The first drop of blood
Who dare wield this dagger
It is I, Brutus
As I yield and stagger
Under watchful eyes
Caesar's cloth has been torn
An old era dies
A new Caesar's been born
I sat inside your office at the age of forty-five,
A farmer's desperation just to keep the dream alive.
Just hoping you would look at me and take a chance to see,
The farmer's steady promise that was still inside of me.
I'll admit I'm far from perfect, and I surely wasn't then,
But I learned mechanic's lessons in the rust beside the men.
That my true value isn't found in polish or in gold,
But in the perseverance when the nights were growing cold.
The months went by, the days grew long, until the layoffs hit,
And when the storm came crashing down, my time was sadly clipped.
I still remember clearly the words you said that day,
"I hope our paths will cross again somewhere along the way."
I spent eight years in other jobs, the foundry called me back,
And finally put my purpose and my spirit back on track.
I know it was my second chance, a light that has been lit,
And I'm glad to have been taught by you the truth in all the grit.
she struts around house
scaring dogs with her air paws
and high pitch hiss
I said I liked your girlfriend
She was rude, mean and hateful
I pretended I liked her outfit
it was garish, gaudy and gruesome
I pretended I liked your pumpkin pie
You are the worst baker in the world
I could barely choke it down
I wanted to spit it into the garbage
I was overly complimentary
It was all a lie, it was a huge fabrication
There was nothing I liked
I even pretended to like you
You are my boss
I have to pretend
Because you are a blow-hard bigot
You are filled with ugliness, you are a brute and a bully
I will never tell you the truth
Because I need this job
But the next time you have a party
I will think up a better lie to try and get out of coming
my boss is such a crab!
We all giggled at the bar
Truly, he is grouchy and mean
His directives sound like tar
We are laughing our petootsies off
one of the workers falls off her stool
She has no idea about accountant work
She works in a lovely grade school
There once was a helix of blue,
That told the person's brain what to do.
It gave eyes color to stare.
And added instructions for hair.
Those instructions built unique you.
In the land of Wonky Woo
big tuxi cat meowed a moo.
By crone spells he chewed cud
He rolled about in sloppy mud.
A squeaky mouse feared no flack
and sprang upon his spotted back
to weave a nest of bouncy moss
show moo cat who was boss.
Grey, tiny forms and wood lice
gnawed his ears with tasty spice.
.
each mine tramp
face
hern
dramatic proliferation
buttonz eyne
snap'n
pop'n
nubz
knobb'n
thuh mine
closer
tramp
face hern
dramatically proliferate'd
eyne nubz
pop'n
hern excited
mine
*boss; the physical meaning (lump or swelling)
dates back to the 1300s, derived from Old
french boce ,) lol whut...again; sum'onez gotta
say it
Your boss told you what to believe.
He is tanking badly in the polls.
Still, your boss told you what to believe.
It contradicts all the evidence.
But you’ve let him paint all your images.
You’ve let him create all your facts.
Don’t Read This Poem.
Your boss’s surrogates tell you what to believe.
They are his lip service, his yes men.
Their words belie all the videos and images.
Their brains are hollow vessels hungry for truth.
You’ve let them manipulate your world.
Don’t Read This Poem.
Your boss and his spin doctors control you.
These ministers of propaganda need you to believe.
ICE killed American citizens in cold blood.
They spun this as killings of domestic terrorists.
It is best that you bury your head in the sand.
It is best that you never read this poem.
They say they come once in a lifetime, but do they
Really is that the only time a nice job will swing your way
Feels more like meat thrown in the air for a hungry bird fight
Is it really worth the battle to chase the bait for a bite
Most decide to leave one for another chasing that higher dollar
At the bottom of a new corporate latter wearing that blue collar
You put down what taste familiar for another cup
It sounds like an opportunity until you realize what's up
A brand new environment with a whole new set of rules
Feeling the shoes of an employee that was used and abused
It must have been opportunity for them at one time
What's the real reason for posting the "We're Hiring Now" sign.
who is the mouthpiece? the employees ask each other.
most of them are fearful of the boss’s wrath.
no one is willing to speak up
although they will holler their disdain in the lunchroom
Head honcho's
Rain poncho
1419 NEW SENRYU Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Brian Strand
Contest Judged: 10/8/2025 9:40:00 PM
( 10th Place )
alarm clock shouts loud
i hit snooze for the third time
dreams keep pulling me
the bull could do tricks the rest of us could barely dream of he told me.
Could stand on his hog, and race down the freeway at a hundred and three
Could outmaneuver every member of the gang, he was hell on wheels.
most of his tricks were secrets, hidden in long-standing conceals.
We made him the captain, the boss, the king of our club.
He takes his motorcycle inside when he soaks in the tub.
Trusting no one, for his family was pretty hard on him, liars too.
Can’t trust anyone, he told me once. Have not since I was two.
Everyone has their ups and downs
sometimes you win sometimes you lose
come to a crossroads there's no knowing
which is the best path to choose
funny how the way to work gets longer every day
while the road to you is shorter by a mile
it don't make me late it's not the job I hate
and thoughts of you always always make me smile
but about my boss there's really nothing nice to say
with his workers working hard at not working at all
my co-workers shirkers lurkers each and every one
but then I have you to look forward to
when the daily race is run
and the working day is done
everyone has their ins and outs
some days are good some days are bad
go out on a limb and there's no telling
it may be the best day you ever had
everyone wants a happy ending
and I look forward to our rendezvous
my heart knows which route to go
it only shows the road to you
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