One inch at a time at her very slow pace,
I could not spy her fuzzy face.
Orange and black she crawled along.
To the Tiger Moth family she’d soon belong.
Enjoying dandelions and miniature clover, she seemed to be scolding my toe to move over. "I can predict how winter will be,” she whispered softly and gently to me, then hibernate like a squirrel in a tree” "One inch at a time, at my very slow pace, I can never join in any race, I always move at a very slow pace" repeated the woolly caterpillar with poise and grace.
“Now sweet dreams” she professed, “I rest my case”
.
it starts at hern
navel
that little fuz downward
soft thuh
az
halo
'round hern domez
begin
follow thoze threadz
my insists
inch inch
by
down
The whirlwind rolled in rings at the eyewall,
Wild gale blew through the open tropical field.
I'd forgotten to close the windows tight,
And the ensuing rain inundated each inch of my niche.
The hurricane hurriedly stripped the veld of its peace.
Dry air pacified the expanse of the grassland,
The massive flood drained into a sunken cesspool,
My thoughts swayed to the windows the storm had slammed,
Now a zephyr traverses the meadow's breath;
Calmness fills the eye of the once-raging storm.
I caught his gaze
Raking every inch of my body
Creating a mental trail
For his tongue to follow.
He has no clue
How much i adore his lusty eyes
When they meet mine,
But what follows
Is still raw and raunchy
Only in my imagination.
You tell me that you've got the blues -
you must buy two two-inch screws?
Soon, you will find satisfaction.
In a jiff, you'll be back in action,
frequenting beachside hardware stores,
bolting silver knobs on doors.
Ninety-four cents is not much money.
It's good to do when days are sunny.
I still myself in the hallowed dream of light and love.
In the significant withdrawal of time, holding my breath
I breathe in the silence, stillness and sound.
I silently dwell in the rapturous becoming
Of the unhindered, unbridled emotions---
Holding myself in the chilling sphere of fear.
In the gnawing acoustics of survival----
Allowing every ounce of stillness measure
Every inch of my depth---
I make my way towards freedom and glory
Through the spirit of surrender to benevolent Time.
In sports as life a missing extra inch
That winnows winners from whiners of fate--
Faced with no way forward, those who’d not flinch,
The rest of chaff gets stuck whilst at the gate.
Easy never comes even tiny pinch,
A seed on its own sprouts, but not sans care,
An inch of care and life is a sure cinch,
Take care of inches, and miles never dare.
Come, Extra Inch, I wish to kiss thy soul,
Miles of long journey’s too far from my heart,
An inch at a time takes me close to goal,
An inch apart today is worlds apart.
An inch separates a halo from noose,
Pinch thyself twice before that inch ye choose.
___________________________
Sonnet |09.04.04, revised Jan 2025| endeavour
.
there'z 4eyne
save mine
staring
2i know are deep
inside mine
pupils
(((ouch)))
that wuz the other
eyne
my live in
cowgirl
* "u beach"
Hawaii
Black Sand Beach
.
"'twuz this close"
certainly
y'all indulgerz uv
mine write
with telepathy knowz
such thuh close
'twuz that tingly feel'n
whence literary lisps
out mine
face
my almost
kissed them
the pink thick strips
'buv her chin
whilst her see'z emeraldz
glister'd
(((CRACK)))
her daddy'z
bullwhip
clop clop clop
my best friend'z
canter
galloping mine safely
from wrath
Heaven has not left
the long dead bone,
alert mouse whiskers,
still move the seven seas.
At the beginning and the end
there is nothing to come,
that has not come and is.
Mammoths stride
a thousand leagues,
over a single blade of grass.
One small sparrow -
an Ark for infinity.
All that is,
is but one single event.
The speckled hen
lays worlds within worlds.
The unbridled beaks of seagulls,
unlock a book,
of common prayer.
One inch to grave
For a heart that's brave
On a way uphill
The going was like self - kill
Where some ill minds pray for demise
But the heavens won't flip the dice
Cause the time was not yet ripe
For his skies to cloth in stripe
January 14, 2024, PST, SPC
LIFE CYCLES BY INCH CRAWINGG CATERPILLAR TO A RADIANT BEAUTIFUL COLORFUL BUTTERFLY
life cycles by inch
crawling caterpillar grows
by inch life cycles
crawling inch by inch
caterpillar spawn scoots on
inching, inching on
nibbling off leaves
flowers, grasses, flowers, trees
now beautiful Butterfly now flies
soaring bright adorn
life cycle butterflies flies
colorful insect
5/08/23
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr. 2023©
The world shifted and here I stand
A tired and lethargic man
Who demos death to avoid life
It hurts to think, just close my eyes
A crippled cell ruined the richest man
And the poorest isn't safe now
A gaping pit formed under their feet
A frosty giant awaits
Burning home, left alone
Their snowy corpse was white as bone
The world shifted and here I stand
Empty of heart and brain and hand
Inflexible yet rubber-made
A mighty oak born within shade
They cried for hours over our best friend
For whom they lusted
A polyphoric fungus feeding on
Whoever would listen
Live decay, turn away
Sinking deeper every day
The world shifted and here I stand
In a kingdom of rust and sand
Off-center and endless of height
Upon this throne of blackest night
The world shifted and they're all gone
Vanished within the rays of dawn
Caught making love with death and rot
So here I stand, it all for naught.
Wearing her nine-inch stiletto heels,
stylized and polished to a high gloss:
she absolutely loves how she feels.
In her high, sexy shoes, she strikes awe
within the hearts of unwary men
who get tongue-tied, as they hem and haw.
Granted, nine-inch heels may seem extreme:
but this seductive siren on stilts,
comes off as anything but mainstream.
In heels, she stands out above the crowd,
leaving some women green with envy:
while for the most part, men are left, wowed.
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.