"griffith" poems
The great hanging weak **** of India
on the map
The Fingernail of Malaya
The Wall of China
The Korea
Ti-Pousse Thumb
The Salamander Japan
the Okinawa Moon Spot
The Pacific
The Back of Hawaiian Mountains
coconuts
Kines, balconies, Ah Tarzan-
And D W Griffith
the great American Director
Strolling down disgruntled
Hollywood Lane
- to toot Nebraska,
Indian Village New York,
Atlantis, Rome,
Peleus and Melisander,
And
swans of *****
Spots of foam on the ocean
6.8k
HE lived on the wings of storm.
The ashes are in Chihuahua.
Out of Ludlow and coal towns in Colorado
Sprang a vengeance of Slav miners, Italians, Scots, Cornishmen, Yanks.
Killings ran under the spoken commands of this boy
With eighty men and rifles on a hogback mountain.
They killed swearing to remember
The shot and charred wives and children
In the burnt camp of Ludlow,
And Louis Tikas, the laughing Greek,
Plugged with a bullet, clubbed with a gun ****
As a home war
It held the nation a week
And one or two million men stood together
And swore by the retribution of steel.
It was all accidental.
He lived flecking lint off coat lapels
Of men he talked with.
He kissed the miners' babies
And wrote a Denver paper
Of picket silhouettes on a mountain line.
He had no mother but Mother Jones
Crying from a jail window of Trinidad:
"All I want is room enough to stand
And shake my fist at the enemies of the human race."
Named by a grand jury as a murderer
He went to Chihuahua, forgot his old Scotch name,
Smoked cheroots with Pancho Villa
And wrote letters of Villa as a rock of the people.
How can I tell how Don Magregor went?
Three riders emptied lead into him.
He lay on the main street of an inland town.
A boy sat near all day throwing stones
To keep pigs away.
The Villa men buried him in a pit
With twenty Carranzistas.
There is drama in that point...
...the boy and the pigs.
Griffith would make a movie of it to fetch sobs.
Victor Herbert would have the drums whirr
In a weave with a high fiddle-string's single clamor.
"And the muchacho sat there all day throwing stones
To keep the pigs away," wrote Gibbons to the Tribune.
Somewhere in Chihuahua or Colorado
Is a leather bag of poems and short stories.
2.8k
White picket fences
Four family houses
Checker pattern apron
Pie left to cool on the windowsill
Watching Andy Griffith
Paying some old television bills and hoping the kids will notice
Anything but the coldness that lies outside the front porch
The one with the swing
This is the American dream
Not really knowing what "minority" means
Fighting for a penny to put in a candy machine
"Oh, where did it go?" Some people ask
As if corruption was a thing of the past
Apr 16, 2015
Apr 16, 2015 at 10:22 PM UTC
That frat boy’s
Bill Nye
Bowtie
Has got me thinking
Do kids these days
Even know who Bill Nye is?
Or **** Van ****
Or Andy Griffith?
Some of my heroes from way back when
Is Eli Wallach
Ever going to ride his horse
Steal corn from Mexican villages again?
Do kids these days even know food comes from the earth
Not from a can?
I can’t imagine growing up
Inside
Except to watch Bill Nye
The science guy
And play Oregon trail
Home alone
On Friday nights
Nov 30, 2012
Nov 30, 2012 at 3:54 PM UTC
Andy Griffith found success when he starred in "The Andy Griffith Show".
That sitcom is still popular today and it was created over sixty years ago.
It was one decade ago today when Andy Griffith took his final breath.
Andy didn't have a funeral, he was buried immediately after his death.
He starred in "Matlock" from 1986 to 1995.
Andy would be ninety-six if he had survived.
Ten years ago today, a famous man died.
Andy had Charisma and talent and that can't be denied.
Jul 3, 2022
Jul 3, 2022 at 10:55 AM UTC
My dreams are dreams of black and white.
I dream of the late Cool Hand Luke,
And Big Daddy in the rain.
I dream of Hepburn, where it's hot,
Of Skelton upon his stage.
I dream of Jeannie,
Of Lucy's man,
Of Hitchcock's crazed suspense,
And of my freckled friend, named Opie,
Relaxing with Papa Griffith.
Jethro swings from chandeliers,
As daddy fends off fiends.
Granny ***** that little hand,
Signaling the end.
Jul 17, 2011
Jul 17, 2011 at 12:22 PM UTC
As the sun begins to retire for the day, we sit here in my black, 1965 Lincoln Continental convertible, gazing upon the glowing city skyline that is illuminated in orange and red, a perfect complement to the burning house at the bottom of the cliff.
