There you are-
A favored photograph
Framed upon the smooth, bisque-colored door
Of our Kenmore refrigerator
Centered-
Fastened in prominence by
Blue and yellow star-shaped magnets with
"Importance" inscribed upon each corner.
You-
A glossy-coated, eight and one-half inch
By ten and one-half inch
Image,
Created by thousands of colored
Pin-point dots:
Red, blue, white, black, and green-
A brilliant projection of
Loyalty and trust,
Longing and security,
Love and faithfulness.
There you are-
a single moment in the life of a
Small, sad, sleeping boy laying on his dog.
A captured glimpse of true love.
There you are-
A favored photo
Framed upon the smooth, bisque-colored door
Of our Kenmore refrigerator.
Centered,
Fastened in prominence by
Blue and yellow star-shaped magnets
"Importance" inscribed upon each corner.
There you are-
A glossy-coated, eight and one half inch by ten and one half inch image,
Created by thousands of colored pin-dots,
Magenta, cyan, yellow, black and gray,
Forming
A brilliant projection of
Loyalty and trust,
Longing and security
A captured glimpse of contentment.
There you are-
A single moment in the life of a
Small boy and his dog.
Little Miss Take would steal anything
She’d steal from a pauper, she’d steal from a King
Don’t show her a bell if it goes ding a ling
For when you’re not looking she’ll half inch its ring
Little Miss Take does not like to pay
She knows what she likes and she’ll whisk it away
She’d steal the moon as it slept in the day
She’s barred from the grotto, she nicked Santa’s sleigh
Little Miss Take if she needs to be fed
Will nab eggs and bacon and butter and bread
And getting it cooked won’t befuddle her head
She’ll just nick the camping stove out of your shed
‘Little Miss Take is my name,’ she once said
But she wasn’t named as a thief, but instead
’twas only a quick drunken fumble in bed
And her mum and her dad hadn’t planned to get wed
[If Adam Hargreaves would like to get his hands on
this material (or to sue me) I can be contacted through
Soup Mail... or any half way decent lawyer]
They’ve cancelled the train and the replacement bus
The ferries aren’t running, you can’t get to us
The army patrols are inspecting each street
And handing out rations so we can all eat
And shoppers are buying canned foods in their droves
They’re bulk buying logs for their wood burning stoves
The streets have been gritted so folk turning blue
Can get safely home long before the curfew
There should have been warning, we should have been told
Survival might mean we’ll be eating the old
The news just said chilly, how were we to know
The south would wake up to a half inch of snow
Everyone knows what you should do
Shouting out suggestions
Giving you their best advice
Usually unsolicited
None of them have walked an inch in your shoes
Not even a half inch
But they are all experts
They dump their suggestions into your ear
They text you their new suggestions.
They email you suggestions they have gleaned from their friends.
Stay out of their way.
Let them do it.
They must be getting something out of it.
All you have to do is what you want to do.
They are not the boss of you.
i drown myself in shallow streams my known noncompliance in the only reason i scream
i hang myself from 4ft high i only flail because i know that i won't die
i cut only a half inch deep i only cry because i know my life i'll keep
i throw myself off a 10ft post and i do it again and again because i know that broken bones will be the most
In the face of death my body pleads but my mind it screams
because it knows that death is the one thing i need
In the corner of a dark closet
Lives an old, old sewing box,
Scratched and painted blue on wicker,
With flowers on its top.
It silently holds a lifetime,
Of buttons, thread, hooks and metal snaps,
A few colored ribbons, needles, and
Half inch elastic that also snaps.
Little pearls from a baby's batiste,
Bias binding from a bib, an unused pocket,
Folded left bits of printed calico,
Rolled lace from a prom dress formal.
Remembrance of a date, school skirt, a dance,
A child learning how to sew,
A very creative mother’s love,
An old sewing box of a long time ago.
GRANDMA AT THE TRACK
foolishly
i threw the rock
and appeared
to hopscotch
until the ill of my ankle
violently mocked
i chalk it all up
to forget me nots
my mind over knees
ignores
the rusty gears
as my wrinkled hand
avoids resistance
hovering a half inch
above the bannister -
safe.
now i watch youngsters skate.
those whipper snappers
with the gait of a purebred horse.
i huddle with my overloaded purse
carrying 3 cell phones and mine,
a roll of ticket winnings,
leftover candy,
then i
chase my four-year old grandson
‘round the outskirts
as he weaves between strangers
taking my heart with him.
mind you,
the thoroughbreds
are resting soundly
on the bench.
4/25/2019
They say Napoleon at his death
had a half inch object in his neck.
He often claimed he had been abducted
By strange men in a strange looking object.
I sometimes wish they would take me too.
Although I'm not much good past fifty two.
Seemingly it's our eggs they're after.
As they have over biologised their sex factor.
They are worried about our human race.
As we rush headlong at a rapid pace.
To have Gaia exhale her last breath.
