In shadows cast by golden towers
Trump reclaims the stage once more
"Drill, Baby, Drill," the nation's power
© daniel miltz
It’s no yolk, they’ve uncaged the eggs.
THE DRILL
Arrive with boots. The march early or late.
The rose-fed cheeks. The eyes are green - new leaves.
The cadence call. No turning back. Blank slate.
New beginnings. In adventures, believes.
On the clothesline, strung together, the bras.
In the barracks, she-decorations hang.
The flag flies high. Painting of Betsy Ross.
Put together - this puzzle’s unlikely gang.
The coins bouncing. We ban undoing beds.
The quickest wash. The reveille’s real.
Back to the grind. Rote march from the beachheads.
Us she-sailors, we salute-shine…we heel.
We learn the drill - this camp is not playing.
We’re uniform - there’s no place for straying.
5/26/2023
Sailor I can't claim to be,
yet I heard the siren's call,
when I first beheld the tower of steel
rising o'er blue waves so tall.
Miles beyond where man can walk,
and miles deeper still,
the hand of our collective race
can still exert its will.
Past azure depths,
past murky gloom,
past miles of rock,
to history's tomb.
And - oh! - what surges in the soul!
What wonders to behold,
that drives the heart of enterprise
as we chase down the gold.
Strength of iron,
song of steel -
how can it be such things are real?
Power of titans brought to bear
with precision close as a mother's care.
And if it were gift from the stars,
it might not seem so strange.
But, lo, men as I have fashioned it -
How glorious our range!
Millennia of knowledge,
centuries of industry,
decades of skills applied for years,
to bring such a thing to be.
And oh the lives that fashioned it!
Designed it, built it strong,
and keep it living on the seas
to sing its siren song.
Written 12 May 2023 on helicopter ride from Gulf of Mexico to Houma, LA after tour of the Valaris DS-16 drillship
Drill drill drill
eat eat eat
drill drill drill
eat eat eat
watching a woodpecker is such a treat
drill drill dril
eat eat eat
digging out insects with his bill and his feet
Around artistic altar,
Boys betray bedspread
Courting candid challenge
Dearly.
You never kiss me like you used to do,
Or say you want me so I know it’s true.
And even though we still might get it on,
There’s no denying, babe, the thrill is gone.
These days the pattern’s gotten too routine.
There’s no excitement when we’re on the scene.
Can’t say exactly how things got this way,
Just know the dance we do is no ballet.
Our lovin’s nothin’ but a fire drill;
Go through the motions, but without the thrill.
Instead of heat, we end up with a chill.
Our lovin’s nothin’ but a fire drill.
But babe, let’s say we give it one more try.
Let’s reach on back to when our souls could fly.
We did it then and we could do it now.
Just lay it down and let me show you how.
So, no more looking for the fast way out.
Let’s take our time; that’s what it’s all about.
Let love’s fierce sweetness fan the flames until
We’ve made it more than just a fire drill.
Duck And Cover Drill
David J Walker
I still
Remember the drills
Holding our heads under
The third-grade desks
“Perfect,” our teacher said
Repeat after me
“Duck and Cover”
“Duck and cover”
And us boys on the
Playground
With wide-eyed pride
That our town
Was important enough
For the Russians to bomb
With nuclear weapons
Pueblo
Had a weapons depot
That no one we know
Had ever seen
But we had seen the
Graining film of the
Mushroom cloud above the
Blast that would last only
Seconds before
Everyone and
Everything was gone
Everyone but our
Third-grade class
Safe under our desks
Heads beneath our arms
Where we would stay still
Until the alarms were sounded
All clear from the
Duck and Cover Drill
daughters drill sergeant
was nicknamed mother Russia
sons disneyland
He didn't care if all his teeth fell out
The dentist's drill was just too much to bear
His wife and kids at him began to shout
You're acting like a child and you don't care
Your closest friends at you will stare and glare
Please scream at me, he begged, 'til I can't hear
And then the dentist's drill I'll no more fear!
Pouring down, non-stop for days.
Flowing endlessly in rivers.
Somewhere, down the drain,
Deceptive water, leaves the Soil bare!
Thermoelectric power generation,
Chemicals and effluents,
Wet processing or concretization,
Corn ethanol or vegetation,
Sewage, drainage and slops,
Landscaping and sanitation.
Its dwindling and still we have no hesitation!
Yes! It sucks staggering amount of water.
Still we need to shake people, so that they bother!
Who would deny?
We can drill till the last drop.
But what about the animals,
How far can we make them hop?
High time! Let’s change our perception, let’s widen our horizon!
Where ever we are born, where ever we may live,
Whatever we may think, but we are forever one!
Let’s pledge together to save water,
Neither for me, nor for you but for God’s every single creation.
14/05/19
We all went to Swansea
To see the University
We had a nice lunch by the sea
In a place called Langland Brasserie
And later that same afternoon
We got back to our hotel room
I settled down for a nice kip
While the girls enjoyed a poolside dip
I was having such a lovely sleep
Till sirens ripped me from the deep
Those intermittent bells so shrill
Another bloody fire drill
With bleary eyes and fuzzy brain
Got to my feet and took the strain
And feeling every aching joint
I headed to the meeting point
Not being such a sprightly fella
I filled up with a pint of Stella
For a trigger happy fire alarm
Can sap your strength and do you harm.
I took the lift back to our floor
Got to our room and locked the door,
And saw, through all these fun and games
That Notre Dame was up in flames
Seven things to grab in a hurry
My house going up in a blazing fury...
First things first,
my favourite courier bag,
then with my custom leather boots safely inside,
I surmise as quickly as ABC,
well JKLM:
I'd grab my Grandma June's
rosary,
Grandma Kathleen's
silk scarf,
Poppa Leo's
beer stein (with poppa inside),
My mother's
diary...
well maybe not
Magic Casements
my dad's high school poetry book.
Next...
One last look. My...
Pearls!
If I'm homeless,
I want to at least look good.
02.18.19
Seven Things You Would Save If Your House Was On Fire Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Caren Krutsinger
from early on
life's pace is going gone
then we begin to slow
and become of old face
while others take the baton
and keep the social pace
stan sand
Move!/
Wait!/
Hurry!/
Yes, Sergeant!/
Make your buddy smile!/
Straighten ranks; fix your intervals!/
You have twenty seconds and ten are already gone!/
You are no longer new recruits, you are now soldiers; congratulations!/
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