Submit your work, meet writers and drop the ads. Become a member
 
Mark Toney Mar 2020
Fear
of
flying—
facing fear
he boarded the plane
which some minutes after takeoff
violently shook and then plummeted toward earth—
him being sad, not over his impending death, but having just won the lottery



© 2020 by Mark Toney. All rights reserved.
2/29/2020 - Poetry form: Fibonacci - The number of syllables in each line must equal the sum of the syllables in the two previous lines resulting in  0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21... which is the fibonacci sequence.  The last line of 21 syllables in this poem appears as more than one line because of Hellopoetry's space restrictions and also on mobile devices and smaller screens.  Ah, the Romanesque broccoli spirals of the fibonacci sequence! - © 2020 by Mark Toney. All rights reserved.
Mark Toney Dec 2021
Dew
Early morning
Grace like rain
Renewed day by day
Tranquility




Mark Toney © 2021
Poetry form: Elfchen (a.k.a Elevenie)
Mark Toney May 2021
concrete jungle heat
suffocating cityscape
~ bare feet loving grass






Mark Toney © 2021
Poetry form: Haiku - Mark Toney © 2021
Mark Toney Oct 2019
Green eggs, Spam and grits
Sam and Pam had their fill,
Then made their way to Main Street
Down WhoDat’s Whatsup Hill.

Waived "Hi!" to their neighbors
To show them that they cared.
All smiled except two who
Just stood there and glared.

Hulu Q Hopps and
His shorter half-brother
They came from two pops but
Shared the same mother.

Hopps came at them fast
So they quickened their pace
Sam and Pam flew past him,
Boy, this was a race!

Hopps huffed and puffed,
While shouting very gruffly:
"You better stop now, or
I'll treat you roughly!"

          "Just what have we done
           To make you so mad?"

"If you don't stop right now,
I'll do something bad!"

Pam and Sam finally stopped,
Turning right around,
Awaiting their fate while
Standing their ground.

Hopps wide-eyed and breathless
Finally stopped within inches
"Listen real closely now,
Your see Mr. Pinch is
Hot on your trail
Looking for retribution
Based on your failure
To give restitution."

          "We don't know what that means,
           We don't know what to say..."

"Doesn't matter at all,
Pinch is coming your way!"

Since Mr. Pinch meant
To slow cook their goose,
Pam and Sam agreed to do
What they learned from Dr. Seuss!

They asked all their friends
To lend them some help.
Eucalyptus, Betty Loo,
JaeJae and Miss Kelp.
Hortman, Octavius, and
Hopps stepped up to bat.
Even Kat came back
And threw in her hat!

Off in the distance
The Catawampas growled
And soon after that
The Terrormasu yowled.

Down came Mr. Pinch
From atop Mount Dumpit
In his impedimenta SUV,
Like it or lump it.

Rolling into town
Entering WhoDat's Square
Pinch shouted "Sam and Pam!
Are you hiding somewhere?"

"You must pay the piper,
I'm here to collect.
Excuses mean nothing,
Your pleas I'll reject!"

Pam and Sam stepped forward,
Friends forming a line.
          "Pinch, you won't get away
           With extortion this time!"

With that Betty Loo
Pulled out her didgeridoo.
The others pulled out
Their instruments too.

All began playing strong,
Singing loud and clear:

"You are hostile Mr. Pinch
And your breath reeks of stench
But we're stronger than you
So you can't make us flinch.
Mr. Pinch you are mean
So you better flee the scene
You're a ****** like no other, Mr. Pinch..."

They droned on and on,
A multi-stanza bonanza:

"You're a villain Mr. Pinch...

"You are ****** Mr. Pinch...

"You are nasty Mr. Pinch...

"You're a ****** Mr. Pinch...

"You disgust us Mr. Pinch...

Mr. Pinch screaming loud
With hands to his ears,
Made a beeline to his
Impedimenta SUV in tears.

