Shimmied Poems | Examples

Coming From Within a Rising Hedge

Coming from within a rising hedge
   Of voluptuous white oleander –
I sensed a turmoil; one writhe
   Seduced better than before

And within the naked boughs
   Of some palo verde – in a rustle
Of few leaves – I thought I saw
   Among them a potential

So quick and sullen, I almost not
   Deemed it worthy a mention
Until a lone grackle squawked
   That vernal suspicion

Then the wind flirted with a sage
   Whose mane shimmied – fervid –
As if the breath of Earth had encouraged
   Spring to dance for him.

Danseuse Divine - Part the First

She slipped into the ballroom
Shimmied across the floor
Bobbed a graceful curtsy
Slid quickly through the door
Leaving some mixed reactions
From all those gathered there
First time they’d seen a tango
With the artiste totally bare
And it’s not the sort of thing 
One ever ever expects to be seen 
At an Official Civic Reception
For Her Majesty the Queen
And certainly not in Bolton
Not even as a merry jest
Especially when entertaining
Hordes of other Royal Guests
Though some few unkind people 
Thought the Duke wanted more
Insisting they heard that personage
Murmuring encore encore encore
The palace issued a strong denial 
An apology came from Tony Blair
Seen as rather ridiculous
As he wasn’t even there
The Heir was rather annoyed
Because he hadn’t been invited 
On that special day that the 
Mysterious woman was sighted
Somewhere up near Wigan
The dancer read her press
Already preparing for her 
Next appearance sans any dress

Liveliest Teenager At the Disco Ball

She was the liveliest teenager at the disco ball hall.
Her mushroom head hat made her sixteen feet tall.
She shimmied and shook, and had a terrific time, a real ball.
We could barely get her peeled off a fellow named Wall.

Wall was frightened of her, she was all that and more.
What kind of teen is she? He asked a girl named Lenore.
She used to be my friend, but she has too many polka dots now.
The liveliest teenager with mushroom head hat, was still kind of a wow.

The Great Escape

unhinged the rusty cage lock
scooted into the attic
shimmied down tree
ran like wind

Dangerous Cargo - With Apologies To Hedy Lamarr

She slithered from the jungle in a Vera Wang sarong
Like some wicked juju temptress with no sense of right or wrong. 
I remember how it thrilled me, 
Oh yeah, when she shimmied in the buff;
And that first time she let loose, I thought I’d never get enough.
She hid a wealth of smuggled goods among her cargo.

I was cornered and defenseless; she was turning on the tease.
Then she wrapped her legs around me in an anaconda squeeze.
She had something sweet to teach me, 
Oh yeah, more than modesty allowed.
So I poured a gin and tonic and I let myself get plowed.
She dealt in contraband delights with no embargo.

She was primitive and deadly. I was curious and young,
Groping hesitant, yet eager, heart to heart and tongue to tongue.
I plunged headlong with abandon, 
Oh yeah, off those reckless, dizzy heights,
Spinning through a swirl of colors, shooting toward a burst of lights.
I came down withered, drained, and blank like no tomorrow.

You can run a little faster, beat the bullet from the gun.
You can run a little farther, almost halfway to the sun.
But when you run from Tondelayo, 
Oh yeah, Christ, her cargo weighs a ton.

Zoom Party

A Halloween party on Zoom
Wouldn’t be too much fun, you’d assume
But you would be dead wrong
For I boogied along
With my daughter in our living room.

All the Zoomers wore costumes and danced
And the camera had each one enhanced
To fill up the whole screen
So each person was seen
As she shimmied; I watched it, entranced.

Every song had a danceable beat
Meant to get people up on their feet.
Some were Halloween themed
With the choices, it seemed,
Leaning less on the trick, more the treat.

Since participants can’t meet for real,
Zoom has obvious proxy appeal
And this special needs group
Got to boogie and whoop
With the joy every square did reveal.

One Long Last Look

The moon shimmied up her pole in the sky
   Winking at me with her crescent eye
The stars danced in time to a silent tune
   As the season ended that started in June

O, one long last look at summer's constellations
   Before they surrender to Fall's deportations
And the heavens assign them to regions distant
   As brisk winds whisk them away in an instant




                September 22, 2020
   Completely Your Choice (#15) Poetry Contest
                Sponsor: Brian Strand

I Want To Fall In Love

I want to fall in love but not a chance.
Not even one handsome man who can dance
has shimmied his way across the dance floor.
Hands up...I give up...no romance no more.

I want to fall in love but not a hope.
Those dating websites are only a joke.
A decent man there I could never find.
Hands up..I give up now...so never mind.

I want to fall in love but fell behind.
I am older now and life is unkind.
Men take one look and then they run a mile.
If they only knew I could make them smile.

I want to fall in love and I still may.
If meant to be, than he is on his way.


