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Pierre Conrath Jan 2021
How bad could this dog’s bite be, thought the courier  
As he rang the door’s bell, stood at the barrier
The mosaic is pixelated, I won’t know
Frenzied mutt or skittish stray, ’til we’re toe to toe

Our trade sometimes takes courage, above and beyond
That’s why we’re called male men, so all can correspond
Canine fiends is what I say, not this man’s best friend
Eager to tear my tunic and feast on rear end

Time to find out whether Pompeii’s poet is pompous  
No horrendous hound in sight, still best be cautious
On the second ring promptly the master himself
Cracks the door, artsy types are eccentric, what else

Today is a lucky day, hand over the scroll
Save parts of my anatomy my other goal
Fear not, my good man, said the poet, alas no dogue
A bone from his day’s pound of flesh as epilogue

Now in his stead I have only a placid pug
The messenger was now relieved and feeling smug
He then looked up and thought: I avoided peril
Only to see the whole city meet the devil

Up goes the volcano, the joke’s on all of us
To think that for a dog warning I made a fuss
Neither the poet nor the mail man made history
Why the pooch is remembered is a mystery
Ron Conway Feb 2019
So here you are, another year gone
I won't ask you what the plan is
I remember you telling me years ago
"I don't even buy green bananas"

It seems like your strategy (such as it is)
Has ended up serving you well
You've been so many places, done so many things
And have so many stories to tell

If the idea here is avoid disappointment
The plan falls a little bit short
No life is perfect, things happen to us
(Don't mean to be such a spoilsport)

You raised kids through the sixties I needn't say more
There's no need I should be specific
We got past all that and we all settled down
But we still have a flair for dramatic

You've done really well, I'm so proud of you Mom
Your the best of what this clan is
You set the example, I think that I too
Won't even buy green bananas

                                    rc
This is a poem I wrote for my mother on the occasion of her 95th birthday.
Oliver Philip Dec 2018
Your Humble coats of many colours.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Look alive Poet from whence you started out
To survey the unique position you’re in today
Perhaps find your plate piled high with doubt
A paragon of words abound use as you may
Be not beset with vitriolic gremlins plagued
Would rather stare into space or time t’say
No God given playground, no anyone can play
Rewarding Mothers of Invention thru the day.
                  ~~
Your Regal coat of many colours.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You are alive and to the Manor born
The moment you discovered words n phrases
To rhyme and rhythm your lot to thrive upon
Your transport vehicle to a thousand places
Embroidered each and every line you write
Fear not a monument rides out mystic phases
Identities hid behind a thousand poet faces
Add colour to your verse by embellished traces
                  ~~~
Your Royal coat of many colours.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You are alive and to the Kingdom born
The experience you hold with floral phrases
To offer great critique an ego thrives upon
Your golden carriage to a thousand places.
Silver threads embroider ever line you write
You are a magician now of all mystic phrases
You know the secrets hid behind many faces
Over polishes a crown worn off ...any traces .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Written by Philip.
December 5th 2018.
A trilogy of coats of many colours.
You-will-not-lie, -bed-chambers-long,
For I, -am-coming-to-get, YOU!
Clawed-through-the-dirt, -up-the-roots,
I am here, -come-to-get, YOU!
Followed-tree-roots, -that-sweet-smelling-Earth!
Here now! -It's time-to-forget-YOUTH.

HALLOWEEN THIS! HALLOWEEN THAT!
HALLOWEEN THIS! HALLOWEEN THAT!
HALLOWEEN THIS! HALLOWEEN THAT!
Aha Ha Ha Ha,  -The Goblins Attack!!


Grab-you-and-cover-those-murmuring-cries.
Drag-you-away, I have got, YOU!
Hungry-I, watering-mouth-glistening-eyes!
Bundle-of-joy, I have got, YOU!
Jump-down-tunnel-for-you-are-my-prize.
Look-at-you-now, my-sweet-tasty-meat-PIE!