Then Pinch did the math
Calculating the odds
He wasn't going to get
Anywhere with these clods.

"You haven't heard the last of me!"
Fist pumping as he shouted.
When he left, all WhoDat cheered,
Disaster had been routed.

Sam and Pam thanked their friends
In a way that befits.
A WhoDat picnic serving them
Green eggs, Spam and grits!
3/10/2019 - Poetry form: Light Verse - My tribute poem to Dr. Seuss. Special thanks for this poem's inspiration to Theodor Seuss Geisel, an American children's author, political cartoonist, and animator. He is known for his work writing and illustrating more than 60 books under the pen name Doctor Seuss. The lyrics in the above poem are my own, as are the names of the characters and locations, but they were inspired by "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," a song that was originally written and composed for the 1966 cartoon special How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The lyrics of that song were written by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel, the music was composed by Albert Hague, and the song was originally performed by Thurl Ravenscroft. - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2019
Mark Toney Oct 2019
Farrokh Bulsara a.k.a. Freddie Mercury
British singer, songwriter known universally
Confirmed he had AIDS and then died the next day
His music through Queen still rocks us all the way

Came a man from Zanzibar named Farrokh
Whose tastes were both flamboyant and baroque
For fame he was ready
Changed his name to Freddie
After his death millions still love this bloke

A Heathrow baggage handler prior to fame
Wrote a song about his favorite cat, Delilah by name
In his personal life he was very shy, gentle and kind
His life and times are “guaranteed to blow your mind”
8/29/2019 - Poetry form: Clerimerick Couplets (A hybrid form I created composed of a Clerihew, Limerick and 2 rhyming Couplets. This is another of my Clerimerick Couplets.  The Clerihew has been described as the literate cousin of the Limerick. Cool things happen when the cousins get together!  Two rhyming couplets make the poetry form complete. - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2019
Mark Toney Oct 2019
koi pond quietude
values and tones of zen stones...
find repose and peace
8/9/2018 - Poetry form: Haiku - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2018
Mark Toney Oct 2019
renga or renku
a rose by another name . . .
haiku poetry
4/25/2018 - Poetry form: Haiku - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2018
Mark Toney Oct 2019
haiku loves nature
senryu human nature...
tanka expounds both
no matter how much I learn
I only know a whisper
6/17/2018 - Poetry form: Tanka - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2018
Mark Toney Oct 2019
Hale-Bopp’s fly-by
midnight stroll St. Simons beach-
lovers gently kiss
5/1/2018 - Poetry form: haiku - In 1997 my wife and I were taking a midnight stroll on the beach in St. Simons Island, GA, while the comet Hale-Bopp was flying by. Good as time as any for a kiss, yeah? Hale-Bopp is due to return in the year 4380. I wonder where we’ll be then? - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2018
Mark Toney Oct 2019
Hale-Bopp’s fly-by
midnight stroll St. Simons beach-
lovers gently kiss
5/1/2018 - Poetry form:  Haiku - In 1997 my wife and I were taking a midnight stroll on the beach in St. Simons Island, GA, while the comet Hale-Bopp was flying by. Good as time as any for a kiss, yeah? Hale-Bopp is due to return in the year 4380. I wonder where we’ll be then? - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2018
Mark Toney Oct 2019
world's trouble

dark sky...

depression subtle

i deny...

emotions muddle

i sigh...

thoughts befuddle

i belie...

tears puddle

i cry...


God subtle

I comply...

Divine cuddle

I rely...

Believer's huddle

I ally...

