There was an old man from Fargo,
With a wife whose name was Margo.
They were quite the pair
Neither had much hair
They traveled the world with no cargo!
Categories:
fargo, fun, hair, humor, husband,
Form: Limerick
Where is this? Are we on Mars?
America – just count the stores,
capitalist carnivores.
That so-familiar movie score,
the swish of passing cars.
The city built on Brotherly Love
(Wells Fargo, Fitch and Abercrombie)
at the mercy of Pam Bondi
- was that a person, or a zombie? –
What was Madison thinking of?
Car’s no use: no place to park it.
Arrested at a funeral home.
No gravel pits, no air, no loam
- eat your heart out, Kristi Noem
(Checks Cashed Here, Medina Market)
Can this be noon? It feels like night.
What are these groupings? Hangouts? Dives?
They’re ganglions? They’re human hives?
Squandered talent, wasted lives.
Subway line blocks out the light.
Sidewalk garbage. Mostly men.
That hokey old verbal agility,
“insure domestic tranquillity”
correctional facility
for the heirs of William Penn.
Human beings are detritus
(Lifetime Nails, Olympic Sports):
To clean it up, we use the courts
Perhaps we ought to build more forts
- and thus our id comes back to bite us.
Categories:
fargo, places,
Form: Rhyme
proud to be an american (in jest)
i saw the mailman steal my letter
i saw the tax man steal my dime
just when i thought things were better
i saw the preacher steal my time
i saw the mexican steal my border
and the terrorist steal my plane
gas so high i can’t afford’er
but still i pump ‘er just the same
my boss became a very rich man
and his boss was richer still
i didn’t understand their master plan
and i suppose i never will
the dog pound repossessed my stray
the ford dealer took my car
it was on empty anyway
so i know he won’t get far
the banker closed my bank account
the gardener took back his plants
wells fargo got just a small amount
but levi’s repossessed my pants
alfani took the shirt off my back
florsheim’s now has my shoes
my new socks are from a gunny sack
least i don’t owe union dues
the plumber took my kitchen sink
the carpenter took my wood
so about this time i’m startin’ to think
if this is bad i need some good
tonight i’ll sleep beneath the stars
and feel a gentle breeze
i’ll wonder why god went so far
just to get me on my knees
© tolbert
Categories:
fargo, america, humor, parody,
Form: Rhyme
It was Santa’s busiest night
And nothing was going quite right.
The sleigh, well past it’s best,
Had just failed its flight test
And Rudolph’s red nose had turned white.
Global warming had melted the snow;
A hurricane started to blow.
Santa’s throat was red raw
And felt terribly sore.
He could barely whisper “Ho ho”
He declared a gift embargo;
The elves unloaded his cargo.
Then, on-line from his bed,
He sent vouchers instead,
All delivered by Wells Fargo
Categories:
fargo, christmas,
Form: Limerick
Darl! Let's go to Manhattan beach,
There we can catch some fish,
Then you'll cook a nice dish,
That we'll eat under the Beech.
This time, if Jennifer goes,
She'll want to eat a lot of Mangoes,
Then we'll send some by cargoes,
Like we did when we were on hol's in Fargo.
Oh! That reminds me, dearie!
Can you help me cut down this Cherry?
Don't think I am going nuts;
'Cos I earlier made you climb that Walnut.
Just like on Long Island, If not for Jennifer;
I would've broken my spine,
When you wanted me to cut down a Connifer,
But I still got injured by a falling Pine.
Long Islands! That's where we saw many Rowans,
In a forest planted by the Romans,
I thought I'd find some of their treasures,
It would've made our memories more to measure.
Those are not Rowans, they are Hawthorns!
Hawthorn? That tree I climbed was without thorns,
Anyway, there's a lot of fun playing with trees,
There's no such adventure that nature gives more free.
Categories:
fargo, adventure, beach, friendship love,
Form: Rhyme
Always Prepared
Ready
Freddy
The Untamed
Feral
Ferril
What’s in Frankie’s Pockets?
Frankie’s
hankies
Patriotic Guy
Yankee
Frankie
Of the highest Quality
Fraser’s
razors
Small Eater
Grazer
Frazer
The Warlock
Pagan
Fagin
The Brilliant One
Star Glow
Fargo
Something’s About to Happen to Him
Herald
Gerald
Poet
The bard
Gerard
The Mimic
Parrot
Garret
Who Needs Pudding and Pie
Georgie
Porgie
Good Grief!
Lordy,
Gordy!
Best Things in his Garden
Gerrett’s
carrots
The Stoic
Steely
Greeley
What People Always Say to Him
Really,
Greeley?
The Generous One
Sharin’
Garen
Thrill Seeker
Gnarly
Harley
So Angry
Snarly
Harley
Embittered
Soured
Howard
Not Brave at All
Coward
Howard
What’s in Henny’s pocket
Henny’s
Pennies
The Pest
Vermin
Herman
What Herman Gives Each Sunday
Herman’s
sermons
Why Can’t He Just Stay Home?
Roamer
Homer
Better Than Ice Cream
Sherbet
Herbert
Get Him Band-aids
Howie’s
Owies
Nonsensical
Phooey
Huey
Always Amazed
Wowie
Howie
The Overly Sentimental One
Gooey
Huey
Categories:
fargo, boy,
Form: Footle
My furrow’s too shallow;
the farro’s gone fallow.
To foul things up thorough,
I can’t plant my yarrow.
Can I borrow your burro?
My barrow’s too narrow,
my plow’s in a burrow,
and I’m clouded with furor.
The cargo from the borough
to my sorrow’s in Fargo,
but my mood might will mellow
if it’s here on the morrow.
