I still recall how I once felt,
a young boy, as I knelt.
There were pigs, cows, and chickens.
I laughed like the dickens
before a board of felt.
It’s so hard to start
Brain and pen, poles apart
Yet two lines in, the pace quickens
Soon you’re writing like the dickens
Thoughts stream in and out your head
Fish them out, else they’re left unsaid
Moments ago, you left yourself for dead
Now a bird aloft, your words ~ wings spread
We buried our dog, Ding
With her favorite things,
Like our couch, plus our bed
And pillows for our head.
Our carpet she muddled
With dirt and pee puddles,
The window she stared through
To bark at who knows who.
The hedge she sniffed and chewed,
All of our leather shoes,
My truck’s passenger seat,
But not the children’s feet.
Two of our best chickens
She chased like the dickens,
Seven of my wife’s hats,
But not much more than that.
We paid a contractor
Who with a large tractor,
Dug a humongous hole
For our dear doggy’s soul.
And it did our heart good
Though we now sleep on wood;
Without a comforter,
Since we did comfort her.
Ze French, they are haughty
Kremlinites, vulgar, crude
Le artiste charcoal sketches
in the unvarnished nude
Brits keep a stiff upper lip
Pointy-shoed Italians think they are hip
Ukrainians fight like the dickens
their stockpiles reduced to slim pickens
I have never lost my zest for fun and laughter
Though long since I could jump a rope
Still enjoy the punchline remembered after
I have forgotten the story leading up to it
Down deep inside is this little boy
Who tells the old man, “It’s time to sit!”
I have often sought from that child advice
When new, fresher approaches are needed
My inner child seldom pauses to think twice.
I have never hesitated to thoughtfully resort
To that little boy inside who never grew up
Who loves the fun and games of a sport.
I have that appreciation for a kitten or a pup
Love to play in the meadow’s creek, and though
Nearly eighty, fight like the dickens to never grow up!
FIRST PLACE TROPHY WINNER
written August 31, 2021
especially for "Your Inner Child" Poetry Contest
sponsored by Chantelle Anne Cooke
Winter Came Early
Winter came early in a blast of flurries,
Cold like the dickens, but we were tingling,
Giddy with joy and eager to get going,
To kick up our heels in the newly fallen snow.
Mum bundled us up with kisses and hugs
(Cute to see but hard to run).
While snowflakes kept falling,
We kept squirming (all bright-eyes and bushy tails),
Chattering impatiently as if we’d miss something.
Snow covered everything, and the forecast was dismal.
And Dad was out there, somewhere, between the banks,
Shovelling snow from the driveway for the automobile,
And us kids couldn’t care less.
“Hurry up!” to Mum, we said.
I love an old movie called "Some Like It Hot"
Two guys from a jazz band, had witnessed a plot!
Their lives might expire
from gangster's gunfire
They ran like the dickens without getting shot!
They're quick to leave town, while they try to compose...
With tricks of their own, before anyone knows!
With wigs on their heads
and lipsticks of red …….
They're wearing silk undies, and new pantyhose!
They land a new job... (Not a word to the wise!),
while dressed as two chicks, as an artful disguise
But surprise takes a twist
when they cannot resist
a marriage proposal, and a boat full of lies!!
Romance in the "20's" was stranger than not!
Bootleggers and gangster's would stir up the pot
The plot only thickens
The pace of it quickens,
when they find true love on a millionaire's yacht!
_________________________________________________
3/16/18
For "Favorite Comedy Movie" contest
Sponsored by Alexis Y
We should never….ever
Suffer from timidity
Ere now, let us be bold
For we’ll never be this
Young again you see…
Nor again ever be this old
Let us take delight
In delayed good nights
In embraces held with sighs
Take leisure in the pleasure of
Languid looks
From limpid eyes
Be not afraid to proffer thanks
Boldly offer
Profuse delight
Always tender
Fond and friendly farewells
And avoid like the dickens
…Goodbyes…
"Every day is a page to write a new story"
Each minuscule grain of sand
running rampant through
hourglass' prismatic time
at hand, awaiting life's resolve
to seize a brand new adventure,
like the dickens' nimbly flair
enthusiastically captivating chapters
of a poetically inspired existence
amidst everyday's triumphantly
conquered reawakening
Quote response contest - Nayda Ivette Negron
When I was young,
I'd watch the late, late movie
sitting on the couch
getting all cozy,
one time the movie
was "Psycho" with
the shower scene,
it scared me so much,
I didn't shower for a month,
then there was the one
called "Poltergeist,"
with the clown doll
under the bed,
after that I gave away
my dolls because I
didn't want to end up dead,
but the movie that
still haunts me today
and will probably never go away,
is the one that is
most realistic, by the way,
if by chance I'm swimming
and hear the theme from "Jaws,"
this lady is going to go ballistic
and swim like the dickens to shore!
Scrooge encountered the ghost of Jake Marley,
While slurping his bowl of blah barley.
From thence, as we know the plot thickens,
As from past sins Scrooge fled like the 'dickens'!
Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSGT, USAF, Retired
(c) 2014 All Rights Reserved
Not for the contest - just for fun.
Mom wasn't able to go to church because she couldn't drive.
But she was a christian and loved God every day while she was alive.
She prayed to God each and every day.
Life has been rough since she passed away.
She read the entire Bible at least twice.
She loved the Lord and that was nice.
When it came to Mom, it was God's greatest decision when he decided to make her.
She was such a nice and caring person, that's probably why God decided to take her.
She couldn't go to church but she watched preachers on TV every week.
My Mom had a way of making people happy even when life was bleak.
She was a great christian and that's something I want people to know.
It hurt like the dickens when she passed away one year ago.
Life without Mom has been something that's difficult for me to face.
When she went to be with God, she made Heaven a far better place.
[Dedicated to Agnes Johnson (1948-2013) who passed away on March 6, 2013.]
If I could talk to God
What would I say
And how would I say it
Would I used a civil tongue
Or not utter a word
Would I say thank you for life's blessings
Or thank you for dying for my sins
Would I bow to his majesty
Or run like like the dickens
Would I asked why there was death
Or why is there was life
Would I ask for my family back
Or beg for a family of new
Would I ask to be thrown in a lions den
Or for freedom that of an eagle
Would I throw myself at his mercy
Or ask for more time on his precious Earth
Would I beg from rags to riches
Or simply just don't ask at all
I'm not sure what I could or would say to God
But whatever he offers is good enough for me
For just knowing I got to chat with thy master
Makes me want to believe there still is a God
Tribute To The
Father
Son
And
Holy Spirit
{Amen}
Also Entry For
Matt Caliri's
If You Could Talk To God Contest
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