M. E. Shao

An Ode to the Letter “A”

A picture says a thousand words
At least that’s what they say
Although they can’t describe a thing
As well as the letter “A”
 
“A” means that there’s others
As if there’s two or three
And if there was just only one
“A” would become “the”
 
An Ode to the Letter “B”

Behold! A letter that can be
Better than numbers one and three
Because it sits quite neighborly
Between it’s buddies A & C
 
Boldly standing faithfully
Barely used the same you see
Bugs will spell it differently
But one less E and then it’s be
 
An Ode to the Letter “C”

Can you guess what letters next
Clocking in at number three?
Careful how you use it now
‘Cause it confuses frequently
 
Certain times it’s overlooked, like
Chief – the “I” before the “E”
Can’t use “I” that same way though when
Coming after “C”
 
An Ode to the Letter “D”

Dare I try letter four
Daunting as it may be?
Duly note this verse might prove as
Drab and dull as me
 
Don’t say there’s other letters of such
Deep complexity
Desire to speak in a past tense?
Dread not! Just add a “D”
 
And Ode to the Letter “E”

Ere I forget I said I’d commit
Ever mindful I shall be, and
Execute my promise, my Oath
Elegantly thanking thee
 
Eyes see so much wisdom
Ears hear so much glee
Every single word of love
Ends, with letter “E”
 
An Ode to the Letter “F”

Finally a letter without a long E
For those are easy to rhyme
Frankly it’s fun to come up with a pun
Fresh from out of the mind
 
Forever I wonder, over and under
From bottom to top, all the time
For a bold new way to come out and say
F this…but with no moral fine
 
An Ode to the Letter “G”

Goodness gracious, golly G!
Gifted writers inspire me
Gernsback, Goddard, de Graffigny
Grouped in glory’s category
 
Guiding words with paper and pen
Grandeur achieved by all of them
God bestowed them minds of gold
Goals to emulate when I’m old
 
An Ode to the Letter “H”

Heavens hopeful, but all should know
Hell awaits for heathens below
Havoc, hatred, halls of stones
Heated seats on hopeless thrones
 
Helping mortals foster love
Hoping for the gates above
Hearts are kind for constant fear
Horror and nightmare might be near
 
An Ode to the Letter “I”

I love the vowels for how they serve
In bridging letters, creating words
Insanity comes, ’cause if not for them
Illegible messes that none comprehend
 
Idle time attempting to read
It’s pointless were it not for these
Irked by consonants, throw in the towel
If you want a word…just buy a vowel
 
An Ode to the Letter “J”

Jack and Jill went up the hill
Jogging straight up and down
Joking and playing, having a thrill
Joy till he broke his crown
 
Jumping in fear, Jill looked around
Jolting across the way
Jeering, she returned and scooped him up
Jill’s stick was shaped like a J
 
An Ode to the Letter “K”

Knobbed in darkness, twisted wood
Knuckled as can be
Kinks and dead spots all around
Knotted is the tree
 
Kindling yes, our God will need, as its
Key for making day
Kind, He brightens nights with knights by simply adding
K
 
An Ode to the Letter “L”

Little, little, did I know
L is oh so great
Like the time I drank that wine and
Lulled a pretty mate
 
Lords and ladies, boys and girls
Like all, must pay the well
Lay respect to that which lets us
Love – the letter “L”
 
An Ode to the Letter “M”

Middle of the alphabet
Molded like a gem
Most will say there’s nothing worth
More than Letter “M”
 
Maybe M hates W
Malice with a frown
Mercilessly mocked by him when
M is upside down
 
An Ode to the Letter “N”

Naughty naughty little N
Never helping me
Nothing useful ever comes from
Negativity
 
No and never, none and nor
N is oh so rude
Neighbors M and O must want to
Nix that attitude
 
An Ode to the Letter “O”
Over, under, bottom, top
Odes to letters never stop
On the day I get to Z
Old and wrinkled, I may be
 
Or young and youthful, hopefully
Only time will tell, you see
Our lives are short, we need to grind
Otherwise we’re wasting time
 
An Ode to the Letter “P”

Paper, pencil, pen and ink, in
Prose I’ve grown to speak and think
Public platforms, message boards
Poetic guide of rhythmic chords
 
Poems are pretty, I think it naught
Pretentious such as some have thought
Pious I shan’t think it so
Poetry shall help me grow
 
An Ode to the Letter “Q”

Quiet! I must concentrate
Q is hard to satiate
Quarrels make me want to quit
Quirks in words which don’t quite fit
 
Quorum comes when all are here
Quickly now, our quest is near
Quantify a love for two
Q is married, to the U
 
An Ode to the Letter “R”

Regal existence, loved from afar
Reality dictates we need Letter R
Rigid and rugged it’s straight and it’s curved
Reading is easy when Rs are preserved

Rallying troops or driving a car?
Really won’t work without Letter R
Reason without one, your point is moot
R runs the game, expect the boot
 
