Angola Silence (Renku)
In a silent mood
Await the pure white horses
To draw the carriage
Someday comes my turn
Laid amidst the other graves
Angola will reign
Carry a brother
Dispense final dignity
In this place of pain
Who was only one inch tall,
raised in a lab since he was, well...small,
doped on phenobarbital,
escaping o'er his prison wall.
Tell me friend, can you recall
King Mouse?
Who lived in a tidy little hole,
knew when the cat was on patrol?
Though cheese and crumbs he stole,
he never lived on the dole.
Let's sing praise and extoll
King Mouse!
Who was diminutive in size,
told the truth and never lied,
had big ears but never spied,
nor squealed, just squeaked and sighed?
All expectations he defied -
King Mouse!
His body small, his soul immense,
big ears heard every offence,
and you, who wanted to dispense,
are now awash with penitence,
as you consider recompense
for King Mouse.
Who knew the secrets that we kept,
never told, just cried and wept,
before he laid on the floor and slept?
At discretion he was adept.
You struck him with the broom while you swept -
King Mouse.
The coo of a mournful mourning dove
reminds us of the guy in the sky above
who we wouldn't touch without a glove.
But now as push comes to shove,
we realize we really love
King Mouse!
The sick and the injured had been his whole life
He’d never found time to ensnare a good wife
He’d slept with a patient and soon was arrested
“It just happened once,” to the court he attested
He’ll run no more x-rays, he’ll set no more bones
He’d made the mistake that no jury condones
No more operations, no drugs to dispense
The judge said, “The public demands recompense.”
“Your claim that it happened just once was complacent,
There is no excuse to lie down with a patient.
A long prison sentence is what you will get
Such a shame… for I hear you were quite a good vet.”
Motherly Love and Frowns
Treading down the memory lane streams to my mind
memories from far yet near, some sweet, some sour,
memories preciously shelved in the precincts of my inner sanctum;
so sweet were the mindful motherly hugs of love
like the embrace of a divine angel
so serene soft and self-assuring her smiles
like the spring selfless sunshine
so delicious her warm kisses on the forehead
that no other feel can replace,
yet interspersed at times with some harsh words
for playing hide and seek on the sideway street;
so soft was the caress of her hands on the cheeks
that not even a beloved can bestow
so cool and compassionate her cuddly care
no considerate nurse can dispense
so pleasing to rest on her merciful knees
more so after a hectic day`s fatigue,
yet interposed often times with some scowls
for dusting my clothing or getting home late after cycle rides;
In afterthought, her love and frowns have made me the man I am.
I will constantly try to raise the bar.
Strive for greatness; that's certainly in me.
Destined to be a noble superstar.
Break through rusted chains that will set me free.
My gateway is Christ, it's all biblical.
Feelings trap me within endless struggles.
All the pain I've endured is minimal.
He gives me my strength, all of my muscles.
Dispense my hope to those who are deprived.
As I'm not on this battlefield alone.
My compassionate solace they derived.
Attacks turn from immense boulders to stones.
The fear of losing hope invades my mind.
But still, a spark of faith keeps me aligned.
In silence, we watch shadows pass
they shape our thoughts and feed the farce
Moulding lives to fit the lies
that see us strive, conform and die
And scared of what we do not know
we do not move or seek to go
But idle in their well known forms
find safety in such practised norms
There is no need to speculate
the shadows teach us fear and hate
Breed small world views and selfish thoughts
dispense with troubling shoulds and oughts
It matters not what's right or wrong
so long as we all nod along
While voices preach invented truths
to justify each new abuse
As newborn Gods, those few rich men
close liberty's gate and lock the pen
Embrace what once seemed quite absurd
they are the path, we are the herd
In barless cages, through blinkered eyes
accepting corporate sponsored rise
The missing light upon that wall
...an absence which now stains us all
(Image credit: Sara Fang)
No longer will a penny
For your thoughts make any sense,
Since there will not be any
Pennies left to thus dispense.
A penny saved, a penny earned –
Advice that represents
Frugality cannot be learned
Without the evidence.
From heaven, pennies won’t rain down
And that’s a consequence
Of a would-be king who lacks a crown
But rules at our expense.
