strawberry cottage was a wonderful hide out for the burgundy elf
She hid all of her spells and elixirs up high on a willow tree shelf
the gnome police searched for her, but never saw the cottage at all
It was magical, and camouflaged itself, they hunted in vain all that fall.
"How sad when it comes to face the world as an orphan! Chasing shadows, he/she searches for the love and protection lost. Having no trail to follow, the search goes on endless"~ By Poet
I am a street urchin, cruelly abandoned,
and hurled into the bin like a piece of trash,
now roaming to find the one who gave me birth.
It's months since I began this endless search,
from the days I started to think and feel.
wonder if I could ever curl into her warmth!
In the roaring crowd that moves along,
and on all the faces I chance to glance,
I search for a ‘Mother’, who cast me out,
into the dark hide out of a vacant street,
still smelling of newborn blood,
and still fresh with severed chord,
to be eaten away by ants and rats,
be trampled over or crushed beneath.
Now I wander all day long,
across the dingy streets I lay forlorn,
with hopes so bright and fancies wild,
to see my mother emerge from the crowd,
with hands outstretched to hug me once,
and own me ever, this forsaken child!
One caramel macchiato, a barista calls out
Two people rush to the counter
It has a name written on it,
One returns to her seat empty handed
I sit in the corner with my laptop, watching the show
Coffee shops are a terrific place to hide out and write
Cappuccino, mocha, latte, expresso, the barista calls
As people head to the counter my fingers begin to click
Hey Valentine, where are you?
Are you hiding amid the peaks of a mountain
or in the depths of an ocean?
Are you in the sweltering heat of summer
Or in the torrential flood of the monsoon?
You are lost between winter’s chill
and the verdure of spring.
You make me shiver and sweat in turn.
You are at once the soft touch of a feather
and the sting of a speeding arrow!
Love is now stagnant without flow
like the duck weed that float
over the greasy surface of still waters.
You are crushed between the petals
of a rose and its thorns.
You are thrown hither and tither,
by fevered minds.
Oh, where are you?
You hide between darkness and dawn,
at the intersection of dreams and nightmares
where love and heartache copulate.
Where are you, Valentine?
Better you be in your hide out.
I don’t want to see your bloody face,
a n y m o r e…..
Night lay in deep, mournful silence,
Quiet without life’s sweet presence.
Shadows moved brutally monstrous.
Arrows of fear dashed horrendous.
Soon darkness from the earth moved out.
Moon went to its secret hide out.
Sun came on his diurnal shift.
Fun it was to watch snow clouds drift.
Thieves and black-heart murderers walk along and through the streets.
Butterflies flutter with wasps and bees surviving from feed to feed.
Stars hide out beyond the blue of sky and the penetrating warmth of the sun.
Grass grows again after the electric sythe tops its flacid ones.
Streams flow as they do to rivers carrying aquatic life.
Leaves sway to and fro in the warm breeze and colder wind sometimes.
Death follows life and life follows death every day and every night.
Tears follow laughter and laughter follows tears and pain endures through all hours of days and nights.
Minds sink low and fight to regain their sanity and will to fight and fight to live alright.
Hearts beat hard to still the quiet raging wars inside and out of sight.
Hiding out my soul,
in Carles’ Happy Flamingo,
feeling too small
to be larger than life.
She was a tattooed lamp and
shape-shady,
willing to go down
for the wrong guy.
I bought her a drink,
a double-lidded wink -
a ‘bar lizard’ move,
there was nobody
left to care
here or anywhere.
The music was nasal wallpaper
I just sat there
dripping into my heart
until she - bored
with my silence,
slid
her hips away
to pour into someone else.
