Being pulled under.
Like a lily pad going ‘boop.’
Bobbing around, then nothing.
No amount of clearing my mind will undo it.
A spider whisper.
He likes me.
Prickling like his legs.
As if I’m in a dome.
Pulled under.
There are other people who have the slobbering feeling under their hair.
Faded out.
Like a pinecone with its edges shaved.
Fingers focusing.
With gripping finger pads that do nothing.
And the kitchen is always a mess of weird things.
Bugs and things.
My edges shaved down and caved in a little.
Grappling under the ice, but there’s no water, just feet of ice.
Someone else used to live here.
He was like a centipede to me.
Everyone is like a centipede to me.
Climbing the walls.
So am I.
Always around in the basement.
Depression.
Is when you are a spider, centipede, lily pad, or pinecone.
And could get crushed any moment.
But you don’t.
somewhat focused...
yet alwayZ wrong...
Climbing the walls...
Singing a song...
Feel me reach...
Wrists tightly bound...
Tired of spinning
round and round...
Hold out your hand...
Head out of sand...
suffering without breath...
Begging to understand...
If left alone...
Future unknown...
Help to bury...
The demons i own...
Thanksgiving cats get into the pumpkin pie.
They drink down bourbon, saying “here’s mud in your eye!”
We see them arrive with a thump, a clap, a thud and a sigh.
They will put their tails all over every allergic-to-cat-guy.
They are climbing the walls now, riding the tree to the floor.
Grandma Maizey is angry, she counts them, they’re four.
Get rid of those mangy beasts, she says, irritated with them.
One is patting down her tummy, another is riding her hem.
Where did all these cats come from? Uncle Bill yells.
They are making all kinds of noise, ringing neck bells.
Two more arrive, wearing top hats, carrying red canes.
It is all we can do to not sing “cats” songs, with their refrains
All the children were excited, climbing the walls
Time for Annual Fall Festival at Crabbe Elementary
Corn shocks and jack-o’-lanterns decorated the halls.
The public invited, so at the door stood a sentry
Checking identification and issuing free passes
Time for Annual Fall Festival at Crabbe Elementary.
Responsible for a game were each of the classes
With prizes provided by the local mercantile shops
Checking identification and issuing free passes.
I never thought for a festival I’d see so many cops
But “the times they are a’changin’;” a swell affair
With prizes provided by the local mercantile shops.
Once kids could have fun all day long at a school fair
Parents always enjoy getting to know one another
But “the times they are a’changin’;” a swell affair,
Until I saw a four-year-old trying to find his mother
All the children were excited, climbing the walls,
Parents always enjoy getting to know one another
Corn shocks and jack-o’-lanterns decorated the halls.
Written October 24, 2022
Climbing the walls
or are they holding me?
Really anxiety is a slow moving plague;
Over the lingering fear;
Not a question, not an answer
always excusing irrational behavior;
Viral spread of ‘You better listen’
ignoring the slow decline of freedom;
Radical screams pepper no substance;
Under the mask is the real virus
slowly smothering independence.
Is it over, is it really now over,
Are we just dreaming or simply misled,
Can we resume the rest of our lives
Outside these four walls and the shade of our bed.
Can we now fill our lungs with fresh air
Breathing no longer through layers of cloth,
Or must we endure that little while longer
Protected indoors, cocooned like a moth.
Exhausted from watching show after show,
Tidying closets, climbing the walls,
Snacking in boredom, growing in girth,
Constantly texting, washing our smalls.
Hair growing longer, nails more like claws,
Roots ever greyer, solutions too few,
Pampered and spoiled, lost in a haze
Reliant on others, but whoever knew.
So tell us it's over, we pray and beseech,
Bring back the life we knew and adore,
Life's little pleasures all gone in a flash,
Staying cooped up is now such a chore.
Ilene will go the extra mile
And do it with a charming smile
Climbing the walls
Can lead to falls
But bouncing back is Ilene's style!
#MeToo staff are climbing the walls
Their switchboard is flooded with calls
'Tis a stalwart crew
But what can they do
When sporting equipment has balls?