There’s an odd thief in our neighborhood
Who steals stuff that he must think is good
Beginning with my small bushes and trees
Which at the start, made no sense to me
Then parts of my fence suddenly disappeared
And a pile of firewood was totally cleared
Yet when most of my porch pickets were gone
It was time to dispense some fighting brawn
By taking some sort of drastic action
For our family needed some satisfaction
Yet the next day he stole lawn sport’s equipment
And a stack of pallets fresh from a shipment
The following day when I got home from work
My front door was ajar; from that crooked jerk
Who oddly took walking sticks and umbrellas
Which confirmed this thief was a strange fella
Since I was so ticked, I left to ponder the scam
Then I saw on a side road a new beaver dam
Amidst the prairie sits this cobbled-up dome
Built with those good things smuggled from our home
Our prairie was treeless, devoid of beaver
Until this thieving one, which was a great weaver
And to top it off, I was totally floored
Coz its lodge was crowned with our head board!
Watched it, well not IT, not the balloon
with a clown attached to it.
Watched a true story better left alone
I’m all alone
I must dispense the dust cover of fear
My pillow is mauled
in toss and turn
My hand must not rest over the cliff
I wake up into full sunshine
as if
all the light that has ever been
hits me on the chin and cheeks
Funny how the dark tucks you in
and the dawn pretends
you’ve never been
and never will
be frightened again
Whence didst craft stopped the Winds of War,
and bring forth peace, forevermore.
Exact it is a slumber hence,
awaken sorts some recompense,
weary minds do not ask for more.
Sub base, Washington, in Bangor,
breaths a sigh scares I, what they store.
A misty boy loss -- skilless, thence.
... whence didst craft stopped?
Cajole lilacs replace the lore
and roses are just an eyesore.
Uke skilled guitar sing praise dispense,
days of guns and roses silence.
Claims I, etching muse sings a score
... whence didst craft stopped?
In these days of austerity
It’s getting to be a treat
To go out for a few pints
And have a bite to eat,
So, Please Mr Pub Landlord
Grant me just a little wish
Bring back the vinegar bottle
So I can splash me bit of fish.
Those little plastic sachets
You’ve generously placed there
Supposedly have perforation
But they just refuse tear.
I need that essential liquid
Over me chips and cod
To transpose it from wonderful
To meal fit for a demi god.
I sit there by the mimute
Growing more and more tense
Looking at the pile of sachets
That just won’t dispense
In despair I eat my meal
Before it grows cold
But it’s just not the same
Without that liquid of gold.
I shall add that designer to
That list of those folk that
I’d like to meet in a dark alley
When I’ve got my baseball bat
A pox on the plastics industry
Once thought a packaging solution
Now a source of anger and despair
And the growing oceanic pollution.
I’m just a simple type of being
So many modern things I hate
Just give me fish and taties
Hot, served on a real plate
And I reall dont think that
I’m asking rather a lot
For vinegar in a real bottle
And salt and pepper in a pot.
The Valley
by Lanier Thomas
One
by one
I saw them
leave because they
Were hurting too much
For them to wish to stay
Yet I found God was willing
To dispense His mercy and love
While carrying me through the valley
Guarding and healing me with gentle glove.
In the final act, alone you stand,
It's just you, amid the shifting sand.
Regrets, like echoes, in silence collect,
From things ejected, and paths unchecked.
Pain, an arrow, lodged deep within,
A heart's burden, a relentless sin.
The way you view, the way you dispense,
In the end, it's just you, the consequence.
Reflections cast shadows, truth unfurls,
In the kaleidoscope of life's swirling twirls.
Treat others kindly, let compassion blend,
For in the end, it's just you, my dear friend.
Discover the essence, in the quiet repose,
Before all else, in your own heart it shows.
A revelation profound, as time does dispel,
In the end, it's just you, all else farewell.
I feel like,
Laying my tears to sleep,
Letting the liquid,
Dispense and weep:
As a river,
Meets estuary;
And the water,
Producing sea –
Compost, Anyone
Miracle Man
September 17, 2023
Most of what comes from congress is nonsense,
so their approval poll numbers they don’t dispense.
They couldn’t agree on the winds direction,
and both parties are masters at blame deflection.
In agreeing on a budget they’re always unsure,
so they create this mountain of cow manure.
Always without the use of a Heifer or Steer,
but they quickly testify to being sincere.
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