Why does a sweet taste
Always convert to inches
Added to the waist?

I'd get off the bus after school
and down the lane he would come.
He'd run round me in circles, barking.
My very best friend; my Chum.
            ~~~~~~~~~~~~

He was the youngest of the litter,
the smallest by over a head.
Dad looked at him critically
saying "Son. He'll soon be dead."

But as I held that puppy
I saw a fire in his eyes.
So I said, "Please Dad. Let me keep him.
I'll make sure that he survives."

So I nursed him, and cared for him,
Fed him crumb by crumb,
and all the time I cried to him
"Please don't die on me Chum."

After many long weeks of nursing
Chum was coming on fine.
He was now feeding himself
and his coat had begun to shine.

By the time school holidays were over
I knew my dad had been wrong,
for gone was the puny weakling.
Chum was now healthy and strong.

            ~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'd get off the bus after school
and down the lane he would come.
He'd run round me in circles, barking
My very best friend; my Chum
            ~~~~~~~~~~~~

But one day I got off the bus
and Chum just wasn't there.
I raced home and ran to my mother,
"Have you seen Chum anywhere?"

No one knew where he was,
I raced outside calling his name,
but since he hadn't met the bus
I feared I was calling in vain.

I wandered all over our farm
looking for my faithful dog
till by the creek where he'd saved me from drowning
I found him trapped under a log

His poor front leg was broken.
Flesh cut down to the bone,
but he didn't even whimper
as I gently carried him home.

With lots of loving care
Chum was quickly on the mend.
His eyes seemed to be telling me
that I had made a life long friend.

            ~~~~~~~~~~~~
He was soon at the bus stop again.
Yes, down the lane he would come.
He'd run round me in circles, barking.
My very best friend; my Chum.
            ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Then I left school and took up a job,
I'd been away for almost a year.
On the bus my thoughts were on Chum
as the hills of home drew near

I worried if he would remember me,
if he'd remember how we used to play.
If he'd remember how I'd cared for him,
and how he'd wait for me every day.

            ~~~~~~~~~~~~
My heart leapt as I got off the bus,
for down the lane he did come.
He ran round me in circles, barking,
then sank his teeth in my ***

The Hello Poetry community
Contains a broad cross section of humanity
The witty, the somber. Those laden with grief
The loving, the loveless, those seeking relief

The bold and fearless. The timid and meek
Some write with passion, some tongue in cheek
Some hide behind masks and impenetrable walls
But many bring light to these labyrinthine halls

One brighter than most that turns night into day
Is the shimmering aura of sweet Lily Mae
When she opens her soul and leads you to feel
You instinctively know her compassion is real

The heart of an angel beats in her chest
The dove of peace she could take as her crest
Her thoughts and emotions are open to view
Her poems are loving, with words that ring true

In times of uncertainty, filled with despair
I sought comfort in the words of this damsel so fair
And invariably they have proved a godsend
I am humble and proud to call her, ‘my friend’

It is not without trepidation that I begin at last to write  
For how does one do justice without appearing banal or trite?
I know I am not worthy of the task that lies ahead
But there is so much about your writing that I feel needs to be said

To see Ephemera on “Latest Poems” demands an immediate read
Another chance to devour your words with an endless insatiable greed
From fiery passion to sweet seduction and all emotions in between
From love or yearning, cold or burning, your words enfold me in your scene

With so few words you say so much, your point invariably succinct
And I am often left with the feeling your heart has opened up, and winked
Always thought provoking, each write a pure gem
You have the ability to make each reader feel your words are just for them

Ephemera, my teacher, my mentor, sweet poetess extraordinaire
The world is less intimidating through having you out there
I wish every joy to the author of your words so wise and sweet
And humbly give thanks for your talent as I lay this tribute at your feet.

woman's sleepy voice
hypnotic and ******
listened to by choice

I got a letter in a hand I knew so well
As I tore it open I tore my heart as well
Cause she said, “Dearest, I met a man the other day
Now we’re engaged, He stole my heart away.

Now don’t start crying. There’s lots of other girls in town
And pretty soon you’ll forget I was ever around
Didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t want to be unkind
But I must desert you. I hope you really don’t mind”

Now that I’m pledged you must claim my love no more
But I’m prepared to friends for evermore
It’s not your fault. You’re the sweetest man I know
But the love has gone, you have to let me go

Now don’t start crying. There’s lots of other girls in town
And pretty soon you’ll forget I was ever around
Didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t want to be unkind
But I must desert you. I hope you really don’t mind”

I finished the letter, I thought is that really all?
Next time in town, I decided to pay a call
I was sure surprised when a man answered the door
Said she’d been his bride, for six months now, or more

Now don’t start crying. There’s lots of other girls in town
And pretty soon you’ll forget I was ever around
Didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t want to be unkind
But I must desert you. I hope you really don’t mind.”

