Best Wichita Poems
Dedicated to a fine poet on soup Gershon Wolf.
In an old cowboy town in Wichita
Staying alive meant being quick on the draw
The Straws and Jones shoot out
Was bloody without doubt
All killed except one he was' The Last Straw'.
Written 18th July 2019.
The witches West of Wichita
Have gathered for the night.
Darkness is upon them, yet,
The moon is shining bright.
Hanging perfect in the blackness
Of the still October sky,
Casting shadows of a feline,
Her back is arching high.
A scream that breaks the silence
Of the stillness in the air,
Sends chills through all who hear it.
A sound that says, “Beware”!
Incantations uttered softly….
Something’s added to the brew.
A pinch of this,,,a snip of that,
The sisters stir their stew.
Vapors rise above the vat,
Dancing like a snake,
Twisting,,,turning wildly,
It’s alive for goodness sake!
Then, in a secret language
Only spoken by a few,
The eldest whispers something,,,
"Happy Halloween for You"!
Up in the mountains
See the animals below
See the cars down there
It is very cold up here
In the Wichita Mountains
There is always a way, the optimist says,
Yet the creak of life’s tensions groan low,
They shadow the quake that the floor he walks makes,
And the air as it travels says so.
See the mist pale & thick,
It caresses each tip, every leaf, every needle and frond,
He smiles a wide smile at a metallic knell
Like sweet chiming bells,
Speaking scenes to his minds inner eye.
The paleness surrounds like great steam clouds,
Then a strong rasping sound cuts in with a short rhythmic note,
He sees a blue breaking through, the white tendrils grow few,
he gazes on grey shining ribbons of track
With a curve running clean through fields of sage green.
Wheat silos by pale gold hay stacks.
Then with curses and clumps the foreman climbs up and
Hauls another rasping board to his stage,
“Hey grab hold of this mate! You’re making us late”,
As a bucket of clamps clatters down!
So with a spanner in hand he re-joins the gang,
And puts his hand to a galvanised pole,
It’s cold and damp to his grip, and he feels his heart dip,
As he thinks on the way life now goes,
Lost in terraces grey while for hours he slaves,
So far from his Wichita home,
With his quiet English wife and two children besides,
And too soon, into a day nursery they'll go.
But dear God in heaven the sign said 7 to 7,
Is that the start to a balanced home life?
© Joe Maverick 2010
I was raised up in Wichita Kansas
A city slicker I'd guess you would say
Once my Uncle Ben took my brother and I
To visit his cabin for a night and a day
We fished and swam and had great fun
Then went back to the cabin for a bit
I asked Uncle Ben, “Where's the bathroom at”
He said, “Out back and down that path is it”
I thought that's weird as I walked out the door
But ran as my stomach I had to clench
I shoved the door open and pulled down my pants
and sat down on a big hole in a bench
I was feeling triumphant as things started to flow,
The door bumped my knee so I kicked it shut
That's when a wasp nest in the corner came alive
And I had nothing to wipe my butt!
After that there was screaming and shouting
There was crying as I beat on that old stuck door
I came out alive but man what a mess it made
And I never used that old outhouse anymore
"50 Words for Poe: Shark"
The Shark’s name was Bruce
he liked to drive with his head
hanging out the car
mouth wrapped around a
Montecristo Dantes Cuban Cigar
They met in Wichita
Room 101 in the
Hotel Cicero
“Hey babe,” he said
“I know,” she said
“You wanna marry me and
you wouldn’t be dead for quids”
“Hey babe,” he kissed her forehead
“Yeah,” she said
“Let’s go to the Boat Shed”
They got out of bed
Lake Tahoe next
Bluey was waiting with Bugsy
in Las Vegas at the Flamingo
he'd be wearing Red for Siegal
free as a bird
Meanwhile,
She'd gone all Jonathan Livingston Seagull
In another world
Brisbane and Sydney were dead
...
She’d put a bullet to both of their heads
(LadyLabyrinth/2019)
https://youtu.be/aSI-Wk00rVw
The Toadies – Possum Kingdom
“The devil will do anything for you to be comfortable in your ignorance.”
“If you opt for a safe life, you will never know what it's like to win.”
