is a lesson
my son still doesn't
want to learn
However,
his mom's feet are quicker
than crickets
flicking off
a floor
on fire!
When the right song
is playing.
life is too good
for slow steps
Help me put the food away
Give the pasta box a good rattle,
the Windex needs constant
stirring!
Life isn't waiting
or watching
when we laugh
over spilled Ragu
The Eastern Towhee
finds me mildly amusing,
staring at me with one eye
from the almost empty feeder
These counter tops
are not marble,
some stains don't come out,
and the paint chips when I scratch it
Thank God I care about other things,
and I don't need an audience
to be happy
It can't get better
than dancing
in the kitchen
The oomph and zing of extra spin
adds razzmatazz to shot akin
to the standing ovation din
a hole in one gets for a win.
The cream screams to the top.
The razzle and dazzle of dance
shake, rattle and roll of romance
is enhanced by the oddball prance
of a jitterbug jive freelance.
Bebop is king of pop.
Jazz embodies the extra dash
of syncopated mish and mash
adding gems of splish, splosh and splash
improvisation in a flash.
Flip-flop until you stop.
Time was when I could jump a fence
Take the staircase two at a clip,
Now if there’s no elevator I wince
Time was when I could jump a fence,
I could race you from here to hence
I had so much more pizzazz and zip,
Time was when I could jump a fence
Take the staircase two at a clip.
Written October 8, 2022
[dedicated to Jack Ellison]
The witch with pizzazz had her chunky legs on display.
Showing off her striped socks and pantaloons to many today.
Why does she sit like that? A younger uninformed lad said.
She is an older witch whose fashion sense curls up in her head.
The witch with pizzazz had a laugh that made us all think.
She was delectable and delightful, like a clean kitchen sink.
She roared to earth pushing her legs against the night air.
We saw that she dressed with absolute infamous care.
My mind bubbles over with happy thoughts
When all is down, I think all systems are go,
I refuse to let myself get tied up in knots
There are two sides to every coin, you know,
You can flip it to heads or you can flip to tails
Being sad and gloomy is a personal choice,
Choosing to be happy and uplifting never fails
Select a happy tune to sing with your voice.
For most of two years I’ve been in quarantine
I used that time to hone some writing arts,
And made many friends while doing so, e’en
While learning a lot from welcoming hearts.
So, even though much is wrong in our world
And we have ample opportunity to despair,
I chose to keep my better spirits unfurled
Living my days with joyful pizzazz and flair.
THIRD PLACE WINNER
Written March 29, 2022
for "What Keeps Me Going" poetry contest
sponsored by Cecelia Hopkins-Drewer
Which key should I put this song in?
I sing in G Ionian/major comfortably,
Likewise the relative E Aeolian/minor scale.
Plus those guitar chords are easy as sin.
I could choose a scale that’s more exotic -
D Mixolydian has the same notes and chords.
Hungarian or Roumanian minor, Spanish Gypsy.
Or another scale derived from minor harmonic.
Keep it simple – let’s start with the G Major scale.
Should I do a basic 1-4-5 with major G/C/D chords?
Or a jazzy 2-5-1 with A minor/D/G ending on the tonic?
Let’s do a bluesy 1-4-5 with a turn-around at the tail!
Just major and minor triad chords are boring.
Major, minor, and dominant sevenths can be cool;
But I’m rather partial to suspended seconds and fourths.
My sliding E diminished flat 7th will keep the fans from snoring!
What can I do to add even more pizzazz and glitz?
Slowly build the dynamic and rhythmic complexity.
Give the crowd a tribal chorus they can sing to.
Add a spanking hot hook throughout that never quits!
~ Pizzazz ~
he had it
from day one
no one taught him
he never studied it
born that way
he reveled in it
but never
amounted
to
much
Let’s buy Castle Pizzazz the husband said to his queen.
She was new to marriage, more than a bit green.
Sure, it will be fun, she said, being young and sweet.
She had no idea the work this Castle would cause her tired old feet.
For when you are young you sometimes don’t think.
When you are old, it hurts to move a muscle or blink.
Her handsome young prince had talked her into this place.
Now she is old and arthritic, and does not live with grace.
The stairs are a nightmare she complained to her friend.
But her husband loved it there until the end of his end.
And it reminds her of him, so she struggles to maintain
The Castle Pizzazz, and hopes that it don’t rain.
For when it does that it is a nightmare of a sight.
The floors get all wet, for the roof holes show daylight.
It would cost too much to fix the place up, so she stays and complains.
And shudders and shakes when the forecast says it might possibly rain.
Every artist knows
Their canvas is not complete
Without a pop of passionate red.
Every stop sign knows
They will not be honored
If they are not the right color
The flag would be blah if it was only blue and white
If you look at the world flags, most have courageous red.
The Irish have a form of it in their orange.
Glossy blue-red lipstick gives us a feeling of the fifties
When women hid their blatant sexuality
Saving it in the bedroom, when they turned into hungry tigresses,
Tearing their men apart with pure sensuality
Restaurants use joyful red lavishly, understanding she encourages eating.
Unsuspecting victims devour food at rapid pace, taking home seconds.
Children see red and think of the circus, popcorn, or a fire engine.
Excitement, pizazz, a happy ending to a blah day.
Red was once the color of an angry old-maid teacher’s pen.
My theory is that she was no tigress
because she had no man in her bedroom.
Red is for the passion, sensuality, and warmth.
Red is for sexuality and pizazz.
Some call me silly
That may be the case
But I don't have ulcers
No lines on my face
Dancing through life
No worries no cares
Live every moment
With passion and flair
Ain't no great mystery
It's as simple as pie
Trust in the future
Trust in your “I”
Keep moving forward
With jazz and pizzazz
Pay no attention
To the razzamatazz
So take this advice
I'm offering my friend
It don't take much effort
Pays great dividends
Some call me silly
That's possibly true
But happy as all get out
How about you?
© Jack Ellison 2013
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.