Don't Ask...
Simplified.
Induce
Reduce
Exude
Seduce.
Dis-Connect
The Umbilical
Creative
Past...
Or, Keep The
FLOW.
Floral-Recycler
Just A Little
Off Kilter.
Oh Yes!
Why Even
Ask Yourself?
Hmmmm?
Ask Your Self:
Am I Not
Entertaining
Enough
For You?
Not Needing
Reinforcement?
No Booster,
No Competitor,
No Nonsense
Meted Out...
You Are The
Product.
Not The Creation.
Is That Good?
Now.
Thanks.
-Gray Squirrel
07-14-2026
Foibles, we all have them,
Longing to hide them at all costs.
Aware they will inevitably cast our downfall.
Weaknesses don’t fail to come with consequences:
Entangled webs in spite of best intentions,
Distorted outcome when it comes to dreams.
Puppets dangling on puppeteer strings
Every motion somewhat off kilter:
Organized chaos behind the illusion,
Psychodrama when daring to scrutinize too close.
Lifesize regrets: the cliff to be avoided.
Eye on the prize, doing our best.
AP: 2nd place 2026
her eyes on the moon
or a twirled moustache
upside-down questions
never before asked
violins play a solo
alongside quiet pain
that is spoken of only
within poetic refrain
thought bubbles bounce
collide with stars
a self never spoke of
disguised in rhyming memoirs
mazes and teeth in riddles unravelled
as the subconscious mind
becomes more well-travelled
layers of thought
covered with layers of feeling
all brought into the light
with a little free-wheeling
though dots may join up
there is no conclusion
for a poetess is always
part fantasy
part illusion
venn diagram discoveries
made without knowing
sharing of ideas
with the seeds they are sowing
exiting time when feeling off-kilter
to observe all askew -
a true angle tilter
we scribble in darkness
scribble in light
scribble for solace
and for our life
After a lifetime of others
telling me not just what to do
but in the same breath without rest
exactly how where and when too
plus prior to crossing the finish line
while swimming upstream or going out on a limb
having the rug pulled out from under me
when skating where the ice is thin
what with those such disappointments
much to my disillusion and dismay
disheartened yet not depressed
but betrayed all along the way
don't know how long I can go on
or is it insanely irrational
for now overcome by total inertia
hopefully tho' it's not terminal
as averse to being bossed double-crossed
yet contrary to popular rumour
all that keeps me safely on kilter
is my in-built sense of humour
With snow flaking in glass,
My full arms are frozen
To the orangelight croon off kilter,
As the streetlamp now creaks, moved
My full arms are frozen,
White lies bright,
As the streetlamp now creaks, moved
The ice is not as rabid —
White lies bright
To the orangelight croon off kilter;
The ice is not as rabid
With snow flaking in glass.
I am an elder and I am a dragon.
Therefore I am an elder dragon.
You may bow, kneel or plead before me.
And I will respect you if you will respect me.
I fell to this planet from the far further space.
And have been witness to all-time in this space.
Unfortunately I have not written any books.
But my words carry more weight than books.
Ask me a SIMPLE question.
And I will get you many answers to your question.
Humans will still reason and request a simple answer.
Answers from bottom left, to top, to bottom right.to left, to right are all answers.
You will then ask what is wisdom.
Combining lessons of past, experiences of current and imaginations of future is wisdom.
You feel off kilter when visiting me.
But I am in my element when shrouded by my winged me.
You should not let your child play with fire.
Yet your child asks me where is my fire.
Come inside my cave to view the stag leg might.
But you might end up feeling my might.
If you are content, step back into the light.
But I will not join you as I am afraid of the light.
You're so safe here
In my arms, should you seek shelter.
You're so safe here;
Right here, in my heart. Have no fear!
Should our world run helter-skelter,
Or if life knocks you off-kilter
You're so safe here
Vines in the spring of my life
were sturdy and spry. Utterly dependable,
they ran along the many parts of my body.
Able to cling to ligaments, tendons and muscles
with great connectivity,
they allowed me to walk, run, and jump with ease.
How wonderful was my pain-free youth!
Winter has arrived all too soon.
The vines down my spine have lost
some of their much-needed support.
With hardship now, they move toward
the joints of my left knee.
My vines in winter have me out of kilter.
No longer do they comfortably sprawl.
No more can I joyfully jump or dance.
Matching their apparent stagnation,
I still try my best to keep
c r e e p i n g a l o n g
longing for the days when
vines were green.
Knew of this fellow named Wilber
His body parts were a little off kilter
Whenever he laughed
Flames shot out his ass
Carried around his own fire extinguisher
The artistic viewpoint
Slightly skewed
Somewhat short
Just past the “two’s”
Water colors
On a white fridge
A bit a-kilter
Pumpkin heads
A blur of witches
‘Gainst the moon
O’er dripping leaves
‘Neath artist’s eyes
Libra,
Astrological, Balance.
Constellation, Delicate, equinox.
Flexibility, Gracious, harmonious, Kilter
Level, Mythical, Narrative
Order, Precarious
Quality
the found map led me to an
asymmetrical doorway, created by an artesian
I wondered at the builder as I approached
the boards were placed diagonally
skillset many carpenters have not mastered
I knew now I was dealing with a professional
the knocker was a bit off-kilter, which amused me.
the brickwork looked a bit random also.
who created this wall? This door?
the paint was not fresh, there were bits of ivy.
A quaint shabby chic look.
I could not wait to meet the occupant.
The night was slippery, glass windows squeaked,
fingertips slipped off skin. Humidity paused
between layers of still air, only to slowly leak through.
The house was raised up on stilts
to avoid flooding in the rainy season,
even so, snakes nested beneath the raised floor.
We turned off the bedside lamp,
a mask of darkness dropped from ceiling to floor,
our breathing synchronized,
though we did not speak,
We were both trying hard
to read each other’s thoughts.
We had made love earlier.
the bed sheets were damp with a tepid fever.
Our passion had been uncentered,
it felt off kilter, tilting into a passionate indifference,
an invisible wall had risen between us,
even as our bodies curled and coiled.
It was cool on the veranda,
the dawn had climbed above the trees,
the jungle was falling asleep at last.
An old Thai lady rang her bicycle bell,
offering small sticky breakfast cakes.
I was hungry, you were not.
Later, I left for the night train to Bangkok,
when I returned
our house on stilts had walked away.
Shock absorbers don't help,
the axis is broken, the axels are crabbed,
forked up.
No garage can unflex the inflexible,
maintenance cannot be maintained.
Axially speaking, the world
and its billions of video artists
is off kilter.
Social influencers
have sold their souls to the godless
and by god, we are pissed
with just about nothing anymore.
"That's problematic,"
chorus all the blind owls.
One day a piper, with stylish intent,
Wore a tartan kilt, in full regiment.
But with far too much swagger,
He sat down on his dagger.
Now he laments, in a high pitched accent.
5 / 4 / 2023.
Sponsor Tania Kitchin.
A Funny Bawdy Limerick Poetry Contest.
In full regiment, means, without under garments.
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.