He keeps time
in the front of his hat,
a clock that ticks sideways
and only when it wants to.
The books beneath him
lean like secrets,
each spine a doorway
he’s already wandered through
and rearranged.
He laughs softly,
as if the world
is a riddle he solved
years ago
and misplaced the answer
on purpose.
His silk hat glows
with borrowed moonlight.
His shadow stretches
longer than logic.
And his smile~
that crooked invitation~
suggests that madness
is simply wonder
without its manners.
If there’s a message,
it’s hidden in the ticking:
time isn’t the master
of Wonderland.
It’s just another guest
at the Hatter’s table,
pouring tea
into the wrong cup
and pretending
it meant to.
The last of the daylight
s l i d e s across the riverbank
in
its
own
time,
not hurried,
just moving the way light does
when the day is almost done.
Light d r i f t s
across
the water,
thinning
at the edges,
a leftover brightness
finding its place without ceremony.
Reeds b a r e l y move~
a
small
shift
in the air
suggests something passing through~
not a thought exactly,
more like the pause before one forms.
For a moment,
the world holds s t i l l,
not perfected
or polished,
just resting
in whatever shape
it happened to take today.
Do you think you can forgive,
that my brain is like a sieve?
A memory in absentia,
suggests possible dementia,
or perhaps, instead,
scattered holes inside my head.
Once, I was a kid like you,
and one day, you'll be old, too.
Gleam in the mirror acts like it’s running some bright scheme,
stream of thoughts tell me I’m not as mysterious as I seem;
Twirl the frame and watch my reflection start to whirl,
furl a knowing grin, amused I’m trying to look like a serious girl.
Glows from the glass suggests it’s wiser than I know,
shows me practicing pep-talks I perfected ages ago;
Slide into view and see my mirror-self politely hide,
wide grows a teasing grin, “Nice effort,” with pride.
My GPS has started giving me sass,
calling me dear and telling me cars to pass
and after the turn I just made, muttering mercy, alas~
clearly it’s aged into full personality.
It sighs when I drive under the speed limit,
reminds me my blinker’s been on for a minute,
and once declared, “We’ll get there… eventually…
if we’re committed.”
It refuses shortcuts, claiming they’re too risky,
suggests scenic routes where the air feels frisky,
and warns me sternly when traffic gets too brisk-y.
Indeed, my GPS has become my personal chaperone.
When I finally reach my destination,
it softens its tone with warm appreciation:
“Well done, dear heart. A triumphant navigation.”
And I swear it pats me on the dashboard.
The footprints of an ant
as it trudges in the dust
The fluttering of leaves
stirred by a windy gust
A stratus cloud
silhouettes against the sky
There's a flock of coral red head brolgas
in casual formation as they fly
The stunning streak of rays
as the sunlight breaks the dawn
Signals that another magic day
once again has just been born
The billowing of large clouds
suggests an imminent storm
The arching of a rainbow
a constant structured coloured form
Ripples on the water
of a tiny bubbling stream
All these enchanting patterns of nature
mesmerised, time to rest, just daydream
The football world’s fractured with war
Over Video Assistant VAR,
If in sports as in life
Things scarce are sharp as knife,
What use all this ‘against’ or ‘for’?
Tempers do on games soar,
Should they be football lore?
Hail loss-win less, sportsmanship more.
____________________________
Happenings | 09.07.2026 | football, life, loss, war, win, Limerick
Note: VAR= Video Assistant Referee. The Football World Cup round of 16 between Argentina and Egypt was marred with controversy what with stakes so high causing tempers to rise. This ditty suggests less focus on loss and win and more on sportsmanship.
Bodies float.
Down the deep blue sea,
Washed up on shore,
The life of a Black person no more.
Evidence erased -
By tidal waves,
Or -
So they say,
They claim,
It was an - ACCIDENT
But that is just hearsay
But…
There’s a pattern,
And more and more deaths happen,
Stories don’t add up,
Autopsies - covered up.
