There’s something mysterious;
I hope it’s not serious:
my muse will not write when I row.
She’s no river daughter;
it’s time that I taught her
that water and words can both flow.
Bereft of her musing,
the rhymes are confusing;
ideas just don’t spring to mind.
Who cares where she’s headed?
My abs are now shredded;
my lats and my quads well defined!
Alas, to entreat her:
a sculling two-seater -
that certainly might do the trick…
Composing while oaring
would never be boring,
with meters and verse coming quick!
straw me down …
like your raspberry ice tea
swallow and savor
and maybe I’ll say I love you
maybe not …
either way it’s your last -
the swan song of my jaded patience …
claw me cautiously
write contempt in my lats
dig dermal furrows and
take me home beneath your nails
a parting gift -
a vermillion tattoo to stick to
my best linen Armani …
pain, no charge
in fact …
screw the prudence -
why start now?
let your passionate disregard go nuts
it’s but flesh, after all
your favorite carnal cabbage
and you spend it faster
than you covet …
I’m in the black in that regard
and you can no longer be
keeper of the riches …
I’m spent -
figuratively … and figuratively
and you are Chapter 11
find some other bloody coins
to cover your eyes
and rest …
in pieces.
Copyright © Gregory Richard Barden, August 26, 2024
Another day at the gym,
Pumping iron for the swell.
Aching muscles feeling grim,
As I put myself through hell.
Boneless chicken that I bake,
Egg whites keep me lean.
Protein powders in a shake,
With a dose of creatine.
Heavy squats inflate the quads,
Bench presses for my pecs.
Arm curls to increase the odds,
In the mirror just to flex.
Pull-ups will expand the lats,
Back with snatch and grabs.
Cutting out excessive fats,
And crunches for my abs.
Stretching to protect my calves,
Dumbbells for bulging traps.
Smearing on more greasy salves,
For running more than twenty laps.
After many hours dripping sweat,
My daily workout finally done.
Don't you know I won't regret,
While basking in the blazing sun.
A bench that is made out of wood
May cause pain in your back that’s not good,
For the muscles called lats
Can be hurt by the slats;
Sometimes I would change seats if I could.
But you often don’t have that much choice,
So before you let pain have a voice,
Find a pillow to fit
On your back when you sit;
Then in comfort, you’ll rest and rejoice.
At the footbridge I stare in dismal despair
As the chasm beneath it shrieks
With its jaws open wide, I must swallow my pride
Set across to that fair distant peak
But, with its slats and its lats and high flying bats
This is not such a treat for the eyes
Frayed ropes, how absurd, with the sound of a bird
Mocking me with its dismal cries
It's a flaky, fickle, menacing path
With a threat every step of the way
My heart flutters and pounds, as I think of the ground
Then the span starts a giddying sway
Just a wriggly, wobbly, rickety weave
A thin line to prevent me from doom
A shifty, shaky, dizzying bridge
Above the drop to that valley of gloom
But beyond this folly, there's a glimmer of hope
As the end of the nightmare is nigh
There's friendship, peace, fire and warmth
So I begin with a step and a sigh
All becomes steady, all becomes clear
As my tread lends strength to the route
There's beauty so green and a feeling serene
Springing up through each stride of my boot
Then, no sooner begun, then the journey is done
I breathe a grateful prayer to the skies
With the fear left behind, I open my mind
And there ahead...is my prize
Trois Par Huit
AAB BB BCC
3,6,9,12,12,9,6,3
Workout
muscle bound
gaining pound after pound
triceps, biceps, lats, a cut up back.
Push ups, sit ups, crunches to create a six pack,
tuna fish, chicken, fruits and veggies for a snack.
Summer is here, I can't do without
Bronze body tan, so devout.
This work-out.
Jared Pickett
5/12/2010
Asavvy1