Blessings double

Blue sky...
12/25/2018 - Poetry form: Double Monorhyme ;) - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2018
Mark Toney Jun 2020

………………………………………………………………
H
Ha
Hap
Happ
Happy
Happy o
Happy or
Happy or d
Happy or de
Happy or dep
Happy or depr
Happy or depres
Happy or depress
Happy or depresse
Happy or depressed
Happy or depresse
Happy or depress
Happy or depres
Happy or depre
Happy or depr
Happy or dep
Happy or de
Happy or d
Happy or
Happy o
Happy
Happ
Hap
Ha
H
L
Li
Lif
Life
Life i
Life is
Life is a
Life is a b
Life is a ba
Life is a bal
Life is a bala
Life is a balan
Life is a balanc
Life is a balanci
Life is a balancin
Life is a balancing
Life is a balancing a
Life is a balancing ac
Life is a balancing act
Life is a balancing ac
Life is a balancing a
Life is a balancing
Life is a balancin
Life is a balanci
Life is a balanc
Life is a balan
Life is a bala
Life is a bal
Life is a ba
Life is a b
Life is a
Life is
Life i
Life
Lif
Li
L
S
So
So e
So ea
So eas
So easy
So easy t
So easy to
So easy to s
So easy to sl
So easy to sli
So easy to slip
So easy to slip a
So easy to slip an
So easy to slip and
So easy to slip and f
So easy to slip and fa
So easy to slip and fal
So easy to slip and fall
So easy to slip and fal
So easy to slip and fa
So easy to slip and f
So easy to slip and
So easy to slip an
So easy to slip a
So easy to slip  
So easy to sli
So easy to sl
So easy to s
So easy to
So easy t
So easy
So eas
So ea
So e
So
S
M
Mo
Moo
Mood
Moods
Moods t
Moods th
Moods tha
Moods that
Moods that f
Moods that fa
Moods that fal
Moods that fall
Moods that fall c
Moods that fall ca
Moods that fall can
Moods that fall can r
Moods that fall can ri
Moods that fall can ris
Moods that fall can rise
Moods that fall can rise a
Moods that fall can rise ag
Moods that fall can rise aga
Moods that fall can rise agai
Moods that fall can rise again
Moods that fall can rise agai
Moods that fall can rise aga
Moods that fall can rise ag
Moods that fall can rise a
Moods that fall can rise
Moods that fall can ris
Moods that fall can ri
Moods that fall can r
Moods that fall can
Moods that fall ca
Moods that fall c
Moods that fall
Moods that fal
Moods that fa
Moods that f
Moods that
Moods tha
Moods th
Moods t
Moods
Mood
Moo
Mo
M
………………………………………………………………
Wait for tomorrow’s new day
6/21/2020 - Poetry form: Shape - This was inspired by fellow HelloPoetry poet Riley Cartwright’s shape poem “The Music in My Head.” Thank you, Riley - © 2020 Mark Toney.  All rights reserved.
Mark Toney Mar 2020
Seismic—
                      Shock wave of energy
                    swelling ocean waves,
                  Powerfully driven
                like a freight train
              rolling fast as a jet,
            Open ocean ninja stealthily
          racing toward landfall’s
        most evil betrayal,
      Rip-tide on steroids
    sweeping away
  unsuspecting souls
                                        — Tsunami




© 2020 by Mark Toney.  All rights reserved.

The Japanese word "tsunami" translates as "harbor wave" in English.
2/6/2020 - Poetry form: Shape - The Japanese word "tsunami" translates as "harbor wave" in English. - © 2020 by Mark Toney. All rights reserved.
Mark Toney Jun 2021
Hate to let you go
Our life till now has been
high drama in a show
We both have given up on
trying to make things right,
all we do is fight,
stuck in a hopeless plight

I wish you wouldn’t go
But wishful thinking’s
not enough to make it so
Now it’s time to say
goodbye and part our ways,
look for better days,
but first I need to say …

(Chorus)
I hate to let you go
Before we say goodbye
there’s one thing
you should know
I always will remember
everything we had,
the good times and the bad,
the happy and the sad …


Hate to let you go
Our lives in shambles but
our memories still flow
We tried to mend the rift but
nothing ever works,
our smiles turned into smirks,
we both can be such jerks

I wish you wouldn’t go
but wishful thinking’s
not enough to make it so
Now it’s time to say
goodbye and part our ways,
look for better days,
but first I need to say …

