Written: July 19, 2026 for a contest sponsored by: Unica Hija
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Dear Fin, you velvet-hearted sprite,
you steal my chair by perfect right;
you rule the house with whiskered grace,
then wear innocence upon your face.
No monarch ever reigned from race.
You stalk a sunbeam down the hall,
declare a feather ten feet tall;
each paper ball, each dancing string,
becomes a wild and wondrous thing—
your kingdom needs no crown at all.
You purr away my clouded hours,
as bees awaken hidden flowers;
your emerald eyes, half-moon, half-flame,
make every ordinary day the same
feel stitched with little miracle game.
When midnight sheds her silver glow.
You run through shadows, quick as flow.
Then cuddle near my sleeping heart.
As if you had known it since the start
It's loyal caretaker during the night.
So here's my ode, dear Fin, to you—
long may you rule with velvet paws,
ignoring every human law;
for every heart must surely bow
to one small cat... especially now.
Written: May 19, 2026, for a contest sponsored by JCB Brul
8th place contest winner
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O Finn, my little moonlit friend,
whose gentle ways can soothe and mend.
You curl beside my drifting day,
and hum my heavy thoughts away.
Your purr—a hush of healing light—
turns trembling hours calm and bright.
Your tender head against my hand
makes all the world feel soft, not grand.
You breathe, and all my shadows slow;
You blink, and kinder breezes blow.
O, quiet heart in fur so thin,
you warm the world just by being Finn.
Sweet soul, through dark and dawn stay—
Your love draws all my fears away.
And every piece, softly do you wear,
is worth a deal more than the loudest bear.
Written: May 06, 2026, for contest sponsored by JCB Brul
1st place contest winner
**********************
Finn blinks once, slow, sure—
a love letter without ink,
sealed in topaz eyes
Note-We live and learn. My first entry in Andrea's contest missed the boat for failing to use a fictitious character and a rhyming word. You see, at times, my boat is a speedboat---that is filled with inattention, clumsiness, and lack of knowledge of the rules. But after reading the winners' list, I got the hang of how to do a clerihew. Yeah! I'm happy. I found a lifeboat.
A mischievous kid, this Huckleberry Finn
His moral compass pointed to a major sin
For helping his friend Joe escape slavery
Society at the time looked at him as unsavory
1/13/26
connie pachecho
A Literary Character Clerihew Poetry Contest
Andrea Dietrich
Huck and Jim escape their past,
And both off-color lads grew up fast.
Taking the raft of the Mississippi,
For a moral ride that is zippy.
Huckleberry "Huck" Finn is a fictional character created by Mark Twain
Huck Finn
worried if what he did was a sin.
Down the river, Jim, he'd not sell.
He'd just have to go to Hell.
Have you seen him, Jim?
The wide river, he did swim,
underneath the big sky,
somewhere in the by and by.
Take that raft and ride -
find Huck Finn, inside.
Good day for Huckleberry Finn
sporting a big proud grin.
Cast and caught a real winner,
he's taking it home for dinner.
Why is this little guy sleeping again?
I asked several people including his twin.
If you let him sleep, it will be a win-win.
If you don’t, you’ll have to answer to Finn.
Who is Finn? I asked his cousin and twin.
They gave me weird looks and a simple grin.
Just wake him up if you dare, said his twin.
But I did not do it, because I was now afraid of Finn.
Hank built the loveliest quirkiest cottage for his wife, Finn.
She had specific ideas, and incorporated each one in.
Everyone who saw it wanted one for themselves and asked.
But Finn said “no, this was a labor of love that Hank amassed.
No one else is getting a quirky cottage like mine, it’s one of a kind.”
We all loved this cottage and Hank; she had married a gold mind.
November 11th, 1938. winter, Sweden
neighbor's pond water is not frozen yet
bucket spilled drops are chilly
grandma Sven's crocheted mittens are not warm enough
younger brother Finn tells me to hurry
family waits for these precious drops of water
cannot fire up cast iron cook stove without stew juice
Chester, our broken down farm pony waits patiently
sky spells out snowstorm
I am shivering now, my feet feel frostbitten
I wish that we were closer to the home
Christmas Krampus is coming, my brother teases me
When I laugh I see my breath, it travels up in weather puffs
if we do not move soon, there will be frosty icicles on our noses
I am grateful for Finn
he knows how to keep my mind off my discomfort
She was a woman who had a little hair on her chin.
She was older, robust, called simply Old Finn.
It did not make sense that they called her this at nineteen.
Still, she was the wisest one in the local tavern, usually seen.
If we had a question about our drink or our food
We could always ask Old Finn; she was in a loud mood.
That never changed, her voice brought rats from the rafters.
She was a beer-loving-waitress, known by beer drafters.
Her manner was coarse, but she was tavern exact.
Knowing how to do every job and that is a fact!
I grew up here with my grandparents since a little tyke.
I cannot give you your car keys, honey. Borrow a bike.
She took no risks, would not let anyone drive home drunk.
Sometimes she would call the police – her nephew McFunk.
Lumberjack burley, he would take you swiftly out of danger.
You might wake up in bed, sometimes next to a stranger.
Old Finn would keep your secrets, she never spoke ill of you.
She would uplift your spirit, and help you keep down your blue.
Her funeral was the largest our village had ever seen or had.
If you don’t believe me, ask your cousins, mom or granddad.
Finn and Freda’s Christmas wishes were known only to each other.
Trusted protective older sister, and Finn, her impish little brother.
Helpful hints were solicited by parents for many determined days.
Important questions asked in a variety of creatively subtle ways.
Neither child would violate the trusted confidentiality of the other.
Treasured trait that is strong fifty years later in this sister and her brother.
'Unity!' preached President Joe
~ whose nose then grew like Pinocchio's
He was late every single day.
Spoke badly of his fellow man.
Kept asking them about his pay.
Lied and cheated, Horman T. Finn.
A good first day, new job? No way.
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