                                 But I must desert you
                                            I hope you
                                                 really
                                                  don't
                                                  mind
                                                       ?

There were tales told of mighty storms that oft battered this coast.
The howling gale that struck this night was more powerful than most,
The lifeboat crews had been stood down, Who would venture out in this?
They gratefully all headed home for a night of fireside bliss

A girl stood on a towering cliff her heart was filled with dread
Somewhere in that maelstrom was the one that she would wed
The sun had shone when he’d left home before a steady breeze
A day so full of promise, but nature gives no guarantees

This normally astute sailor did not see the sky turn grey
His mind was on the woman, tomorrow their wedding day.
He was dragged back to the present by the sudden icy rain
The boat steadied, then surged forward, a ****** at the helm again

He quickly trimmed and set his sails to run before the gale
The speeding boat fighting gamely under the minimum of sail
Ten miles out man and boat still face the wrathful sea
With storm jib filled, and main full reefed he raced towards his bride to be

The man can see the lights of home, he’s just five miles from shore
With a fearsome ‘Crack’ the hull was split. Man and boat could do no more
Standing on the lonely cliff the girl sees his boat go under
She screams her pain into the night as her heart is ripped asunder

She takes a slow step forward towards the cliff edge high and sheer
Facing a life without her lover the drop can cause no fear
Her other foot moves forward, She is on the final ledge
Another tearful shuffle forward has her on the very edge

One more step. Into the void and she plummets like a stone
The sea has claimed her loved one but he shall not lie alone
As a wave approaches the stony cliff it draws a watery breath
Before crashing, straining, weeping falling above the lovers joined in death

Mistress of the sad refrain,
Owner of the golden mane
Her words fall like summer rain
Echoes of an inner pain
That tears her heart asunder

Heed her well is my request
As she cries and beats her chest
Search beneath her cotton vest
For within her shapely breast
Beats a heart of thunder

Her pain gladly would I attend
Encouragement I freely send
But alas, in the end
I must leave it to her closest friend
To fill her heart with wonder

Cloak her body in silken gown
Atop her head a diamond crown
Sing her praises town to town
But take care not to cause a frown
‘Tis not a heart to plunder

.

“Isn’t nature wonderful?” the masses shout with glee
Well sure, she’s got her good points but I tend to disagree
Snow capped peaks are captivating I guess I must admit
And to watch some kittens playing always makes me smile a bit

Her painted sunsets in the evening are spectacular I suppose
And man has never emulated the sweet scent of a rose
It’s nice to start the day with a song bird’s sweet refrain
But I’m sorry Mother Nature, at times you’re just a pain

Storm waves crashing on a beach are awesome to behold
And she paints butterfly’s wings with colours bright and bold
Nothing can compare to the laughter of a child
Or the undeniable splendour of animals in the wild

Ahh, Wild, that reminds me why I started on this tale
Why I think Ma Nature’s senile and her mind is old and frail
Why did she decide as I get older, that the hair upon my head
Should  start a new beginning and grow from my ears instead?

If I kept the words in order would my efforts be in vain
Maybe dig a trap so deep that to escape I’d need a crane
Maybe failure would wound me deeply so I’d always wear a scar
I pondered this, and other thoughts while driving in my car
Concentrating on rhyme and meter, a verse began to form
Distraction made me overlook signs of a coming storm
Until my windscreen was lit by a sudden flash of yellow
And I was brought back to the present by the thunder’s angry bellow
So I gave up on that idea, It was just as I feared.
The task would be too great, and the result, no doubt, too weird

I know what it’s like to be loved, I guess I’m truly blessed
I have been put upon a pedestal, far above all the rest
Even when I’m down and out, my friend is always there
Ugly, but cute, and slobbering, this friend is my dog Bear

It’s stirs wonderful feelings to have such a loyal mate
He doesn’t even wander if I forget to close the gate
Always quick to forgive ME when HE does something wrong
Like when I find holes in the back yard, or shoes where they don’t belong

And when I have to go out, a few minutes, or half a day
His welcome home is near ballistic, almost manic in a way
I never realised at first what a treasure I had found
When I first rescued that little puppy from death row at the local pound

His muzzle turning gray now, nose still as black as soot
Those big brown eyes stare at me as he dribbles on my foot
He’s wormed his way into my heart, become part of my life
Always pleasant company, and cheaper than a wife

I know he’ll always love me, I knew that from the start
The hand that rules the food bowl rules the heart.

