Timbuktu Poems | Examples

Listen for the Wind

The draft dips downward, limbs swaying in the wind;
fearless butterfly hovers over a branch.
Listening too late, one strong gust of wind
propels her towards an overhanging tree.
She grabs hold; hunching under leaves; she waits it out.
What a story she'll have for her kiddoes tonight.

Audacious bee is busily engaged
stockpiling nectar from nearby tulip blooms.
He hears the wind's howl and crawls quickly to safety
deep inside a budding tulip blossom's petals.
"Wind's too strong to risk flying back to the hive;
I might land in Timbuktu or the Sahara."

Hard-working ants set out on their quest early;
word has it that there's treasure on Ridge Rd.
Hauling crumbs twice his size, along the dusty path,
Andy has made three trips already by noon.
Wearily, he trudges along with his last load
and gets wind of a blast coming his way.
Dropping cargo, he crawls to a crack just in time.

watching dog play

I sit in the sun, the dogs are up here too
our young puppy digs a hole in the yard toward Timbuktu
now he’s on top of his brother, pushing the Great Dane down in the dirt
a gentle giant, his bro merely rolls away, nothing bothers Old Kurt

July Daydreams

Summer heat fades away.
The crisp nip of an Autumn breeze
brings in skeletal trees without leaves. 
Soon comes the icy winter night;
the gnawing frostbite.
Spring provides a moment of warm peace
until grey skies bring storms of grief.
Summer is the true season of release.
I pray for a sunny day.

I long to bask in humid July air,
listening to Cicadas sing,
staying up long past dark,
and shooting fireworks in the park.
We dress in our nation’s color schemes 
fishing in lakes and swimming through streams.
Vacation is all that we need.

In July I will never run out of things to do. 
Backflip on some rickety trampolines
or bike ride to Timbuktu.
Try thousands of cuisines.
Find new animals at the zoo.
Relax and fly the banners of red white and blue,
because July waits for you too.

Single Spells

(To the tune of “Jingle Bells”)


Dashing through my tasks,
In a cubicle so tight,
I hear the coffee slosh,
Another deadline fight.

Bells from emails ring,
I can’t ignore the sound,
Oh, what fun it is to sprint
Through tasks that come around!

(Chorus)
Single spells, single spells,
Typing all the way!
Oh, what fun it is to pray
For lunch to save the day—HEY!
Single spells, single spells,
Bosses want it fast,
Why did I say I’d stay this late?
This day will never pass!

A week ago today,
I thought I had it done,
But then the boss exclaimed,
“Redo it, just for fun!”

I clenched my teeth and smiled,
(That’s what professionals do),
Then daydreamed of my holiday
And flights to Timbuktu!

(Chorus)
Single spells, single spells,
Typing all the way!
Oh, what fun it is to pray
For lunch to save the day—HEY!
Single spells, single spells,
Deadlines never end,
Guess I’ll sing this little song
Until my sanity bends!

Baloney I say to the latest Political Ballyhoo

baloney I say to the latest political ballyhoo
no one gets shot with a high power in Timbuktu
and they get more than an ear scratch if they do
I roll my eyes and scoff at the crazy new ballyhoo

Long distance lust - bawdy warning!

There was a horny man from Timbuktu.
Fell in love with a girl from Kathmandu.
Bursting with desire and lust.
Felt she's the one he can trust.
Asked for a game of sexy peekaboo.

Finally switched on their video chat,
but he realised he had been a prat.
Slowly lifting her pink frock,
revealed a ginormous cock.
The shock almost gave him a heart attack!

from here to there

fabled desert land
mere whisper of what once was …
humble Timbuktu

what if the humans get upset

The mice came running in from Timbuktu and Kalamazoo
The farmer mice from the country fields came in too.
What if we run out of food? What will we do?
We’ll send you to the store said my Auntie Blue.

What if the humans get upset? A little one said.
The grown mice laughed it up until their faces were red.
When they see all of us, they will take to a bed.
And put all the covers and blankets over their head.

My Don Juan

I would like dark chocolate, but I need you
Cadbury alone won't do
I'll climb the Himalayan for you, because
When I'm with you, really with you
Grand Central can come in, yet fade thin, as
I bask with touch of you
Fierce, yet mild well-rounded honeybee
A die-hard Christian man forever, because, 
From Okinawa to Timbuktu,
History's fiercest touch to your faith you've faced.
You're continental, universal
Unforgettably cultural
You're my drug of choice
Sweet chocolate could sedate one's voice
But you! You're not terribly sweet
Your bitter changes to firm treat,
Then I know for sure,
You're my Don Juan.

*

Lucy Lee Malady

Kept her malady a secret from the suiters who were smitten was Lucy Lee.
She rapidly dives from insanely happy to a blubbering withering sad little me.
Keep it to yourself her parents told her sisters and brothers and often too.
They wanted to get her married off, and sent off to Detroit, Miami or Timbuktu.

Lucy was an outgoing miss, as introverted as a wallboard in a cupboard.
She could go from zero to sixty in a flash said her neighbor Mrs. J. Hubbard.
The suiters who dated her more than once fled as if chased by a gator.
The one whose mother acted the same crazy way, married Lucy Lee later.

I Cannot Let Go of Anything

Hey! Hey! Hey! We are going to Timbuktu today!
Sing croaking this is a frog family known as McCray
They pack their red Volkswagen into the ground
It won’t move a bit, steering wheel cannot move around

I cannot let go of anything little sister admits
Daddy gets angry and throws two masculine fits.
Mommy also refuses to take any suitcases down
So they get stuck staying all weekend in their town.

Tippy Canoe and Tyler Too

Tippy Canoe and Tyler too
Gray rabbit is on top with attitude, spots overdue
Red rhino steadies him as he leans
Balancing a blue ball, which is filled with beans

Rocket ship is kind of in the middle
played by a panda who is never second fiddle
they are all riding across the lake on a tan canoe
decorated by the busy gnomes from Timbuktu

Overtaken By Pirates

red morrel mushrooms that always overgrew
they annoy me sometimes, how about you?
hey! who invited Captain M’s pirate crew?
They are rude and always spit in the awful beef stew

They all pretend they cannot find the loo
I smell them as they come in, they smell like mildew
they are reeking up my living room through and through
can’t you get them to bathe? I ask my cousin Lu.

None of you landlubbers are as fresh as the dew.
This is said by the first mate, they call him Big Blue.
Why does that overgrown dog always moo?
They were weird, coarse and wild, from Timbuktu.

I warned others with looks not to give Blue a clue.
My pet is my pet, and killing her is not what I’ll do.
They can find beef somewhere else, I do not explain her moo.
Why don’t you sit down while I ladle up your stew?

Lord Alfred Tennyson

Clairibel
Mariana
Timbuktu
Lord Alfred Tennyson
poet loved by my favorite poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge
charge of the light brigade
my husband’s favorite poem
“theirs is not to reason why”

Giggly Diggidy and Grandma

Giggidy Diggidy the turquoise giraffe from Timbuktu
Was teaching hip hop to my grandma, she is ninety-two.
She’s too old for that kind of music, some of the youngsters said.
Leave her alone! Yelled Giggidy Diggidy. She is not near dead!

Grandma and Giggidy Diggidy made a terrific couple for sure.
He moved in with her on Friday, and they found a Covid-cure.
They entered a dance off contest, and won a trophy, gold.
Watching them as a couple of enthusiasts may never get old.

If grandma calls and asks my blessing, I will say okay.
While she is dancing with Giggidy Grandpa is sleeping away.
Their dancing will not bother him, he has dementia nearly every day.
Trying to forget that his forgetting is now being carried away.

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