aft’ the storm’s the cure
the salt licks his face
though trenches’s formed
as foam settles down
will his Tessie rest
in his windward eyes
will she lay on his treasure chest
hearing the ebb and flow
as his vocal cords desist
from commanding mates
to feel the siren’s call,
to salve the absinthium,
absolve him with ecstasy
will she be there at all
or has the sail been torn
by the storm that rages within
will the Captain choose
to down the bitter sea water
drown in his rusty pipes
as Betsy sits on his shoulder
his eye rolled down the plank
he patched up the hole
Tessie’s tears are the seas
the salt assaults her
the Captain once hit Tessie
with a bottle…the ship
he’d never hurt the girl
who always waits on the shore
wait! wait!
he does come
he finds she’s a wild one
able to handle sea monsters
Tessie’s hand swats Betsy away
puts her in a cage
traps the man of her dreams
they both dream the same dream
so far away…P.S.
and again…P.S.S.
the wanderer must, forlornly, leave it at
P.S.S.S. before she realizes he is crazy,
crazy in his love for her.
he misses her kisses and hugs,
having said so,
from a so and so bum,
from the one so in love with grandma,
he feels he can never measure up.
history tells another story,
writes another letter, if you will.
i’m blessed to traipse and trespass
where i would not have been invited
just short years ago.
the treasure chest passed
from Grandma
to my late Aunt
to her Son
who graciously
offered a gift…the gift
being love letters -
wasn’t expecting the lovely chest it was in.
it was either bought or made by my grandpa
who passed away when i was two.
around forty-two or so,
i was told i was my grandpa’s favorite,
but not so…
that was his love Tessie,
forever…so long ago.
P.S. my kids don’t get it,
not the chest…
P.S.S. the letters
P.S.S.S the romance, like i do,
like he did and he did
say i do i do i do -
well for that last part that was my other grandpa.
i live in the midst of a fairy tale
with romantic bookends.
7/3/2023
Tattle tale Tessie is on my last nerve.
She tells on everyone with vigor and verve.
Before they do much Tessie is whining away.
Wearing down my good mood by the end of each day.
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah she whimpers and whines.
Stressing me out before I have had my snack or my wines.
This boy did that and thoses other two girls did this.
Grating my nerves, she a down-in-the-mouth miss.
Here she comes up the sidewalk to talk to me.
I am hiding in my house, hoping my car she won’t see.
She presses the buzzer for fifteen minutes, yelling “tee hee”.
I simply cannot abide one more day listening to Tattle Tale Tessie.
T-he
E-pidemic
S-ickness
S-preads
I-nfecting
E-very
C-ommunity
A-s
S-tealth
T-hreat's
R-aunch
E-mploys
N-asty
C-orona's
E-eriness
Topic: Birthday of Tessie M. Castrence (April 15)
Form: Vertical Monocrostic
T-he
E-pidemic
S-ickness
S-preads
I-nfecting
E-very
C-ommunity
A-s
S-tealth
T-hreat's
R-aunch
E-mploys
N-asty
C-orona's
E-eriness
Topic: Birthday of Tessie M. Castrence (April 15)
Form: Vertical Monocrostic
T-he
E-xcellent
S-cribe
S-imply
I-nspires
E-veryone
E-mploying
B-irthday
A-crostic
L-ines
O-f
B-ig
O-ccasion
Topic: Birthday of Tessie Ebalobo (December 21)
Form: Vertical Monocrostic
T-he
E-arly
S-plendor
S-hines
I-n
E-ffulgent
E-arth
B-ecause
A-pparent
L-ight
O-bliterates
B-leak
O-bscurity
Topic: Birthday of Tessie Ebalobo (December 21)
Form: Vertical Monocrostic
T-he
E-ffulgent
S-un
S-hines
I-n
E-arly
M-orn
A-s
N-ew
L-ight
A-nd
N-atural
G-low
I-solate
T-wilight
Topic: Birthday of Tessie Manlangit (September 16)
Form: Vertical Monocrostic
Dear George, our cat grand-baby, now you're gone;
our hearts are saddened on this rainy day.
Your family found out this early dawn
those angels came to take you now away.
We do remember how you came to them...
a stray, you wouldn't leave the porch for days.
A handsome, large tuxedo cat, a gem...
you won their hearts in many unique ways.
You found the family who you would love
and charmed them so that they would take you in.
So many years, with joy and comfort of
your loving ways...their special gift you've been.
Goodbye, sweet Georgie, now you fly away
to kitty heaven...find Felisha, Charlie,
Lucy, Bessie, Tessie...to now play
with these sweet kitties that were family.
Why I Don’t Unfriend Tessie
By Elton Camp
Tessie will post a dozen times a day
Things foolish and ignorant they say
Her God, she asserts, is testing her
By the things that continually occur
No matter how bad things may seem,
“It’s part of his plan,” is her silly dream
Really, she brings woe upon herself,
But to that, she’s both blind and deaf
People she loves, she does say,
But only if they’re born in the USA
Of facts of history she has no clue
And current events does misconstrue
Invalid reasons she is always giving
As to why the world owes her a living
Her life is a living contradiction
Showing her ideas are only fiction
However, her rants I sort of like to see
Somebody who’s worse off than me
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.