End our blessed lives here on Earth.
I believe in UFO's, don't you?
In this unending galaxy we are miniscule.
Men in black keep the facts well hidden.
To know the truth we are forbidden.
It’s fascinating to think we may all be
on the brink of extermination in a blink.
What does Putin really think?
Time will tell….
Driving hard, loving hard, functioning
Vicious circle,never ending,grimacing
Thin ice, danger lurking, worry
One more debt,one too many,interest mounting
Work, work incessantly,always worry
Can't stop the pain,always sorry
Too many hurts to face tomorrow
Dawning day just brings sorrow
Breaking through sliding under clawing now
Kicking hard churning steady just don't drown
Face against the ice, one half inch of air
Then down again into deep despair
Swimming desperately, breaking through
Breath of air, lungs burning anew
Current is strong, can't stay there
Warmth. Peace. Mama. Lifeless Stare.
Gwc. 2008
Winter storm
Here i sit with no place to go
All are quiet but the windy outside.
No tv the lights are out
The snow is falling as fast as I type.
The ground is covered with just a little snow.
While the laptop power is about to go.
No cars on the road the police calls for a driving ban.
Now I pray that it will stop soon.
For it's getting close to June.
What a winter storm we did have.
Only a half inch on the ground.
Big Sur Jade Cabochon
Broken from off underwater cliffs
Slowly pushed by tides and currents
Found by me during a low tide
While searching along Jade Cove
In Los Padres National Forest
Cut into quarter to half-inch slabs
The cut again into an octagon
The octagon grinds down to an oval
A flat surface down to concave
Grounded first with coarse wheels
Then again with finer wheels
Buffed and polished to a high sheen
With powdered sapphires
A new Big Sur Jade Cabochon
THE DAY AFTER YOUR BIRTHDAY,
YOU LOOK IN THE MIRROR TO SEE:
A) YOU'VE GOT A ZIT FROM EATING ALL THAT CAKE;
B) YOUR LOVE HANDLES HAVE EXPANDED A HALF INCH;
C) YOU SINGED YOUR EYEBROWS BLOWING OUT THE CANDLES.
THE DAY AFTER YOUR BIRTHDAY,
A) YOU REQUIRE SIX EXTRA HOURS OF SLEEP;
B) YOU CAN'T FIND YOUR LIVING ROOM UNDER THE BIRTHDAY DEBRIS;
C) YOU WONDER HOW YOU COULD POSSIBLY HAVE DONE THAT.
THE DAY AFTER YOUR BIRTHDAY, IT'S TIME TO:
A) RETURN SOME GIFTS (WHAT IS THAT, ANYWAY?);
B) CALL YOUR FRIENDS AND APOLOGIZE FOR YESTERDAY;
C) GET OUT OF THE COUNTRY, FAST.
THE DAY AFTER YOUR BIRTHDAY...
WE SHOULD ALL LOOK SO GREAT
AND HAVE IT SO GOOD!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
APPRECIATE YOURSELF AND YOUR LIFE!
My (Easy and Delicious) Favorite Dish
If you like ground beef, cheese, and potatoes too,
I’ve got a casserole dish just right for you.
It’s fast and easy, just like A, B, C.,
and the steps for making it are only three.
Step one: Cook onions with some beef (a pound will do).
When the beef is brown, you’re ready for step two.
Into a baking pan the beef needs to be placed.
Tator tots and a large can of cream mushroom soup give taste!
A tator tot, in case you do not know,
has a French fry’s taste, but it’s a cubed potato.
About an inch long a half inch wide,
A soft plump tot tastes yummy baked or fried.
Mix the soup and bag of frozen tots into the dish.
Soon enough you’re going to taste something quite delish!
Step three: Atop the casserole, spread shredded cheese (a lot!).
Then bake on high heat till the tots are golden, and serve hot.
I make this for my students, and no matter from which nation,
Each one wants more of this beef, soup, tot, and cheese creation!
For David Williams'
"My Favourite Dish Poetry Contest"
Impermanence
A reading from a Buddist book,
A template oft abused, mistook,
Concerned with life n dying.
To see you on a narrow ledge,
Your toes a gripping last vestige.
Half inch of grip applying.
Your are over the great abyss.
A thousand feet deep it is,
Water beckons rocks theris
No I’m not a lying.
Holding 2 handfuls of grass,
Goats beard grip, a slipping fast,
Rat’s nibble your grassy blades,
Slowly slipping down to Hades,
you must keep a trying!
Impermanence of life the lesson here,
Be sorting out who pays,
Rats eat each single blade of grass,
Must right your wrongs today,
Be thoughtful of applying.
Fear not brave warrior, of the Styx.
For I will there, be with you.
Though we carry subtle bricks,
pain and misery very thick,
In spirit we are flying!!!
Don Johnson
Inspired:
Having read of Padmasambhava’s “Karling Shitro “
spell checker didna like word shitro
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.