(Chorus)
I hate to let you go
Before we say goodbye
there’s one thing
you should know
I always will remember
everything we had,
the good times and the bad,
the happy and the sad

Hate to let you go …




Mark Toney © 2021
Poetry form: Lyric - Mark Toney © 2021
Mark Toney May 2021
my true inner self
secret person of the heart
~ heartland of my soul






Mark Toney © 2021
Poetry form: Senryu - Mark Toney © 2021
Mark Toney Nov 2019
Penultimate month, November
Tending memories’ eternal ember
Sparking thoughts, grand and tender
With honor and thanksgiving to remember
For each who of the human race are a member
11/1/2019 - Poetry form: Monorhyme - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2019
Mark Toney Nov 2019
Now here
Nowhere
6/5/2019 - Since my footle poem phase has turned a little dark, this ends my footle poem phase for now :) - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2018
Mark Toney Apr 2020
Among mankind's best—
Brave, courageous
Heroes who do no harm
Assuaging our fear
With fellow feeling and care
Amidst viral strains' stealthy swarm

Among mankind's worst—
Mean, dastardly
Zeros who do know harm
Stoking pandemic fear
Scamming the unsuspecting ear
With a smiling swindler's charm

Heroes & Zeros
Best and worst of mankind—
What a dichotomy!
We'll keep hoping instead
For a bright future ahead
Daily coping with anxiety


© 2020 by Mark Toney. All rights reserved.
4/12/2020 - Poetry form: Rhyme - © 2020 by Mark Toney. All rights reserved.
Mark Toney Mar 2020
H e ' s   r e a l l y  
Nowhere, man—
Living life
Sans plans
Stuck on roads
Kicking cans
Buying time

H e ' s   r e a l l y
Nowhere, see—
Used to be
A maitre d'
For a cruise ship
On the sea
Finally escaped

H e ' s   r e a l l y
Nowhere, son—
An enigmatic
Friend of none
Playing hard
Having fun
Dying inside

H e ' s   a   r e a l
Nowhere cat—
Doesn't care
Where he's at
Growing old
Getting fat
Trying to forget


© 2020 by Mark Toney. All rights reserved.
3/16/2020 - Poetry form: Free verse - © 2020 by Mark Toney. All rights reserved.
Mark Toney Oct 2019
constructive or destructive - criticism’s delicate balance
12/10/2018 - Poetry form: Monoku - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2018
Mark Toney Dec 2019
Woman
Whoa, man!
7/14/2018 - Poetry form: Footle - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2018
Mark Toney Nov 2019
kudos to Oscar
every best picture ever-
Hollywood Haiku
4/28/2018 - Poetry form: Oscar-ku - A combination of Oscar and haiku. Kudos to fellow poet Kim Rodrigues for coming up with the name. Cheers, Kim! - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2018
Mark Toney Nov 2019
When just a child the poet's mom said "Son,
Throughout your life beware the sin of pride.
Remember this when every day is done,
What counts the most is who you are inside."

At first he thought his mother's words unfair
For recognition surely has its place.
In time he witnessed prideful thoughts can flare
When undue adulation supplants grace.

The poet took to heart his mother's words
Too many accolades can turn your head.
Vainglory flits away on wings of birds
What's left is mostly emptiness and dread.

Life immersed in modest exhibition
Satisfied with honorable mention
11/18/2019 - Poetry form: Sonnet - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2019
Mark Toney Oct 2019
strange and foolish quirks
trivial human foibles-
speed bumps in my life
7/28/2018 - Poetry form:  Senryu - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2018
Mark Toney Oct 2019
To forgive
is divine so
they say,
and if asked we'd
not have it any
other way.
But when
wrong is done
to us
then we fuss.
Instead of
forgiving others,
keeping our friendships fresh,
we
want our pound of flesh!
9/19/2018 - Poetry form: Yalto - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2018
Mark Toney May 2023
spiritual gem
esteem others as better ...
humility’s boon