The mind gets clogged with cobwebs with the steady march of years
“’Twas time,” I decided, “to spring clean between the ears”
The hinges were all rusted on the doorway to my mind
But I entered the dark abyss, not sure what I would find

I was faced with such a jumble of accumulated junk
That for a second I hesitated, and almost did a bunk
But I was driven by a request from a mind still young and fresh
And drew courage from her kindness and continued on my quest

It looked so dark and gloomy as I crept through memory’s vaults
The largest room, and darkest contained the list of all my faults
That room was just plain scary, so I softly closed that door
And went deeper into the labyrinth, determined to explore

Long forgotten smiles began glimmer in one room
And I gathered these around me to drive away the gloom
The more I gathered, the more appeared with a soft and friendly light
I freely spread them all around and made the whole place bright

I swept up unfounded doubts, threw out some groundless fears
And scrubbed the grime from my mind with a bucket full of tears
I catalogued my memories and looked at what I had
I moved the happy ones to the fore, but retained some that were sad

Though sad, they were genuine and had earned their rightful place
But I moved them towards the back so they wouldn’t cloud my face
Jealousy and envy just didn’t want to leave
But I managed to evict them with a super mental heave

I took a break and looked around to see what progress I had made
A top coat of happy memories had made the sorrows fade
I filled a bucket with my achievements, and things that made me proud
And tossed it in the room of faults. Boy! Was the conflict loud.

I gave thanks to the inspiration that first drove me to this task
The improvements that I felt were much more than I could ask
Before I attacked the cobwebs, I never realised
The different perspectives that you gain when your mind is youthenised

I was a long time loner with emotions I never shared
I didn’t plan it that way, was just that no one really cared
Then you came on the scene and gave my heart a shove
Next thing I realised I had fallen head over heels deep in love

I refused to believe at first that such love could really last
But gladly changed my mind as the sweet years drifted past
When I spoke of my love, I spoke from both heart and head
And began to eagerly hope and pray that we would soon be wed

I sent my love to you, you sent me yours too
Until that sad and lonely day when you returned my love unused
I didn’t know what I’d done wrong, didn’t know why I felt such pain
The only thing I knew for certain? I must hide my heart again

“’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”
I sought comfort in those words but the message began to pall
When Tennyson wrote that line, he may have thought it true
But whoever believes those words my dear has never loved and then lost you

‘Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all
‘Tis better to have loved and lost love than to never have loved at all
‘Tis better to have lost after love than to have loved never at all
But when the loser loses love my love, the loser loses all

While working on the formula for his next destination.
Dr Who made an error with straight forward multiplication
His assistant broke his train of thought with some ill timed ‘do-gooding’
Though she knew he couldn’t concentrate while eating Christmas pudding

When the tardis landed with a routine solid “thump”
He opened the door in a tee shirt, and took a backwards jump
“This doesn’t look like China.” he mused, looking out the door
And went to get some warmer clothes so he could go and explore

He finally re-emerged wrapped in layers of bedding
“Where is the basic farming? Why are those people sledding?”
“I wanted to study parrots and all I see is penguins.
I aimed for Riceland, not Iceland” He turned and went back in.

Oh ye majestic paragon of solitude.
Towering, glowering o’er un-named vales
Your heart of stone unmoved through ages
Your craggy features carved by gales

Soaring through clouds you ****** at the sky
Omnipotent master of all you survey
Your brooding visage sends a message
A warning at large to keep away

Yet there at your foothills, a challenge was forming
A small and puny little crew
How could such a small aggressor
Aspire to e’er stand over you

But on they pressed, and ever upward
Day after restless day they toiled
Till you shrugged them off with a mighty avalanche’
Your pristine flanks once more unspoiled

Though they be gone still more follow
Your ****** summit lures their souls
You scornfully dismiss their valiant efforts
Their bodies strewn and crushed like dolls

Alas, some day you will succumb
Mankind will trample your ****** peak
Your mystery a distant memory
As chairlifts carry the soft and the weak

But you will be harsh on the vain and unwary
Who will sometimes treat you with scorn and disdain
The grim reaper will visit on a regular basis
As you continue to give lessons in pain

Oh for the giants of steam, Oh for the gleaming black wonders
I see them in many a dream as along the tracks they thunder
I stand at a crossing and listen, hoping to hear their sad cry
To see their steel bodies glisten as they proudly rush on by

They convey a sense of great power as they effortlessly pull their great loads
While nearby, cars and trucks cower and hug the safety of their roads
The “J’s” and the mighty “K’s”, the “W’s” and sturdy “AB’s”
Who could forget the days when there were such engines as these

