gaslights, cobblestone streets
horse-drawn carriages
markets and town squares
folks barter and meet
frilly lace dresses, topped by bonnets
a handsome hat, with a feather on it
merchants hawk their wares with flair
a festive feeling pervades the air
where did it all go, why is it gone
when nothing replaced it
‘cept Amazon
Crossing into a parallel universe one day
I met my exact double
‘cept his hair was gray
I greeted him right away
but that turned his hair green
He looked askance at me,
muttered, ‘Strangest hair I’ve
ever seen.’
Not one at a slight to back down
I called him ‘Gershon Clown’
Once more looking askance at me
lips fast frozen in a frown
The change winds blow,
Goodbye, brightest snow.
Hello, warmer days,
Crisp mornings and sun rays.
Seems an Ice Age past
Since we saw each other last.
And did you bring anything
'Cept this urge to sing?
You were never good
At wrapping gifts,
As you knew it would;
It makes my spirits lift.
Tied in ribbon, bound with string,
I can already tell,
With cheering bell,
It's spring.
A poem flew into my brain
I - distracted - it flew back out
Proving there’s nothing between my ears ~
‘cept a vacuum sealed in self-doubt
I'll be back before it gets dark
after we get tired of playing king of the hill.
Sun sets so late in summer
against the willows..
sometimes I forget.
No, it just isn't so.
I don't always choose them over you,
'course I could never tell you that.
You're a girl, a special one.
But I can't tell you that either.
Still, when you told me your stomach hurt,
and I was the reason..
I believed you.
Don't know what to say, never seem to
'cept maybe
'Sorry you feel bad, I know that place too.'
'Put your sandals on, I'll walk you home
we can go slow.'
Oh alright - looks over her shoulder to the gang
'now we can hold hands.'
Some may look to distant Mars
among radiant stars.
Get to the desert, you'll find more
much nearer ours.
Nearer than any man knows.
Ancestral, celestial bones,
secret kept in Mojave's botany
seldom seen
though I've never been.
Spread of clustered flowering panicles..
tall giants in sun swept sleep,
despite little rain
inside darkest soul
they creep.
As a child waking from slumber,
thirsty in wonder..
they'll see you free wi' no more pain,
'cept that you bring.
Look to the west,
our landlocked stars..
and be free again,
truly free,
once again.
There’s simply no quibbles;
my dogs love their kibbles.
There’s really not much else to say.
In an instant, they’re gone,
reappear on the lawn,
changed a bit in the usual way.
As for me, I’d want choice,
for they’re not even moist.
(The food bits; I need to be clear)
As for pooping outside,
that is one I’ve not tried
(‘cept those nightmares you wake from in fear)
A sure sign man’s evolved
are the challenges solved:
both our plates and our bathrooms are plush.
‘Bout this, more could be said,
but my mother is dead,
or she’d probably tell me to hush.
A few scattered yellow wood cabins
a swimming pool surrounded by pines
a pier to fish from, a lake not to go in
‘cept for the stinkpots* and sailboats *i.e., motorboats
marshmallow roasts by the campfire at dusk
a ghost story or two to relate
along with the hotdogs and burgers that day
the ghosts evicted whatever we ate
ogling the green man - triangle between his nose and the dairy goat
scytheman spoils - dreamy village, ‘cept for the upside-down violinist
green man wears cap and St. Andrew’s cross -
tree of life pinched between fingers
cubist colors - emotive impact, up and down, side to side, frenzy
"One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life. The word is love."
Sophocles, Greek Poet
I have forever loved you my dearest.
I'd nothing to give, 'cept love, sincerest.
Throughout my life, the thing I held nearest -
A broken heart, through weather severest.
Life on this earth can be a heavy weight.
When I am alone, the burden feels great.
Trudging down the road, helpless against fate,
Living is confusing, hard to relate.
Aimless traveling, a bum on a freight,
Growing so weary, it's gotten so late.
Survival is my goal in decade eight.
Soon, I will be approaching heaven's gate.
When the blessed day comes, and I take flight
With an angel's wings, I will feel so light.
Intimate, but only so cozy
passionate, but just to a point
What once seemed rosy
forever disappoints…
When kisses no longer breathe
and emotions cease to seethe
What remains to recover
‘cept the flotsam in the gutter
"I love words, because they're mine. Utterly, completely mine. I can share them with others. I can keep them to myself. I can use them over and over again. No matter what I do, they'll always be mine. No one can take them away from me." - Parker S. Huntington
Penniless and powerless
Naught is utterly mine,
'Cept one significant thing
That shall never be thine
Take thee my happiness
Take thee all my time,
Still, I hold the words
And I possess the rhyme
For poetry, thou cannot claim
Be I alive or be I dead,
Naught is utterly mine
'Cept thine words thee read.
-cept' you B presents
in the demeaner
you R in
I AM ON THE BEATING PATH-
ReSiStIn
trapped in nightmare dreamer
RECALLING
I AM ON THE BEATING PATH-
Whom am I to be emotional?
If I'm called to be devotional?
I'm on the beatings path
2/29/24
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr. 2024©
Dusky, azure sky looks down
The ochre earth awaits you
Near and dear have a deep frown
On the deathbed, you know too
Time is coming pay no heed
To the wonders of this world
You need many a good deed
Before Heaven is unfurled
Dig in your sinful pocket
Sieve through the evil amassed
May you find the right ticket
'Fore, in the grave, you are cast
Old fond memories return
unwanted memories too
Spiteful foes in your sojourn
Enjoy your demise and boo
Nothing shall count 'cept your deeds
Neither wealth shall help nor fame
righteous actions are your seeds
To grow, protect from Hell's flame.
mbfarookh
Everything's a 'crisis' nowadays
'cept 'Paying Attention's' on holiday
Sub Categories
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.