteur can nonchalantly,
glibly, and blithely attest,
with braggadocio, despite
no warm welcome will
ever greet mine tinnitus
pained ears, I can plainly
imagine acrimonious retort
upon me behest
his far more'n lifetime
bobbing (like a sponge)
buoyed atop crest
longing e'en for
(carping, caviling, hen pecking,
or shrewish) wife,
and loving family
forsaken, sans living
antisocial upon briny deep divest
many opportunities to
experience wedded, webbed
and whirled bliss,
and hence for everest
as bachelor, especially
at present junction
of twilight years,
my crude manners
makes foreign (for
an) ill suited guest
boot e'en if yours truly
became inured to life on land,
(as a "FAKE" father figure
feathering his nest
my coarse behavior, as basic
electric koolaid acid test
would force even
the most tolerant proprietor,
perhaps a bank
manager at Univest
would utter VAMOOSE,
e'en if eye covered up
my heavily pierced,
and tattooed breast.
Night is the time
That crawls in like
slime
It is full of activities
That we celebrate
with festivities.
Night it is that
habours
All evils in the mind
of all that labours
Killings and kidnaps
that are watertight
Are done secretly by
men in the night.
Meetings and
Machinations of any
intent
Are done in the night
to the heart's
content.
Thence, I call on the
sleepy friend
Stay awake for a
part of the night
Even if the most
bleary fiend
Disturbeth thee. And
say a prayer not
loose but tight!!!
Well twenty whales met ten goldfish at rush hour on the A9 but the heavily congested B85 was chewing on some straw that had fallen off a bridge. Hay deepens a drag from a nomadic tractor-trailer. And a speedboat carries cows on pleasure cruises around and around the fields. Ah look arriving is a smiling trough. Good. Trotting trotters tantrically tasting talismanic thoughts. And a bud rises. And a rose dances with a thistle. Pistols are prevalent in tall trees in blossoming canopies. And a fisherman rushes to catch a very large pike in a biscuit tin. Hahahaha figs waving in wild water in a dingy. Hahahaha watertight way. Hahahaha sundown eclipse button. Chanting caterpillar xxxx agnostic ant. Xxxx territoriality *** z.
Lost in the rythym of the base and the blues. Sometimes It's like I'm here but I'm not, I can't lose.
The sweet sense of the spanish guitar taking my spirit away as I travel far, far, far, far.
Away from the city the dirt and the grime. Away from the shootings and other senseless crimes.
Rocking with Rob Base, Far Away with Marsha Ambrosious- quiet, serene, in a place where all is quite harmonious.
Sometimes when things not going right in my life I just get lost in a beautiful verse with Lyfe--Jennings that is, and it makes everything absolutely WaterTight hmmmm Must be Nice.
Arguing with my husband nobody soothes my pain like the greats, Whitney, Monica, Gladys Knight too, Teena Marie, Ethel Waters and Minnie Ripperton, Loving you is Easy Because, You Should have known Better.
Homesick for my mothers sweet love, hearing Anita Baker's smooth voice pumping through the box, giving me my mama's touch I longed for so much.
Yes the Power of Music.
It can take you away from all of your pain, free you from your emotional chains, Change your mind, make you aware, The Music IS ALIVE INSIDE FOR ALL TO HEAR.
And I turn my headphones Up!
Want effective and long-lasting house plumbing? Here are few examples of the most excellent pipes for house plumbings that will last forever.
The most reliable pipes for house plumbing are ones that will persist for a long time, as well as efficiently do the job.
ABS pipes are the most reliable drainage pipes but PVC is most suitable for underground settings in commercial and industrial constructions. PVC is more heavily used in the United States, where ABS is less popular. Both work well, it all comes down to the codes and allowances of your particular region.
Water
Copper and PEX are the most suitable for the use for water services, with PEX being the most affordable by a landslide. PEX is very simple to work with and cut, as well as attach fittings too. This cuts down the price of material as well as labor time for a plumber.
Copper is more costly, and type M Copper is not permitted in all circumstances as it has thinner walls, but it can be utilized for various domestic applications. Type L copper is more easily employed for commercial and industrial settings as it has thicker walls and will last much longer.
Copper seems fabulous but needs a bit more time to operate with. The positive side of copper though is that it is a more rigorous material and is less likely to get pierced(although possible). Copper needs soldering (melting metal with a low melting point around the pipe and fitting) as well as sanding the element to guarantee it is clear of dirt and grime that necessarily builds upon the outer wall of the pipe and then implementing flux to make it more manageable for a flame to get attracted to the interior of the fitting for that watertight seal.
Cast Iron for drainage
Besides ABS and PVC for drainage pipe, you can also have cast iron pipe for your drains. These are also a more costly option for drainage (like copper is to PEX) and takes more time to work with.