This shared moment couldn’t be any more perfect.
I look over at her.
How did I get so lucky?
With her I don’t have to talk. I can simply enjoy her company, me eating a vanilla cone as she inhales a burger and fries.
Food gone, she looks longingly at me, so I extend my right arm to share my ice cream.
She is so adorable. Her inherent beauty is magnified by her quirky imperfections, especially that slight under bite and scarred face, some scars more pink and fresh than others.
The sun finally disappears, and we are cloaked by the black, star-filled sky. I continue to marvel at the smoldering house, taking it in, processing it, and developing it as if I am a photographer in a dark room.
Reaching for the ignition, I pause. I lean back in my seat and close my eyes for a very brief moment. All I see is the pathetic expression on his face, his struggle. And those ***** cuss words he spat at me – if only I had had soap, but I didn’t. I lean over to Casey and take off her collar, throwing the encasement of her old life out of the car and into the endless mystery that lies beneath us.
The blisters on my left forearm begin to sting and throb, the heat disrupting the stillness of this reality.
I need a bag of ice and a bottle of whiskey.
I can’t wait until we are settled into my apartment, enjoying that cheap air conditioning as we cuddle and watch re-runs of the Andy Griffith Show.
Jul 20, 2014
Jul 20, 2014 at 9:00 PM UTC
The funniest thing about the Andy Griffith Show.
He had an aunt that he loved so.
Which took time for Opie to know.
He had a deputy with one bullet.
Give him more.
Then you were in for a show.
But, he also had a famous phase.
Like "Nip It In The Bud".
Which every now and then, he spoked.
In truth Bernard P. Fife was vital to the show.
Yes, the funniest thing about the Andy Griffith Show.
He was a good parent first and fore most.
He was fair and firm.
When it came to his son.
After all.
He only had one.
Unlike that , of My Three Sons.
The men seems to gather at the Barber Shop.
Which , we still see today.
And like Flyod, many talked before they cut.
And many times.
He would cut too low.
Yes, this was part of the fun of the Andy Griffith Show.
Who doesn't remember Otis?
Who could teach many drunks today's a lesson.
He personally checked himself in.
Just to sober up and leave again.
Who doesn't remember that adult kid Ernest T. Bass?
Who many of times was sneaky and smart?
Or wanted a uniform just to wear it with class.
Of course the black and white shows are better than color.
All because they are so much funnier.
We admire Thelma Lou.
Still trying to figure out exactly what she did do?
We remember even Ellie.
Who wouldn't give a senior citizen?
A sugar tablet.
Yes, this was part of the fun of the Andy Griffith Show.
I could go on.
But I stop for now.
Least until, I see the show when Bill Bixby learn a lesson.
From visiting the town.
Aug 6, 2012
Aug 6, 2012 at 9:45 AM UTC
I try to remember how the trail looked the day we took the long way up Griffith Park
But I can't and it hurts
I try to remember the movie we watched every Thursday night and why it was so intriguing
But I can't and it hurts
I try to remember how the apartment looked when you began packing
But I can't and it hurts
I try to remember the design of the door that I focused on for hours after you left
But I can't and it hurts
It hurts
Because all I can remember is the smile that caressed your lips after you whispered 'I love you'
But that hurts too
Because all I can remember is the journey of the lines etched on the palms of your hands in the dark
But that hurts too
Because all I can remember is the exact shade of your eyes as the tears streamed mercilessly down your cheeks before you closed the door
But that hurts too
I fall back in my seat and try to regret all the things I missed in this world while I stared at you
But I can't and that hurts the most
Nov 1, 2015
Nov 1, 2015 at 3:28 PM UTC
I cast my line into the water. The bobber bounced a few times and then rested on the surface slightly cocked to the side. I pulled my hat down low, just far enough to block the sun and still see the water. Everything was quiet. Tigger was running around the other end of the pond, looking for raccoons I guess. He went to the water and took a drink, then he took off into the woods. He’ll be back. I love that dog. I must have had him for 10 years now.
I lit up a cigarette, a Marb red. God, this is the life, man, just chillin, fishin. I had other things to do. I should be looking for a job I guess. I should probably be cleaning my apartment, or taking care of those overdraft fees, I forgot about those, **** Oh well, this is my day. The birds had started to sing again. I whistled along, Andy Griffith’s theme song, God’s gift to whistlin fishermen. I could feel the sun on my bare arms. That’ll be good for my tan. I took another drag on my cigarette, the air was calm enough that I could blow smoke rings. So I did, for about an hour.