32/11/2019
For Melani Udaeta's sonnet contest
I WANT TO FALL IN LOVE

One Brick At a Time

One Brick At A Time

The boy shimmied like a determined squirrel 
upward stretching reaching 
for the ascending bricks of the chimney flue.

one brick at a time
one foot snugly ensconced 
in its leveraged place
and then another toe-hold there
as he sat atop the roof 
of the old rumpus room 
out back amidst the ivy vines 
and the palm frond towers
with a Tareyton Cigarette ad 
affixed to the glass door
he saw his special friends again
gliding in the distant wind unseen
except by him, the boy who stood 
watching the break-in up there
a square door the size of a house 
opened masterfully and unbelievably
with fire and burgeoning smoke
and then it closed again 
with a shifting cloud
concealing the In and Out Door 
for all human souls ever created
from here to there, from now to then  
they took him for a speck of human time
erasing his memory of all unknown encounters
until a later time
now

Exuberance At the Seventh Grade Dance

With wild exuberance the new boy
Danced his way across the gym floor.
It was the seventh grade dance; no other guys were moving.
They were mostly staring at the pretty girls who were dancing.
He dipped and swayed. Some of the girls turned and clapped.

His essence paraded in tune with the music.
The non-dancers stared at his wild city boy dancing ways.
His confidence outclassed them.
Some were afraid. Most just made fun.

Not understanding the essence of his confidence
He shimmied around them, not seeing them at all.
The girls were impressed. The boys were stunned.
Recognizing talent and confidence when they saw it.

The Twerking Two Step

I was dancing at a dance club
Two stepping all about
When my thumb, it found a belt loop
And I couldn't get it out

I shifted and I wiggled
I thrust my hips out front in time
I bent over and I shimmied
I was twerking on the line

Now, I ain't no Miley Cyrus
You can believe me now or not
I wasn't up there twerking
It's because my thumb was caught

I sashayed and I moseyed
And others got up too
My thumb was still encumbered
What the hell was I to do?

I was twerking like a mad man
Not knowing how, or  why
But the pain in my one digit
Just made me want to die

Maybe now I know the reason
Miley Cyrus did her dance
She wasn't up there being slutty
She had her thumb stuck in her pants

Now, I'm through with twerking
And there's is one thing that you'll find
That unlike young Miley Cyrus
You don't want to watch me from behind!!!

Graceful Galaxy

Graceful Galaxy

Like strobing specters she shimmied
Gracefully gliding, sharing her shine
Heavens light lingering, laughing
Star light, star bright

Like peaceful poetry she perched
Luminescently looming, manifesting mystery
Soulful glow searching, waxing, waning
Magical Moon, majestic

Like fierce fire she flowed
Melodically meaningful, showering shadows
Bright light, guarding, guiding
Sultry Sun, smiling

Like a quintessential Queen she quilted
Persevering paths by sewing stitches with
Stubborn strength and subtle spirit
Devine beauty, powerful passion
Languishing in the luxuries of her glorious, graceful galaxy

The Barbed Butterfly

the barbed butterfly

she shimmied onto a barstool
looking for a nine to five reprieve
a fight or a night 
which ever came her way

black pencil skirt pulled up so far
jacket slung across the chair
says I don't care 
it's Friday.

g and t with a slice of lime
melts her 
slick cocoon.

In the Reflection of the Shadows

One brilliant tranquil day, around a turquoise lake,
Autumn had come in and brightly painted
so prettily the branches of the trees.
Overhead the gulls serenely soared.
Below them, water shimmered -softly rippled. . . 
I thought how this was how the world should ever be -
beautiful and radiant, sorrow-free.

All of a sudden came a shift. 
A strong wind swept the scene; all was transformed.
Fall’s vibrant colors shimmied, 
till released, they spread asunder.
Small ripples changed to waves, 
which angrily were lashing at the shore.
The seagull’s laughing cries had disappeared.
And streaming rays of sunlight had 
become absorbed by darkness . . .
a dreariness and dreadfulness and cold.

In the reflection of the shadows,
I found my flimsy jacket, flung it on,
and clasped it close to me - then even closer.
Wishing that all mankind could find illumination,
I forlornly contemplated that this 
was how the whole world would come to be,
and sooner than we know. . .would so remain.

Eve of Christmas

Twas the night
before Christmas when
I left the house For
some last minute
shopping I was
cutting it close So
off I went into the
cold night air In a
short while the mall
did appear

I saw kids playing on
their sleds When they
should have been
sleeping in their
beds The first store
I went to was the Gap
I  made my purchase
and was off in a
flash On the drive
home I needed no map
Cause my garmin was
sitting on the dash

Then in the distance
I saw something glow
Flying through the
sky and over the snow
When it rounded the
corner and landed in
the clear I saw Mr.
Claus and all his
reindeer

Then upon the roof 
St nicholas flew And
he shimmied down the
chimney in a minute
or two Then he put
the presents under
the tree And up
through the chimney
he went with glee

Upon the roof he
paused for awhile And
with a wink and a
smile He was off into
the night Bringing
joy to many that was
his delight
And then I heard him
say to the poets on
this  site
Merry Christmas to
all , and to all a
good write!

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