Best Yowling Poems
My sonnet has the temper of a screaming child
because I'll not allow it to run free and wild
Mired on a pad, it damns me. "I want to fly free!"
"You're not ready," I whisper. "Put your trust in me."
It cried, trying to hold on to its pregnant dreams
blaming me for aborting expressive rhyme schemes
"Ask your muse to find more decorous selections."
On her advice, I began to make corrections.
I purged all the rhetoric and made a new start
resulting in the birth of a sonnet with heart
I danced for freedom I'd granted to my verses
No longer do I hear the yowling of curses
I will continue to write with a pliant quill
and an open mind with the ink I choose to spill
The old rocker reposed by the hearth longer than I can remember.
'Twas Grandma's favorite chair, she cherished it as a family member!
From it she dispensed abounding love, wisdom and wit,
Rhythmically rocking, never minding the squeaks it would emit!
What a special privilege it was to recline at her feet,
Enthralled by tales of her past, of which her repertoire was replete!
As she grew older, tho' her gnarled fingers were not as nimble,
She'd still relax in the rocker with needle, thread and thimble!
In the eventide, she'd read her Bible, glasses perched upon her nose,
Then afterwards with Tabby in her lap, take her usual doze.
Later, the family would gather around her and the chair,
To reminisce, sing, then kneel for evening prayer.
The cat invariably got his tail crushed as Grandma rocked the chair,
Creating a fit of yowling, hissing and an inscrutable glare!
But the wily old dog learned from the first day of his birth,
To give Grandma and her rocker a very cautious berth!
Tho' Grandma and her rocking chair are no longer around,
Precious memories of her holding sway in that old rocker abound.
I suspect that on the other side of that far and mysterious veil,
She presides in a rocker, as saints gather to hear her regale!
Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired (© All Rights Reserved)
WOMEN SECRETS
Someone stretches his neck
Whenever she passes
Someone makes a nodding chuckle
Whenever she was heard talking
At times we brawled in pepper arguments
And she never suspects one thing
Theres nothing seen so better
What is seen is geometric triumphs
What is heard is hypnotic octaves
A walking triangle talking Ewe, Ga and Twi
A walking rectangle eating Akple, Komi and Fufu
A walking hour-glass dancing Atsiagbekor, Kpanlogo and Adowa
Yes ! a miracle of a woman
What set us yowling
Never seen from the side
But always from the her back and her face
That beauty of a woman
That buttocks of a woman
That breast of a woman
Her worth that scaled down Bank of Ghana
her voice that down-pitched the Beethoven
A babies thrown where they are nurtured
Fathers heaven where virility trives
Woman Ayekoo !
Part 3
9th Delerium: Emptyness
Water wheels in wastelands... turning,
drowning relics in the slum
Rumpled rags of fashioned burlap... burning,
lit by bandits blind and dumb
Pastured prisons, ponies bridled ... yearning,
forest fairies under thumb
Sounds inside of cauldrons coughing... churning,
blaring bugles, tattooed drum
10th Delirium: Alienation
Rain unravelling, wistfully weeping... falling,
treacle trickling, fickle sky
Mushrooms sprinkled, visions sprouting... sprawling,
seagulls drowning, dolphins die
Rabble gasping, spirits broken... crawling,
lonely lonesome swallows cry
Babbling brooks and breakers ebbing... bawling
puppies paddle, puppets sigh
People passing ripple past me... calling,
rainbow colours, collars high
Chaos seething, lepers looting... stalling,
stealing stallions on the sly
Pencils pausing, scholars scrambling... scrawling,
scratching scribbles, asking why
11th Delirium: Jetsam
Silver sails sway pallid pirates... prowling,
Jolly Rogers, wind and sound
Parrots perching, tattered feathers... fouling,
tethered talons, tied and bound
Shipwrecked foghorns, trumpets stranded... howling,
spiral springs of time unwound
Magic moonlight, shimmers shaking... scowling,
burnt out matchsticks washed aground
Prairie wolfs, coyotes calling... yowling,
witching hours, midnight hounds
Tightrope walkers, grizzlies grunting... growling,
seeking islands, lost and found
12th Delirium: Relief
Slumber shattered, vapours captive... haunting,
chained in mirrors, breaking free
Scarlet skylines, daylight dawning... daunting,
rivers rushing to the sea
Silence softens, sandmen whisper... wanting,
piercing rafters, turning keys
Shadows shudder, notions fluster... flaunting,
moonbeam bullets meant for me
Mind in migraine, meadows trembling... taunting,
sparrows speak in harmony
REAWAKENING
Pitter patter, teardrops paling... pearling,
salting scarves in secret drawers
Mist amongst us, smoke rings rising... curling,
climbing from the ocean floors
See-saw circles, senses swerving... swirling,
swept away with silver oars
Courtyard jesters, sceptres twisting... twirling,
push the past to foreign shores
Passing pangs of passions heaving... hurling,
burning bridges, closing doors
Roses wither, icons waning... whirling,
time decays and time restores
End
enjoy the reed
now displayed as a satisfactory deed.