Then out of the corner of my eye I saw the tip of my pole dip down a little, it did it again, again, and again. Finally the bobber disappeared under the water. I grabbed my pole and started to reel ‘er in. It was a catfish, about five pounds I’d say. This was perfect, I would get Tigger and we could go home and fry this sucker up, and I would drink a few brews, watch the game and go to bed. What a wonderful day. I called for Tigger, but he didn’t come out of the woods. Probably found one of those ***** So I walked around the pond to where I saw him go in. No matter how many times I called for him he didn’t come back. I searched for two whole hours but I couldn’t find my dog. He was gone.
Aug 10, 2010
Aug 10, 2010 at 5:03 PM UTC
Los Angeles
Griffith Park,
June 2009,
we got out of our concrete cage
and into the untamed wild.
We tried to escape the amber streetlights
because they polluted the sky;
twinkling stars
winking aeroplanes and
startling skylines
covered in the midnight blue.
I walked with you,
in lockstep,
we avoided the cracks
in the pavement.
We found a quiet place,
just you and I,
the sky cleared
and I didn’t want to blow my cigarette palls
into the sky
as I feared
they would block your view.
Apr 8, 2014
Apr 8, 2014 at 2:43 PM UTC
I never saw your dad’s new turtle in its tank in Milwaukee.
I never told you how you looked leaning over the railing at Griffith’s Observatory. The city flickered like a jar of lightning bugs beneath us that night, but the telescopes were disappointing. I didn’t mind.
I never saw your sketches.
I never made room for you on the blanket at Dockweiler Beach. We left the others by the fire and walked to the foaming black water to investigate what we thought might be a body. I still think it was.
I never reached for your hand by the Ferris wheel.
I never gave in when you said, “You have no idea how hard it’s been not to kiss you,” and I stared at my empty paper cup, wishing I had gotten a bigger size because I needed something more to do with my hands.
I never found something better to do with my hands.
I never let you touch the scabs I got when I fell off the sidewalk after I decided I was someone who should jog.
I never touched the scars you got when your lungs collapsed and they pumped them back up like a balloon and they woke you up to breathe with your chest still open.
I never turned to face you when you kissed the top of my head. I didn’t want to move. You told me about your family instead.
I never told you about my family.
I never told my family about you.
I never put my head on your shoulder at two in the morning when we sat in a booth under a flickering yellowish light, shivering with our little Styrofoam cups of hot chocolate in our hands, trying to keep our burning eyes open as we waited for our friends.
I never met your friends from home. I think I would have liked them.
I never sat in the passenger seat of your Oldsmobile with the radio on and the windows down as we drove through Nevada, then Kansas, then Illinois, but it’s probably for the best since your car never would’ve made it anyway.
Jan 9, 2014
Jan 9, 2014 at 1:52 AM UTC
so you have an affinity for ghosts?
explore our urban ruins, at most, forget the Queen Mary
ain't nothing as scary
as a spectral Vincent Price and Frank Lloyd Wright
lurking amongst the needles and graffiti in Barnsdall Park
you say you want uniquely terrifying and seedy?
try this rotten picnic table nestled deeply in Griffith Park
atop which two young Angelenos
made love
then died
under the crushing weight of a healthy oak tree
felled by some fell spirit
coordinates thirty four eight thirteen one eighteen eighteen twenty three
if you don't believe me
Jun 19, 2014
Jun 19, 2014 at 1:46 PM UTC
Jim Nabors always said "Shazam", that was his catchphrase.
Because of his contribution to television, he deserves praise.
It was hard for him to watch the opening credits of Gomer Pyle because many of those Marines died in Vietnam.
We always know that he's on Gomer Pyle or the Andy Griffith Show when we hear him say "Shazam".
We also remember him yelling "Citizen's Arrest".
All of his fans are sad and they're also depressed.
He also starred in some movies, two of which were Cannonball Run 2 and Stroker Ace.
His friends, fans and family have to say goodbye, his death is hard for them to face.
Dec 4, 2017
Dec 4, 2017 at 8:19 AM UTC
She was home but not
the world seemed different to her
Her senses muted
Andy Griffith like in her vision
Downed power lines noted
She picked them up
Knowing she should be shocked
Finding it odd
She was not
She hurried under them
A transformer in the distance sparked
Her children but not hers
Played in her garage
She protected them against the power lines
Then **** they were gone
A stranger child sat upon her dryer
Laughing as though possessed
The laughter was not human
Demon at best
Chills down her spine she approached
His laughter stopped
To her these words spoke
***"You will not get to keep them
He will have them to his self
You will not be able to protect them
They will be his
No one else"***
She then awoke
It was just a dream
Hurried down the hall to check
Her children in their beds
Safe and sound, fast asleep
After kissing each again
She turned, her room to head
She heard the demon laugh
Turned back and saw
Fear again gripping her
He sat upon their bed......
