Chugged Poems

The Work Rotter

Spire insight of silence
Swotch and bind, conspiracy of mind
Conspire and self-protrude
Mindless matter of maddened hatter
Borne gall of uncongruent bladder
Reign wettened confections'n faux pas 
Pram embedded bedding of public propaganda 
And poised for prose 'dulted diaper thrown an' broiled'n a gutter
Homely homelessness in wake of deft arms 
Freshened refreshener and wetted choke 
Chugged and driven doomed deliverance 
Cut of word 'cross and lost'n devious drivings of work
Ticking tenor left fear to render
These haps to fall through ungloved metal and measly meak meal, and 
Coarse feel along rift ridged riverbays
Swept upon eons of words spurred affray
Sully gusts, and worry t'encrust
And collect the lost worker from astray.

goodbye in their eyes

goodbye in their eyes


while waiting to catch a train,
oftentimes he sat alone at the depot
—afraid—scratching initials in the dirt
and sometimes in his head.

hours became a collision of minutes
while he watched make-believe dancers,
well-groomed gentlemen, 
and worn-out pieces of life.
 
trains chugged by infrequently
and rain pelted out musical tin tones
on an oblong rusted bucket,
singing baritone moans of leaking liquid notes.

he twisted big words and bigger ideas
into and out of pretzel-like paragraphs
while talking too loudly to himself,
careful before answering what he didn’t believe.

he wondered aloud about life
then, umbrella in hand, turned quietly away,
only the lingering commotion of the depot
remained as a soon distant memory.

just in time to catch a southbound train
to another dot on the map…
while by-standers waved at strangers
with goodbye in their eyes.

@ tolbert

Dungeness

copper burns across an endless sky
competing caws claim salt, surf and sand 
sailing high above slowly sagging carcasses 
long forgotten at the edge of the world 

buckled rails swim over a shimmering shingle sea
the largest of its kind, hinting at some other time; 
engines once chugged to billingsgate from this beach
herring bound for the cinque ports

and they say women dragged each boat -
pulled them down to that shore’s faithless embrace;
the muttered prayers of mothers and daughters
casting their men out on fortune’s dark waters

now nets, set for a tide that came and went, lay
mouldering among those collapsing clinkers
as if the fisherfolk just left one night, fled
granting the gulls sole control of that desolate dominion

their toil and trade, the legacy of our fathers’ fathers
still lays there on that beach; haunts that huge cove
rich history, like in so many places, fading away 
rotting, rusting, ruined

Desperate Families

’Twas dark of night when the boat came
And tied up at the quay
Where desperate families were waiting
To cross the stretch of sea.

The men who sailed the simple craft
Were all in good spirit.
They helped passengers climb aboard
And showed them where to sit.

The boat was low in the water
But the crew reassured.
The sea would stay calm through the night
So nothing need be feared.

They cast off, the engine chugged.
From home shores they were clear.
An hour on, in dead of night,
They all began to fear.

The full moon cast its silver shine
Providing light enough
To show the ripple build to waves;
The sea was turning rough.

The boat was rolling side to side.
Soon the swell was spilling.
Passengers began to panic
As they started sinking.

Captain and crew had life jackets
And made it to the shore.
But those abandoned families
Were gone for evermore.

Past Times 3

TRAIN SPOTTING
Clutching sandwiches, pencil and pop
we awaited the eight  forty-five,tickets
in hand;we scrambled aboard the
LMS, carriage, with  engine and van;
from the High Street, ‘ere long smoke
billowed  over the vale ,as we chugged along

Non stop, five miles the grimy coach rocked
and swayed. ’All change, All change’ loudly,
the Station-master barked out his refrain,
we trainspotting lads so quickly de-trained,
all day to remain; Crossing, noting  and
recording each London-bound train.

Uzb 752

So stately behind the wheel
That old Cortina could have been a Rolls
The engine chugged
To the beat of your heart
Slow and steady
Making the drive home last
Captain of your ship 
For five peaceful minutes

Trains and All That

FIVE MILES TO CHEDDINGTON

Clutching sandwiches, pencil and pop
we awaited the eight  forty-five,tickets
in hand;we scrambled aboard the

LMS, carriage, with  engine and van;
from the High Street, ‘ere long smoke
billowed  over the vale ,as we chugged along

Non stop, five miles the grimy coach rocked 
and swayed. ’All change, All change’ loudly,
the Station-master barked out his refrain,

we trainspotting lads so quickly de-trained,
all day to remain; Crossing, noting  and
recording each London-bound train.

Misty, episodic those days of pre-puberty, 
free of care, so fleeting to me

When the Motor Cut

The outboard chugged along 
toward the end of the lake
where the tall peaks were.

When the motor cut, all was still.
Then snowcapped mountains 
began to rise-up from the lake;
eagles flew under our hull.

Imagine staring at your float,
humped like a heron over the bow
while a panoramic sky 
moved under your boots.
Imagine Rainbow trout
sailing around the sun.

No way to catch that.

We All Laughed Like Loons

'Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the house
We heard father singing
He'd got rather soused.

Mother tut-tutted 
At his yuletide cheer
He yelled "merry christmas"
Then chugged down a beer.

He stood on our cat
Who then shot up the tree
We fell about laughing
At this festivity.

The tree toppled over
Mother let out a scream
Not very yuletide-ish
More like halloween.