“The danger of venturing into uncharted waters is not nearly as dangerous as staying on shore, waiting for your boat to come in.”
https://youtu.be/tmSzRx9RYLk
Sinatra
1. SEAGULL
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Livingston_Seagull
2. Jonathan Livingston Seagull/ebook
http://csermelyblog.tehetsegpont.hu/sites/default/files/angol%20sir%C3%A1ly.pdf
I took a stroll through Boot Hill Cemetery the other day,
To take a look at where outlaws and other rabble lay.
Some graves were marked by stones, others by weathered board;
Many covered with cairns of rock, residents known only by the Lord!
As I moseyed through the weeds and brambles from tomb to tomb,
I read interestin' epitaphs on how those fellers met their doom!
"Here lies the mortal shell of bank robber Tim McGraw;
Bad luck for Tim - the bank teller was quicker on the draw!"
"Beneath this turf resides big-time gambler Jedidiah Greeves;
He played Texas hold-em with too many aces up his sleeves!"
"Here dwells 'Hank' Hankston who 'borrowed' the judge's steed;
He was hanged from a lone oak tree for this nefarious deed!"
"Here inhabits Cletus O'Toole who had a run-in with the law;
The high sheriff won the battle on the dusty streets of Wichita!"
"Molding in this lonely grave is Joe Bronson, notorious cattle thief;
Wranglers dealt with Joe in a hail of lead with whom they had a beef!"
"Cody Blanks went on a drunken toot causing mayhem and injury;
The judge sentenced him to be hanged as suggested by the jury!"
These fellers were planted with their boots on accordin' to local lore;
That's why it will be known as Boot Hill Cemetery now and forever more!
Oklahoma bred,
By the Wichita Mountains;
Gracemont is my home.
A Blinded B47 Pilot
It was another aviation accident case
That had happened at an Air Force Base,
Except this one was more complicated; (Not Top Gun)
From plane, who would pilot be extricated.
Several facts about the case we did find;
Turns out some way he had become blind;
By a nearby pilot, this one was talked down
With great effort, ended up safely on the ground.
What a wonderful example of a trying moment
Where some brave person was to be sent
Out on an expedition, and by him was reassured
Only a positive result would have occurred.
To outstanding pilot this might have seemed normal
But for us would be something trying and formal;
While on the ground, we were willing to pray,
We are glad God was with them all of the way.
This B47 even happened at Dyess AFB, TX back in
the late 50's or early 60's. The last B47 was
decommissioned in 1963 while I was stationed at
McConnell AFB, KS across the way from Boeing Field
just south of Wichita, KS. The remnants of the last
B47's can be found on I-95 near Savannah, GA and
on West I-54 in Wichita, KS where I had graduated
from Wichita State University at thanks to the GI Bill.
James Thomas Horn
Retired Veteran
PS. I would call this bravery which there is no category for.
...inspired by the song 'Northbound 35' by Jeffrey Foucault
Two hundred miles and counting,
Kansas blacktop, batttling snow,
visibility's poor, his sadness is mounting,
from here to there he has nowhere to go.
Lela left, took the kids and the horses,
hostility raging and angry goodbyes,
broken dishes and old, shattered promises,
nothing but highway and tears in his eyes.
Wichita, Lawrence, there's nobody waiting,
mile upon mile with no real destination,
no one to call, his memories grating,
thinking the while of his elimination.
Motels and hotels, the marks of community,
churches that urge you to come on inside,
Salvation Army, use them with impunity,
doctors and hospitals serving with pride.
Hope springs eternal, that's what they say,
confidence builds as he goes on his way,
to gather himself, shake it off, that is all,
grace the true measure, the cure for a fall.
Deal With Appeal
Wrote this while watching the news.
Already did have much appeal
Trying to come up with a deal;
After all bugs were worked out,
And beyond shadow of a doubt,
Are able to complete and seal.
Del is one of our best friends (1500 on 4/8/2017)
from Wichita, Kansas and was
usher at our wedding. He and
his wife are visiting us.
About Del we always do tease;
He seems so perfectly at ease;
His demeanor is to be relaxed;
Never bothered or ever taxed;
Ability continues to increase.
Found A Feeling
Saw several African children
on the news and wrote this
poem.
Saw their faces and found a feeling
Of much joy from floor to the ceiling;
Shiny bright teeth with great smile;
Were waiting to greet me for a while.