Aug 13, 2016
Aug 13, 2016 at 2:08 PM UTC
Mulberry Square Inn nestled around Mountains, and a Night a romantic Moon
In fact, they call the Inn the Make Out Experience
But sounds more like a retreat in influence
However, the Mulberry Square Inn offering Guest amenities of quality service
But with romantic in the air that should be obvious
It is not exactly a resort, but you still get the relaxing pleasure
It’s a getaway for good measure
Picture Perfect
Mountain’s surround
Quite it and serene having no sound
But when Night comes, it’s no holding back
The Dazzle and Sizzle of music that the Mulberry Square Inn provides
It’s where entertainment resides
So Mulberry, you know the name from the Andy Griffith Show
Although
It goes beyond that
There is no connection and that is a fact
Think on Mulberry Square Inn being and giving more
This is something I wanted to explore
Mulberry Square Inn being a promise and providing being honest.
Oct 7, 2021
Oct 7, 2021 at 12:20 PM UTC
Last night once more
I ventured beyond the pale
To find Nanci Griffith
Awaiting me there
She's pushing E's
On her drum n' bass knees
Pleading with me please
To be the last
of the true believers
But I can't and yet I can
Feel her watching over me
From a distance
She is just another no one
That's been sent to deceive
Yet another love for sale
Beyond this pale
So I move on at least
To my fourteen year old self
Weak arms and weaker will
Holding back a door
All in vain
As the screams grow
The knives and living dead flow
My father at the kitchen table
Silver bangle adorns his strength
He laughs at his son
How could it come to this?
A useless seed born with
a breathless kiss
Leave it to me comes his hiss
Tough love is for sale
Beyond this pale
To a foreign city
With the few friends I've left
It is anxiety and fear
That begin to whisper in my ear
You do not belong
You should never have come here
As the skies start to tear
Separation comes next
The rain empties the nest
Two by two, one by one
Friends and companions
To this city are gone
Desolate in a storm
Lies a desperate man
With a lonely love for sale
Beyond this pale
Tonight once more
I shall venture again for sure
As I pray to the gods
That I will not see you there
For my ecstasy would dissolve
At the closing of a door
As you walk out on me
Towards a rank only you see
That last cab to set you free
So tonight do not appear
Nor take to their stand
To settle their score
Let them be the ones
To finally understand
True love is not for sale
Beyond the pale
Apr 17, 2019
Apr 17, 2019 at 12:15 PM UTC
I am a slave to all that I own
I can’t remember the last time I woke up
and didn’t want to walk out my front door
down the street
across state lines
into the overpopulated void
but my ********* common sense
always stops me
"what a waste”
it’s a shame, pathetic really
that I desire the freedom
the thrill
of being undiscovered by society
to the point that I dream about it
constantly
and still, here I sit
in a room full of records
expensive guitars and
seasons of The Andy Griffith Show
that I can not leave
I am a slave to all that I own
Nov 29, 2014
Nov 29, 2014 at 2:49 AM UTC
13.00 was written on the tip line
the total was 68
you told me I was rude
for making sure to ask
if that made 20 percent
and that we made sure
our waiter knew
that at least one of us here
gave a **** about their pain
gripping the door handle so tightly
I felt like throwing myself onto the beltway
would've been less dangerous than trying to calm you
or thinking
of just closing my eyes and screaming
just screaming
so maybe you would've crashed into the shoulder
and finally stopped talking
outside with your cigarette
I felt my heels dig into the cracks in the asphalt
and I felt ethereal and tangible
the night held me at the waist
and stroked my hair
whispering lilac words
and scarlet promises
but you had to go
and put your lips on me
and opened your mouth again
on the hotel bed I sunk into
the silence and the hum of traffic
outside of the window
I thought about how your fingers felt
helping me zip up my dress
and how those hands
haven't once touched me
in ways
that should've killed me by now
but you didn't need them
because when I close my eyes these days
I have to think about breathing
and all I can see are my mother's arms
cradling and
covered in blood
and the way the trees decided to match
the color of my cat's fur
on the same week he departed
and then turned to red and fell
back down on the asphalt
and I remember when I looked at you
and saw yellows and orange and pinks
but they were just glints of fond memories
like the reflection of vegas lights shining in the desert
and off my reflection in the fountains
or my blistered feet padding along the wooden floor
towards the bed
naked and smelling of pisco
grasping to you
in the cold new york night
or of course the sunburnt twilight
up on griffith
holding on tightly to the rails but this time
with flight under my skin
soaring through the haze
and actually feeling the corners of my mouth
cramp from overuse
now all I see are street lamps
and the monochrome wrinkles
that line your eyes
your face a void
my hands firmly holding myself
trying so hard to escape again
i held for so long
and ripped my skin
piece by piece
for your ego
for your possession
for your trophy
but when it came to paying the bill
you were still
like always
about a dollar short
Nov 4, 2015
Nov 4, 2015 at 11:29 PM UTC
Your last name said it all, you were the best.