To stand on the footplate’s exciting as they begin to get under way
To feel the cold wind biting; to feel the cabin sway
The track ahead  is clear. Driver says “Take her up a notch”
Then comes the end of the line. She slows. She shudders. She stops

But the reign of these queens has passed, no more haunting banshee wails
These giants have breathed their last, soulless diesels now rule the rails
Yet memories live for so long, and on a quiet night it can seem
I hear, from afar, an old song, A ghostly echo,  the sad voice of steam

Nothing is eternal, only death is guaranteed
I shan’t love you always. Some day you will be freed
When the clouds take back their raindrops
When a baby bears its mother
Then in early morning’s sunset I will leave you for another

When the hyena starts to cry dear, when Mona Lisa’s smile is gone
When the earth no longer spins and the days no longer dawn
When the clouds take back their raindrops
When a baby bears its mother
Then in early morning’s sunset I will leave you for another

When the seas run out of fish dear, and the birds run out of song
Then I’ll run out of love dear, and slowly travel on
When the clouds take back their raindrops
When a baby bears its mother
Then in early morning’s sunset I will leave you for another

But for now I love you dearly so while there’s stars above
Let us be together so we can share my love
For when the clouds take back their raindrops
When a baby bears its mother
Then in early morning’s sunset I will leave you for another

You are really ugly
Completely stupid too
The earth is flat, the moon’s green cheese.
Old hills are only new

Raindrops fall straight upwards
From fields of pale blue
I’m glad that I’m a teapot
And never think of you

I positively just can’t stand you
I’ll be glad when we are through
And though you’re thick, you must have clicked
Not one word of this is true.

Silhouetted in the sunset, swaying in the breeze
Society claimed a debt, this man paid its fees
The man’s only crime was to steal some bread
For it was past time that his family was fed

“The man was a thief!” good citizens claim,
But what of the grief of those with his name?
“A lesson was taught. Justice has been done.”
But none spare a though for the widow and son

They are alone in a hostile town
They have no home, no place to lie down
She must assume a new role to keep them alive
Sell her body and soul just to survive

The town’s morals are safe, to their homes they return
The woman and waif are not their concern
The long arm of the law will reach out again
And it will strike sure at such luckless men

Sweet angelic cherub
All dimples and laughing eyes
Arms and legs a waving
Chubby fingers, chubby thighs

A carrier of dreams and hopes
Possible futures still untapped
Swaddled in diapers and love
Is laid down for a regular nap

All is joy and happiness
Whatever path  his future may take
He goes to sleep so peacefully
But alas will never awake.

While strolling down a river heading seaward
I stopped beneath a sweeping willow tree
And lay peacefully gazing upward
Till slumber’s charms warmly captured me

An idyllic scene that seldom could be rivaled
All round, nature’s gifts were freely poured
And yet in the midst of untold beauty
Was a strident note of sad silent discord

Oh, why weepest thou willow
In this beautiful field of green
What memories create your unhappiness
What sorrows have you seen?

Can a willow yearn to meet another willow?
Does loneliness drive your arms so wide?
Does the lush, soothing facade of your canopy
Conceal a broken heart, deep inside?

Sometime later I awoke in thoughtful silence
Oh Willow, why does’t thou weep
What were your sapling aspirations
What sad and sorry secrets do ye keep?

“Thou Shall Not Keep No Pets.” they said
On our housing estate
Maybe that’s why mum got mad
When I brought home a snake.

It was very pretty really
With a pattern on its back
Parts of it was sorta green
The rest was sorta black

“Get that out of here.” Mum cried
Racing to the loo
“Get it right away.
I’ll not budge until you do.”

I thought, ‘Well. That ain’t friendly.
Such behaviour just ain’t right.’
“If that’s the way you feel mum,
You can stay in there all night.”

I settled down outside loo door
My lonely vigil I would keep
I would not weaken in my task
Not even for a sleep

“I can outlast you mum.” I called
“Just you wait and see
And I didn’t falter, till half past six
And it was time for tea.

“What can I have for dinner mum,
For surely I must eat?”
“Toss out that ruddy snake.” she said
“And I’ll cook you up a treat.”

“I will make your favourite meal
With lots of ice cream to follow.”
I tell you that was tempting
And my tummy was quite hollow.

But, “I’ll not submit to bribery, or coercion.”
I did claim.
“I have principles you know? But I’m hungry
All the same.”

“Well go into the kitchen dear.”
“Switch the oven on to ‘Bake’.”
And when it’s glowing, nice and hot
Toss in that bleedin’ snake”