We should only eat six sprouts at Christmas
Deem the council who are in Leicestershire
Its no joke, it’s a serious message at Xmas
To reduce waste and not make it higher
We must cut back on crisp pigs in blankets
And should only have three stuffing balls
Also cut back on spuds and fluffy Yorkshire puds
Gee I’m going to be climbing the walls!
I love to eat sprouts at my Christmas dinner
There will be NO sprout restriction for me
I’m rebelling; you may call me a sinner
There'll be piles of sprouts when I eat tea
Yes I’m going to load up my plate
Those officials can just go to hell
I’ll eat sprout after sprout after spout
And then let out a disgusting smell
The council’s intentions are honourable
Of that there are no doubts
But Leicester County Council
Keep your mitts off my Brussel sprouts!
12/21/17
Clinging
climbing the walls
cracks and burrows
dodging mangles and tangles
dead ends
no bends
fire and ice
and ice hurts more
once twice thrice
but hey!
dismount
assess
access
I'm a mess
creak crack
(yes my crack hurts too)
broken back
arms dragging sagging and blue
but hell I'm here!
and hail that too!
I love you my child
You were born to be wild
You popped your balloon
Then quickly smiled.
Your very first word was ball
You pointed to every circle you saw
Ball, ball, ball, ball
on the wall, down the hall
The only thing you said at all
Then it was tractor trailers and trucks
Bullets, guns and four point bucks
You were climbing the walls as I went nuts
A quick little kid, leaving trails of dust
You were quick to walk and quick to talk
You quickly mastered what was taught
You were quick to do things on your own
It should be no surprise, how quick you've grown
But I miss the days when you were small
Saying uh oh when you would fall
Tripping on my heels, down the hall
Every moment shared, I miss it all
So much going through my mind these days
Trying to be patient and wait for it all to fade
I want someone to love me by whats in my heart
But most guys don't know how to be that smart
Their all looking for me to be perfect with no flaws
Yet even I sometimes feel like climbing the walls
I just want to be loved like everybody else does
Many times I have wished that I was
Some of you men just need to wake up
And quit being scared to get a dose of love in your cup
Because I got plenty to give you see
But so many of you want accept me
I'm just me what you see is what you get
If you would just get to know me you want regret
But for now guess I will go back to dealing with life
Even though at times it brings heartache and strife
Collision…
I am already working hard to make it through today
No desire, I am uninspired
And I just can’t find a way
I am bogged down in a physical prison
Under a darker cloud that obscures my vision
My head and heart collide
And I am not sure which side I am on…
There is good and bad
What I have or used to have does not matter anymore
There is happy and sad
But I am out in the hall between two locked doors
I am climbing the walls
Stretching beyond my imagination
But my fascination with the game has waned a great deal
My heart and head collide
And I am still not sure which side I am on…
It was just after I posted
My last two poems
Our precious poetrysoup
Went Ka Boom
With hope I pray I wasn't the cause
Of the dreadful fall
But I must get something off my chest
My son-in-law is climbing the walls
You see he read his poem
And called me a liar
He said he may let me keep my cane
But the coke will have to go
Unless it is a real small cup
With lots of ice or snow
So with head hung low
I must make a correction to my verse
He only cut the bottom off one bottle
Not two like I was assumed
And then he reminded me
He had to drop to the floor on one more chore
He had to retrieve my cane for me
Once more
I guess he really had been abused
But there is one thing he doesn't know
His daughters friend has made for him
His very own pair of BEER GOGGLES
And then I AM GOING TO ROAR
I saw a light shining down on me
Thought it was the end of time.
And I just couldn’t let it
I turned to face the bringer
But he just walked away
Maybe now I can live to fight another day.
Wax and feathers won’t stand the test of time
Falling like a stone only to be shot out again
If you can’t stand your captors, then don’t do the crime
I can’t walk away this time
In silence here I stand alone
Climbing the walls is the only thing we can do.
Then darkness fell all around the town
I heard the sound of heartbeats all at once
Screams rang out long into the night
Voices rising and falling
Now after all, it could all end here
Then I heard nothing but the sound of silence.
All of a sudden a light began to appear
A million eyes all opening at once
It was nothing like anything I had seen before
But there was hesitation and apprehension
It all seemed to land on one man’s decision
I want to believe, I want to smile
And then the doors open and I see a new Eden.
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