On the hills is a forest of windmills.
A chimera mirage of
shrill, garish pinwheels,
Wailing an endless lament
to the tragedy of the commons.
They spin a yarn of the
collapse of self-sufficiency
and starved frugality,
that yearned to curb our needs.
It's already too late,
or almost too late to ever succeed
in providing for the commons.
I like poignant writings from the heart
clever lines that hook you from the start.
I admire a tall tale if you can spin a yarn
not pedantic but nothing suited for a barn
I love hand picked words that exude charm
and even the dramatic ones that sound every alarm
I love poetry that is sublime and elevates itself
the kind I say that I wish I had written it myself
AP: 3rd place 2025
There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so
William Shakespeare
It is all about perspective and that is key to heart
Shiny blade of cutting edge, do you kill or butter
pray tell, OH, Sitting knife !
Shall I use my quill and write about you as you are
or spin a yarn regarding you, telling tales to see how far ?
Should I stretch my wenden shades of rose for you,
or strive to see thy point of view !
Interpret me with candor and honesty dear mate,
and please remember this ...
If you hold me to the sun, I will reflect thy shine
if you hold me to the dark, all ignorance be thine !
Perception is key for all of truth's reveal
so may thine eyes be set in truth and see the good in me.
Make haste, adjust thy lens, ... take me to a place of love.
Let me spin a yarn, reality,
Failing the weight loss industry
No binge eating any more,
Comfort food had left the store,
NO COOKIES!, so hard,
Lettuce leaves by the yard,
Must stop pretending, I say,
Hobbit's second breakfasts, okay.
Time to accept, destress, funny,
Now home for raisin toast and tea,
Hot and sweet, fat like me,
Yes, failed weight loss totally!
Just trust me..I am going to spin a yarn, I am a politican!
Now would i do you real harm?
Midnight comes and I'm lying in my bed wide awake due to
Anxious thoughts of what will happen tomorrow at the
Staff Christmas party. No doubt the alcohol will flow leading to
Questionable decisions made by myself in order to entertain others
Unnecessarily to cover my true inner self. I am seen by others as an
Extrovert, when in reality, I'm longing to be alone. Ideally, I'd be more
Reclusive than I let on, but the show must go on, and as the office clown, I
Am always expected to do a prank on a co-worker or spin a yarn. I am
Definitely hiding behind a mask, as so many others do. It's easier than
Expressing my true feelings and being who I want to be.
Arranging Words
Arranging words
Tell a story
Like a film noir
Of make believe
Writing it alright
String you all along
With savior-faire
Like a love song
Draw you right in
Like a big straw
Take a joyride
In cartoons cars
All read along
While I spin a yarn
May be about a girl
Or a man of charm
Arranging words
Make a story
Like a film noir
Of make believe
Bill MacEachern 3/19/23
Do footles ever fournicate?
From two come more, and soon there’s eight
The image conjured up ain’t great
Them spondees, trochees on a date
Gosh, aren’t they cute? They’re all the rage
right there in strands across the page
Cuz less is more, and I’m a sage
The tribble's I don’t act my age
Or have you ever metaphor?
I’ve met a ten, but ’twas before
My wife - we don’t use scales no more
a weighty matter, out the door!
Why's it folks don’t discuss meter?
You mention length, the convo peters…
‘Was thinking more 'bout counting sheep
And not how long the missus keeps
The high regard for iambs, odd
The way they sound, you’d think they’re god
And what about the punks you ate?
My colon’s bad; I still dash great.
And then there is the Bard’s blank verse
I think they’re hiding something worse
Like sometimes how, here at the Soup
They filter words worse than Jan’s poop.
I’d best not rant on dactyl feet;
For now I think my work’s complete
Y’all come back, we'll spin a yarn
I'm ratcheer at the Poem Barn
The optimist said that fifty years is half your life,
but the audience surely knows
that men don't live much longer than
the heyday of their town's proud factory
or the life span of an empire in the modern age.
