His proprioceptors on fire
Johnny jumps higher and higher
His hand scrapes the rim
He dunks the ball in
Wrong rim, Johnny, howls the umpire
Dear Sam.
Today, you have been called upon to deliver
a message, words of inspiration to your former
classmates. May you go there with full faith
and confidence that God has called you for this
moment, their moment, your moment.
In light of his high-flying dunks from as far
as the free-throw line, Michael Jordan was once
asked if he could fly. I will never forget his
reply when he said, "For a little while".
May you 'Go Fly' today and inspire your former
classmates. May you also assist them in ascending
as God uses you to fly, if only for a little while.
He is a lonesome young lad, not happy,
with curly hair he thinks he looks scrappy.
Dunks his head in pool with spin,
cold water his nose sucks in.
Tangled hair straightens, but he feels crappy.
Live head-lice thrive on Peter's crown
Head's itchy it's making him frown
But young Peter's no fool
Dunks his head in the pool
He's hoping all the critters drown!
the moon gently dipped herself into an azure ocean
like an Oreo cookie dunks herself into milk.
moon dust sparkles skipped across the top
determined to stay in the sea
If it seems absurd
that a cuckoo bird
is as crazy as a loon,
but you hear the talk
he’s around a clock
all morning, night, and noon,
then it should not astound
that he’s a little wound,
and sounds a kooky tune.
When a pachyderm
gets the urge to squirm
does it wrinkle up his skin?
If he dunks a skunk
with his long gray trunk
would you say he stinks again?
Can he use his nose
like a big long hose
to wash away his sin?
If the sky turns gray
on a rainy day,
does he just blend right in?
The world is oh so deep.
It keeps me from my sleep -
like, why do we count sheep?
If a rooster yells,
is he on egg shells
when he tiptoes ‘round the hen?
And can you confirm
that a mattress firm
is on hard times again?
It’s matters such as these
that bring me to my knees;
I need some answer, please!
----------
for the Be Creative Poetry Contest
sponsored by Eve Roper
written on 11/1/22
Whatever turns your crank
Whatever tickles your pickle
Whatever dunks your donut
Whatever waxes your dolphin
Whatever buffs your buddha
Whatever pops your cork
Whatever pets your monkey
Whatever frosts your cookies
Whatever spills your pills
Whatever trips your trigger
Whatever humps your camel
Whatever melts your chocolate
Whatever peels your onion
Whatever chafes your carrot
Whatever flops your mop
Whatever rocks your socks
Whatever teeters your totter
Whatever milks your goat
Whatever pings your pong
Whatever peels your banana
Whatever blows your nozzle
Whatever tips your canoe
Whatever flicks your switch
Whatever zips your zipper
Whatever blows your stack
Whatever... whatever... whatever!
Fast running waves,
each crest sweating moonlight.
Crushed pebble beach
shape-shifting
pinioning froth to night sky
A saline wind dunks,
strands of spume latched to flotsam,
all conjured out of a fleeting.
I recall now
that I was not there to record all this.
I was elsewhere writing it down.
I hear a mechanical corrosion
of ‘since’ and ‘when’ and ‘then.’
A mouse in cool cat Air Jordan sneakers.
Tremendous bounce. He sails high and higher.
With plain whitewashed canvas, he’d be weaker.
Mickey, you’ve made the team and you’re on fire.
Tremendous bounce. He sails high and higher.
Basketball dunks through hoop, far up in clouds.
Minnie’s found where he spends his time, aspires
to top her boyfriend’s best, to please the crowd.*
Basketball dunks through hoop, far up in clouds.
The orange orb hangs out in outer space.
Minnie’s Air Force, stylish, and gumption-proud.
Oh dear, will Mickey keep up with her pace?
IN THE PLAYGROUND
by
LIZZY DUNKS
Juniors bulling readily.
Wind howling loudly.
Infants spying quietly.
Dogs barking roughly.
