A rough stone when gives and gets of girth lean,
Grounded by a grindstone begets good sheen.
A warrior wrestles till gravely wounded,
Victorious, shines forth O bleeding red.
Take elephant in rut, gone lean and mean,
It stands out on giving and gone serene.
Glitters a river gone lean in autumn
From fully flooded in monsoon season.
No phase of moon seems so incandescent
As one that hath gone leanest as crescent.
A young lass gone lean and pale post coitus,
A mother post birth, what a rare status!
Who so that hath given to one in want,
Gleams having given till gone lean and gaunt.
_________________________________________
Couplets |06.09.2023| giving
Continue to try harder and never cry
Despite temporary setbacks
That in your way present a face wry
Challenges aplenty in irritating stacks
Never let up
Despite sorrow and lack of glitz glow
As your happiness tap
Seems to dry up leaving you feeling drained, strained and low
Every now and then
All the more reason determination to grow
In your career, prayer life, crib and Eden
Squeezing so hard you attempt to throw
Away principles, procedures and value systems
That have borne your challenges through thick and thin
Regardless of varieties and types of items
Life at you throws in clean, lean and mean
Times when it seems as though the end of the road draws nigh
Disaster and its sister Sorrow
Not entertaining, not hearing reasons from darkness you fly
Away to a brighter tomorrow
Destined and designed for you and yours
Long before your life saw the light of day
To open for your life, your dreams, your aspirations doors
Where hope lies in wait for you as long as each day for hope you pray.
Starving and unable to resist or restrain herself
The executive’s right hand
Reaches deep
It paws through the steel garbage can
Swoops up a hefty chunk of the day’s leftover office party cake
And shoves the bright pink and blue triple layers into her mouth
Only slightly embarrassed,
She exits the corporate kitchen quickly
To the safety of her desk and computer
Where she hunches like a rabid dog
White icing dripping from the corners of her mouth
As she proceeds to cut the fat from the budget
I went to get a pack of cigs
and found the store was out,
the manager said "grapes or figs?"
I responded with a pout.
"They're no longer de rigeur"
I was told with a sneer,
"can't sell them to you any more,
how about a six of beer?"
"But what about my nicotine?"
I ventured with a gasp,
"how will I stay lean and mean
if they're not within my grasp?"
"Sorry bud butt that's the deal,
no more cigs to satisfy your need,
but come back in a year or two
and then I'll sell you weed!"
There's
not much meat
upon his bones,
sinew, muscle
with some tone,
lean and mean,
as they used to say,
she liked it that way
when they were alone,
her soft hands
feeling, healing
what was left,
upon his bones
Getting back into the swing of it
After a break from my daily routine
Time to get serious once again
On my way back to lean and mean
No more snacking on cookies and cake
Restaurants? Must stay away
Back to salads and calorie wise eating
Riding my bike every day
At first the routine's a shock to the system
Laid around most of the summer
Time to get active and get the blood flowing
Adonis is just round the corner
Have you noticed lately people are more fit
Or is it just my imagination
We're all taking better care of ourselves
Certainly a smarter generation
Whatever the reason, it's sure a great sign
Nothing but good can come of it
A future filled with happy individuals
A generation of the super fit
© Jack Ellison 2013
ADIOS MACHO IMAGE
It used to be-
How many times I’ve said those four words –
To put it bluntly a real man was hairy
If bald he grew a beard and moustache and
I mean a HUMDINGER!
Check out the old westerns
And hey! by the way Santa was macho
If a man be skin-clothed like an ape
Automatically he was tough!
Nowadays though
More and more the skin-head is in vogue
“The clean look”
Lean and mean?
Well not necessarily
The detestable wimp might fit the image
Though the wimp would probably just get a mocking
head-rub
Oh bring back those good old days
When the lady knew by kissing her man
what he had for lunch
When a skin-headed man usually covered it up
When the cigar smoke clung and slimed the moustache
You could smell a REAL man coming from half-a-block away
HIRSUTE MEN UNITE!
Down with the phallic image!
Lean Times
When times are lean and mean I have to conserve
I rely on pocket change in reserve
Like pennies, dimes and quarters
Times like these I might loiter
Anything to fill my tank and preserve
Marauders and loot traders
got together
and did that
she was left with nothing
she had just that
and nothing more
and she rued why not more
stowed away for living sure
she was naked
and bereft
and felt insecure
they had no pity
and they did it
like never before
their work was clean
like art lean and mean
she had a future that she had never seen
she was desolate
and inconsolate
and she should have been
for
those scoundrels
had made good
with her livelihood
the old woman
had stored
one grand from
social security
and had no more
on that they did their chore
she was alone
and her money was gone
she was forlorn
what did you think
till before
was this a story old and worn!
As the Soldier stands ready to fight,
The thunderstorm rolls in with its might.
Turning the day into night.
As the wind sweeps the sand like a broom,
Off in the distance the artillery booms.
Mixed with the sound of the thunder booms.
The Soldier is silent throughout the scene,
With a look that’s calm but lean and mean.
He has no fear because he is with his team.
The thunder gets weak and fades away,
But the Soldier was still standing that day.
Thanks for protecting and showing me the way.
The price for freedom was paid today
Sandra was ready to PLAY
but she told me to go far AWAY
A beauty school QUEEN
would be embarrassed to be SEEN
"You're just not my type,Rodger...if ya know what I MEAN?!"
Ok..so I am not quite the STUD
But at least i'm no Elmer FUDD
Nerds hate to be picked out
however,they are no stick in the MUD
She cherishes RICK
Even though he acts like a -ICK
His Abs are lean and MEAN
A Tom Selleck lookalike MACHINE
They like to blow FACE
and spray me with her can of MACE
This four-eyed man with his pocket protector
Just got burnt by Society's perfect RACE
A chump out of SCHOOL
He is forever a FOOL
The Lasses want tight ASSES
Not a simpleton who can't help but DROOL
The world can kick THEE
Middle-class bullies still pick on ME
I only answer to the man(upstairs)
He's the only one to set me FREE
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