Had my fill of Finnish fish pie food
it only put me in the mood
for a Swedish meatball
which really and truly
duly answered the call
followed by a Danish bacon pastry
all in all it was quite tasty
hoping I won't glow in the dark
in Iceland I had fermented shark
and creamy tangy skyr à la mode
it's yoghurt with ice cream in Norse code
but of Greenland's daily delicacy
homemade soup I must reveal
a staple of Inuit cuisine
the main ingredient is seal
and for a Norway repast
(as that bird has flown)
I'll leave it 'til the very last
but for cellulose as grub goes
what good
is Norwegian wood?
When not out clubbing
hey-ho the merry oh
at night with the Inuit
I suspect by intuit
an intrepid Inuk named Nanook
a-hunting walrus he would go
with his trusty harpoon
traipsing 'cross the ice and snow
then when paddling afloat he went
in the harsh Arctic environment
to keep out the bitter cold and damp
in the very bottom of his boat
there was a fiery seal oil lamp
which eventually burned a hole
and without trace into oblivion he sank
with nothing to mark the place
in those deep dark blue depths so dank
even so who can ever forget
this tall tale chilling yet true
as his demise to the pithy proverb gave rise
'You can't have your kayak and heat it too'
The Mighty Quinn in the Highlands on Maggie's Farm in an Idiot Wind
What He Didn't Say About Being Famous:
"Just Like The Rest, I Like My Sugar Sweet."
When Quinn The Inuit Gets Here,
We're All Gonna Hafta' Eat.
I "Feel Like A Prisoner In A World Of Mystery."
A Pretty Waitress Knows My Name,
But Wouldn't Vote For Me.
"The National Guard Stands Around His Door."
Every Mag-Pie Makes A Living
While Making Me Make More.
"It's A Wonder We Can Even Feed Ourselves."
But My Lucky Wife In Italy
Died For Mental Health!
And what if I do love someone else?
So what If I am old and wrinkled
or they are?
So what if an Asian woman
occasionally steals my heart away,
or an Inuit maiden, a Celtic lady
or perhaps an African beauty?
I see her as Her everywhere
not just as a skin deep attraction
but a deep -seeing - a 'namaste'.
Why could not God be female for me;
perhaps a lovely face I gazed upon yesterday?
So what if I did let her walk into my imagination
just as God does.
So what, if just like this,
I send God love letters?
Their igloos were short on insulation
Causing the Inuit consternation ~
Since the tops were all bare
They covered them with hair ~
Aha! Their 'Wigloos' were a sensation
opened his wallet
eskimo call girl chuckled ~
lacked innuendo
for the Simply Senryu Poetry Contest
sponsored by John Lawless
Written 10/8/22
I weep for trees and forests,
We laid them all to waste.
Will children have no air to breath,
No atmosphere to taste?
I weep for mighty oceans
We trashed them to the brim.
Will children of the life therein
Protract no place to swim?
I weep for northern icelands,
A thawing polar crown.
Will children of the Inuit
Become condemned to drown?
I weep for fields and meadows,
Poisoned long ago.
Will children of the landscape
Reap no seeds to sow?
I weep for man's futurity
Ere I take my sleep.
Will children of the morning's dawn
Beget no tears to weep?
And what if I do love someone somewhere?
So what if an Asian woman
occasionally steals my heart away,
or an Inuit maiden, a Celtic lady
or perhaps a Nigerian beauty?
I have paid my dues,
My pillows are stuffed with romantic poems.
And what if God turns out to be
a lovely female I gazed upon yesterday?
So what if I did let her walk into my imagination
just as God does
when I send Her my love letters.
Panagiota's popular sen'ryu -
"Kiss Me, I'm Irish" ended with "No"
Because of Covid-19, Corona Virus, mind you
Now the churches have a limit
On the numbers who worship or visit
"50, by proclamation" - and the Eucharist?
Will we share the same cup, the Wine?
I recall Romans 16:16 on bonds that bind
"Greet each other with a holy kiss," - a future time!
In the future, we shall "salute each other" with holy affection
Kissing allowed, but not the French variation
Pecking, or Near East cheekiness, the recommendation
Cheek-to-check without exchange of fluids
May remind us of of Inuit, ancients, the Druids
While big churches lose tithes, offerings, Almighty dollars
In this world this feeling of being secluded and alone
with only a cadre of youth that represents innocence and
the wilderness
In this whole wide world, the conch, the rule to speak
some democracy,
you can run fast, or you are easily upset, or you can take
charge just so you can control,
I guess the first order of business is to suss all this stuff out.
Maybe later, years later on Simon's son becomes more like Jack.
You know the avenue Piggy ventured from the start,
just what might just become like Roger
a purely sadistic sort.
An allegory
Like Franz Boas searching for ice cream
The University of Heidelberg
1386
He became fascinated by the Baffin Island Inuit.
Where a learned man such as himself could never
survive because he was not equipped with the
knowledge
back in those days
that was a revolutionary thought
In many ways it still seems to be this way,
I think just now.
Peace!
In the Arctic, the skilled technique and art of building an inukshuk is passed down through generations of Inuit tradition.
a proud lineage
a compass
~ in the setting sun
Published in my photo/haibun anthologies ~PRIMITIVE~ 2019 and ~ANCESTRAL VOICES~ 2019
AP: Honorable Mention 2026, Honorable Mention 2023
Embodying the human spirit, the inukshuk can serve as a spiritual symbol, a ceremonial site, a place of worship, a place of judgment and decision making or a site to gather and celebrate. Regardless of their function, inuksuit are venerated by the Inuit for their history and ancestral value.
sacred touchstone
hub of present and
generations past
Published in my photo/haibun anthologies ~PRIMITIVE~ 2019 and ~ANCESTRAL VOICES~ 2019
AP: Honorable Mention 2020
To the discerning eye of Inuit travelers, hunters and whalers, the inukshuk communicates pivotal counsel on safety and danger.
guiding posts
~ marbled voices of
ancestor spirits
Published in my photo/haibun anthologies ~PRIMITIVE~ 2019 and ~ANCESTRAL VOICES~ 2019
AP: Honorable Mention 2020
Inuit inuksuit (plural of inukshuk) are still often built as navigational aids pointing to mainland or significant transition points between water and land routes.
moonlit relief
showing
the path home
Published in my photo/haibun anthologies ~PRIMITIVE~ 2019 and ~ANCESTRAL VOICES~ 2019
AP: Honorable Mention 2025
Deeply rooted in the Inuit culture, stacking rocks in human form is the concrete altruistic way to communicate and assist by giving direction to travelers who may be in distress or distraught in the big white desert of the North.
alone
adrift and lost
~ finding you
Published in my photo/haibun anthologies ~PRIMITIVE~ 2019 and ~ANCESTRAL VOICES~ 2019
AP: 3rd place 2020
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.