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Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

happy song

by horace p sternwall






johnny went down to the station to buy his poor dog a bone
on his way he met hercules, carrying a heavy stone
hercuiles, said johnny, why do you come on so strong
why don’t you put down that rock, and sing a happy song?

hercules responded, in his patented way
why must i listen to this garbage all day?
the world has mistreated me, since the dawn of time
for every nickel you take from me, i want back a dime

john d rockefeller walked the street
and covered miles without missing a beat
he never said hello, or had anything to say
but used his white privilege to make money every day

adolf hitler watched the skies
his hair fell down across his eyes
he had a mustache he could not curl
and destroyed the earth because he could not get a girl

bobo raised rattlesnakes, bozo raised pigs
they drank cheap whiskey and wore blond wigs
they lived in the countryside, far from the crowd
and hated each other but never said so out loud

in a little town on the coast of spain
on the corner of 201st street and main
a banana and an apple sold shares of stock
in a bridge from gibraltar to plymouth rock

the same old story, over again
when women were women, and men were men
adam sold apples, and eve sold trees
and peter pan was left swinging in the breeze

one, two, three, four, five,, six, seven, eight, nine. ten
omar khayyam was the saddest of men
his jug was empty and his poems would not rhyme
he fell in the river and was covered with slime





Monday, August 3, 2026

robin

by horace p sternwall






roses are red
lilies are white
robin was a robber
and rode through the night

roses are red
bluebonnets are blue
he rode like the wind
and his aim was true

the trees are old
the leaves are new
the grass is green
the sky is blue

kingdoms rise
and empires fall
there is always an outlaw
to answer the call





Thursday, May 28, 2026

late night special

by dog e relaford





last night i had the strangest dream
drifting down the old mill stream
apple banana cherry ice cream
kept on coming till i wanted to scream

dog elephant paris france
shine my shoes and press my pants
flower gorilla iron maid
take it easy and sit in the shade

casey jones in his little red wagon
went downtown and slew the dragon
st george cut down the cherry tree
because he was no better than you or me

someday everything will come true
the clouds will be white and the skies will be blue
all the zombies will be young
and all the songs will forever be sung


Friday, May 22, 2026

henry morton stanley 2

by nick nelson





henry morton stanley
was a sight to behold
his eyes were made of ivory
and his teeth were made of gold

he had a hundred gorillas
that he fed green grapes
and a castle full of concubines
of all sizes and shapes

he had a thousand footmen
to announce his every move
and to set off fireworks
when he got in his groove

they came in carriages
to acknowledge his high station
but when they drove away
he felt curiously little elation

they drank his whiskey
and they drank his wine
but at marrying their daughters
they drew the line

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

henry morton stanley

by nick nelson





henry morton stanley
had a splendid black mustache
he dined at delmonico’s
and always paid cash

the roast duck on tuesday
was his favorite entree
he ordered oysters on the half shell
most other days

he strolled down broadway
with a gold headed cane
the peasants cheered him lustily
because he felt their pain

he traveled to africa
on a slow boat to spain
and found doctor livingstone
again and again



Monday, May 18, 2026

harry and darrell

by nick nelson





harry was a horse
darrell was a dog
they took a slow boat to china
and got lost in the fog

harry had a dream
he turned into sherlock holmes
darrell was moriarty
and collected chicken bones

the collection was renowned
throughout the universe and beyond
darrell took to fame
like a frog to a pond

they walked along the beach
picking up smooth stones
when harry woke up
he was all alone



Saturday, May 16, 2026

application

by nick nelson





adam had an apple
he banana’d it to chuck
chuck bought a dinosaur
and an elephant for luck

frank had a gerbil
he promoted it to head cook
the gerbil ran way with the spoon
frank wrote the book

george had a washington
abe lincoln had a yellow dog
they hitched a ride to the county fair
and slept in a hollow log

i am sorry to inform you
your application has been denied
in my personal opinion
you should switch to the other side

joshua hocked his trumpet
for a dollar and fifty cents
and lost the money in a monte game
so he could not pay his rent

elvis was not only
the king of rock and roll
a star rose over easter island
to lead him to his goal

roger had a sunburn
tom had a cigar
they got together in amarillo
to hold up uncle bud’s bar

virtue is rewarded
a wind blows from the west
the highway is deserted
and you know the rest



Tuesday, May 12, 2026

station

by nick nelson





johnny went down to the station
to buy his dog a bone
when he got there
the cupboard was bare
and mama roo had turned to stone

mary went down to the river
to buy her lamb a chop
but the fish had fled
with black hats on their heads
so she opened her own shop

omar went out in the desert
to pick his camel some flowers
before he had enough
a genie woke up
and imprisoned him in a tower

sinbad sat in the harbor
searching the horizon for a ship
nobody showed
with a boat or a load
so he decided to go for a dip

genghis rode across asia
on the slowest horse he could buy
the grass had not grown
he was all alone
so he let out a mournful cry

salome awoke at midnight
and danced to the music in john’s head
the king wore a frown
the queen brought him down
and all the wedding guests had fled



Monday, May 11, 2026

ribbon

by nick nelson





johnny had a ribbon
he cut it with a knife
he escaped into the desert
to redeem his worthless life

mary had a little lamb
at 45th and main
she bought it from the queen of sheba
and sold it to the king of spain

william had a business
he sold it to phil
phil caught catfish
down by the old mill

bigfoot stole a bicycle
and rode it to the moon
if the police catch him
he will sing a sad tune

henry ford and woodrow wilson
sitting on a branch
henry shot a cannonball
woodrow bought the ranch

i will do better, mother
exclaimed miss sara lee
the major may be a gentleman
but he is not too good for me