Mark Toney ©️ 2023
5/6/2023 - Poetry form: Senryu - Mark Toney ©️ 2023
Mark Toney Nov 2019
I am a monster
I have to be obeyed-
beware of my wrath
10/10/2018 - Poetry form: Haiku - I wrote this 3 days after Hurricane Michael decimated Mexico Beach, Florida. By the way, most of my haiku are 5-7-5, but they do not have to be. For example, the first place winner of the 2000 Henderson haiku contest, sponsored by the Haiku Society of America: ~ meteor shower ~ a gentle wave ~ wets our sandals - That winning haiku is 5-4-4. The poet, Michael Dylan Welch, had this to say about the matter: "With English-language haiku, you have no need to persist in any adherence to the... 5-7-5 syllables." The following link includes references from other haiku poets who support the information. http://www.nahaiwrimo.com - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2018
Mark Toney Oct 2019
It’s been so long that we have been together
Though many years have passed I’m yours forever
I can’t stop thinking 'bout the fun we’ve had
Our life together is still super rad

It’s just a hurricane of love
          ~Coming our way~
Still a hurricane of love
          ~Double red flag warning~
Just a hurricane of love
          ~Blowing us away~
Still a hurricane of love
          ~Flooding our emotions~

This is the calm before the storm above
And we are trapped in an eyewall of love
Gusts of desire drive us to our fate
It’s way too late now to evacuate

It’s just a hurricane of love
          ~Coming our way~
Still a hurricane of love
          ~Double red flag warning~
Just a hurricane of love
          ~Blowing us away~
Still a hurricane of love
          ~Flooding our emotions~

These Cat 5 feelings we just cannot stop
Emotions whirling like a spinning top
Your riptide pulls me in so ever deep
Storm surge of love so strong it makes me weep

It’s just a hurricane of love
          ~Coming our way~
Still a hurricane of love
          ~Double red flag warning~
Just a hurricane of love
          ~Blowing us away~
Still a hurricane of love
          ~Flooding our emotions~

It’s just a hurricane of love
          ~Coming our way~
We keep each other wanting more
          ~Double red flag warning~
Still a hurricane of love
          ~Blowing us away~
We’re not in Kansas anymore
          ~Flooding our emotions~
It’s just a hurricane of love
          ~Storm surge of desire~
Still a hurricane of love
          ~Rising higher and higher~

Still a hurricane of love…
2/25/2019 - Poetry form: Lyric - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2019
Mark Toney Dec 2019
IHOB
IHOP
7/10/2018 - Poetry form: Footle - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2018 - Alrighty then..."And so it ended, not with a burger, but with a whimper. The International House of Pancakes is once more all about the flapjacks. The restaurant chain famed for its breakfast menu upset and entertained fans in June when it (IHOb) to promote a new hamburger menu. The publicity stunt/experiment wrapped up on Monday.  IHOP posted on its @IHOb Twitter account, which completely took over for @IHOP during the name change, that it's now returned to its original moniker: '  (Excerpt from https://www.cnet.com/news/ihop-flips-back-to-pancakes-drops-ihob-name/)
I'm glad they cleared that up! :)
Mark Toney Jul 2020
drove friend to doctor
counting wheelchair ramp spindles
~waiting for Godot



© 2020 Mark Toney
7/10/2020 - Poetry form: Senryu - My wife smiled at this one. Or was it a smirk? - "Waiting for Godot" is a play by Samuel Beckett - © 2020 Mark Toney.  All rights reserved.
Mark Toney Jul 2020
When my muse ignites
Verse that excites
Then you have me
Dead to rights—
I'm a poet!




