.
az
thuh firme
soldier
whilst hern scream'd
instruccionez
')>
*so i'll 'splain...
en español, firme meanz; 'at
attention', az in thuh military
<]')
On a train
Heard man splain
Female brain
Such a strain
Long refrain
Total pain
Real cross grain
Just a stain
Up stood Jane
Made it plain
Straight explain
To contain
His campaign
In wrong vein
Not his lane
Just insane
“I don’t splain myself,”
Bill Hickok said
before his Colts went off
A dead man lying
at his feet
—his legend time embossed
(Dreamsleep: January, 2022)
Oft when folks are talkin' they'll use a phrase or two,
That can be taken wrongly, the meaning misconstrued;
And so they get the text all wrong and spread it far and wide,
And when you learn what you have said you wonder why they lied.
Some people just don't listen when others talk to them,
So just part of what you're saying ever gets through to them.
Here a word and there a phrase is stored within their mind;
Then they weave it all together and Oh What they can find.
It pays you well to watch your words, speak plain, don't joke around;
For what you say in jest, my friend, will later on rebound.
Then just try to 'splain it. Explain it if you can;
But most folks won't believe you 'cause they just don't understand.
(And they won' try to either)
My loving wife is a woman who’s just not inclined to flatter
Mine pointed out I’m not so serious about things that don’t matter
But I read between the lines of what she thought she meant
Her unintended words of praise, were actually heaven sent!
Plus, a golden opportunity that seemed just right
To ‘splain to the kiddos why I’m not so dang uptight:
“I apologize, I’m well aware, your dad is such an oddity
See, middle-aged energy is such a limited commodity
“If I expend my efforts worrying about everyone’s chit-chatter
Then I will not have said energy when it really matters!
So, do you think I’m such an unrelenting doofus at work?
Well, sometimes, but you can be darned sure I never shirk.
"And here’s the point that I hope all you kiddos apprehend
Someone who doesn’t like your happiness is hardly a good friend.
Just keep your eyes on the prize, who God made you to be
Grow your heart to love yourself; you can be truly free!”
4/27/16
© Thomas W. Quigley
Whatever that actually means
is elusive
discourse helps clarify
clear-mindedness defined by
heart and soul gigs might
help 'splain it some
but only sum
'cause in the end
it's up for
grabs
Caseworker: Yams and Plantain
Cabrini-Green Housing Project
Chicago
Bienvenido’s comin’ over,
says his wife,
to ‘splain me
why the kids
have got no rice,
no beans,
how the landlord’s
shovin’ notes beneath
the door again.
In Puerto Rico Bienvenido
dug up yams,
was paid in plantain,
came over here,
brought his wife,
then his kids.
First New York,
then Chicago,
gave up yams,
gave up plantain,
just to drum
and make a living.
Donal Mahoney
My grandparents are important to me
because they do important things for me.
When I spend the night we have so much fun,
and on the hollowdays we cook to the
morning sun.
Like the bestest chocolate cookies
to spread x-mas glee,
past Easter, Holloween and on
to stuffing a turkey's butt
by me.
If I was older than four I could splain
more clearly, why grandma and granpa
love me so dearly.
I can only guess it's cause my smile,
and my hugs and kisses make it
all worth while.
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.