* * * * * *
A Senior Moment - written months ago commemorating
the graduation from a vaunted charter school
in Bend, Oregon of thy lovely youngest,
this papa could not attend -
geographical distance constituting the primary determinant.
* * * * * *
Valedictorian treads across makeshift platform
i.e. most likely auditorium stage marked
by hushed audience inhaling, notating,
and regaling gleeful lightness of buoyant feat
(but me Yeats heavy of heart) feted for 2017 Redmond
Enrichment Academy graduates, who attained,
a milestone vis a vis earning their
high school diploma, and ready to launch
bountiful daunting challenges, yet sure
footed each young gal and/or guy
will exude joy and sorrow upon grasping their
high school diploma aware a sound education
sent each on their own future path
while pomp and circumstances issues forth
by adroit musically talented underclass
* * * * * *
man, which emotional celebrated achievement
evoked by keynote student speaker,
but also underscored via that well worn mortar
board, linkedin, kickstarter, Joyus
tune (composed by Sir Edward Elgar –
subtitled March Number 1) acknowledging
cheers, eliciting grownups immense Kleenex
moistening overpowering quintessentially
simmering ululating wrenching yowling
as tassels flipped (maybe in conjunction with
a non twittering uber bird) to the left side
of the caparisoned newly anointed future
Dharma Bums, professionals and/or trades
persons momentarily stung with sadness
to depart favorite classmates and teachers
who voluntarily cosseted, ferried, and
* * * * * *
capitalone did flickr imperceptibly, kneaded
and leavened LivingSocial, and massaged MineCraft
outlook plenti full confidence, faith, and inherent
lettered oblations serve as snap chatting,
Wrenched, yowling ' Pain I'm in'
buffered th' whisperer to begin
eyes defying whispers of grass
carried the inside pain an rash
mildly bowed to th' whisperer's heart
an cold tears fell down thou art
to feel an shutter thou friends pain
th' horse yet saved th' life of e're
yet lost a leg, one's enough for her
an there it began hence again
Horses shrine hearts define
th' mesmerizing song of vine
Feather up shoulders can tell
how ease hence fell
horseback'd captured skyline rapture
surprisingly found thou art a dutch'er
flew in the woods with that mane hair
an the dutch waved up in air
whisperer hurried to free e're
but thou skipped from thou vein an feather
She loops the carefully folded laundry
in the crook of her arm the way you would lift
a cat peacefully sleeping on a bed.
The need for neatness nestled in her like
noblesse oblige. Do cats dream? Do
dogs? The precious lion cub curled
in the warm fur of its mother's body. Well,
Yes... as in twitching, tail wagging, yowling;
reliving their day's experiences as
if once was not enough. 'Gamma activity,'
the brain behaving just as it did while wakeful.
Brainy, zany, grainy, waking the cat
from its blanketed bed, its nesting Nirvana.
Horrible monster roaming the streets . . .
Abhorrent beastly creatures deplorable
Little kids in cute costumes holding daddy's hand
Laughing children running here and there
Orange pumpkins on porches blinking
Wailing and yowling sounds from hidden speakers
Eager the kids knock on doors
Every kid yells . . . TRICK OR TREAT
Nameless faces in disguise
Now at the corner is a very, very old house
Inside a bent, wrinkled lady lives with her black cat
Going to the door the kids are unsure and afraid
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! She yells with a great big smile
Take a treat or two, please! M e o w purrs her soft black kitty
____________________________
October 20, 2016
Acrostic
For the contest, Halloween Night
sponsor, Eve Roper
Second Place
I must say that in my four score years I've done it all and seen it all,
But in the autumn of my life, noxious noises drive me up the wall!
I like the soothing sound of most music and birds trilling in the trees,
But, Lord, spare me the wheezing of those bagpipes, if you please!
I like the sound of thunder and the rain falling softly on my roof,
But I could strangle the neighbor for letting his mutt yap and woof!
I can tolerate classical music until the prima donna Madame Zaria,
Begins to belt out her raucous contralto in an intolerable aria!
A most trying nuisance and I suppose one of my biggest gripes,
Are kids with boom boxes and their jalopies with those roaring pipes!
I don't mind the occasional rumbling of a train or the screaming jets,
But when dining I suffer acid reflux hearing inane cell phone vignettes!
I've got a bone to pick with the inventor of the wailing saxaphone!
That and the squeaking of a clarinet are more than I can condone!
I like western musical harmony sung by "The Sons Of The Pioneers."
But spare me those "She Done Me Wrong Songs" - they aggravate my ears!
Why can't folks keep their cats inside so they aren't yowling on my lawn,
And a hex on the dude revving his Harley Davidson waking me at dawn!
I reckon before I blow a gasket or worse yet lose my poise,
I'd better rush out and buy some ear plugs to stifle that noxious noise!
Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired
© All Rights Reserved
Some cat entered my room one night
I thought it was a ghost
It smelled like something had just died
But I must oblige my guest as the host
I turned on the light and there it was
An obnoxious opossum at best!
Whoa! Forget my host duties, cous!
Take the room—I’m an unhappy guest!
I left the house with a shutter
Before I realized I was heavily surrounded
By cats on all sides, up and under
The house they had all just rounded!
In truth I was perturbed on all levels
That I began to realize in horror
That damn opossum had spawned these little devils!
And tonight I must end this terror!
I then ran straight to the kitchen
Aware of the opossum inside
If I give up the tuna and ditch um’
Perhaps I’ll escape this night alive
The persistent cats scratched at the holes
Those buggers—those meddlers!
They could have been thieves—if not trolls!
Their yowls would scare sumo wrestlers!
Worst of all in this dilemma
Tomorrow was grocery day
There were no more cans of tuna
All my fish had swam away!
Somehow one got in
And the rest came barreling through
I ran toward my room to him
The opossum looked so distressed and blue
The little beady eyes pierced my soul
And I knew from then on he was my friend
He only meant to hide from the furry little trolls
And escape a most pitiful end!
I made up my mind at last
And picked up my trusty broom
Come on in—I dare yah tah pass!
Ain’t no feline coming through this room!
Glowing eyes burned with intent
And the yowling grew loud as hell
The little bullies think they can take my guest!
They’ll fly like birds they will!
That night was a battle like none other
A battle I will proudly say I won
I gained the friend of my life—a brother
My pet’s a load of fun!
As much as I love a neighbor cat
They are a little scary as a race
Thankfully a broom will push them back
And put them in their place
My opossum is a sweet little thing
And I protect him with my life
I’ll never judge a critter again
Till actions bring it to light
little pig beware the lupine cliques-
that prowl the woods of politics
the scent of money they adore
as all the while they howl for more
yowling from the forest floor
beguiling with their wily tricks
forego the straws and fragile sticks
and build your house of bricks!
It's a black cat Halloween night. Meow!
Sleek and lurking in the moonlight. Wow!
And they turn an inquisitive yellow eye,
When the little ghosts and goblins go by.
Ebony night, pitch black and gleaming,
Monsters visit on a night that's dreaming,
And everywhere black cats, as if on cue,
As devils and witches make a hullabaloo!
Black cat yowling, blood-curdlingly loud,
So titillating the appreciative crowd.
Silken darkness in the starlight glimmer,
And suddenly another moonlight skimmer!
Written on 10/14/2020
For: Halloween Meow Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Chantelle Anne Cooke
The madness of the cats began. They came from Ulthar and
Singaloon, in my dreams, and from cellars and old steeples by day.
By Day! I saw the twitching tails snake madly, as yellow eyes
glared hungry and I feared for my flesh.
You think I am mad. But you haven’t seen the horde of furred
demons crouching in the shadows of chairs, squirming out of closets,
heard them yowling in the old barns.
“They’re after me,” I cried to my wife, but she only purred.
“I need a sedative, anything to help me sleep," I told my
doctor, but he only offered me a saucer of warm milk.
I called the police, and they just suggested the Animal Rescue. I
told them what I was going to do instead, and slammed down the phone.
My wife mewed insincerely, till the rat poison finished her.
My next-door neighbor asked too many questions, till I distracted him
with cat-nip, so that he didn’t see my knife.
Now the police are outside, they want my rifle, and think
because I am only a mouse who cannot climb trees, that I won’t fight.
Let them come in. The buckshot will make their fur fly!
Inner inspiration ingress insight,
Lucent living levitates life,
Obsequious observations overflow oceans,
Victory’s’ vivaciousness vestiges vision,
Exuberant expressions eradicates enemies,
Yammer years’ yowling yields,
Occasional oneness onsets oaths,
Unity unfurls Urania uptorn’,
Essence emanated eradicates egos,
Togetherness taps tepid toes,
Easters eternality en-gild eggs,
Regal rationality rekindles raves,
Navigate nothingness nomogeny naive,
Almighty abodes assuage ache,
Launce life location latitant,
Labyrinth links love liberate,
Your yearn yields YES,
****My humble effort at Acrostic Alliteration****
From my publication "The Transient Soliloquy"
the clunky air conditioning
in the corner
clicks its way on,
percussive drums of
rainy-hands on tin roofs
rusty gutters
rattling in time
bum, bum, bum,
the leaky ceiling thumps
to the beat
as clear drops fall into
cracked, white, plastic
bucket
found on the side of the road,
abandoned,
three corners down
cars fly past below
adding their bloated roar
to the din
and the orange tabby from
down the hall
scratches incessantly at the door
yowling every
two or
three minutes
and the water drenching
the pavement and the people
sings to its own tune
as everything clashes and bashes
together, until the city is filled
with grey
rain music.