© 2020 Mark Toney.  All rights reserved.
7/30/2020 - Poetry form: Rhyme - I also have a poetic license that expires Friday, December 31, 9999. - © 2020 Mark Toney. All rights reserved.
Mark Toney Oct 2019
asylum seekers
abandon hope who enter-
Don T's inferno
10/2/2019 - Poetry form: Senryu - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2019
Mark Toney Dec 2019
Walk by
Wok buy
6/27/2018 - Poetry form: Footle - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2018
Mark Toney Aug 2023
Vikram and Pragyan
mysteries of the south pole—
India's moon phase
Chandrayaan-3 dreams came true
Modi's quite over the moon






Mark Toney © 2023
08/23/2023 - Poetry form: Tanka - youtube.com/@poetry2go - Congratulations to India, as it becomes the fourth country to land on the moon, the first to land on the lunar south pole.
Mark Toney May 2021
Drawn to the edge of the water
in concert with the moon
tides ebbing, flowing,
tasting, smelling,
feeling, hearing,
waves of the sea
crashing, salty, wet,
transporting me—
Inner peace

Inner peace
transporting me—
crashing, salty, wet,
waves of the sea
feeling, hearing,
tasting, smelling,
tides ebbing, flowing
in concert with the moon
Drawn to the edge of the water






Mark Toney © 2021
Poetry form: Reverse Poem - Mark Toney © 2021
Mark Toney Oct 2019
There once was a man who

Thought he was a man but

He wasn't a man

He was a...
09/19/2018 - Poetry form: Free Verse - This poem can have different meanings for both men and women based on the perspective of the reader. There are many challenges that may come up in a person’s life. Sometimes we might not rise to the challenge to the extent that we hoped we would, or perhaps not at all.  The way we think and react to these challenges is going to affect how we feel about ourselves. What will we learn from our disappointments? Regardless the outcome, we are all unique and special. - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2018
Mark Toney Jan 2020
Had to pick up the pieces
To mend a broken heart
So I put myself out there
Made a brand new start
Downloaded the app
Filled out my bio
Then selected "submit"
Said "here we go..."

(Chorus)
It was me it was  you
It was all of the above
The future was ours
From the start my love
Every time I look at you
It makes my heart sing
Makes me do funny things
Just like a ding-a-ling

When I saw your picture
And read your profile
I swiped to the right
Beguiled by your smile
Wasn't long till you replied
My heart skipped a beat
Couldn't wait for the time
When we'd first meet

Well the rest is history
It was love at first sight
We have been together
Since that very first night
Many years have passed
Our love still goin' strong
Because of you baby
I'm writin' this song

(Chorus)
It was me it was you
It was all of the above
The future was ours
From the start my love
Every time I look at you
It makes my heart sing
Makes me do funny things
Just like a ding-a-ling

(Repeat chorus and fade)


© 2020 Mark Toney.  All rights reserved.
1/5/2020 - Poetry form: Lyric - This is my first county song. Yee-haw! - © 2020 Mark Toney. All rights reserved.
Mark Toney Oct 2019
Why do mechanics need manuals when they’ve fixed it before?
Answer my question or I’ll walk out the door!
Didn’t they attend trade schools or get O.J.T.?
Why need repair manuals?  That what gets me.
I just want a mechanic who won’t refer to a book.
Just fix my car already, don’t give it a second look!

Why do pilots run checklists and reference their charts?
Just push the dang button and hope the plane starts!
Didn’t they go to flight school and pass all the tests?
Pilots fly most days, so who needs all that mess?
I want a pilot who knows without referencing a chart.
Just get on with the flying and prove that you’re smart!

What about the doctors who are practicing still?
Why can’t they get it right?  And that includes the bill!
They’re always researching new studies in journals
When time’s better spent attending patients’ internals.
I just want a Marcus Welby, Ben Casey or Kildare
Instead of keeping up to date, I just want them to care.

Why do lawyers review case studies and legal decisions?
Such antics in my book leave them open to derision.
All that studying in law school should have been enough.
After passing the bar they should already know their stuff.
I just want an attorney who’s a know-it-all ace,
Not a book worm mouthpiece to plead my case.

