toc tac toe
I am always X
weirdly enough
every young person I meet is also always X
I had to learn to be O
begrudgingly
Keeping busy
Tic-Tac-Toe
Checking my lists
Tic-Tac-Toe
Cooking and cleaning
Tic-Tac-Toe
Trips to the lake
Tic-Tac-Toe
Let's take a walk
Tic-Tac-Toe
Rummaging and fumbling
Tic-Tac-Toe
Just keeping busy
Tic-Tac-Toe
Never still. Never rest
Tic-Tac-Toe
Time always heals Mother said
Tic-Tac-Toe
Memories Never Fade
Tic-Tac-Toe
*This poem will make more sense to Americans
who watched t.v. in the 1970’s
TIC TAC TOE
the board real tidy. today Tiger would hold
together the family photo. how old the queuing.
surely the Brady six hated tic tac toe -
the anniversary cake blows
the squares, it’s centerfold - Borgnine, Lynde
and Rivers. family full of puzzling fun,
riveting answers. Alice lines them up -
his and her kids, girls on one side, boys
on the other, mom and dad, and plops
herself in the middle, as an inclusion.
delusional housekeeper dates Sam the butcher.
braces and nose job…Marcia…Marcia…Marcia
singing group, house of cards, a charm bracelet.
Tiger’s a thief. Kitty Carryall, his beef.
blame Bobby. Jan gets revenge by sneezing.
sneezing…sneezing…sneezing, sends
the dog away. “in what state was Lincoln born?”
Lynde’s square lit up. He grabs hold of his muse:
“like all of us naked and screaming.” sardonic
tic, tac, toe vibrations of Uncle Arthur’s laugh.
TIC
Competitive repetitive compulsive movement sound
Nervously unknown to me I rebound
TACK
Like a ship I sail I change my course the boat's head through the wind
TOE
A digit of the foot just three phalanx bones honed
Gridded nine square I am
A seeker alternating turn complete row
Is it jest or just a game, games
Diagonal
Noughts and crosses
Diagonal horizontal
Lethargic I take the toll
Three in a row
Tic-tac-toe
6/16/21
Written by James Edward Lee Sr ©
TIC-TAC-toe, TIC-TAC-toe,
And we are at war with ourselves.
We are like little, scary dwarfs
We sit, all the best in ourselves is destroyed.
TIC-TAC-toe, TIC-TAC-toe,
And they draw crosses on our backs.
Our sins are sometimes so great,
That we are walking a mile atonement.
TIC-TAC-toe, TIC-TAC-toe
We shed blood reluctantly.
We are innocent of being traitors
And we perish, flying into the abyss.
TIC-TAC-toe, TIC-TAC-toe
We laugh at someone's pain,
And even heavenly messengers,
Sprinkle their wounds with white salt.
TIC-TAC-toe, TIC-TAC-toe,
And we are still behind the fence.
We have violated all the laws of logic,
And we catch the air with our mouths closed.
TIC-TAC-toe, TIC-TAC-toe
We couldn't change ourselves.
We are still big fans
The ones that burned us in the past.
The game of love is not unique
We can play it many ways
So why not try some tongue and cheek
To set a love ablaze
I’ll start and give a big ole’ hug
Represented by an O
And place it center where it’s snug
In Lover’s Tic Tac Toe
You answer with a tender kiss
In the left-hand corner
Your luscious X will taste of bliss
Now the game is getting warmer
I’ll mark an O below your kiss
Soon my hugs may form a row
Wait, your next smooch has gone amiss
By not blocking me below
It’s time to snatch up victory
I’ll place an O for three hugs
But that lapse would end this story
Coz I’d lose without your love
I think we’ve learned how to play this
Timeless game of Tic Tac Toe
We both share a hug and a kiss
No matter where letters go
TIC TAC TOE
I DON’T PLAY TIC TAC TOE ANYMORE
I’M JUST INTO THE EXE’S YOU SCORE
I ONCE WAS A SQUARE
FULL OF CIRCLES IN MY HAIR
BUT NOW I COMPARE
AND DRAW A LINE
THROUGH EVERY EXE‘S OF MINE
SO ARE YOU READY TO CROSS THE LINE
I’M WORTH THE RIGHT PRICE
SOON THERE BE RICE
THREE FOR THREE CROSS WITH ME
I’M STILL CIRCLING WITH MY HAIR
BUT I’M NOT GOING TO EXE’S YOU OUT
EVEN AFTER YOU CROSS THAT LINE
AND LEAVE ME BEHIND
LET’S TAKE THE TIME
NOT PLAY THAT GAME SHINE
I’M HOPING YOU’RE THE LAST EXE’S OF MINE
WITH MORE CIRCLES IN MY HAIR
SO ARE YOU READY TO CROSS THAT LINE
I DON’T PLAY TIC TAC TOE ANYMORE
I’M JUST INTO THE EXE’S, YOU SCORE
I ONCE WAS A SQUARE
FULL OF CIRCLE IN MY HAIR
BUT NOW I COMPARE
THROUGH EVERY EXE’S OF MINE
SO ARTE YOU READY TO CROSS THE LINE
BY; SHAWN JONES
03/03/09
A hankerin’
an unscratched itch
which one doesn’t wish to scratch for one
a need for heat and warmth
a turnstile dreamer ushers night to morn.
A what the hell
why not devil may care
for who else does?
The siren calls Ulysses to her gate.
Flower scents surmount
the desert dryness of aging heroines.
Lotharios play grinding tic tac and toes
searching for the golden fleece.
And neither Heaven nor Hell
concerns themselves
with such mundane matters.
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.