My cat has some snobbish ways
An, other cats gave her a piercing gaze
So, she tried to hide out
But they still saw her snout
Then gathered and got in her face
Closets unopened
To hide out the truth
Ignoring red flags
Reliving our youth
Maturity vanishes
No pride has arrived
Fantasy mysterious
Yet a little contrived
We knew from the start
Complicated lives
Chaotic when apart
Calmness a demise
No rational thinking
Heads filled with lies
Caused by emotions
Feelings to arise
Then quietly the vibe
That was freely provided
Became too confusing
Long time decided
Not wanting to stop
But knowing we should
Distance demanded
Here comes the flood
Too many questions
And so many lies
Attempting a rebuild
With secrets still tied
Who knows the outcome
Is it worth our time
Friendship on offer
Here starts another rhyme
Nuclear hideout
Deep under the garage in the basement of our building
they are constructing a nuclear, safe bunker, the shelter
is for those with a car and safe tenure, whose duty is to
buy canned food, water and warm blankets.
Those who fully own their apartment will get the best
corner and sit in the committee; those with a mortgage
will be second in line, alas mere renters are not wanted
they will have to find other accommodation.
It goes without saying children and dogs cannot enter.
The construction of the “dugout” has become urgent
due to the war in Ukraine, refugees from that country
have been hired to hasten the work.
After a lengthy meeting among the haves, the decision
was to let in some renters, cooks, cleaners and nurses.
As a top lawyer said: “it is all very well to be deprived
but not so much that we have to do our own laundry.”
The thing I least look forward to,
The root of my financial ills,
Is the vile administration
Of my monthly pile of bills.
You'd think a single guy like me,
Whose needs and wants are all but nil,
Could whiz through funds manipulation
When it comes to paying bills.
It's the interest on the principal
Of credit card accounts that kills
And perpetuates extenuation
Of MasterCard and Visa bills.
Man cannot live by cash alone,
Hence the propensity of credit mills,
And the gross accumulation
Of large revolving charges bills.
But when statements say there's naught to pay,
Oh, how that "zero balance" thrills!
No refund as remuneration,
Just dismissed from that long list of bills.
My credit's good, I shouldn't brood
Upon this fiscal tribulation,
But if I had my druthers,
I'd druther hide out in the hills
Than face the monthly calculation
Of my bills, bills, bills.
I have a can of wasp and hornet spray on my desk
It says killer on it.
Do I feel guilty?
Not a bit.
Will I use it?
Oh, yes!
During the day the wasps hide out in cracks and crevices.
But when my computer is on at night, they creep out of their places.
Landing on my screen, startling me.
Like flying mice only more deadly.
When they land on my arm I have to resist the urge to swat them.
I have been stung before.
Most unpleasant.
I reach from the green can,
at the ready.
Snails are snarling and sneaking around.
Escargot I mention, and they can no longer be found.
I get out the pot and I clang it on the stove.
An enormous one just under my grimy refrigerator dove.
Come on out here, and let us get a glimpse of you, I say.
They are trembling so hard; my curtains begin to fray.
What kind of a kitchen is this to help food hide out?
I am irritated now. I give a whistle and a loud shout.
Snails are whispering, hoping I will forget how tasty they are.
I decorate a hat with them and put one on hubby’s cigar.
I make pets of them and pretend they will not be flounced or beat.
But eventually, of course, we will get to eat them all sweet.
For now, they are fooled, and they begin wearing designer clothes.
They parade past the mirror, carrying my dad’s garden hose.
How could my food get any prettier? They simply look great!
I say to myself, as I ready my escargot plate.
Written 5-2-22
Contest: A Merger with Food Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Natasha L Scragg
ghostly beluga whales
shy and discerning
hide out in coves
manatees giggle their secrets
their calves are frisky and open
dolphins swim toward the boats
making friends with everyone
sharks wait for lunch
hoping to catch a whiff of blood
If I were a Thanksgiving Turkey...
I would look both ways
I would listen for hunters
I would watch out for crackling sounds
I would want to live out my life
if I were a Thanksgiving Turkey...
I would smell for those humans
I would taste the ground they walk on
I would be stuffed with my head full of knowledge
I would wish for more time to hide out
I would gobble up my request Hey, would you just eat something else
(how bout chicken) gobble
gobble
gobble
11/24/20
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr. 2020©
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