The toddler’s steps were tentative;
His daddy held his hands.
They slowly made some progress;
Every parent understands.
What caught my eye was on their heads -
Both sporting baseball caps,
The dad’s a well-worn Yankees one,
A favorite, perhaps.
The toddler’s was, of course, brand new,
Though I have got to say
It elicited a laugh because
The logo said LA!
Categories:
elicited, new york, today,
Form: Rhyme
Wearing wide suspenders,
With a walker as an aid,
He slowly ambled down the street,
Protected by the shade.
I noticed those suspenders,
Once bright yellow but still cool,
For they looked just like a ruler
You would use in math at school.
As I passed, I turned to compliment
His snazzy sense of style
And from him and his companion,
That elicited a smile.
This is why I love the city,
Since you always can expect
To encounter someone new
With some small reason to connect.
Categories:
elicited, city,
Form: Rhyme
We saw some hieroglyphics
And some beaded Native art,
Some instruments of music
With their coolness off the chart;
The Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit
And some armor from the past,
All admired and enjoyed although
We zipped through kind of fast.
The only place we lingered was
Where varied rooms were staged
Showing how the wealthy lived,
Our grandson totally engaged.
The lighting dim, the papered walls,
The opulent décor
Elicited reactions
We had not quite seen before.
Such lavish furnishings, unlike
The homes that I have known
Make me wonder how he’ll decorate
A home when it’s his own.
Categories:
elicited, grandson, today,
Form: Rhyme
The ghost of passion swirls in my soul
he who elicited it all from me has fled this earthly place
his corporeal self still haunts my days and my nights
consoling and bringing tears a new
Impossible pain is grief
memories wrapped in longing
sprinkled with thoughts of missed opportunities
and guilt from paths not chosen
and yet its all I have of him now
Categories:
elicited, death, grief, heartbroken,
Form: Free verse
Jacqueline Q lives in a world she has created.
I listen and nod, for don’t we all?
she surrounds herself with things that she loves.
the reporter turns up her nose in a snooty way
this wise practice should be replicated I think.
has her persona determined her choices
or have her choices elicited her persona?
how would this matter to a confident woman
who knows how to create, revise and recreate herself?
I know which one I will invite to lunch
Categories:
elicited, woman, women,
Form: Free verse
Richard Michael Mayall
On June 9, 2014 took his last pratfall,
Noted for his energetic “post-punk” style
The English comedic actor elicited many a smile.
FOURTH PLACE WINNER
Written September 7, 2022
Submitted to “Tragi Comedy” Poetry Contest
Sponsored by Joe Maverick
Categories:
elicited, death, farewell,
Form: Clerihew
when i do declare
there is so much we should share
inhale all the air
had elicited
actions should be restricted
could be convicted
while in their presence
was in every essence
enjoy pleasance
had hesitated
things we knew were related
form abbreviated
Categories:
elicited, allegory, analogy,
Form: Haiku
Old melodies,
Old tunes,
Belting out from the radio,
They were my father’s favourite,
He danced to it with my mother,
He hummed to it whenever
he was busy with his tools,
Smoothening and
assembling pieces of wood,
They elicited a
heartwarming glow from his face,
They were the impetus for his pace,
Nostalgia everywhere,
I’m in a realm of my past days,
My budding days with my family,
They were bittersweet moments,
Days of meagre rations,
Days of sufficient portions,
Days of desert pangs,
Though we desired opulence,
We were happy in our little way,
Like a fabric,
We were interwoven,
Soldered and riveted.
March 21, 2022.
Categories:
elicited, 2nd grade, africa, family,
Form: Free verse
Who is she? We asked in hushed tones
For the aura and ambiance, she elicited were magical
We were in awe without even knowing her
She is the Christmas Topper Faerie.
Be extra quiet. She only chooses one tree to grace.
We held our breath, waiting.
Categories:
elicited, christmas, fairy,
Form: Free verse
fire we must stoke
until became badly broke
out from sand head poke
they elicited
what is to be conflicted
became afflicted
when we have been good
was God who would make us good
making me feel good
Jesus in crib laid
God wind and waves had obeyed
great world for me He made
had been notified
that her death was verified
the I cried and cried
God gave gift to girl
a pretty and perfect pearl
was out of this world
ingrained idiocy
actual validity
pure stupidity
Categories:
elicited, allegory, analogy,
Form: Haiku
Maitreyi had an inner knowing
few people have; it gave her a confidence
She was not afraid to express her opinion
Driven by love and intellect,
she was the epitome of ancient Indian’s
intellectual woman
People listened to her truth
because it was pure,
resonating in their atman
She had an aura about her
that elicited no questions on inquiry
People instinctively knew she was blessed
Her confidence showed through
everything she said and did.
She is revered to this day in New Delhi
Categories:
elicited, tribute,
Form: Free verse
I still have my tickets
And what I recall
Was the feeling of kinship
Connecting us all.
We rolled down our windows,
In traffic for miles,
As peace-fingered V-signs
Elicited smiles.
“You goin’ to Woodstock?”
We’d shout as we passed
Though since everyone was,
We knew we’d have a blast.
They talk of the mud
And the sex and the drugs
But we went for the music
And peace, love and hugs.
The 60’s was magic
With hope in the air
And all who remember
Were glad to be there.
Categories:
elicited, remember,
Form: Rhyme
I have a butterfly in my pocket,
that will never fly again.
When I think back to yesterday,
it’s a pretty reminder of my pain.
Butterflies aren’t meant for pockets,
you my dear were not meant for me.
I have my pretty reminder,
that without me you are free.
We kissed in the sunlight,
a butterfly landed on your toes.
It elicited smiles and laughter,
I loved how you crinkled your nose.
Bright skies filled with clouds,
in just a matter of days.
A butterfly stays just a season,
how I miss your delicate ways.
You left me without warning,
I saw our butterfly on the ground.
Like you no words were spoken,
my heart made a breaking sound.
So I put our butterfly in my pocket,
imagined you flying again.
I’m left to ponder my sorrow,
with a pretty reminder of my pain.
Categories:
elicited, angst, farewell, leaving,
Form: Quatrain
Scent of a memory
16/05/2015
The old man ambled by, a scent caught my eye.
A memory long dispatched, elicited and slowly hatched.
My Pops lounge room, musty never seen a broom.
His kind warm smile... takes me back a while.
Hard man as he was, he knew my Nan was boss.
House crowded in smoke, a chewy Mentos for her throat.
Statues in their yard, of white stone so hard.
My mind is transported, sights a smells distorted.
House seems so large, with a twenty car garage.
I can smell the river, and my Nana cooking liver.
It’s like I’m there today, yet in my memory they stay.
Now long gone in time, rest at Rookwood in a shrine.
Categories:
elicited, age, memory,
Form: Rhyme
I know I often rail against science--
but, actually, I love it!
Started with science,
the grasp was easier
and the tangible truth
pleasant when sweet
like the bitter/sour
proportional to
my elicited response--
and science lead me to spirit;
to a driving force
without boundaries--
memories spanning generations:
In the animal
we call them instinct;
in the human,
we call them
religion and god--
My preference is
to speak to them direct,
a rapport
exceeding
the universe….
Categories:
elicited, imagination, introspection, language, life,
Form: Free verse
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