Patty Lou said hello, I am cuckoo
then she giggled like it was a joke
I did not know what to make of her
my strategy was to avoid her
but we were on a bus trip
one night we were the only ones awake
we had a lovely chat for hours
my husband says I am nutty, she said.
I think you are pretty well-balanced I told her.
but she insisted she was a brainless airhead.
Her husband woke up and patted her hand.
He had a huge smile, I guess they liked thinking that.
“Politics is a contact sport” —Steve Chabot
It ain't over 'till it's over —Yogi Berra
Loug And Doug
Pleasant gentlemen both, broad shouldered and tall
Good sports who respect the umpire's call
Playing the game with pride and joy
Sincerely humble, never coy
Staunch New Yorkers with their eyes on the ball
we ate at a fancy restaurant tonight – me and daughter Lou.
I knew my order before arriving, but Lou reads the menu.
Freddy, our waiter, came back several times but she was not ready.
I had not eaten since seven a.m. I was shaky, sleep-deprived, unsteady.
Lou was torn between a crab dish that looked awful, soupy and such.
and a shrimp plate that anyone would love to eat, and I do very much.
Another waiter came by and recommended the soupy mess.
In a loud way, I pretended to wretch, I have to reluctantly confess.
Lou took one bite of the foul-tasting muck, and pushed the crab dish aside.
Ending up sending it back, ordering the shrimp dish, with potatoes inside.
At her house she fixed us cherry chunk yogurt with heavy chocolate cake.
I loved every single bit of it, glad I did not order that crab soup mistake.
not going well
this
i've got a tattoo of a butterfly on my right cheek
it will remain there til monday morning
there's a bouncy castle and a bubble machine
i'm smacking the hell out of the piñata on my daughter's behalf
but nothing doing
talking about industry and carbon emissions with the only other dad
test cricket and the weather
watermelon, pizza, and happy birthday
rainbows, unicorns and pass the parcel
balloons, bracelets and paw patrol plastic plates
but has anyone
heard the version of
Heroin on the
Rock 'n' Roll Animal album?
Kidding around, I called mother “Lou”
Short for Louella between us two.
She’d return the favor; call me “number three.”
At the time it was cute, now it’s precious to me.
“Thank you, Lou” always brought a smile,
A wink and shoulder shrug also beguiled
For only between us, we understood
The love that we shared, was incredibly good!
“Smells great, Lou” I would say in the kitchen
She would toss me a peeler and I’d pitch in.
And when she would sing with her old guitar
A “love that, Lou” wouldn’t follow far.
“How are you feeling"? I worried to ask
“Oh, you know Thomas, I’ll finish the task.
Whether easy or hard, Lou never gave up
Always serving and filling another's cup.
“I’m missing you Lou the magnificent!”
As I sense a same sentiment… heaven sent.
The bond that we know, will forever exist
Till at heaven’s gate, will grow more with a kiss.
Till then, I will whisper and pray and sing
Of the love that I have for our little “Thing.”
Until next time, you'll hear a son’s eager “Lou!”
Because number three, has been pining for you.
Little Cindy Lou Who
Won’t let the Grinch be blue
optimist for sure
her heart is utterly pure
She expects the best
At Whoville Christmas Fest
Grinch comes around
Happiness is found
There once was a Lion named Lou,
who thought he was tougher than you.
He got into a fight,
On the wrong night,
and got beat by a kanga-kung fu!
We've heard of ALS
as "Lou Gehrig's disease"
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
a cause to pray on our knees
But Lou Gehrig felt he was
"the luckiest man on earth"*
the Yankees, and his wife
the main reasons for mirth
Thankful for his life
though with illness cut short**
at ease in his disease
what an awfully good sport
(* regarding his farewell speech at Yankee stadium
** like in the Principle and Foundation of St. Ignatius of Loyola!) :)
Let me get this straight I said to my Aunt Lou.
He’s a scholar, an athlete, a violinist too.
She nodded. He is always happy too, never blue.
Now you are telling me he can fly? Is this true?
The owl flew in the window seconds later.
He rapidly opened her refrigerator.
Where are the worms I put in here? He demanded.
I was horrified, thought he would be reprimanded.
This is my boyfriend, Tony, Aunt Lou said to me.
Why don’t you stay and have some lemon tea?
She found the worms, and Tony chuckled with glee.
