Contest: THE SIMPLE POETRY
Sponsor: Sotto Poet
Date: September 4th 2026
A warning signals
at the daylights dim.
An inconspicuous drop or two
tap my cheek -
An impulsively deep inhalation
as I glare at the clouds.
A more rhythmically consistent
offering of droplets touch down!
More excitable water follows
trampolining on the ground.
Puddles beat like drums
in a heavy rock band.
Soggy wet through
where I stand...
The brolly blew the wrong way out.
My waterproofs a flapper.
I grumble a sigh and shrug
at my failure to stay dry
as I'm caught out in the rain.
.
thick
torso tuh
hip's limb'z walk's
excitable
digits
first
hern eyne
thence
hern digits
fromg
"1
2
3"
'to
hern point
"u
and
I"
hern chasez mine
with hern
up on all 10
stubby
purty
dactylez
yesss
i look'd back
yup
((hack
hack))
ballerina cute
okay
i ran
tap
We are plain yellow chicks in my barnyard, my family and I
Well, we were, until the birth of my younger brother, Guy
He is the most excitable chick we had ever hoped to see
Getting enthusiastic to the utmost degree
When his feathers begin to turn from yellow to pink
And then blue and red, we know what to think
When purple comes out, and then a bit of green
We run away from him, for he tends to get mean
The more emotions that come out of little Guy
The less he can control them, he does not even try
When he is in full blown mood explosion we stay away
Luckily, he usually sleeps away the entire next day.
This timid heart a 200bpm rabbit
not like that you vulgarian
like a frightened excitable permanently pulsating
come on
mammal living some say existing
largely underground
afrightened and ascurvy
Riddled with the pestilence
of forgotten decades
and winters long gone
which laid down their stains
upon the landscape
frosted thistles and tree circles
yet all it takes is a kind word
Oh Mr Dickens
a mere sniff never mind a teaspoonful of gruel
the tiniest glimmer
of hope in the form
of a one-line response
No matter how indifferent, ineffectual
or shadow insolent
just keep
hanging on
that's what you do best
Just keep hanging on
until that one day...
There is no longer one more day
but at least you held on with
elasticated hope until that final day which
if you care to think about it
is something, but then again
Diminutive dwarf donned a dark dapper derby
Enthusing excitable elf’s electric eel’s energy
Following frenzied faerie’s forever frills and fantasy
Garnishing gremlin and gargoyle’s grassy greenery
Holding hostage history’s hysterical hideous Henry.
Dusty roads take me out
To the furthest reaches -
To places not thought of
Way off highway stretches -
To the rocky vales where
A lonely thrasher calls
And scarcely people hear
His excitable songs -
To where a streamlet flows -
Whatever it be named -
Where a line of hoodoos
See the course slowly change -
To the canyon shadows
I find laudable
To marvel at the rows
Of piñon for a while -
To where the earth stands still
And the sky rejoices
And every glance I steal
Is bright and faultless.
"Hi".
One word takes my to those blue skies of heaven,
your voice the north on a compass in the sea.
How I crave for those brief interactions,
occasional furtive glances,
occasional day dreamy stares.
How I wish I could cover the distance between us in two great strides,
roll you in my embrace
and say what I've been holding on so deeply to you.
Alas I am but a coward,
always replying with an excitable yet shameful
"Hey".
Will I regret it?
Of course
A nice prescription of sleep
I took when the day proved awry
And found myself when I blinked
In a dreamscape so wide.
Tho' it was hard to believe -
I saw a meadow without end;
My crying stopped to think
Of where the Tiller went.
I saw in hues I'd never seen;
The sky emoted rest.
I searched the horizon -
Sure that there were secrets.
And of time? What did it mean
To the birds above the field?
To the excitable bee
Nourished by a fallen tear?
And then - I startled -
And facing a morning sun -
Felt my heart's wound dulled -
Almost like it'd never happened.
Nucleus at our core
Nerve cell that enables
Naked, excitable
Nimbly magnetising
Nourishing mind-body
Nonchalant yet vibrant
Neglect at your peril
FEROCITY
bastion
slowly
being opened
secret
for years
elegance
ushered in
towering
over
a ferocious
scene
silencing
the
excitable
with
a watchful gaze
beneath
in front
&angular
so distinguished
looking
faces
with
closed
ears
glimpsed
in aversion
displayed
readily
& not accessible
but
completely
free
to
drawing
compelling
attention
to the
outraged
It's all in my eyes
What you see is no disguise
My intent is so sincere
I'm aiming and shooting without fear
My energy is indefatigable
I can meet night with day and still be excitable
In the midst of storms, I'm unflappable
My level of stoicism is masterful
I'm peering
and I'm steering
I'm honing
and I'm toning
I'm leveling
and I'm not settling
This is MY FOCUS
And this is no hocus pocus
mind unspooling
easing my way into the garden
to prune the over eager
feeling well
in a loosely-strung way
excitable dog
threads my legs
I am centered
balanced
dog now barking
chasing squirrels
dog kicking up flustered
clusters of sparrows
doors slam
neighbors yell
dog pissing on the roses
strategic withdrawal
dead heads still
un-dead
wind whip's-up
a spiky shudder
gin and ice
snatched from the fridge
running for cover
My climbing rope is broken
better fix it
said the excitable culprit
A praying mantis was in my sandwich
it provided a challenge
crunch crunch went my dentures
Please don't force the hyacinths
let them blossom in their own time
Please don't be too eager again
If your fingers grow stiff
ply them with balsam
if not rub them with ash
Teddy bear don't let the shadows get you
Depend on somebody
Watch over for the angels
we never meet
I miss the furry touch of your face
the wetness of your tongue kisses,
even your hind paws
kicking my crotch in excitable ecstasy
when I lift you up for a cuddle.
The cat is very dainty and careful
with the tender parts of my body,
but you were always happy
to pummel me with your love.
Now your dead, and the cat is sad.
It threads its slinky body
through my legs
but won't purr
until I call out: ‘Whose a good boy!'
Then that silky cat leaps onto my belly
and head-butts my chin
in memory of him.
The elementary teachers praise Student C.
Student C is compliant, calm, competent and composed.
She is marvelous, wonderful, a favorite.
She wins awards and trophies, and I mean a lot of them.
Student E is exasperating, on their last nerves.
She is easily excitable, enthusiastic about eels and elephants.
They speak ill of her in the student lounge; she is difficult to teach.
She never places or wins an award in elementary school.
Student C gets married, stays home, raises compliant children.
These children raise compliant, cautious children.
Student E is a visionary, an entrepreneur, a trendsetting CEO.
She develops a foundation to encourage innovative students.
She honors students who have a keen interest in something.
It could be eels or elephants, or it might be ESP and space travel.
Student C’s complaint children try to get into Student E’s school.
They are rejected, for they have not developed their thinking brain.
Of course, they do comply.
They do follow the rules.
They are calm, and they still win the trophies.
Hopefully that will be enough.
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