Finally, the poets, being wordsmiths their art
You won’t see them referencing a checklist or chart
But look, in their hands, just what can that be?
A dictionary?  Thesaurus?  Are those what I see?
A real poet never needs help reading Shakespeare or Keats
Using Webster and Roget would make all of us cheats!
If a poet is real, the words should just flow
I think that all poets should automatically know
The right words to use, and literary crutches forgo
How dare they try better vocabulary to hone
They should come up with good things to say on their own.
I’m looking for poets who’ll just know what to say
Like Lewis Carroll’s poems in his heyday:
“Twas brillig, and the slithy toves, Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogroves, And the mome raths outgrabe.”

Don’t bother looking up his words, for that would be a dumb thing.
Using a dictionary or thesaurus, you might actually learn something!
1/1/2018 - Poetry form: Rhyme - This poem is an exaggeration full of satire and hyperbole. I wrote it in response to what I read someone say concerning the use of a dictionary and thesaurus by poets. They said that real poets don't need them. I was so astonished and shocked by that statement (since I use the dictionary and thesaurus all the time) that I decided to write a poem extending that idea to other professions, such as mechanics, pilots, doctors, lawyers and poets. Of course, all of these professions need to continue to keep up to date, be accurate and precise. I conclude the poem with the excerpt from Lewis Carroll’s nonsensical poem “Jabberwocky” to drive home the point. My last two lines say it all.
Mark Toney Mar 2020
Jammin' in Jamaica
Driving my DeSoto
Being pursued by
My foe Quasimodo
Lying on the dash is
The missing person photo
When my phone rings
I hear "Hello Moto!"

(Chorus)
I don't have to work
When I'm in my pajamas
Acting like a ****
When I'm in the Bahamas
Really go berserk
When I'm feeding my llamas
We all go to pieces
When we’re talkin' to our mommas

Jammin' in Jamaicaaaa...
Jammin' in Jamaicaaaa...
Jammin' in Jamaicaaaa...
Jammin' in Jamaicaaaa...

Rush hour traffic
So I park my DeSoto
Nowhere in sight
Is my foe Quasimodo
See a man who looks like
The missing person photo
Then his phone rings
Shouting "Hello Moto!"

(Chorus)
I don't have to work
When I'm in my pajamas
Acting like a ****
When I'm in the Bahamas
Really go berserk
When I'm feeding my llamas
We all go to pieces
When we’re talkin' to our mommas

Jammin' in Jamaicaaa...
Jammin' in Jamaicaaa...
Jammin' in Jamaicaaa...
Jammin' in Jamaicaaa...

Jammin' in Jamaica
With the man in the photo
Who's not really missing
Just roving incognito
Suddenly appears
My foe Quasimodo
Truce as we pose
For a group selfie photo

(Chorus)
I don't have to work
When I'm in my pajamas
Acting like a ****
When I'm in the Bahamas
Really go berserk
When I'm feeding my llamas
We all go to pieces
When we’re talkin' to our mommas


(Repeat chorus and fade, with "Jammin' in Jamaicaaa" playing in the background with lines 1, 3, 5, and 7 of the chorus.)

© 2020 by Mark Toney. All rights reserved.
3/5/2020 - Poetry form: Lyric - © 2020 by Mark Toney. All rights reserved.
Mark Toney Oct 2019
John Winston Ono Lennon
From Britain to Brooklyn, decked in denim
Controversial through his political and peace activism
Felled by Mark David Chapman's act of barbarism
5/22/2019 - Poetry form: Clerihew - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2019
Mark Toney Oct 2019
St. Simons Island
beached Juicy Fruit gum wrapper. . .
flotsam and jetsam
5/19/2018 - Poetry form: Haiku - I took a photo of a Juicy Fruit gum wrapper surrounded by sea foam bubbles, which I found 2 hours after low tide while walking on St. Simons Island beach on December 4, 2011. The photo was taken with my iPhone 5 or my iPad 4.  I can't remember which :) - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2018
Mark Toney Oct 2019
2014 / 2015 World Cup

Jürgen and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a World Cup Title
Jürgen fell down
Without the crown-
There reigned Jill
At the top of the hill. . .

