Gussied Poems | Examples

gussied up frog lady

Gussied up Frog Lady is proper but not prim.
Her grotesque legs are thick and spotted, not thin.
She wears pantaloons with lace of cotton white.
Her stretched out undershirt is way too tight.

Frog Lady tries to put her pinkie up to drink.
Her fingers are webbed, and nothing is pink.
We can tell she is trying to be better than us.
She is an arrogant woman, says Mrs. McGus.

They Trained Their Birds

They trained their birds to stay incredibly still.
Like statues, reported my cousin Mrs. McGill.
The birds did not make a single sound as they supped.
The table was linen, and all prissily gussied up.

The birds were the best trained I had ever seen.
Their statuesque presence was totally pristine.
They silently stayed in position on that tea sipping day.
Pooping white goo on the shoulders of Mrs. McVey.

What Is Cowboy Poetry

A friend and I had a rousing argument
around the supper table the other day
He said when them old fashioned poet would write
‘twas hard to understand what they had to say

I told him it wasn’t so much what they said
but how their words danced within meter and rhyme
The art of words is like painting a picture
'stead of a museum it hangs in your mind

I'll tell you all that my friend’s a true cowboy
he prefers actions instead of using words
Thinks people should tell the true worth of a man
from just watching the way he handles his herd

Says he’s pretty sure that any ole nimrod 
can scratch pretty words on some paper with ink
If you’re trying to tell a cowboy something
just get on down to the meat of what you think

Stop prancin’ and dancin’ around with your words
just come right on out and tell me what you mean
Don't dress it up like it’s going two steppin'
it don’t need to be all gussied and preened

That’s the day I learned a very good lesson
bout how poetry was really meant to be
Words written down simple and straight to the point
is the real meaning of cowboy poetry

A Tale of Reina Yuma Rogan

Don’t let her smile fool ya, she’ll make ya crawl
If looks could kill, she’d burn a hole through y’all 
She’s a fiery philly
Saloon owners aren’t silly
Cayote ugly’s bar none, warned don’t start a brawl
                                                           
Met on deck at her fab watering hole
The kind who leaves ya a heartbroken soul
Stay clear, Reina's her name
If ya ain’t got no game
Ya see her gussied up courtin, cry troll!

The Spring Cometh

Bare winter trees begin to grow;
driving around, I watch nature's show.

shafts of light among taller, barren trunks
dogwoods blossom, a herald
as the woods come to life

Raindrops chase raindrops by design 
and April beckons a flash flood.
The muddy streams now fill their banks,
daffodils and Bradford pears bud.

bird nests sporting eggs
yards gussied up for Easter
resurrection nears

March 20, 2022

Combination of Forms Contest:
“Crystalline- Kimo- Quatrain- Haiku” 
Emile Pinet

Dance Hall Girl Gussied Up

She was all decked out in petticoats plus.
Tried to get on the stage with us.
But we pushed her out onto her rear.
No fancy women allowed in here.

Our men laughed at our evil action.
But we did not care. Gave us satisfaction.
The good book helps us be mean to these kind.
What would Jesus do? Let’s never mind.

The Wrong Mirror

She had been looking in the wrong mirror all of her life.
She thought she was plain, sometimes ugly.
She thought she was worthless, someone to be pitied.
She thought she was untalented, inept, invisible.

He found her, and realized she needed a new mirror.
He polished her up, fancied her up, gussied her up.
He encouraged her, built her up, and brought her to his tables.
She was a beauty, kind, and generous, truly remarkable.

She had been looking in the wrong mirror is all.
She did not believe him, so he had to get her to make her own mirror.
She designed a small pretty hand mirror, and looked into it
Terrified she would be looking into her childhood mirror.

I am happy to say she was pleasantly surprised.
I am pretty! She thought, amazed. Ashamed, she put the mirror down quickly.
She had been taught never to have pride. He saw this and encouraged her 
To break the old mirror and pay attention to the one she had created herself.

Miserly Misery

He was miserly
with his misery
held it tight
wouldn’t set it free
clutched it screaming
in late night dreaming
gussied it up
with AM preening.

