skinny and tall pines
Holy Spirit’s breath winds ‘round
steeples in forest
I chanced upon a silly goose
More clever than the av’rage moose
The goose would sit
Spew endless wit
That moose was sure no Doctor Seuss
O me o my
Is that a goose,
Riding there
Upon a moose?
I wonder what
They’re doing there?
Perhaps they’re going
To the fair.
Oh, I have seen
The strangest things -
A purple swan,
A frog with wings.
A tortoise also
I have seen,
Wearing socks
Of pink and green.
He was talking
On the phone,
It made me smile -
I thought of home
Walking by
The ocean shore,
I saw a crowd
And heard a roar.
A camel danced
Upon a drum -
His feet moved quick,
I stopped to hum.
Then I saw
A plane up high,
And jumping out -
A crocodile.
Down he came
With parachute,
He wore a cape
And played the flute.
I didn’t care
How that could be,
I hoped he’d land
Far off from me.
A flock of sheep
Went skating by,
Then took off up
Into the sky.
With woolly wings
They sailed aloft -
They looked like clouds,
All fluffy soft.
I could go on
And say some more,
I’ve things to tell,
I’ve tales galore.
But just right now
I see the moon,
It’s time to sleep
I’ll see you soon
It’s time to sleep
I’ll see you soon.
There once was an elk a lonely elk
not a wapiti or moose
who had no friends not even a whelk
so he went in search the silly goose
hoping for the milk
of elkish kindness
with another of his ilk
tho' he did go looking high and low
roaming all around in the snow
sad to say at the end of the day
no others there were to be found
and what's more seeking far and near
he saw not even a caribou
no one who'd whisper in his ear
so no he never knew
he was the only elk in the zoo
They were all out standing in their field
with an ass or two and a few moose
along with a stray Canadian goose
when someone let the Appaloosas loose
not a welcome sight nor pretty view
while the moose who cud did slowly chew
the well-trained colt did not bolt
or even buck to shuck us
the goose didn't give a honk or hoot
but the asses kicked up such a ruckus
and if mushrooms you have half a mind
to seek (not the magic kind of stalk)
be aware take care of where you walk
as there by the end of the week let me remind
the field was knee-deep if not chock-a-block
with what the livestock left behind
Allow me to introduce
the hermit Hugh
who
I do deduce
felt it within himself
to eschew
an embrace
yet
being obtuse
when on a wild chase
did goose a moose
in the caboose
then a disgrace
but such behaviour
did induce
Bruce
another recluse
to pick up the pace
when playing footsie
under the table
fast and loose
Yes, Justice aspires to be blind,
But Cupid is not far behind.
His aim is so loose,
A moose and a goose
Once found that their stars were aligned.
You look like a silly old moose
With those antlers up high on your head
Your name wouldn't be Mickey, would it?
Oh it's Marvin! I like Mickey instead
Well Marvin Moose, how are the forests?
Are we finally turning it around?
Will earth survive the pollution and garbage?
Is it too late to break new ground?
When man's existence is seriously threatened
He usually comes through in a pinch
Have faith in the strength of the human spirit
Even though it's not a lead pipe cinch
Future generations will be eternally grateful
That we've made this gigantic effort
To save the world from ecological disaster
So they'll inherit a world of new sort
You look like a silly old moose, my friend
But at least you'll still have a home to live in
With ours and the help of dear Mother Nature
The future looks bright for our kin!
If the plural of mouse is mice,
And more than one louse is lice,
Then it seems to me, that logically,
The plural of grouse should be grice.
A single goose duplicates into geese,
A mongoose produces mongooses,
So let me stick out my neck
And ask why the heck
The plural of moose is moose,
And not meese,
Or much better yet,
Why not mooses?
Author's note: Dear reader, if you're interested in a little more along this line, I invite you to take a look at my article/essay, "The Wonderfully Awful English Language".
Moose Encounter
In his element with eyes glaring,
The beast snorts out of his nostrils
Like a steam locomotive
All fired up, flaring!
On legs as high as my shoulders,
His front hooves paw the ground,
And the muscles flex
Beneath the thick, dark fur coat!
His head lowers,
Displaying a massive antler rack
(Swaying back and forth
With the bell almost touching the ground),
Preparing to do battle!
—I shudder and look to my escape.
Then, things turn for the better.
The bull moose realizes
I’m not the competition
Seeking a mate
And continues browsing
As if I weren’t there.
Take your young quackers to Canadian blue pond.
You will see a large moose just west of a swan.
He is the best babysitter the woods has ever seen.
He will keep your quackers safe, and he never is mean.
We asked the Moose what he would charge us to babysit.
A bunch of our downy offspring, a dozen plus another bit.
The moose asked us if a dollar would be too much
We laughed all the way back to our duck blind hutch.
A dollar is all he wants! What? We were amazed at this.
A snake said “he’s not that great,” and he did it with a hiss.
Don’t listen to Slithers, a large toad said in a croaking way.
Slithers got so angry, he gobbled up the toad that very day.
life’s unstable death’s staid ~ recombobulation comes by getting laid
clucked a hen to her sterile rooster ~ being axed by the kitchen maid
who was having a fling with the butler ~ he certainly made her grade
By
David Kavanagh
There are these two rivers I like.
Someday, somewhere, they shall reunite.
Moose Uber was the one we all waited to use.
Usually enthusiastic, he also could enthuse.
Chipmunk and skunk would jump on after infusing booze.
For, bear and weasel stared at bunny, salivating with ooze.
Moose Uber had one big rule. On his watch, no fights.
No bites out of little guys, he meant to wrong all the rights.
Can we just sniff the rabbit’s neck? The bear asked one time.
That was the end of his Moose Uber rides down hollow sublime.
The bunny had heard, and felt a bit threatened though.
So, he contracted with a new Uber in the hollow below.
Chipmunk and skunk asked him for that Uber guy’s name.
Bear had been sniffing their necks, so they did the same.
He saved three chickens and a moose
Captured them … then set them loose
Rustled some words, put them on paper
This, it is said, his most dangerous caper
For words can be twisted for purpose or fun
The most brilliant of meanings reduced to a pun
He sits now, alone, in a dark shaded place
For what’s etched in stone cannot be erased
His words, they were true, this everyone knew
But meanings they changed with how the winds blew
So he writes now with chalk, erases it quickly
And with it erases that feeling quite tickly
That chuckling quiver from synapse to liver
Of a poetic taunt he had to deliver
They’ve forgotten the moose, they’ve forgotten the chickens
They’ve forgotten him while still quoting Dickens
And though he still writes in flashes and spurts
He’s avoided the sanctions of the poetic courts
So set your thoughts down, don’t let them shrivel
Just don’t etch ‘em in stone they might not be drivel
John G. Lawless
©2/14/2023
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