(Editor’s note: My first monostich. Special thanks to Proletaria for inspiring this humble attempt)
“The hero of Waterloo was last seen riding away, in the wrong direction.”
Month: February 2019
I Yam, Who I Yam!
Popeye was my kinda guy
a free spirit who says aye! aye!
I yam who I yam, he would say
a phrase that always made my day
the spinach-eating sailor was very strong
always stopping Brutus when he was wrong
Olive Oly was the apple of his eye
but that gal could be fickle and sly
promising kisses and expecting gifts
she was the cause of most of his rifts
but Popeye always came back for more
because it was Olive he did adore
Another Day On The Merry- Go-Round
awakening at the first light of day
I think of the challenges ahead
some with hope and others with dread
it’s never easy getting out of bed
the key, I’m told, is a good attitude
in spite of what may lie ahead
you realize it’s better than being dead
so let your worries go unsaid
life is a merry-go-round
my grandfather use to say
embrace it and have a good day!
Maniacal Melodies
once I watched looney tunes
with crazy music in the background
and loveable cartoon goons
back in the day
memories of maniacal melodies
morphed into dismay
listening to rock and roll
one fateful tropical day
in a helicopter on my way
to battle
Idiocracy and Liberty
it’s been plain to see
from sea-to-shining sea
America has become an idiocracy
instead of a democracy
oh say, can you see…
the dumbing down of our society?
our president’s notoriety?
the partisan impropriety?
someday historians will agree
this was a dark time in our history
our saving grace, we love to be free
we believe in social equality
and in the Constitution’s guarantee
the very foundation of this country
A Bird Jubilee
looking up at a beautiful blue sky
filled with flocks of busy birds
hearing an Orioles clear cry
a Veery Thrush’s sweet melody nearby
their acrobats in the sky
waterfall notes of tiny Wrens
flocks of feathered friends
Grosbeak’s melodic tones
White Geese’s harsh baritones
riding the winds currents
and the cross currents
sparrows sing joyfully
in a bird led jubilee
The Fable of Fate
scholars and philosophers claim
we are all victims of fate
in some big game
nothing is foreordained
our future is unwritten
we choose our own lane
how we spend each day
dealing with reality
and sometimes play
fate is not cast in concrete
framing your name
on destiny’s side street
I don’t care what the poets say
we are not bound by fate
or any other written cliché
and what pundits say
Hilarity in the Key of Be
it takes practice to be happy
to enjoy each day
no matter what comes your way
there’s no limits to hilarity
and the joys it brings
to little things
belly laughs and chuckles
achieve their happy goal
of bringing peace to your soul
look how breathless laughter
brings a smile to your face
when your in a bad place
oh, hilarity!
Where would we be without thee?
Repetition: The Earth’s Opera
the steady flow of water cascading down ancient cliffs
fed by hidden springs forever full
repeating repeating repeating
a cycle stretching back to the dawn of time
a chorus of crickets singing
repeating repeating repeating
the heartbeats of mother Earth
the sound of whistling winds
repeating repeating repeating
a secret orchestra for the universe
and songs for other galaxies
repeating repeating repeating
throughout eternity
Shopping At The Fantasy Store
step right in to a writer’s dream
and visit a fantasy store
where imagination is the central theme
story ideas from A to Z
are carefully separated
for all to see
tomes full of wizards words
nestled alongside fairy tales
and legends of Thunderbirds
rows upon rows of fantasy
inspirations from famous scribes
throughout history
there is no end in sight
you can go on forever
with the speed of light
The Creative Chronicles of Dave Stancliff 