Long Stiff upper lip Poems
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Forbears,Edie,Kate and Ann furnished apiece with brush and pan.Each
Victorian 'Miss' tied in service's abyss.Far off days,now long gone,their toil each
day was lengthy and long.With fires to light,floors to scrub,and carpets to brush
and drub.Mops forbidden,as they smeared the dirt and begrimed their prim
alpaca aproned skirt.They cleaned 'his' tub,emptied 'her' commode,a regular
chore in a housemaid's daily load.Must rise at six but never to mix and no matter
what,keep a stiff upper lip.Never lose your cool,a formal curtsey the perpetual
rule.Half day off once per month,so free to roam and catch the omnibus home.No
other opportunities in store except a marriage at eighteen or before.Upstairs and
down stairs ,no in between,starting out at just thirteen and just there to please as
Master and his Lady take their ease.
What activates my reflex arc
And causes me to shiver?
Which stimuli come into play
To set my nerves aquiver?
At home alone at dead of night
A creak will make me skittish.
My lower lip begins to drop
In fashion quite un-British! *
And should I inadvertently
Whilst in the garden walking,
Be tickled by a spider's web
The shock will leave me balking.
Don't mention snakes and darting bats
Obnoxious smells and vermin,
Or scraping sound as chalk meets board,
For all will leave me squirming.
In other matters I am bold;
No lily-livered chicken.
But when sheer instinct rules the roost
It leaves my senses stricken.
* in contrast to the traditional British 'stiff upper lip'
08.06.19
'What makes you flinch poetry contest'
Sponsored by Julie Leigh Rodeheaver
Viv had planned to be out supping real ale
But his wife had a different idea
Furniture assembly - Viv's face turn pale
but he gritted his teeth, and said ‘yes dear’
Alas, to poor Viv's utter dismay
the instruction booklet could not be found
With stiff upper lip, it won't mar his day
His ******** expertise will astound
So Viv got to it, banging and screwing
to achieve an outstanding ********
Celeste the cat’s contentedly mewing
Watching Viv work to utter perfection
Viv's DIY skills were put to the test
He reached his goal with no help from Celeste!
Poem based on Viv's blog
https://www.poetrysoup.com/poetry/blogs/blog_detail.aspx?BlogID=33348&PoetID=62162
My ONLY sonnet in 2018
3/8/18
“Birds of a feather, flock together”
They also do other things as a group
Like pooping on your brand new bonnet
At times they'll even poop in your soup
“Laughter is always the best medicine”
Not so if you have a runny nose
You'll get that green stuff all over the face
You might even get some on your toes
“Sleep tight, don't let the bugs bite”
Those nasty little critters are pests
Sleeping tight sure ain't gonna stop 'em
From chomping on your tender pink flesh
“You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
What an absolutely disgusting concept
At least you could wait till the pig's deceased
'Cause I'm sure the damn thing would object
“Keep a stiff upper lip, my dear old chap”
It'll stop you from saying certain words
Like “honeyfuggle” or “snollygoster”
But you can still utter “dirty turds”
“One man's junk is another man's treasure”
Let's try to be realistic here
If you treasure a broken down piece of junk
Then you're welcome to it, my dear
“Good things come to those who wait”
Especially if you're waiting to sprinkle
If you cross your legs and sing “Hey Jude”
It'll seem like no time till you tinkle!
Honeyfuggle:
Deceive by flattery or sweet-talk, swindle or cheat
Snollygoster:
A shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician
I wrote a book - young man's adventures in Africa,
it was a hoot - I could have just stayed in my home town,
once you start it, you won't be able to put it down,
maybe a more accurate title - 'Fifty Shades Of Brown.'
It was like the Klondyke - digging on every corner,
vibrant, exciting, colonial but no gun at my hip,
occasionally, sometimes, I could revert to stiff upper lip.
I did what I had to do, like a privileged envoy,
ventured into the 'sticks,' should have had a cane,
where I could have prodded sleeping boys into life again,
'I bet you think these words are about you, you're so vain.'
Why do men climb mountains - there up, rising by,
I came back, so that people would ask me, Why?
With a stiff upper lip and old school tie
still it's just not cricket
but the upper crust they say
are on a sticky wicket
to pay the estate or make ends meet
they have conducted tours
of stately homes safari parks
and the family jewels
we used to go to Scarborough Southend-on-Sea
Bognor Brighton Blackpool
have fish 'n' chips for tea
but now for fifty pee we natter
with a Duchess or the Duke
for half a quid a cuppa
with a true blue-blooded bloke
as they're all skint like me and you
there's not a lot a poor Lord can do
but bite the bullet and enjoy
hobnobbing with the hoi polloi
Why do men have an Adam's apple?
Because of sin and how we grapple
(It was Satan who did deceive Eve and ironically
It was Adam who choked (like the eye and the mote)
One thousand deaths every time we sin
One thousand breaths, this death, the lack therein
Then we eat sin and it becomes caught in our throat
Because we did not meet sin as one not inchoate
We don't support our wives even when we're right there
Why didn't Adam step in for his maiden so fair
Because we don't speak up in everyday conversation**
We don't meet the nay-sayer in every contemplation
We are called to battle sin everyday
Not explain or justify our sin away
So turn away from the sin that we play with
And away from the life that we decay with
And make a turn to a Savior because of our behavior
Have a stiff upper lip before the slip of the lip
Because Jesus rows us away from the slave ship
As I complete this poem and hand down this sentence
We've been given the gift-command of repentance
The globe is in lockdown,
the borders are closed
the news is all gloom and despair,
Covid-19 is the new kid in town
causing panic and fear everywhere.
Our lives are all changing,
effects are wide ranging,
whole nations are put to the test,
and though we don't like it
these methods to fight it,
some things are changing for the best.
In future, through habit, we know everyone
will all have incredibly clean hands,
and as the whole nation goes self-isolation
you can avoid people that you can't stand.
The shelves may be empty,
our shopping restricted,
the choices a narrower range,
but Fresh fruit and veg are still plentiful,so
maybe our diets will change.
The Missus no longer complains about football
and too much of it on TV,
now I smile while her episode of 'Eastenders'
is put back by the BBC.
So stiff upper lip, folks, keep raising a smile,
all in this together we'll pull,
life is not risk-averse, whatever the curse
just face it with your glass half full.
For contest 'Covid-19', sponsor Team Poetry Soup
18th March 2020
Keep a stiff upper lip, it isn't that bad
Things will surely get better
Life is a series of these ups and downs
Surely isn't always fair weather
Unpredictable is a word that's often used
When referring to things in general
For some strange reason as we all get older
Life gets somewhat less pleasurable
Can't do the things we once did with ease
Restricted by physical abilities
At one time things were second nature to us
They now restrict our activities
But all things considered I'm doing quite well
For a man of my advancing years
Can't do ALL the things I once used to do
Also lost some brain matter I fear
Life is not a stroll
In the park.
It's a reach for something
In the dark.
You have to keep what
Matters close.
Memories come back and
Haunt you like a ghost.
We are the
Strong ones.
Still standing when
Hell comes.
Things change in the
Blink of an eye.
Still drinking when
The well runs dry.
Doing the right thing,
Lay it on the line.
Still believing when
The sun won't shine.
We can handle a
Hard day's night.
We won't quit when
It doesn't go right.
Have to man-up when
The time comes.
Life brings it, and
Then some.
We face adversity with
A stiff upper-lip.
No white flag,
We go down with our ship.
Turbo1904 ?