Petunia is the plain little sister
who gets overlooked and passed over.
She’s not the pretty one,
always quiet and reserved,
not classy, fancy or graceful.
She takes backstage at every turn.
No games, no false pretenses.
She’s frumpy, floppy and flimsy.
Her scent is unrefined,
not confused with real perfumes.
She’s somewhat of an ugly duckling
but when the going gets tough,
we can’t help but admire
her tenacity when facing adversity.
Slow and steady wins the race.
She’s low maintenance, demure and bashful.
So reliable is her performance,
she’s been known to outshine competition.
Unpretentious and free from vanity
Yet, fact not known… surprise ~
petunia blooms are edible !
AP: 2nd place 2025, Honorable Mention 2025
Life is music,
When you dance to your beat,
Under the scorching heat,
You walk to your dream,
Whether big or small,
Whether short or tall,
We are all destined for something great,
In our minds we try to create,
Our road to success,
Run, walk, crawl.
It's okay to fall
The road to our destiny is long,
Trust your instincts, it is never wrong,
It's fine to go at your own pace,
Because slow and steady wins the race.
Do not listen to the voice of the haters
You have the power to shut them away.
The disappointments will be there,
Just have faith in God
And your dreams will come on one bright and sunny day.
Slow and steady wins the race,
Little by little,a life builds,
Moment by moment,time walks,
Age to age,I'll grow.
Learning a little everyday.
And not spending all my time in play.
And still inside me,this rule shall dwell;
For what is worth doing is worth doing well.
I'll do well,whatever I'm to do.
Slow and steady,I'll learn to know,
The supremacy of knowledge of long ago,
The principality of wisdom of time.
And in days to come,we shall see,
That life will be better for me.
There is no greater feeling than to be alive and free
Spending our lives on God's green earth
Reveling in the warmth of yet another sun filled day
The rainy days are sent to us only to remind us
How much we appreciate dear old Mr. Sol
It's what keeps us alive in anticipation of his return
The sun is the source of everything we have here on Earth
We revel in it's ray but also cover up
When we get too much of a good thing
It can be extremely harmful
Which also applies to us here on earth
Everything in moderation should be our motto
It's evident every where we wander
The trick is not to go overboard
When you discover something exhilarating
Just remember, “slow and steady wins the race!”
That shouldn't stop us from enjoying life
We just need to step back every once in a while
Take stock and appreciate everything we have...
NOT what we don't have!
This may sound like a lecture from this old geezer
But there's one thing I do have...
That's a lifetime of experience
© Jack Ellison 2014
Stranded on the road, closed up tight in her shell
Too frightened to head out of the heavy traffic
I took the turtle home to make sure all was well.
She was hungry for she hadn’t eaten since a day
So I dug up four juicy earthworms and put in a bin
The first worm wiggled but the turtle didn’t prey.
We sat quietly and waited and waited and waited
Ants crawled across the pavement and we waited
Hummingbirds buzzed overhead and we waited.
Finally I noticed her eyes tracking a worm,
Slowly shifting her body in right direction
Snapped opened her jaws, picked up the worm
And gummed it to death as turtles lack teeth.
Was full after two worms, a bit in mouth like a cigar
Autism in turtles is a successful failure
Its shell, an amazing self-defense mechanism
Carry their homes and are always at home
Self sufficient mostly, long life, and endurance
Proving the proverb, “Slow and steady wins the race”.
** Inspired by a visit to Myrtle Beach State Park, SC (eastern box turtle
(Terrapene carolina carolina)
July 30, 2014
Form: Free Verse
Dr. Ram Mehta
Winners never quit; quitters never win.
If you’re ill-fated, it’s not your sin,
Take it positively, whether you fail,
Mold you harder and sharper like a nail,
Because slow and steady wins the race,
It does not matter how shorter is your pace.
And be steadfast and not falter,
Have you viewed a rein like a halter,
A pulse-less thing but controls,
Horses' cab and their souls,
A feeble man who empowers his energies,
Can defeat the world with countless mysteries,
Until one has faith in his qualities and capabilities,
One won’t be able to surmount with possibilities,
Reach the summit or go in-depth of the deep ocean,
Overcome all your difficulties with a steady motion,
Wake up, young man; it’s not a dream,
So get over worries and have a big beam.
Why won’t this feeling fade
My heart beat’s slowing pace
They say slow and steady wins the race
But here I am in second place
My minds running everywhere
This just isn’t fair
So much for being there
And what I hoped we could share
Feelings thrown around
Careless moments bring me down
You got my emotions all unwound
Thought my heart was safe and sound
All I wanted was you
I thought you wanted me too
Do you understand what I’m even going through
Looks like hello heartache round two
Why did you tried to hide it
It’s wrong, no use in trying to right it
All along I thought you were trying to fight it
Never knew these feelings were unrequited
You tore me down broke my spirit
I listened but almost refused to hear it
I offered my heart, to volunteer it
But now my thoughts are just to fear it
You’re getting quicker at falling in love
But I shouldn’t have to tell you
This is not a competition
Take your time
Wasn’t it Aesop that told us
Slow and steady wins the race?
Well, I guess you’re a loser
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