I was so grossed out, I could drink my tea ….barely.
After the meal, he played his violin, and was great.
For a boyfriend, he might be kind of second rate.
But he speaks six languages and can carry a tune.
Best of all, grouchy Aunt Lou is “over the moon”.
Charley Lou is a mouse who is totally hip
At age thirteen, she thinks she has a grip.
She wears plaid skirts that flip at her hip
A pro at giving truant officers the slip.
I have it on authority from a likely source,
Charley Lou’s high-top shoes are from Chicago of course
Dangling in her ears are clip gears from her cousin Boris.
She wears Scottish plaid skirts from a Celtic source.
The teenage mice sometimes give Charley Lou the eye.
She is dangerous though, says my cousin Bri.
We know she is crafty, conniving and sly.
She lured one guy into a trap that made him die.
What kind of a trap? We asked, horrified.
I hoped the gossip had been outrageously glorified.
No one could attest that the rumor was one bit true.
Just one of many stories about sassy Charley Lou.
I'll never forget the dog named Lou,
When he came to us he was no bigger than my shoe.
He was friendly to all , that was his take,
But he was my wife's dog make no mistake.
Of the dog's that I've known,
Throughout their lives as they've grown,
There was an essence of Lou,
That always shone through.
He was a black flash of twist in the air, land on his feet,
A ball chasing gentleman, it was land and repeat,
And when you called he came, he didn't fight,
I tell you that Lou was all right.
Too quickly he grew old, he never liked the cold,
His beard became grey, and he slept all day,
He'd lie in his bed, could barely lift his head,
And when he battled to hear, I knew the end was near.
I'll never forget the dog named Lou
Little Cindy Lou Who
Won’t let the Grinch be blue
optimist for sure
her heart is utterly pure
She expects the best
At Whoville Christmas Fest
Grinch comes around
Happiness is found
Shirley Lou McDying was obnoxious and loathsome.
Please let me add despicable, irritating and spiteful.
There was frankly nothing delightful.
But we co-workers resisted using terms that sing.
because she was new, so we gave her a few thousand chances.
But she was a back-biting, evil, mean-spirited thing.
We discussed her evilness and her jealous strife,
Until the boss made his little announcement
that Shirley Lou was going to become his wife.
It is weird how fast we tried desperately to
find at least one thing likeable about Miss McDying.
An impossible task, but he had given us impossible
tasks before, so we kept trying.
Vibrant vigorous vexing virginal vampire name of Amanda Lou
Could transmogrify, materialize, reincarnate and shapeshift too.
Other trick-or-treaters would get a shimmery, shivery, shocking shock
When she changed from a vamp to an imp to a fairy on one block walk.
A charmer, this darling girl named Amanda Lou, so she enchanted them.
Changing from ghoul to ghost to witch to Frankenstein again and again.
She was incredibly peppy, hilarious, and fun to be with on Halloween.
Mothers stayed home, and let her walk their children finally, her best dream.
No one bothered kids when Amanda Lou was on babysitting watch of the wee.
Bats, snakes and enemies of state were scared of her power you see.
The quintessential guardian for all of the tricksters on Halloween night.
When she walks with them, you can actually feel a perpetrator’s fright.
As a giant spider she once ate one perp’s head off and spit it into a ditch.
Turned into a cauldron and burned up a mean-to-children-gingerbread witch.
Amanda Lou is not to be messed with, made fun of or annoyed in any way.
Want to tease children? Better pick another vampire, another day.
Naïve Lou
has no clue
about boys
and their toys.
She feels sure
she can lure
Cal away
ANY day
from old cars,
gaming wars,
casinos.
She just knows
he’ll prefer
time with her!
Lou’s his gal.
Clueless Cal
thinks she’ll be
frequently
there for him—
at his whim.
Facebook time
will decline.
Girls’ nights out
will, no doubt,
not be ceased,
but decreased!
*******
Should they wed
or instead
say “Good-bye”
with a sigh?
******
Well, these two
said, “I do”
years ago.
Blessings flow.
Compromise
shows how wise
they have grown.
Each has shown
due respect,
no neglect.
40 lines
September 8, 2020
entered in the Threes, Please Poetry Contest placed 2nd
Sponsor: Beth Evans
October 1, 2020
entered in the Completely Your Choice (20) Contest
Sponsor: Brian Strand
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