Saturday, January 24, 2026

guy


by dog e relaford




some thought he was a monster
some thought he was a saint
some thought him the epitome of style
others that he was quaint

some thought he was nasty
some thought he was rather sweet
some would follow him to hell and back
others not across the street

some thought him courteous
some thought him rude
maybe he was both
depending on his mood

he came out of nowhere
and took the world by storm
they took him down to headquarters
to fill out a form

he wrote “name here”
in the space marked “name here”
he was a rebel
and had nothing to fear

they put him in a cell
marked three twenty one
the moon was in the sky
but he was the sun

some thought he was a robot
some thought he was a plant
when pressed for an answer
he said, no such word as “can’t”

some thought he was a monster
some thought he was a saint
some thought he was wood
others thought he was paint

many did not care
other wondered why
deep down inside
he was just a guy





Thursday, January 22, 2026

harlequin


by genghis gilgamesh



henry had a harlequin
he kept it in the yard
the creature was not amusing
but it tried hard

it couldn’t sing
and it couldn’t dance
it could not bake brownies
and was not suited for romance

it couldn’t juggle wineglasses
or balance bowling balls on its head
it stayed up all day
and went to bed

henry left the kingdom
and went on a trip
with a golden sword
held firmly in his grip

let to its own devices
the harlequin stayed home
with the happy that was greece
and the sad that was rome

someday the sun
will revolve around the earth
snakes and dinosaurs will dance
in a ritual of rebirth




Monday, January 5, 2026

johnny's picture


by dog e relaford



johnny drew a picture
he drew it in his head
the sky was blue
and the leaves were red

the grass was green
but was turning brown
the bus was late
on its way from town

johnny was sad
because the bus was late
was this, he wondered
to be his fate?

the bus arrived
driven by a cow
the cow had no license
johnny got on anyhow

the sky turned gray
it started to rain
no one ever saw
poor johnny again




Sunday, January 4, 2026

not very good


by anonymous



i wrote this poem
i wrote it today
it ls not very good
but i like it anyway

roses are flowers
lobsters have shells
i have a secret
i never will tell

some things are free
most things cost
once I was found
but again I am lost

nobody likes me
i have no friends
i hate my life
and wish it would end



Saturday, January 3, 2026

duck


by dog e relaford




johnny had a kangaroo
he left it on the moon
nobody objected
except pete the quiet goon

remember september
when the trees were under water
except for young zero
it would been hotter

charlie had a duck
in everybody’s flowers
go henceforth
and challenge untrammeled power

judy had a koala
which would not mind its manners
lancelot liked blackberries
but merlin preferred bananas





Monday, December 22, 2025

bradley


by horace p sternwall



bradley walked on the sidewalk
with a suitcase in his hand
they thought he was going to work
but he was headed for the promised land

he went down to track 14
and got on the smoking car
he took his pipe from his pocket
though he was not going far

he started to flick his lighter
and a hand fell on his arm
it was his old chum constantine wedge st john
from his days back on the farm

they had run way together
on the b & o railroad line
to find fame and love in the metropolis
and write poetry and drink wine

how are you, old fellow?
st john drawled in his most disarming style
since we waited in the shadows together
it has certainly been a while

the universe has been blown apart
and put together again
and nobody loses any more
and nobody wins

since everybody was a beatnik
and everybody was a seer
and all the vamps were ire
and all the wolves were were




Friday, December 19, 2025

dream 25


by dog e relaford



you know it was a dream
because the person in the dream is dead
you open your eyes
and the air goes out of your head

you go back to sleep
and walk on the dark beach
the waves are silver money
just out of reach

the gang arrives
and tell you they are taking you back
the leader’s name is clark
but you wish that it were mac

mac was your friend (sort of)
a long time ago
you walked in the rain
and got lost in the snow




Tuesday, December 16, 2025

falling asleep poem


by dog e relaford



there is something wrong with my brain
it is hard to explain
the clown eats a pistachio ice cream cone
but his yellow dog has no bone

the white dog outside the window
takes it easy and slow
he has as much time as the sphinx
as the raindrops go plink plink plink

the dishes are piled in the sink
the cook needs another quick drink
the clown is not feeling himself
and puts his red nose back on the shalf

on this spot long ago
a sabre tooth tiger walked in the snow
a dinosaur came in from the cold
and the world was already old




Thursday, November 20, 2025

terrible 4


by horace p sternwall




genghis khan was a rambler
and went his own way
omar khayyam was a gambler
and made his own say

confucius was a wise man
and sat beneath a tree
adam was a working man
with no philosophy

eve wrote a novel
and left it on a park bench
moses wandered in the desert
and felt every man was his hench

i have no time for all this
king henry thundered from his throne
bring me some flattery
and engrave it in stone

the sun rose over the ocean
and the birds flew away
the fishermen left their boats behind
but the fish had to stay

the sun rose over the desert
and the snakes went to sleep
cain stole abel’s treasure
and buried it deep

sinbad sailed the seven seas
beneath a sky of blue
some of the tales about him
may not even be true

have you a story to tell yourself
boring as it may be?
do you want to be rich and famous
or only to be free?