HALLOWEEN THIS! HALLOWEEN THAT!
HALLOWEEN THIS! HALLOWEEN THAT!
HALLOWEEN THIS! HALLOWEEN THAT!
Aha Ha Ha Ha,  -The Goblins Attack!!







Addendum: The name appears to be an amalgamation etymologically of roots from Greek, Sanskrit and Sumerian. If, of course, you choose to translate it that way. I assume Plato to be an authority on the Ancient Greek's tendency to combine the words of multiple mythologies sharing similar characters linguistically. The purpose of the hyphenation is to suggest the tempo and speed of the rhyme's cadence.

Kalikantzaroi
'The Demon's of Earth'
Kalikantzaroi came up through the earth from Hell climbing the Tree of Life's roots escaping for only three days and nights once each year when the Sun appeared to descend in the same place for said time. That period was Christmas and the children who were bad had a choice; leave a present(gifts) on their doorstep or be pulled down by the Goblins.
It is a Greek fairy tale.

The speed of the rhyme is as fast as you can say it with loud pauses for the Halloween stop phrase. It is a metered rhyme.
The Night Ten to the crescent way,
                   and I'm followin' followin'

Pieces of, -the night or a day,
                 still followin' and followin'

On the Line yeah the sailor's say,
                  Luna come, followin' followin'

And ye-e-eah, ye-e-eah, YEAH! -we're watchin' WATCHIN' -watching every day!

The Night Ten to the crescent way,
                   and I'm followin' followin'

Pieces of, -the night or a day,
                 still followin' and followin'

On the Line yeah the sailor's say,
                  Luna come, followin' followin'

AND IT'S A PLACE OUTS-I-I-I-I-DE, HE'S PLAYING; MR. SHADE!

The Night Ten to the crescent way,
                   and I'm followin' followin'

Pieces of, -the night or a day,
                 still followin' and followin'

On the Line yeah the sailor's say,
                  Luna come, followin' followin'

* AND NO ONE CAN PLAY,
                  -play like Mr. Shade!

The ancients solved Longitudinal navigation by plotting a position against the moon and any one of ten major stars that can be found on the ecliptic at night. Who really believes that four thousand years of moon tablets in Sumer/Shinar are just time tables or astrology?
There ain't no train to heaven,
             ...no miracles, no deal,
There ain't no train to heaven,
             ...that dream it ain't real.

Man there ain't no train to heaven,
             ...there ain't no train to heaven,
             ...there ain't no train to heaven,
             ...there ain't no train to heaven,
but when I get there I'll be still.

Working all these days,
and working all these nights.
All I do is work,
Man that-life-ain't-right!
When I was little,
they said I'd be rich.
Here I am today,
digging one more ******* ditch!
Breaking back and tough,
I'm lost in a bottle...
I'm finally getting outta here, hittin' gas; gone full-throttle!

Cause there ain't no train to heaven,
             ...there ain't no train to heaven,
             ...there ain't no train to heaven,
but when I get there I'll be still.

Woo- there ain't no train to heaven,
             ...no miracles, no deal,
There ain't no train to heaven,
             ...that dream it ain't real.

Man there ain't no train to heaven,
             ...there ain't no train to heaven,
             ...there ain't no train to heaven,
             ...there ain't no train to heaven,
but when I get there I'll be still.

Money is a trap,
without it you get stuck.
All I do is work,
looking for that decent buck.
Pocketing a little here,
no, not really, just enough.
Working harder every day,
man this life is rough.
Broken down, feeling bad,
and I'm lost in a bottle...
I'm finally getting outta here, hittin' gas; gone full-throttle!

There ain't no train to heaven,
             ...no miracles, no deal,
There ain't no train to heaven,
             ...that dream it ain't real.

Man there ain't no train to heaven,
             ...there ain't no train to heaven,
             ...there ain't no train to heaven,
             ...there ain't no train to heaven,
but when I get there I'll be still.
Metered old timey timey.

— The End —