That’s what the Ground hogs whistle:
‘hell or high water’
then they put on their old-timey spectacles
and the glasses slip
to the end of their stubby snouts.
The squirrels climb too high
for the lower depths of Hades to reach,
but the hawks are not religious.
Daddy bought the farm
his old lady, the unmarried one,
died also
tugging at his shirt tails.
The waters receded some,
hell closed its barroom doors
to all the better critters.
Only the bottom feeders
were allowed in;
not the whales
they had outgrown heaven
and hell,
the high waters kept them safe
until the oily whalers
came back
to reclaim the low ground.
creeks overflowing
dangerous late summer rains
flood waters churning
Written September 7, 2022
Had a salad a day for almost four years now
Not tired of it yet, that's dedication and how
Determined to eat well
Come high water or hell
When I reach my goal I'll take a deep bow
8/25/17
From here to over yonder
Come hell or high water
Before, during and after the dog days of summer
Standing out like no other
Showing my true colors
No one I need to convince
I drink like a fish
Not a myth
Eversince
It's
Been hit
And miss
Holy s***
Good intent
Was always meant
So please excuse my french
Too many
Showing envy
Involved in a feeding frenzy
Going for broke
Won't
Be looked at as a joke
With my own style
Going to go the extra mile
In order to make it more worthwhile
A lot of people high on the hog
It's rather odd
Just like the concept of god
She looks out the window and sees him in the distance.
So much fear inside leaves no room for resistance.
If she ran right now she might be able to get away.
With every broken rib she's nothing more than a cliche.
She was once a strong woman, and could stand on her own.
Now he's broken her will and more than one bone.
Run, run, run her mind screams in shear terror.
She unlocks the door without so much as a prayer.
Maybe this time will be different and he won't be mad.
Somehow she has to tell him he's about to be a dad.
She should have taken that card and called the hot line.
Her whole world changed as soon as she got the plus sign.
If she can make it thru the night she'll pack up and leave.
Somewhere deep inside she knows that's only make believe.
She's his till the end, come hell or high water.
There's nothing anyone can do about the oncoming slaughter.
The National Domestic Violence
Hot Line 1-800-799-7233
The hand that reaches down to hell
Gets scorched and the hand that
Reaches up to heaven gets touched.
Hell and high water hand in hand.
Level lake disturbed by the swimmers
Stroke; arm follows arm slicing the still
Water. He daydreams as he glides
Like an eel, glistening in the sunset.
Hell is quenched by the water he has
Touched.
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.