Hissing and spitting 
The cat reappeared
Tangled in tinsel
With a cotton wool beard.

We chased the baubles
That rolled round the room
Then looked at each other...
We all laughed like loons.









Entry for
The Night Before 2 Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Joseph May
26/11/2019. Placed=1st.

Chug Moo Quack- See That Train Speed On the Track

The train chugged along the track
The ducks all said quack quack quack
The cows said Moo 
And birds flew



Over the fastest train in the world
The ducks were swimming in the pond
The cows were standing in a field
The birds flew overhead
And they all said, said, said



Quack! Moo!
Moo! Quack!
See that train speeding on the track
The train track

Where's the train?
It passed by so fast
We heard a whistle and a blast
The cows mood, the ducks quacked
They all saw the fastest train pass on the track!

The Day My Clunker Broke Down

Once upon a time, I wanted some Archways,
Those yummy spicy Windmills, I say,
So good spread with soft cream cheese,
To keep myself if you please.

Got in my clunker to head down the road,
Hidden in that car was a horny toad,
Sat on the alternator and killed the motor,
In the middle of the street, thought I was a goner.

A rainstorm started and drew out the frog,
He was so thirsty he drank like a hog,
Thought of pumpkins while I was waiting,
The engine started with out that weight-on.

Goodbye, Mr. Frog, I’ll have pumpkin pie,
Hope you don’t drink rainwater until you die,
I’ll mosey on to my grocery store,
Get those Windmills and eat some more.

The zipper was broke on my old rain coat,
The Windmills got wet and I got soaked,
But the clunker started without the old frog,
And I chuggety chugged with a splash in the bogs.

Once upon a time I went to the store;
My Clunker broke down, should I say more,

Dreaming of Santa

I lay in my bed the clock struck twelve
No sign of reindeer or presents or elves
He promised this year to not let me down
Old rolly poley Santa dressed in velvet and down
My cookies were placed on the table in view
A full glass of milk to be dipped into
And I in my silk negligee and red lipstick
Patiently awaiting my dear Saint Nick
The wind was howling the snow was heavy
But in a sleigh no excuse not like a Chevy
Another glass of vino and I heard a loud bang
From the rooftop above reindeer bells did rang
I ran to the tree by the chimney with glee
Santa had kept his promise to me
He came down the chimney all dressed in red
Boots of black so shiny bells on his head
I hugged him so hard and gave him a kiss
I love you so much Mr Saint Nick
And for you my dear soul I have brought you a gift
Tears streamed down my cheeks for he was my wish
Nothing else Santa could give me 
My heart was filled with such love and glee
He gobbled the cookies and chugged the milk
Than up the chimney he went covered in silt
And off his reindeers flew pulling the sleigh
God bless you my child I cannot delay

And Then It Stopped

Thunder, high winds and rain 
In disbelief, I watched it all while sitting in a moving train
The train chugged slowly along its route
I struggled to keep an eye on my sports bag with the stolen loot
Children were screaming when lightning struck
They hid under the tables, the best place for them to duck
On this scary journey, the train came off the tracks
People were thrown about like empty sacks
Compartments broke loose 
Within seconds of the train hitting a large stranded moose
All seven carriages toppled over and many passengers were caught inside
Passengers were crying, badly injured and some even died
In the chaos, I searched for my money bag that I had dropped
And then it stopped





4/7/2017

Ne'Er More To Roam - Contest

LYRICS TO THE TUNE HOMEWARD BOUND - MICHAEL JOSEPH 

I am waiting,   anticipating
Coming hoooome  ,
home to you
Want to fold you in my arms love, and
will whisper very low.
That I missed you, how I missed you
How I missed you missed u so.


I  am waiting at the station
For the train that's homeward bound
Feel the rattle of the sidecar
As it chugged  along the track
can you hear the engines whistle
Telling you I am  coming home

Is the porch door   -   open for me
Will you hold your arms out wide
Will you hug me closely to you
Close the door once I'm inside

I will never leave you darling
Never more to roam
Wears a smile on , on my face now
Cos I'm almost, almost home

Wearing a smile on my face now
Cos I'm am almost home
I will never leave your side love
never more to roam

I stand here beside you
This is where my true heart lies
I will love you forever
My one love I can't disguise

I am home now ne'er to roam
With my true love by my side

I am home now ne'er to roam love
With my one love  I'll abide
I am home.


Penned. 26 October 2015

The Perils of Porcelain

I wrote this, because of an incident that happened to me yesterday. I went into a men's room at a store. The design was deceiving, a hand sink was place between the partitions in line with the urinals, I confess, I didn't wash my hands   


The Perils Of Porcelain    by JT Curtis   Feb 17  2015


McGee had a few to many
And stood up to go to the loo  
As Finn chugged his drink
Then said "Yes, I tink 
dat I gonna 'ave to go too"

Now, McGee looked a bit unsteady
Finn said "Kin you walk on your own"
"Finn, It may take a while
To get down the isle
Bot, I've been doing it 
for YEARS on me own"

Well they entered the gents together
And each of them chose their own stall
But after a while McGee with a smile
Said "I tink dis urinal's a bit tall"

So Finn glanced around the partition 
And gave McGee a quick wink
"I know you have done dis forever
but I hope it's not been in dat sink"

• Short Chugged Poems
• Famous Chugged Poems
• Best Chugged Poems
• Read Chugged Poems
• Long Chugged Poems
• Chugged Quotes