An Ode to the Letter “S”

Supposed vision we are told will
Save the world today
Sorry if I disagree
So many told to stay
 
Spite and harm are currently
Sawing through the way
Someday hope for peace and love
So hate will go away
 
An Ode to the Letter “T”

There never was a letter
That can do as much as me
Think about it really hard and
Thank me when you see
 
The other letters hate me
Though, because of jealousy
They say it’s not fair that I rhyme
That super easily
 
An Ode to the Letter “U”

Usually I’d try her number
Unfortunately my hearts asunder
Used to love her, used to hold
Useless now, attempts are cold
 
Until things change for now I’ll be
Under this cloak of melancholy
Urging progress, longing for more
Unable to close the heart wrenching door
 
An Ode to the Letter “V”

Very strong, vivaciously
Voltage high, tenaciously
Veer this verse, voraciously
Vaulting over prose you see
 
Violence in these words you read
Viking frame of mind have we
Vibrant in philosophy
Verbiage is our currency
 
An Ode to the Letter “W”

Well, here we are
Woe is me!
Winding down, finally
Wrapping up this poetry
 
We’re almost done, from A to Z
Writing alphabetically
Won’t be long, but wait! We’re not free
W was easy….X will not be
 
An Ode to the Letter “X”

X can mark the spot I see
Xanax needed this entry
Xi is Greek, it’s fourteen
Xeroxed words, all randomly
 
Xystus too, as I mentioned Greece
Xebecs sailing open seas
Xerosis I suffer cerebrally
Xenial X was not to me
 
An Ode to the Letter “Y”

You may think these odes of mine
Yawn-inducing, wastes of time
Yet I attest validity
Yes they’re written passionately
 
Yesterday I couldn’t show it
Younger me was not a poet
Yearn for greatness, one day bestow it
Years from now, I hope you know it
 
An Ode to the Letter “Z”

Zealots desired to bless my soul
Zilch is my energy left
Zoned out, these odes have taken their toll
Zoo in my mind, though ’twas deft
 
Zip up this project, my brain can now rest
Zero letters now lie ahead
Zephyrs now soothe me, caressing my chest
Zodiac today – time for bed

So sorely do we wish to find
A person who’s just like our kind
Someone who’s just as weird as us
That we can know and love and trust

A person that just lets us be
And even when we disagree
They know that we’re still meant for them
They do not argue and condemn

Because when love is tried and true
It is not only about you
It is a union that you share
A contract, where you’re both aware

That life is meant for everyone
And when our time is gone and done
You’ll find that what we all should do
Is live it not with one, but two

I ask myself, exactly how
Did I not see as I do now?
What things went on in yesteryear
To blind what I can now see clear

Perhaps it is with every age
Our lens grows sharp with each new page
Time, it makes us wise and true
And strips naïveté from you

The young, the old, we’re all the same
Just wand’ring souls in life’s bored game
We drift and dwell and dream and drink
And hardly ever stop to think

It is the way we’ve always been
‘Twas even said when we’d begin
It will not ever change, I fear
I long for what’s lost: yesteryear

Once upon a time a lovely maiden did her chores
She cooked and cleaned and washed and dried and wiped down all the floors
And though her Lord looked down at her, ironically this man
Would force himself upon her because when you’re Lord you think you can

He used her for his twisted games, he thought it was alright
Sadly she just let it be, so she could feed her son at night
And so it went for years and years, till finally one day
Her son grew up and saw the truth, saying that “this man must pay”

Despite his mother’s cries and pleas, the son could not forgive
He told her she deserved much more, this was not a way to live
His mom, you see, quick to agree, would never punish him
Her heart was her worst enemy, enabling Lord to live in sin

So the son approached the man, he stood much taller than Lord did
As the Lord said “hello boy, you’ve grown so much since just a kid”
“I know,” son said, “it must be strange, to be on the receiving end”
“Of the games you play at night, I bet your wife won’t comprehend”

“Won’t comprehend the things you do, to satisfy your appetite”
“I can’t imagine how a person does this and then sleeps at night”
“At least it doesn’t matter now, because I give what is deserved”
“What’s that,” you ask? “To be frank, I really hate to touch a nerve”

“But since we’re here I will be clear, this might begin to sting a bit”
“I’ve wanted this for oh so long, because you’re such a *******”
“It’s my turn now, so turn around, this will not end quick I must say”
“This won’t be fun, and when I’m done, this broomstick will make sure you pay”

As we sit here, looking
Across the plains, the sea
One looks at the other
And the other looks at me

He says "Hey, my goodness gracious,
That lady needs a room"
She says "I know, she surely needs one,
This weathers looking gloom"

And as I sit observing
The clouds, they start to rain
The lady pulls her pockets
Naught a penny to her name

Frowning, I sadly watch her
How helpless she must be
To try and find a shelter
That will take her in for free