Never forgot first sight I had seen,
Wearing casual clothes and blue jean;
Others with clothes from native land
For them by God had been planned.
Everyone erupted with much emotion;
Filled with all their love and devotion;
Together they always peacefully play
And with God have another great day.
Had Hoped to Find
Started sorting and was hard to tell
Which one would be my favorite shell;
Did consistently, constantly, compare
Lying by beach shore here and there.
Were round and others oblong and odd
That had been made by our great God;
All of various colors and many designs;
Several with spiral and also curvy lines.
Through shells did separate and strain
And ocean waves played a sweet refrain
Asking me why I became a big creep;
God's precious shells trying to keep.
In each day mornings will always break
So I then said to myself for goodness sake
Will be best if lovely shells are left behind
For others who often had hoped to find.
Copyright © James Horn | Year Posted 2014
Think that what I will do is just add
newest poem I wrote to most recent
poem that is in my list. In that way,
message saying I have already written
my daily amount of poems will not
affect me. I can add date and time
I completed it to it.
I added the rest into one poem so
I can print them all up at the same
time to read Sunday 4/9/2017 at
3 PM at Poetry Revisited in Shallotte,
NC at Arbor Landing Retirement
Center.
James Serious Mysterious Horn
Retired Veteran and Poet
When I rob banks, the tellers panic with fright.
But I'm not a mean thief, I'm always polite.
When I demand money from the tellers, I always say please.
So far I'm a crook that the Police haven't been able to seize.
One bank teller was a man who wore a wig and a dress, he was a Transvestite.
The jerk severed my pinky finger when he grabbed my hand and gave it a bite.
I was way too polite to shoot him for it.
I grabbed my finger and as I drove to the hospital, I decided to floor it.
Right now I'm in Kansas and I'm robbing a bank in the town of Wichita.
The Cops just walked in, I'm finally going to be apprehended by the Law.
I'm so polite that I've never been able to be tough.
I'm crying like a baby as the Cops slap on the cuffs.
(This is a fictional poem)
Those books which were rejected by the Council of Hippo
Being non-biblical belong to what is called the Apocrypha
These books of the Bible
They are often well worth reading as they offer much historical information
Not otherwise available
However
Some of these stories
Slightly heretical tendencies
The Catholic use of the word “Apocrypha”
Defined aboveShould be distinguished from the incorrect Protestant use of the word
Protestants use this term to designate the seven books of the Bible included in the Catholic Bible canon
But not accepted or found in Protestant Bibles
These seven books are
Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach
1 and 2 Maccabees and parts of Esther and Daniel
Protestants call the books
Found in the Catholic
Apocrypha
The Pseudepigraphal books
Copyright, 2005, 2002, 1987 & 1981 BY DEVORE & SONS,INC.
WICHITA, KANSAS 67201
COPYRIGHT, 1970 BT CATHOLIC BIBLE PUBLISHERS
WICHITA, KANSAS 67201
Terrific Trip
Gotta get a long little doggie
Am making way to Muskogee
And will be there next day
My great guitar will play.
While we were in Wichita,
Just saw my ma and pa
And when we left again
Ended up in Hutchinson.
One more song sang so freely
Found way to great Greeley
Saw mountain tops all white
Disappearing into the night.
Continued on and did battle
All the way to Seattle
Continued on Westward bound
And Pacific heard its sound.
It sure was a terrific trip
Into past things did slip
After seeing a new dawn
To heaven I had gone.
James Thomas Horn, Retired Veteran
www.poetrysoup.com
...inspired by the song 'Northbound 35' by Jeffrey Foucault
Three hundred miles and counting,
Kansas blacktop, battling snow,
visibility's poor, his sadness is mounting,
from here to there he has nowhere to go.
Lela left, took the kids and the horses,
hostility raging and angry goodbyes,
broken dishes and old, shattered promises,
nothing but highway and tears in his eyes.
Wichita, Lawrence, there's nobody waiting,
mile upon mile with no real destination,
no one to call, his memories grating,
thinking the while of self elimination.
Motels and hotels, the marks of community,
churches that urge you to come on inside,
Salvation Army, use them with impunity,
doctors and hospitals serving with pride.
Hope springs eternal, that's what they say,
confidence builds as he goes on his way,
to gather himself, shake it off, that is all,
grace the true measure, the cure for a fall.