2018 / 2019 World Cup (Gold Cup)

Jürgen didn't qualify to go up the hill
All he could do was waive at Jill
On the same day
Jill won her second in a row
(USMNT lost to Mexico)

Coach Jill Ellis is smart like a fox
Her US Women's National Team rocks!
7/11/2019 - Poetry form:  Rhyme - Jürgen Klinsmann was the coach when the USMNT lost in the 2014 World Cup and also when the men failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.  Their current coach is Gregg Berghalter. -
Mark Toney Jun 2020
time marches on
reality's fire consumes—
dreams go up in smoke

Dishonest weights, deceptive scales forsake
as chains of injustice rake the flesh
of the preyed-upon bleeding, amid wild
wolves feeding, soft sheep bleating,
protestor's pleading, jurisdictions cheating,
cajoling, wheedling, injustice repeating—
jurisprudence at the confluence
of affluence and influence

~undocumented lies exhumed
     unmitigated truth entombed~

They have their thumb on the scale!  We
have sussed every detail on the field of
debris, some so fiercely taking a knee,
others shot trying to flee!  "I can't breathe,"
"I don't care!"  Why don't they care?
Of what justice is meting beware!
One higher than the highest is watching,
waiting to signal the one riding to conquer
and complete his conquest.  What's the true
future view?  What more can we do
before we become past tense?

tragedies worldwide
flooding my senses daily—
fill my bag of tears


© 2020 Mark Toney.  All rights reserved.
6/18/2020 - Poetry form: Free verse - © 2020 Mark Toney.  All rights reserved.
Mark Toney Oct 2019
wee coccinella
xanthic petaled pedestal-
penny for your thoughts
10/6/2019 - Poetry form: Haiku - I saw a ladybird/ladybug sitting on a bright yellow sunflower. She sat so still for so long I couldn't help wondering what she might be thinking! Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2019
Mark Toney Mar 2020
saw the Mona Lisa once - couldn't stop smiling




© 2020 by Mark Toney.  All rights reserved.
2-20-2020 - Poetry form: Monoku - © 2020 by Mark Toney.  All rights reserved.
Mark Toney Nov 2019
have you ever been picked last?
because you're not as fast?
or maybe not as clever?

whatever...
6/8/2019 - Poetry form: Free Verse - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2019
Mark Toney Dec 2019
leapt out of bed
groggy head spins
spouse said hurry!
12/15/2019 - Poetry form: Than-Bauk - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2019
Mark Toney Jan 2020
Our children see others lie with impunity
Simply blow out the light, darkness perverts civility


© 2020 by Mark Toney. All rights reserved.
1/4/2020 - Poetry form: Poulter's Measure Couplet - Couplets of 12 syllables alternating with 14 syllables, often used for serious statements. - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2020
Mark Toney Oct 2019
moonbeams bathe the night
auroras shimmering bright-
fireflies delight
09/21/2018 - Poetry form: Haiku - FYI - The Rules for Writing Haiku - English Grammar Rules & Usage states the following: "Punctuation and capitalization are up to the poet and need not follow rigid rules used in structuring sentences.  A haiku does not have to rhyme, in fact usually it does not rhyme at all." My muse understands this, but this time my muse wants it to rhyme.  Just sayin'... :) - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2018
Mark Toney Oct 2019
The older we are
The more invisible by far
We seem to the younger mind
But soon they will see
What's known by you and me
We're only immortal for a limited time
10/19/2019 - Poetry form:  Rhyme - This poem was inspired by Sue Collins's poem "See me" posted on HePo on October 10, 2019, and reposted on my profile. Thanks, Sue! - Copyright © Mark Toney | Year Posted 2019
Next page