I got out of bed
In the middle of the night
My time is not my own
I do the tasks
That are required of me
My own sleep I do disown.
From one task to another
I go from room to room
Making sure everything is alright
I’m doing my best
And often I get it wrong
But sometimes I get it right.
Full-time job
On top of that
The foundations are about to crack
I do my best
With what I have
No time to take a nap.
But at night
I take flight
And my mind visits distant lands
My heart breaks out
In artistic scraps
Which I write with my crippled hand.
I do not begrudge
My lot in life
It is what it is, I know
But my poems and muse
Keep my “feet” moving
Leading me on the path to home.
When I began the journey, fifty odd years ago
to become a parent
There were no books or journals then
to guide this experiment
It's mostly based on mentorship
each of us has gained
Often full of potholes
mistakes we have obtained
So when I look in hindsight
not having skills required
Had parenting been my full time job
I would surely have been fired
But life provides us
with a chance to make amends
To bless with love my children
and treat them as my friends
There is no doubt challenges
existing on the way
Some families face adversity
every single day
Sometimes it seems
that life is back to front
The wisdom that we need when young
arrives when ageing fills our wont
To be a grandparent prior to parenting
would elicit a necessary skill
To raise five children, share more prudence
to a loving life, which they can then fulfil
We’re not dating—
but you heart-react to my stories like it’s a full-time job,
send a “you up?” at 12:47 a.m.
then disappear like my willpower at a shoe sale.
You say you don’t do drama—
but you’ve got more red flags
than a Formula 1 race
and the emotional depth of a spoon.
You post gym selfies with deep quotes
like “loyalty is everything”
but couldn’t commit to a dinner reservation
without texting your group chat first.
I bring the vibe.
The sauce.
The playlist.
You bring… vibes?
Just vibes?
Sir, where’s the effort?
Modern dating is just
flirting, ghosting, and guessing
if “lol” means “I’m into you”
or “I’m emotionally unavailable but cute.”
We’re not dating—
but I still debated if I should shave for this maybe-hangout.
We’re not serious—
but your ex still watches my Insta like it’s Netflix.
You want wifey energy
on a side-chick schedule.
Nah. I’m not a limited-time offer.
This ain’t Costco.
Come with consistency,
or go play tag with someone else’s energy.
I’m too cute to be confused.
Coffee Tables
Stop the
eternal hopping coffee tables from
sweating is a
full-time job.
Men, especially male men are macho,
weirdos always less concerned and
thoughtful then women are. Take a look.
happens and rolls downhill.
So what! Who cares! Could care less!
What the hell. Not my fault. Had nothing
to do with it. There is nothing I can
do about it. Have been same all
of their lives and will never change.
Shortcomings exceed their attributes.
Dangling chads. Key pinch cards.
Full time job trying to be kind,
courteous thoughtful and sincere.
Chop off problem and throw away
like extremities in Civil War. Pile
becomes higher and higher.
Go to church, listen to what God has
to say and then go home and apply it.
That is the Trinity I know in my mind.
Migration is a problem that exists.
It has already happened so what
are you going to do about not condemning,
criticizing and complaining about it.
No action. No reaction or results.
Do nothing and nothing will happen.
You can listen but do not have to
do anything about it. Your choice.
God set standards for you to follow.
Never follow and suffer consequences.
Who cares what you think about problem.
What are you going to do to solve it.
Being a mum is a full-time job,
A role that never ends.
A love without measure ,
Purley it transcends.
From sleepless nights to endless days.
The work is never done.
But the joy you feel, inside ignites
Is worth it, every one.
My child , you taught me more ,
than I ever believed could learn
changing growing , discovering
A gift I did not earn
A priceless feeling such as this
It Cannot be bought , your in every decision
In every dream , and you are my every thought
So here's to all the mums out there,
Who work so hard , no play
Your love and dedication,
Is appreciated each day
living without love is a full-time job
a difficult task to accomplish
yet as workaholics we manage
through daily practice
we achieve mastery
fools we are
Sugar love
Only your love
Makes me feel nice
For your love I will always be your man
I will always be the joy you deserve
Only your love
Makes me feel peace
For your love I will travel miles
I will be up to date
I will never leave you cold
With your love
Life is worth living
Sugar love
When you say you love me
My heart is always joyful
I have never seen a woman like you
So kind so nice so beautiful
With a lovely soul
What more do I need
So for your love I will always be your man
I will travel miles to be with you
I will never leave you cold
Cos you are the true love of my life
Sugar love
If loving you everyday
Is a duty
I will make it a full time job
Cos an angel like you is so rare
You must be the answer I ever wished for
Am happy to know a queen with a heart of gold
What more can life offer a man like me
You are all I ever wish never to let go
Cos your love is worth more than
Diamonds and golds
You are a precious being
The queen of my kind
So if loving you is a duty
Employ me for life
Shirley is in constant pain, but she does not take it out on anyone.