Never cheap
with his misery
he defied the rules
being miserly
spread his gloom
with a cobwebbed broom
swept misery’s web
all around the room.

Oh, the misery
of the miserly
why must they share
their gift with me.


©12/30/2018

Edward Ibeh - sponsor

The Holland Tonnel

The Holland Tunnel’s gussied up.
Its holiday display
Made some commuters angry
And they finally had their say.

Two wreaths were boldly planted
On the “O” and on the “U,”
So “Holland Tonnel’s” what appeared
To people driving through.

A Christmas tree was mounted, too,
On top of Holland’s “N.”
The “A” would be a better match,
The critics voiced again.

The ones in charge arranged a vote;
Results were tallied fast,
The decorations switched around
From the opinions cast.

The tree was moved, one wreath is gone;
There’s now a happy aura,
Which would be perfect if they had
Included a menorah!*

*symbol of Chanukah, a Jewish holiday 
celebrated at this time of year

Hillbilly Redneck Sonnet

This redneck is fixin' to go dancin'
You reckon we get gussied up and go?
I'll be a high flutin' and a prancin'
Is the honky-tonk puttin' on a show?

Shall I wear my fanciest clod hoppers?
Shall I phone all your fiddle playin' kin?
I am gonna be such a show stopper.
We shall enter the dance contest and win.

I've got a hankerin' for hot romance,
And some granny-slappin' hillbilly sex.
Bear ten younguns, live in 'ternity pants
Did you just skedaddle, my newest ex?

Dern it, Darlin', thought we were so well matched.
I counted my chickens before they hatched!

Written 3/2/2017
Entered in Mid December Premiere
Hosted by Brian Strand

October

If every month’s a color
Then October has to be
The same orange as a pumpkin
And I think we’d all agree.

For as fall, in its ascendance,
Turns the leaves and ripens gourds,
Golds and oranges and ochres
Are the notes of autumn’s chords.

So I welcome Ms. October
Gussied up in tangerine,
Bringing just enough of chilly days
To supersede the green.

Going To a Wedding

Going to a wedding - 
We will watch them tie the knot.
It’s nice to know that younger folk
Still give this thing a shot.

I’ll get myself all gussied up 
(That word is proof I’m old),
Although I’m not the dress-up type
Most times, if truth be told.

The ceremony’s out of doors,
A garden the location
And then we’ll head inside to dine
And dance in celebration.

Originally weathermen
Predicted it would rain.
The sun decided otherwise,
The worries all in vain.

I’m sure it will be lovely
But the main thing that I think
Is, with all the preparation,
It’s all over in a blink.

Spring Fun

haiku series

yards in bloom
gussied up for Easter
girls in new hats

baby robins
kids spy a nest
mamas squawk

maple seeds twirl
delighting kids and adults
tadpoles morph


written 18 March 2016

Spontaneous Smiles

Christmas sparks spontaneous smiles
on the faces of young and old.
A family celebration,
touting brotherly love and cheer.

On the faces of young and old,
a rosy glow is clearly seen.
Children can't wait for Santa Claus,
counting down the days in their dreams.

A family celebration
where gifts are received and given.
And placed under a sparkling tree,
all gussied up with tinsel foil.

Touting brotherly love and cheer,
it's a magical time of year.
And for a brief fantastic time,
neighbors share a greeting of peace.


(Blank Verse)


10/18/2015

When Nature Gives You Porcupines

A porcupine, when threatened, will
Let loose upon his foe a quill
Or actually, I have a hunch
That he’d release a giant bunch.

I always knew about that use
But never knew that a papoose
Could find what every baby needs
Where quills are used instead of beads.

Yes, cradleboards and moccasins
And shirts or cloaks made out of skins
Were gussied up with filed-down quills
By Indians with awesome skills.

A new exhibit at the Met*
Has beadwork that I won’t forget
By Natives living on the Plains
Where porcupines shared their domains.

Or that is what I must assume
For every ornament and plume
They used to sew with (all by hand)
Was found nearby on native land.

That’s how it was in times gone by;
The local life could satisfy.
Those Indians, now mostly gone,
Today’d rely on Amazon!

*Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

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