This pipe also demands a bit more care to be hung from the roof as earlier discussed, it’s heavier.
When it comes to plumbing, your code is power. Whatever choice you make, be certain the hydraulic hose fittings are to code as a lot of stuff may be immediately sold, but may not be to regulations. This could lead to crashes in plumbing and accidents.
Turtle wrap is a turtle entwined. Eh. Ooh.ball is the only thing for a bit. Among a fish baked grass. And a farting squid in a barrel of pickles is a introduction to a heifer dance. So many beef goats for a merry massacre. And burping with a turtle heated bead head is almost as invested as Abdu ii spinning in a meeting. Serpentine meeting a jalapeño in an arena. Melting no cooking pot. Dinner divination duty dropping deeds divinely. Pontiffs place Peahen properly and a propulsion of a prism point is a didactic rhythm guitar and drums and bassist sailing on a small rectangular seed. On a stream. Several streams singing watertight winking walls. And the beast of the brick is a linkage of a lineage. Lint no linguistic lounging lolly. And a nice fantastical fabric. Xxxx and hahahaha now defecating drives. Hahahaha and a numerical swift swimming. Xxxxx educational establishment two vertical vestryman nil. Xxxxx morphological Z z z Z
There is a stall down by the dock
Selling the freshest seafood stock.
Creatures in shells, caught just offshore.
Live oysters there for eating raw.
Each one sealed up and watertight.
To prise open it is a fight.
Down in one, living flesh slither.
Sudden burst of ocean flavour.
Only these ones you eat alive
If you expect to stay alive.
Oysters help keep men in the pink
As they contain a lot of zinc.
Tis healthy food without a doubt.
Best washed down with some Irish stout.
Now Casanova knew the score,
As he ate live oysters galore.
He knew how to play a good game
Eating fresh oysters without shame.
There is a stall down by the dock
Selling the freshest seafood stock.
One time around the pickle mountain ensures that a fountain is required upon return but a round fish looking at a tree line is plotting and planning a way to make a watertight tree house. A d the seemingly unassuming capital letter Q makes a pungent aroma upon a sentence. Roll up roll up the molluscs are coming to town. Dressed in silvery jingly jangly costumes. Quite a carnival then isn't it? Well, isn't it? Would you not say that the grey tarmac is somewhat alleviated of monotony with such a fine passing of sprayed on multi coloured garments and beat with dancing feet. The bouncy tempo. The glowing. The flows from the decorated carts with the cartwheeling displays from the callipers. Calibrate that in a diagram now then frame. Always frame. Then hang on a blank wall. Out of the reach of tall plants. Which is good as they have a nasty habit of dragging the pictures from the walls with their mighty leaves. Ooh wow. Great isn't it? A lagoon in a sink filled with foam can easily be crossed by a teaspoon but only if the teaspoon is wearing armbands. Whereas a plate in a dingy could sink if they get hooked on a knife. So be careful then when organising a gala in a washing basin. Diving dredging delivery. And a turtle fish in a nice crisp shirt. Freshly ironed with a scent of a swamp. Fantastic. Ha a fly is doing a tango with a plug today in a ballroom. Ha a sandwich has escaped and is running across the lawn and is being chased by very very posh people at a garden fête. Xxxx paleobontist z z z z z z at fifty seven rocks reaching rare rooves to eight pies jostling for views. Z
Written: October 16, 2023
This Or That, Vol 21 Poetry Contest Sponsored by: Edward Ibeh
Nobody is more dangerous than he who imagines himself pure in heart; for his purity, by definition, is unassailable. James A. Baldwin
________________________________________
Shadows shroud the world and wicked looms
There is a stronghold whenever chivalry blooms.
It is solid and unmovable, a towering presence.
A secure haven if everyone is at quintessence.
Unaffected by the anathematization of outer world
In your way, nothing impure may be hurled.
It stays there, watertight and unbreakable.
Beyond the decry of the earth's taints, unshakable
No adulterant can taint its empyrean ground.
Within its walls, only purity is found.
Vividness and zeal, in every hue and shade,
Dilute not the chroma, as fine purity is wade.
No watered-down ideas, no pure erroneous
Truth alone is pristine, eternal, and harmonious.
It sustains its foundation in dignity and poise.
Unblemished by wrongdoing, free of evil noise
With laser-like focus, you defy the mundane.
Its honor is immune from any taint of disdain.
Static in an unassailable way, its saturation of caste
A stronghold of acquittal, a haven of sanctity that lasts
unassailable purity, a beacon of light,
Steering calix souls toward what is right.
In a world plagued by avarice and desire,
It nestles as a vestige, a cosmic canorous choir.
Purity is beyond simply a word or a name.
However, an unquenchable goodness flame
Within a world that tries to cheat and deceive.
The unshakeable purity is steadfast; never leave.