----------
'hoti' is the phonetic pronunciation
for the Greek word 'oti', meaning because, since
'furrow' is a trench for planting
'farro' is a type of wheat
'yarrow' is an herb
'burro' is Spanish for donkey
Categories:
fargo, farm, nursery rhyme, silly,
Form: Rhyme
Road noises rise like precautionary tales
Heat shimmering on the roadway ahead
Straight as an arrow from past to future
Seen through tunnels of unharvested grain
Punctuated by power-producing windmills
Turning slowly, nowhere signs of coming rain
Occasionally a railroad crossing suture
Strange dialect of north Fargo in my head
While lone tractor loads rolled hay bales
FIRST PLACE WINNER
Brian Strand's "Your Choice" Poetry Contet
Poetry Soup
written August 22, 2021
(using my reverse rhyming
technique)
Categories:
fargo, places, travel, vacation,
Form: Rhyme
Timber growing up the mountain roots in silver and gold soil
The Indian Queen Mining Company lines shafts of western red cedar,
Westerner views hoodoos Painted Desert traveling to mine’s branch
Pony express rushes by galloping, “Wow!” Just to see her.
Apple dumpling served hot Western Steakhouse flair
Tasty yummy dessert warm sunset shows American west,
Stagecoach roars by, gold bars to Wells Fargo Bank
Family ranch abundant goods county fair, love distilling best.
Prospector explores desert mountain, mineral deposits found
North Star Gold Mining Company sends full sparkling mining cars,
Western Pacific Railroad Company delivers mine goods and lumber
Western honey mesquite greet miners riding railcars with gold bars.
Buffalo Gals Timber Company sending logs to mill for work
Logging builds, the west grows rustic running the saw hear shrill,
Rough cut logs stacked in railcar build a town
Using true grit gets her done western hoedown Heaven’s fill.
Categories:
fargo, america, business, family, food,
Form: Rhyme
We are in North Dakota, on Highway 94, and we spy Salem Sue
She is standing thirty-eight foot tall, and the sky is relatively blue.
We are thrilled to see her, standing there, in her dairy cow clothes.
She makes us feel optimistic, that things will get better, as everyone knows.
Fargo Theater, ninety-years on March 18th shut temporarily down.
We were disappointed to find this out. It gave us a bit of a frown.
For I had been counting on it but then I spy the badlands up ahead.
Painted in lovely beiges and pinks, they are so poetically wed.
I received a buffalo nickel at gift store, and that made me feel good too.
In North Dakota these pretty souvenirs are generously given to you.
I spy a meadowlark, and remember that this s North Dakota’s state bird.
Drive many miles without seeing another car, seems kind of absurd.
Painted Canyon in Roosevelt’s National Park cannot be missed.
A dainty wild prairie rose gives impression she has been kissed.
Buffalo and cowboys we see and we happily giddily point out.
Yes North Dakota is the place to be. So consider this my shout out.
Categories:
fargo, usa,
Form: Rhyme
pink Bermuda beach
swimming in turquoise grotto
Fargo tomorrow
Categories:
fargo, humorous,
Form: Senryu
Infiltrating Trump's embargo
An Imam reached Mar-a-Lago
But his Call to Prayer
Just floated on air
The Trumps worship at Wells Fargo
Categories:
fargo, political, prayer, religion,
Form: Limerick
Look-see into the Telly,
let that buy Idol Eye soil your soul
Go to sleep,
and fall deep
into the Cyclops’ belly
Allow the remote
to take rip van winkle plug control
A lower case hypnotic beam
will put your credit card
purchased dream
on a subliminal suggestion channel
Soon you’ll awaken suddenly
inside of a sales pitch tease —
So don’t be snooze alarm angry!
It's just a friendly sponsor
low cable fee,
advertisement guarantee
A paid commercial break from reality
In case of debt shock,
never pull the plug
socket hasty
Take a two-for-one offer pause,
to defibrillate the situation
Warning!! Don’t turn the On knob Off
Give a Westworld hoo-ray,
and have a
Wells Fargo
bank account robbed Chase
Every coma vay-cay
ain’t necessarily a broadcast emergency
Induced sleep zombies
simply need
a lengthy commercial shake
But, this mis-remember, please ...
If pinched purse eyes do
Reality awake
A wallet empty condition
can cause a psychotic break
Categories:
fargo, funny, humorous, satire, word
Form: Light Verse
In the middle of nowhere…
the center of it all
Coming back to my beginning
—one choice to recall
(Fargo North Dakota: August, 2019)
Categories:
fargo, time,
Form: Rhyme
Fort Worth to El Paso, a long stretch of tracks
Deputies securing Wells Fargo money sacks,
With reins in hand, stagecoach en route
Jessie’s gang kicks dust, chasing the loot.
Oil lamps hanging on the tavern’s post
Saloons filled with men who drink the most.
Split rails and troughs in make shift corrals
Mask men flee, hiding in many locales.
Posse of six saddle up to chase
Jessie’s gang leading the pace
Wanted posters hung on banks and stables
A round of whiskey lies on saloon tables.
Colt 45’s rest on the long wooden bar
Ranchers arriving soon from Omaha.
Rustler’s rope up a head of cattle
Rifle on the side, rope loops on the saddle.
Looters grab the bags, each one rides a mustang
Two gunslingers jailed, one will hang
Conductor steps out, train whistle blows
“all aboard”, wheels turn, white smoke blows,
Across the plains and over the notch
Riders travel with flasks of scotch.
Straight beaten paths and dusty trails
Someday those will be wild western tales.
Categories:
fargo, imagery, , western,
Form: Rhyme
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