Short Sixty One Poems

All the practice in the world won’t do it;
You have to get messy, you have to get naked....

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My Dad at the ripe old age of sixty-one
Rode a one gear bike farther than most have done
Proving at his age, though retired
Could ride over seven hundred miles
Needless to say, a hero of mine and everyone

(Montreal to Toronto and back)...

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When they come near.
We jump here and there.
No fun no friends.
But our joys never end.
There starts a bright new day.
Which reminds us no school today.
All sixty-one days.
Filled with bright fun filled weekday.
We play and play.
And that's what meant by a real 'Holiday'....

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She was our “it” girl
Most of us wanted to be her or with her
We were amazed and intimidated and in love with her
Not only the boys but the girls also
We were not allowed to be men or women yet
Because this was nineteen sixty-one
No one of the same sex mentioned being in love with her either
Because this was nineteen sixty-one...

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The death of King George                     
Personal loss to Nation  
Hence Proclamation       

"GOD SAVE THE QUEEN"

Queen Elizabeth 
Ruling  sixty one years plus 
Charles waits patiently  

William grows older
Royal Monarch grows common
Diana teaches  

Harry grows bolder  
Kate sells net party supplies 
Soon baby will rule

"GOD SAVE THE QUEEN"...

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The war between the states had just begun.
Blue and gray met at a place called Bull Run.

The North blue army marched from Washington.
This was in April, eighteen sixty-one.

The South achieved victory on that day.
Men wearing gray sent the Yankees away.

A hopeful quick end lasted four long years.
A high price was paid with both blood and tears.

Robert Pettit 4-5-12
...

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FOUR CUBED

Four words a line,
Four lines a stanza.
Four of these comprise
Ms. Hawley’s next extravaganza.

Three words won’t satisfy;
Five are too numerous.
And, one more condition,
She’d like it humorous.

That’s two verses done
And I’ve barely commenced.
It’s not my nature
To write lines condensed.

But, if she insists,
I’ll follow her law.
Sixty one, sixty two,
Sixty three, sixty four.
...

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When first we met so long ago
who knew our love would stay aglow
through a full sixty-one plus years.
With every smile- and sometimes, tears-
still holding hands as in those days
when youth wrapped us in lovers' rays.
So blessed are we- though weathered now-
to still embrace our wedding vow.


Sandra M. Haight

~1st Place~
Contest: Lay It On Me - 8x8
Sponsor: Charles Messina
Judged: 01/16/2020
...

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The undersides of school chairs
   all gooey with gum
We thought it such fun
   back in sixty-one

In sixty-two we tore fruit loops
   from the backs of girls' shirts
The innocent way
   we first learned to flirt

In sixty-three we all wore
   skin-tight 'H.I.S.' pants
That ripped near your bulges
   when you started to dance

Memories glorious
   like your first cigarette
Or a long drawn-out kiss
   with that gorgeous brunette...

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Take me back in time so I can remember it all,
When as a great nation we bravely stood tall.
We fought with all our might to gain independence, 
And did so with pride and much resilience. 
The fighting spirit of Nanny must be kept alive,
And the boldness of our heroes will help us survive.
As we rise up as a great nation, 
To reminiscence about the past at sixty-one. 
No obstacle will be too great or small,
That  as Jamaicans we  cannot overcome them all....

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Here in this ballpark, it is the early April spring.
The local boys take the field to do their thing.
A sellout crowd was on hand to cheer the team.
The team had plenty of support, it would seem.

Our boys came up short with the score today,
but there are many more games left to play.
Whenever the team loses, it is a shame.
Please remember, it was only the first game.
There is one great big fact everyone should know,
there’s a hundred and sixty-one games to go....

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A black and white image
photographed long ago
framed and protected
hangs on the wall
a handsome young soldier
his pretty little bride
their eyes shining bright
with love and life

life, long and happy
for the man and his wife
three children, a house
and the love never runs out
sixty-one years full 
of joy and delight
were captured in that 
first black and white
of a handsome young soldier
and his pretty little bride
as they began the beginning
of a wonderful life...

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