Mums watching cruelly.
Cats purring softly.
Branches falling swiftly,
By Lizzy Dunks aged 7
Leslie Manser Primary School, Lincoln, UK
Lizzy a grate niece in-law of mine; wrote, and had this poem published in an anthology of rhymes* all of which were written by children from the age of 11 down. Sadly Lizzy died of leukaemia at the tender age of 9, An immense loss to her family, and her talent an immense loss to the world!
*Anthology title will be added as soon as possible, apologies!!
As August approaches its end
It’s harder for us to pretend
That the summer’s still here
For it seems pretty clear
That to autumn our thoughts do transcend.
All the stores and the sites advertise
Sales on clothes and, of course, school supplies.
Camps have shuttered their bunks,
Swimmers had their last dunks
And the sun takes much longer to rise.
Those who can may enjoy one last week
When routines aren’t set, so to speak
But when Labor Day hits
Summer’s calling it quits
Leaving those not prepared up the creek.
There once played a Chicago Bull
To spellbound fans, a stadium full
His name was Michael Jordan
He jumped above the rim so high
It seemed his head might touch the sky
His dunks were legend
He made his team into world champs
Impressed on it his signature stamp
A fist-pump in the air
Yet more than all the points he scored
More than all the memories stored
Jordan really cared
He posed for photos with his fans
He'd set aside his private plans
He stayed humble
He'd just show up, a huge surprise
The kids would gape, wide-open eyes
Their tongues a-jumble
He'd play with them, and praise their moves
Then thunder-dunk, as if to prove
He's number one...
The years have passed, yet we recall
His majesty when he played ball --
And all the fun
He carries his life with himself,
And bullets to fill, once he’s done,
Water is measured in gulps rather than liters,
He witnesses his own friends’ burn.
He is sleep deprived,
Physically and mentally tired,
He fights with himself to save his life,
He finds;
Killing is the only key to survive.
He dunks down, rolls around,
Is bruised and tattered,
His meaning about life, all shattered,
But his eyes know where his enemies can be found.
He aims with his one eye closed,
Finger ready to pull the trigger,
With one pull, one falls,
The count keeps on growing bigger.
He cannot afford to relax,
He knows about the price,
Death can come from any direction,
And he’ll not know until his flesh is sliced.
That’s the ultimate thing,
The ultimate price,
Heroic is how his death will be described,
Twenty one guns to the sky,
Takes him high, high above,
But what about his family?
What about his love?
- Avee Hang
At night I feel i’m riding solo
My dreams are with my lover and residing in Soho
My reality is living with the unheard voices and a mind as cold as snow
I’m feeling as if life has struck me with a low blow
I’ve lived through worse, it’s alright though
My mind is a scatter like a fiery kingdom without its ruler
I worry about if I can carry on another day, or even live until the year I’m a Junior
Suicidal thoughts and intentions are stuck to me, we should call them tumors
I’m here for me, and not you, so keep quiet with the rumors
I’m now slamming dunks, no longer a shooter
I’m living my life, almost like I want it to be in the future
My end is no longer near
My vision and head is now clear
I now can crack a small smile when I look in my mirror
Whatever turns your crank
Whatever tickles your pickle
Whatever dunks your donut
Whatever waxes your dolphin
Whatever buffs your Buddha
Whatever pops your cork
Whatever pets your monkey
Whatever frosts your cookies
Whatever spills your pills
Whatever trips your trigger
Whatever humps your camel
Whatever melts your chocolate
Whatever peels your onion
Whatever chafes your carrot
Whatever flops your mop
Whatever rocks your socks
Whatever teeters your totter
Whatever milks your goat
Whatever pings your pong
Whatever peels your banana
Whatever blows your nozzle
Whatever tips your canoe
Whatever flicks your switch
Whatever zips your zipper
Whatever blows your stack
Whatever... whatever... whatever!
© Jack Ellison 2014
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.