Fifty-five years down a blind path cluttered with bombshells,
every wrong foot a heaving blast,
brickbats, not lemons rain down on
my tiny comic parasol till
I am left here holding only bent and rusty bones.
This is the part where the optimist will spin a yarn
about weaving a tapestry
from the ragged bits remaining,
the breathless crowd expecting the hero
to run their happy gauntlet again and again,
till the last clod falls.
Gather round while I spin a yarn
'bout a young gal, grew up in a barn
With horses and cows, she had her own stall
She loved taking care of them, most of all
She'd feed the horses and milk every cow
Nobody ever showed her quite how
She worked so hard, she rubbed her hands raw
Baling the hay and bundling the straw
Well, year after year she took care of her tasks
Secretly hoping that someone would ask
Her out on a date or some such like that
But she was afraid of men and a little bit fat
One summer day the sky turned pitch black
A tornado was brewing, there was no turning back
It stormed right on in, a-whirling and whooshing, a picture of awe
All her hay swept away, she clutched at two pieces of straw
She hung on to those straw strands with all of her might
As they swilled and swirled, and flew up out of sight
The last folks saw of her, she was high up in the sky
Singin' -- "To heck with horses! I'm a bird; I can fly!"
September 10, 2020
Clutching at Straws Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Kai Michael Neumann
O month
you owned the charm
that gave me peace
if you're far from my heart
please forgive me
You quite knew
my ark is unable to sail
to see your presence
before the permission
I see from your lustre
In your darkness
your room glows
when a castle is dark
let my love shine brightly
and let’s spin a yarn
together.
11 September 2018
Purple Couch
A YARN
OR
2
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A yarn, thread, cotton, wool, fibre, filament, strand, ply, cord, twine, string, and lastly a line.
I can spin a yarn, write a thread, cut a cord, sew with cotton, knit with wool, walk down the strand, ply a lid off, thread a line, draw the line, twine you round my little finger, string out time, clean with cotton wool, and none are a filament of my imagination.
A yarn, a story, a tale, an untruth, a written thread, all filaments of my imagination, all yarns.
Thread my way through a maze, through a jungle, wood, or forest, thread my way through a book of yarns, thread my way through rough times, one thread that attached me to my mother, a thread of life like no other, my personal yarn.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Got my eo-eo working
It just don't work on you
When you see me coming
You see my eo-eo too
Got my eo-eo working
I'll bring it to your party
Maybe we can spin the time
Spin a yarn or two
Got my eo-eo working
Looking shiny new
When you make your mind up
Better tell me to
Better make it up
What looks good on you
Do you want a red one
Or would you rather blue
Got my eo-eo working
How to make it last
I always keep it handy
Keep it spinning fast
Got my eo-eo working
The maker said it's free
The maker said it's good for life
Written guarantee
Mine is red
Never make it blue
Always roll it carefully
I'll roll it back to you
FABLE 1
Free and easy
Works well for me
Spin a yarn here
To fund more cheer
Tell fond story
In words easy
Speak words profound
As thought expounds
Squeak a swift ooze
Watch fable cruise
Hurl the passage
Sign bold message
~~~~~~~~~
Leon Enriquez
13 July 2015
Singapore
Those stealers of hearts;
Untrue were some within the waltz,
Wishful toes so carefully stepped on.
So many a fair maiden dipped in deceit.
Twirling their dreams into dizzy confusion,
As they spin a yarn so sweetly in ear.
Those fleeting embraces ending in a song;
Leading damsels across floors with no beginnings.
(this knight of centuries has met these scoundrels on battlefields,
and was always the one who rode away alive)
Copyright © 2014 Robert William Gruhn - All Rights Reserved
"A poem to me is the essence of any thought,
Being built from its foundation into tower scraping sky.
It can fly like no other bird to places never seen,
Even spaceships can only dream of taking its place."
© 2014 Robert William Gruhn
Sub Categories
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.