To date the snorthog
has only been seen
late at night in the bedroom
disturbing me and my dreams
first he hogs the bedclothes
then snorts up a storm
while I lie awake
counting sheep
trying to keep warm
but before I become
a grumbly old grouch
there is yet one solution
have him sleep on the couch
Categories:
grumbly, fun, humor, night, silly,
Form: Rhyme
Beneath the warm sun, we wander
through the tangled branches
my grandfather's hands gentle,
like the tree itself, rooted and wise
He points to a ripe fig,
its skin a the color of a jewel.
I reach, as he coaches me
ripe and unripe
Conversation is exchanged
his grumbly Italian voice echos
like a simple song on the summer day
He tells stories under the shade,
of times coming and going
and I listen, hands sticky with nectar
learning from his words
In this small act
the picking, the talking
we find a moment, fleeting and eternal,
a harvest of memory and love
Categories:
grumbly, 12th grade,
Form: Free verse
Our mother was perky in the morning.
It’s the only time of day we ever heard her sing.
She would come into our room and sing “good morning” stuff.
My twin and I would grumble and rumble about it.
How she could be this perky every single morning is a puzzle.
But she was.
Was it the coffee?
Was it her natural tendencies? Who knew?
The cheerier she was, the more grumbly we got.
On school days.
On Saturday mornings we were the perky ones.
Waiting for Underdog on the TV set.
Categories:
grumbly, mother,
Form: Prose Poetry
Gentle Earth, I beg of you –
Whisper to us the first sign of spring.
Annul this wintry despair
And a season of life anew, bring.
From the depths of Baja
Carry the warmth in upon a draft.
Poke the sunshine through grumbly clouds
And send it down as a gilded shaft.
Clothe the desert with the raiment
Of fleeting sheets of white rain.
Implore the wildflowers that they
Bestow upon us a fantastic display.
Help the button-face of the brittlebush
Peep over the dead, crumpled brush.
Bring forth the canyon penstemon.
Make the Mexican lime cactus flush.
With one quick stroke of rain
Paint the delicate creosote yellow.
Order the Engelmann’s cactus to raise
Their trumpets of fuchsia and blow.
Tempt forth the birds to sing – listen!
I beg, usher March in.
Categories:
grumbly, earth, march, nature,
Form: Rhyme
My stomach was feeling grumbly and gassy
As I dressed for my meeting, looking classy
My hair up in a bun, my black suit on in wool
My breakfast still making me feel too full
I ran into the crowded elevator, my portfolio in hand
But then dropped it, and at my boss’s feet it did land
I bent over quickly trying to pick up my portfolio paper
And gasped, when I loudly let one loose in the elevator
8/1/21
Contest: When I Let One Loose In the Elevator
Sponsor: Charles Messina
Categories:
grumbly, fun, humorous,
Form: Rhyme