One plus one equals two,
And yet in the case of these Black bodies - this is not true,
Somewhere along the lines the truth,
Has been misconstrued.
Like a game of chinese whispers -
Like a solution that doesn’t match the problem.
In the end we will never know,
But bruises don’t just show,
And swimming doesn’t cause head trauma
And yet a blow to the head suggests - Murder?
Secrets eventually surface,
Promises made, are promises broken,
The courts favour the right to blame water,
And in the end we were burned,
By -
The so-called justice system
The statue of a man is blatantly stand
Posture is evident
Oh what a man
~
Vertical virtue substance sustained
Spiritually ratified his vessel hooked on game
~
Fluently the world suggests stands a man, abreast
And yet man stands his tallest in his truest spiritural sense
~
More than I am just flesh a mere man flawed
In the truest essence, he is of himself, the image and righteousness of God
My spirit, My truest self stands strong and eternally tall
7/6/26
Written words by James Edward Lee Sr. 2026
Thoughts of a glass as half empty
will make some feel they are denied.
The missing part suggests a loss
that aches the way they feel inside.
Conversely, though, to think half full
denotes that they are getting some.
The word and mind as one will work
to render each an inverse sum.
The word like empty strikes a nerve-
helps a pessimist to crash-dive.
But full conveys to satisfy-
to make the optimist high-five!
Pitch and Intonation:
Vowel length
Consonant Length
Speech Cadence
Agogic Accent
Dynamic Accent
Tonic Accent
--------------------------------------
I have no idea of the things you say
what are you talking about
ah come on
what's you saying man?
--------------------------------------
BlackBerries
--------------------------------------
Some research suggests that the specific antioxidants in blackberries (anthocyanins) may help promote increased fat oxidation—meaning your body burns fat more effectivel
Their high water and fiber content provide a high volume of food with very few calories, which is exactly what makes weight management easier
I heard it was a ground hog and a raccoon
loud angry screeching and wailing woke us up for the day
the morning is usually a lot more quiet
this is the country
crow hag races toward the fight
if anyone will involve themselves it is her
the rest of us clear a path
she is more forceful than a WWII general
she is wearing an orange cloak today
I glimpse it as she races forward
what is on her head?
maybe a kerchief? someone suggests
We do not put anything past her
crow hag rules this forest and the swamp
an orchestra leader
the bull frog dares not croak without her permission
windows stare at me from every direction
gray streets, gray buildings, gray people
dead eyes walking toward me
I don’t ask any of them for help
I have never trusted urbanites
Don’t care if it takes me six hours more
I will find my way back to that hotel
an inner voice suggests cab?
I laugh at this
Don’t even remember the name of it
dead eyes file past atop listless expressions
zombies on tv have more animation
I had forgotten how much I despise cities
this is the last time I tell myself
It takes me three more hours to get back
Theory of distinguished alpha
Elements of sentences that intertwine
Philosophy of emotion
Antecedent through expressions
Conviction of confess
Formulates a test
Introduction into Poetry
Talking Poet in documentation
Creations of sentry
What the mind thinks comes out in words
Open words with the destination being the reader
What the reader sees is sensation
Inner thoughts and inner dreams
It is what Poetry seems
Impact and embrace of empowerment of what the Poet feels
Writing is always a Poet assignment
Commitment to fulfill
Courage to assemble
Contributes to enable
Professor Poe, a true leader in his own words
He suggests, now express to the world, write and be heard.
my cat is mercurial and sound
she prances when she thinks I am not around
but if I notice her she does this slippery slink
her name is on the edge of my dendrites, just on the brink
Prancer seems too lively, Slinker seems unfair
The cat is now batting at an imaginary dog in the air
Why not call her imagination? The dog suggests.
I give him the roll eye, his ideas are never the best
Call me Crissy, Jin-Jin, Jakey, Petunia or John
The cat transports into my brain, and gives me a yawn.
You know her name, my soul work states in dream.
It has always suited her, because she is the Queen.
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.