A Spoke broke.
Once Bespoke,
In the ruins I toke.
What a joke.
Wish I'd croak.
Could a fire stoke?
Can it go unspoke?
Too much smoke,
Im bound to choke.
I see my Shadow as a cloak.
It looks so baroque.
I peer to see no folk.
The fire grows with burning oak.
I might die of heatstroke.
What I heard was not misspoke,
The time has come to uncloak
Yea yea slow poke,
Take another toke.
Just rememeber, you cant de-coke,
Until you fix that effing Spoke!
Long Story
I Saw
Lil' Birdy
Peck a Squirrel's
HEAD!
Cat Ain't
Got No
Chance.
Slow Poke.
Sly...
-Gray Squirrel
11-19-2024
Often, when I find myself as part of a crowd,
I slow my steps, gladly falling a little bit behind
so I can escape the bluster of voices, too loud.
It puts me in a more tranquil frame of mind.
Don't think I'm strange because I walk slowly.
Make no judgement because you don't know me.
I take the back row at movies or a concert hall.
When I'm with friends, walking on a sandy beach,
I'm looking for sea glass; a few steps behind I fall.
They're always within my sight. Never out of reach.
Often, I'm called 'slow poke,' with gentle teasing,
but I find falling behind others to be quite pleasing.
~ written for Mark Toney's 'Flash Poetry Challenge'
It was November first, Hedgehog Grandpa’s birthday.
"We’ve got to be going!" Mom was yelling that day.
The one that was keeping us back was brother Gay.
A slow poke again, on that cool Saturday.
"I am leaving now." The voice was loud, from Dad.
"I am right behind you!" I yelled. My name is Thad.
My mother was holding a gift, so that is rad.
Because it is the birthday of H.G., our granddad.
As we headed down to Gramp’s tree, Gay caught up.
He had six excuses, most of them about having to sup.
He was still carrying a bit of toast and a coffee cup.
"When we get there," Dad said “You had better shape up!”
Grandpa came to the door and yelled “I’ll be!”
If anyone acted surprised ever, it was certainly he.
We do this every year, but still this pleased thee.
“Happy birthday!” I yelled to Grandpa. He said "You surprised me!"
Winter storm climax
snowfall mounds measured in Yards
Fast moving clouds play
freeze tag with a slow poke sun
a sleepy Spring thaw awakens
Well, I guess I’m finally that cranky
old Slow Poke: the one who does
25 in a 35—the one who rolls up
his driver’s window, when you pull
alongside with your rock-n-roll
blaring. The one who always signals
the same direction whether turning
right or left. The one who keeps the kid’s
ball when it flies in his front yard attacking
the roses--he talks to them, and God alone
can decipher their colorful language.
But the one who also limps from an old
war injury, the reason why we are not all
speaking German, and high stepping in
Bone-crushing boots. No Rockettes
do I speak of. No smiles from that merciless
Chorus Line. He was also the generation
who dropped the bomb--the big one--
and had lived 50 years with that fateful
decision. “It was the right thing to do…
them or us” repeated through the decades
of nightmares. War is something most young
people only write songs about—protest against...
smoke a joint and have a beer afterwards….
While brave young men and women
leave limbs on the battlefield to protect
the right for so many to be thankless
fools….
down the stairs
down the creek
creek is down
creek is flowing
flowing fast
flowing under
under glass
under pass
pass it over
pass it slow
slow poke
slow down
down and around
down for the count
count the money
count is under
under siege
under the sun
sun is hot
sun went down
down beat
down south
south west
south bound
bound up
bound down
down the road
down time
time out
time to go
go slow
go under
under appreciate
under paid
paid down
paid up
up the creek
up or down
down wind
down a well
well is full
well is deep
deep pockets
deep and down
down and out
down and down
down under
down bridge
bridge
under
© Eve Roper 8/11/2015
Contest Name: Down Under
Sponsor: Debbie Guzzi
School days
There is something these days
I will see.
As the days become shorter for the year I do hear.
Children now begin to jump for joy.
As they run to their buses not with toys.
Buses here ,Buses there now buses ever where.
Traffic becomes just a real joke A real slow poke.
School days are here.
WOW! the quite of the storm.
cars can go fast but wait there are slow pokes in the world
but when you are behind a slow poke
You are not going anywhere
you honk your horn you yell but thats no good
That stupid old slow car is not worth you time
so take the short cut show him who is bose
dang it he is in front of you again
it would take crack (sniff sniif)
just to get the devil to move dang
how am i going to get him to move???
cookies???????
not even herdsmen
can gather all the pokee's
at the dinner bell
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