Only her closest friends know – the two closest friends.
She does not burden others with her ailment.
She is pleasant throughout the day, ignoring her pain.
She does not take pain pills because they knock her out.
She has a full-time job that she loves, so she keeps going.
Her co-workers would be startled to learn of her pain.
Her boss also has no idea.
Marvel is in constant pain. She is grouchy and mean.
To her family, her neighbors and people in the grocery store.
She snaps, complains and grouses most of her day.
She wants others to be as miserable as she is.
She cannot keep a job because of her choices.
She chooses to be nasty and mean.
She can be cruel.
She has no boss, and no friends.
Two women with the same ailment.
Handling it in their own unique way.
Lucille (“Lucy”) Ball
Her desire for show biz fame is anything but small
Plays the wife of Ricky the Cuban drummer
How she goes about it could not be funnier.
Desi (“Ricky”) Arnaz
A full-time job reining in his kooky wife he has
Loves Lucy with all his heart
And his conniving Lucy is extremely smart!
FIRST PLACE WINNER
written September 29, 2021
especially for "Clerihew 2" poetry contest
sponsored by Joseph May
Rah! Rah! Rah! Sis Boom Bah!
Everyone stand up and cheer
A more upbeat poem you'll never find
Pay attention and listen here!
Funny how moods go up and down
Like a proverbial yo-yo
Maintaining a balance is a full time job
Life's like a bucking bronco
Survival of the fittest is what it's about
Rule's been around forever
Keep on top, don't let down your guard
Be true to every endeavour
Eventually you'll accomplish all your goals
Maybe sooner or maybe later
Depends on so many unknown factors
Don't just sit there as a spectator
Make it happen keep on top of your game
Don't waiver, flinch, or pause
Winners always keep their eye on the prize
Forever stay true to your cause
Rah! Rah! Rah! Sis Boom Bah!
Stay focused, me buckeroos
Happy or crabby, giggly or cantankerous
Can't blame nobody else but you!
I’m daughtering in place and it’s a full time job.
I'm a posable figurine, like a barbie for my mom.
She's been shopping in a frenzy, to fill the empty hours.
I think we have an Amazon truck dedicated to our house.
I needed another closet so we took my sister's room
It looks like a Dior outlet-store or maybe King Tut's tomb.
"I think you've gotten carried away," I said to her last night.
Looking at all the loot arranged, she said, "you may be right."
Hustlers
Written: by Miracle Man
8/6/2019
There are those in our path who take great pride,
And trying to hustle others, is their full time job.
They won’t work full time when they can get a free ride,
What they can’t beg or borrow, they’ll steal or rob.
Sometimes we’re caught up in a feel good day,
And occurrences at the time aren’t so besetting.
Or we’re lacking fortitude to turn some one away,
They take this as synonymous with our forgetting.
But without accountability, we feel mistreated,
Because they took advantage of our good heart.
But until such day that our time is depleted,
A kind talk from God’s word we try to impart.
I'm not a likeable person. I've never understood how to be good and adored. The past is only filled with characters that weren't liked or loved or adored much at all...
I became the monster I had feared so much. The unloved, untouched sour grape. I don't know sweetness. I'm acidic and reviling.
Give my heart a ing revolution. Even at minimum wage, this full time job is prosperous. The taxes are extraordinary... I owe more than I'll ever have. The government of my heart is a screaming debt.
And if you pass me on the street, I'm just hoping you remember that my emotional legs were amputated before I learned to speak. I'm an empty well. Fill me with blazing polished stones, or colorless dirt. The choice is yours and mine alone.
When a man retires from working life,
That’s when a full-time job gets his wife.
The job of a day’s time
Rewarding rare a dime,
And as perks— life on edge rife with strife!
______________________________________________________
When I wrote this I wondered why it took me15 long years to pen a small ditty like this. But it is hard on men to confess truth. I’m sure all suffering spouses must be feeling somewhat like this. Yet, to be fair on me, I get all along solid firing from the new boss— much more than I might have received all of working career.
_____________________________________________________
Tongue-in-cheek | 01.05.15 |
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.