Then my dreary gaze shifts
To the hill beyond the tree
As the Monster in the Mansion
Stands on his balcony

As he looks upon her
She says "I'll give you all I've got
Please save me from this weather
I ask not for a lot"

Laughing, loudly scoffing
The Monster tilts its head
"Why give my hard earned money?
You should get a job, instead"

Ironically, I'm thinking
As this lady begs and crawls
That the Monster made his fortune
Off of peasants, so he calls

I sigh and cry, just watching
This Monster; not a care
And realize how disheartening
That this life is so unfair

A raindrop has one chance to fall
To land where it might fulfill all
As do dandelions sway
They, just once, will drift away

Breeze will carry, gently now
The seeds of life that they endow
No second chances, no regrets
One life is what each person gets

Do not be nervous
Feel not afraid
Destroy doubt’s wall
And barricade

Live your life as you want to
Do the things you want to do
Boldly tell the one you love
You’re meant to be and not scared of

Embrace the world as you see fit
For time, we don’t get much of it
Make the most of what you’ve got
Live and laugh and love, a lot

If you want truth, then look no more
For it is knocking at your door
The hardest thing to think about
Is that which causes us to doubt

You’re wrong. I’m sorry, but it’s so
The question you must ask now, though
Is do I admit that which is right
Or keep on putting up this fight

See, no one likes to admit fault
We treat it like a wound with salt
But if you could just come to term
You’d be shocked at just what you’ll learn

Pride, it sets back you and me
As does it’s partner, vanity
The day you realize this is true
Is the day you’ll meet the real you

Twenty-twenty, ‘tis said to be
Yet now, so clearly do I see
Hindsight views such times, now lost
To go back I’d pay any cost

Things I wish I’d done, or said
To those who’ve drifted, or lie dead
I wish, so dearly, for the chance
To change what’s now my circumstance

So much sorrow
So much regret
No more tomorrow
They’re gone, and yet

All that’s left to do is clear
I cannot dwell on yesteryear
My choices give no other choice
I’m left with nothing, but my voice

So now I speak the best I can
I try so others understand
What matters can’t be weighed in gold
Its finding those who’s hand you hold

You ask me why I’m like this
I’ll tell you best I can
Some things have happened in my life
That made me who I am

I used to see things one way
But that way got turned to two
And then I started seeing things
From all these points of view

Everything around me changed
‘Twas different than before
The world revealed itself to me
As it drug me ‘cross the floor

It showed me everything it made
It showed me that I’m lost
It showed me that there’s many more
Who feel the same exhaust

And then, it softly spoke to me
It told me to be strong
And if you let your weakness win
You’re right where you belong

I want you to know that you aren’t all alone
I want you to know I’m here too
I want you to see all the struggles in me
And I want you to know I love you

There’s nothing at all that could push me away
Though I know it’s not easy to do
It’s not easy to shed all the walls we put up
It’s not easy to face what is true

Out of all the things that you thought I would care
I’m telling you, matter they don’t
There’s no history or torn tattered family tree
That would make me leave you, ‘cause I won’t

I want to know everything, the good and the bad
The person you actually are
I care not for feelings that truth might bring out
I care about chasing this star

All of us, love, have things we regret
Things we’d change, if only we could
But we can’t, so tonight let me say unto you
Let’s move forward, not stand where we stood

A man enters a lonely room, we’ll call him Mr. Bad
Another joins the other, Mr. Goodman, his comrade
They act and play and do the things that all the people do
And every time that Goodman wins folks’ love, Bad smiles too

“Sure it’s great, I do not hate, for Goodman is the best!”
But on the inside, Mr. Bad is beating on his chest
He writhes around until he’s found someone who hates Good too
And plots with them behind the scenes ‘cause that’s what people do

“Come here my dear, now tell me clear, why is it Good you hate?”
Bad asks the girl he found when he pretends they’re on a date
“He’s about him, he’s arrogant, it rubs me the wrong way!”
The words this little lady said what bothered her that day

“I know!” Said Bad, “The facts are had!
To tell you the whole truth
I hate him too, here’s what we’ll do,
we’ll end it in the booth”
And so it went, although Good meant, to only lend a hand
He died that day, I’m sad to say, on this election stand

And so it goes, as we all know, that’s how these things play out
When jealousy, toxicity, takes hold and causes doubt
So if I may, let me please say, if you’re a Mr. Bad
Take my advice: change your life, or you will wish you had.

Hello ma’am, ‘tis nice to know
There’s such a beauty at this show
Next to this aisle seat with me
What’s that, there usher, you disagree?

Please check my ticket, it says right there
That this lady with such fine hair
Is meant to be right at my side
It’s not my making, fate’s our guide

Love, it seems, has made itself
A thing that’s nestled on our shelf
We met, we talked, we kissed, we held
We danced, our love unparalleled

And years later, two turned to three
A lovely, happy, family
Life is but a journey, yes
So please, be happy, and do not stress