Short Rank And File Poems

Gladys Humpadick's extra mile
Was well known to the rank and file
Though married to Otto
She honoured his motto
"Lip Service rendered with a smile!"...

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average people pass rank and file
learning in their third decade
of the training cell

how long for psychiatrists
to get past the alphabet soup
of their learning 

when all research studies
can prove false positive
or negative


stan sand...

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white lilies
line my front walk
soldiers
in rank and file
commemorating
the loss of
mothers
their children,
and dads
their children
to COVID,
sufferers in our
little community
of
Ashland, Kentucky.

written July 4, 2021...

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Standing at Attention

The military graveyard is a sea of crosses
for veterans of every rank and file.
In a neat formation of a country’s losses
they are rowed in true enlisted style,
white crosses for mile after mile.

12/29/19

Writing Prompt- English Quintain Imagery - Poetry Contest
Sponsored by: Dear Heart...

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Rancid lilies stream the rim
     of wicker baskets
     like wilted soldiers rank and file
Fatigued and sweaty
They salute a mournful throng
     with dampened pistols
     and burnished brass.
Hate every passion screaming
     for a drink of water
     in the searing heat of attention.
Stack their arms and fall
     in blessed oblivion....

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Become daily,
breathe the railings...

Force the failing,
make them start mailing…

Spin around sailing-
land on a railing,

dig deep into a gale of peace,

be scared to hate on police,

rank and file and rotate the beast,

run around town and stare at things-

make jewelry and appreciate a kiss,

hail in giant leaps,
and possess this....

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I find that when we eat prunes,
We tend to sit in cold bathrooms;
Although it may be a trial,
We fit right in with rank and file.

The wafting scent of strange perfumes,
Are too much like exhaust fumes;
Though it’s not meant to offend the nose,
You can’t compare it to a rose.

All that’s said may sound arcane,
But this I find is a good domain;
For it’s true it is a small event,
But you must admit it’s time well spent....

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When I was still in the company's 
rank and file,

my 'rolex perpetual' made people 
smirk and smile.

They said I was a victim in a 
swindler's deal,

but jewelers' swore my late gramp's 
wristwatch was real.


Sold it for a fortune, now I've 
become the boss.

For fun, I wear a rolex fake, 
but I'm at a loss.

Why, those who taunted me they now 
admiringly watch

this cheap thing on my wrist like 
it's a fabulous catch!


....

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© Ben Burton 7-23-2015

What worth poetic words
Of grandeur so sublime
Inimitable verse
True scholars recognize

What worth poetic words
So roundly demonized
Which flagellate teen nerves
Inure unmolded minds

What worth poetic words
If less than five percent
Have read and said, not heard
The meaning or intent

What worth poetic words
If told in simple rhyme
Elitists grow perturbed
But, OH, the rank and file

Make simple poets smile...

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There’s no hope for humanity
A half-wit would think otherwise.
Collective Christianity
With its many brethren allies
Have failed its purpose for Christ’s sake!
With their arsenal of prayer beads,
Missals and psalms- they are opaque
Tools employed that never succeeds
In changing the nature of Man:
He is still greedy and hostile
Unchanged since first set foot on land
They’re members of this rank and file:
A congregate hypocrisy
Only the enlightened can see....

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We all are born naive at birth
Ingenuous for what it’s worth.
The cure is in the things we learn
From childhood to adult that’s earned.
Yet some of us of age remain
A child, a lamb their both the same 
The naiveté are most beguiled
By those of us so versatile
Among the rank and file we lurk
And prey on you with clever words.
Word to the wise from one who knows
Be careful of the ones who pose
To be your special pal or friend
One might deceive you in the end....

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When I was still in the company's rank and file,
    my 'rolex pearl perpetual' made some people smile.
        They said I was duped and cooked in a swindler's deal,
            but jewelers' swore my late grandpa's watch was real.


They bought it for quite a fortune, I'm now the boss.
    For fun, I wear a rolex fake, but I'm at a loss.
        Why, those who used to smirk at me enviously watch
             this cheap thing on my wrist like it's a fabulous catch !...

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