Because of you, the entire world was blessed.
You have left this world at the age of eighty-eight.
Your life is something that we should all celebrate.
For six years you dazzled us as Rosco P. Coltrane.
You died but your reruns will continue to entertain.
You starred in a few episodes of Bonanza and twice on the Andy Griffith Show.
You entertained us for several decades and all of your fans hated to see you go.
Talent should've been your middle name.
It's not surprising that you found fame.
You starred in a Twilight Zone episode and in Firecreek.
You will never be forgotten because you were unique.
Apr 10, 2015
Apr 10, 2015 at 7:39 PM UTC
Frank Sutton was an actor who died half a century ago.
He starred in one episode of "The Andy Griffith Show".
He starred in every episode of "Gomer Pyle: USMC".
Sutton died fifty years ago today at the age of fifty.
People were sad because he wouldn't be coming back.
Sutton's life came to an end when he had a heart attack.
He starred in "The Twilight Zone" and "Town Without Pity".
He starred in "Armstrong Circle Theater" and "Naked City".
He starred in "Love, American Style" and "Valentine's Day".
Sutton would be 100 years old if he hadn't passed away.
Jun 28, 2024
Jun 28, 2024 at 9:00 AM UTC
walk inside my mind to a journey deep inside
personifications of laughter filter through the caverns
alone I bask in the vast expanse between that of space and time
there is a river with lava beside its strange presence
dig much deeper then ever before lest I implore another opened door
solitude is among me now with the ever glow of an aura of twilight
giving cadence toward the premonition of branches proceeding outward
come with your hurt come with your need to such a place as these
lucid dreams falling apart at the seams getting down to the very means
The thought of Andy Griffith with Opie so very care free fishing down by the pond
each of us is responsible for our actions we can't blame anyone but ourselves
walk inside my mind once again to when i was ten sitting under the Elm tree gazing to the sky
crafted a fascination of soaring space ships from outer space would invade my place
in good taste I would create those moments of love from god up above
alone again then I stare at the wall but in the back of my mind I heard my conscience call
reach for oblivion if someone gives you the opportunity say yes then learn it later
life is a roller coaster with twists and turns one soul soars the other will burn
best to invest in charity getting knocked down to your knees
apathy comes in a variety inside of me to hide from thee
there is a hero in us all so stand up ten feet tall
choices with voices with moments of solitude
give thanks to the one who sets us all free cause most of life is but a mystery
for what are we willing to achieve mark the one willing to explore awe so much more
a challenge to be free is a question of time remember when you were broke down to your last thin dime...
in time we sall shine brighter then ever before lest of course I implore another door
wax on wax off Mr Miyagi said it best putting Daniel to the test I must confess:
"Better learn balance cause balance is the key" !
Wax on wax off always do your best cause most of life is but a test
yet off the cuff here I send out a cheer to all those who persevered
best to offer positive reinforcement then any negative thoughts
Wax on wax off in the midnight hour have to take a cold shower
Nov 27, 2017
Nov 27, 2017 at 12:42 PM UTC
He was an actor who died at the age of seventy.
William died of complications from heart surgery.
He starred in over eighty television shows over the years.
This man chose to be a character actor, that was his career.
He starred on The Andy Griffith Show in 'Stranger In Town'.
He died over thirty years ago and he's buried in the ground.
He starred in 'Sanford and Son', 'Newhart' and 'Cold Steel'.
He also starred in an episode of 'The Trials of Rosie O'Neill'.
He starred in one episode of both 'Wonder Woman' and 'Amen'.
It's sad because William is dead and we will never see him again.
Aug 12, 2025
Aug 12, 2025 at 11:09 AM UTC