Long Polka dot Poems

* This poem was written for a contest originally, but was used by Professor Anne-Marie Thornton of Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey, to teach her WAR POETRY class in the spring semester of 2017. My...

Read More

Her small angelic face ...

Once a place where broad smiles bloomed like butterflies on marigolds,
is streaked with the furrows that countless tears have etched into the
layers of dust and dirt and explosive residue that now...

Read More

I wrote this poems some years ago when I was invited to be on a television program to read a Christmas poem to children as they gathered around me...I had not written a Christmas poem...

Read More

What color are you?
You! You! You! You! You! You! I could do this all day. Smirk.
I am not talking about hair color, eye color, or skin color.
I am not talking about teeth color, or freckle...

Read More

Ban Me Thuot
By Franklin Price
8/31/2018

Out in the Central highlands, far away from Cam Ranh Bay,
In the town of Ban Me Thuot was a place where I would stay.
There was no space available at any compounds...

Read More

I quite enjoyed writing these two line poems for the Bantu contest - the idea of the call and response with two different statements but the same sensory response to each line. A bit like...

Read More

A mystery to some, but not to me,
why one would call thee, "Lady"
Other beetles could be called fair,
some would even argue scholarly

But gentlemanly?

Now that's a stretch
if I ever heard one
Have you ever seen a bloke...

Read More

She's a Messenger, a standard bearer of a Message of Love.  She's Love's unforgettable fruition and flower.  With Her trusty hounds bounding along beside Her, She suddenly races ahead, crossing the beach, down...

Read More

In English there are different types of words.
Like articles, prepositions, nouns, adjectives and verbs
They have special functions and they teach
Us to distinguish the various parts of speech.

NOUNS of course are words for "things"
Some we can...

Read More

Classic silent films
Redundant technicolour
Piano plays mood

Panther and snow leopard duelling with chess
Under a scintillating firmament
A dome of diamonds floating on infinity
Moonlight softly slicing the shadows
Illuminating their world of concentration
Alternating attrition
Pawn takes pawn
Bishop takes pawn
Rook takes...

Read More

Classic silent films
Redundant technicolour
Piano plays mood

Panther and snow leopard
Duelling with chess
Under a scintillating firmament
A dome of diamonds floating on infinity
Moonlight softly slicing the shadows
Illuminating their world of concentration
Alternating attrition
Pawn takes pawn
Bishop takes pawn
Rook takes pawn
Knight...

Read More

I was outside of Philly walking in Bucks County
As I climbed the Tree of Good and Evil
A voice spoke to me about the future
Because of my free will I was asked to make a choice

A...

Read More

life is a messy slurry 
Tyson fury
an Olga tumble
an Ali shuffle
a low cal rumble
in nuclear jungles
hammer and sickle
stars and stripes
a polka dot pickle
citizen cocaine in the middle
PURPLE PEOPLE EATERS
living is a tsunami ripple
a wobbly foal
a...

Read More

"Ennui Sets In”

Whenever pen is placed
Between purloined phalanges,
When my mind unfolds and tears along the seams,
I know it’s time to move my thoughts,
Through the underground;
That dark crusty void
Of dreary dreams diminished,
Where loose hell raisers floss...

Read More

Hanky Panky

Honey 
My foot is taping
It’s been a while
I figure it’s gotta be almost
An hour

Baby
You know you 
Drive me crazy
How you do it
Constantly
You tease my eyes
It’s no surprise
Your naughty smiles
Make me so ravenously hungry

Aw come...

Read More

On a balmy evening, I was out enjoying a walk,
Admiring the flowers and scenery on my block;

Moonlight poured, and nobody else was about,
Because I had become restless, I had gone out.

Fireflies were dancing, reminiscently green,
As...

Read More

Engelbert Effleflump put on his disguise
Climbed in his orcetector and rose in the skies

For his mum hated flying and must never know
That Engelbert’s job was in an aerial show

Poor Engelbert hated deceiving his mother
He’d go...

Read More

Love feels like it has gone far away
She used to exist everywhere it seems
Now she hides in fear of being used up or let down

Most now, don’t even remember what she feels like

I remember long...

Read More

Oh, I’m nothing but a red polka-dotted pug. 
I’m silly and smug and my name is Mug.
      I need to see the Wiz to remove these dots, 
I don’t care...

Read More

“The fairy was flying in loops and swirls around her,
shedding fairy dust as she went. Throwing it at Wendy.
Delighted, the human girl raised her arms up
to fully experience what was happening. Delicate
golden sparkles floated down...

Read More

What would we all look like ... with polka dots?

I am now ... the enemy
          By simply being a white middle-aged man
    ...

Read More

A cosmic parade today fell from the starry sky
As nations lined up to watch it all pass by

Beauty to behold, a bit hard to believe
Paraded down all the worlds cities streets

Chrystal spears of every color...

Read More

Never Ending Love

Born in a cold basement on Valentine’s Day,
She grew up on newspaper and constant radio play.
She was the runt of the litter and very poorly fed,
When I first laid eyes on her, she...

Read More

The flower children were in full swing, selling love, less woe.
I was not old enough for Woodstock, but wanted to go.
Hip hugger bell bottoms with navels peeking were the rage.
Boys were sent to Viet Nam,...

Read More

I’ve sat here all night just trying to write
But nothing would spring from my brain
I looked in my mind and what did I find
I think that I’m slightly insane 

I’ve been unaware of things that...

Read More