"mongoose" poems
The Mongoose dances with the Cobra
Bending and twitching, it looked like yoga
One little ***** of those poisons fangs
Will leave it dying in ravenous pain
The Mongoose so small and frail
It looks like the dance with the Cobra is sure to fail
The jumping and striking is memorizing to watch
Looking exhausted they raise it up a notch
A dance to the death is the show before me
The Cobra's hood is all I can see
He sways from side to side trying to hypnotize
But I can hear the Mongoose's chattering cries
Bouncing back and fourth on legs of springs
The Cobra strikes, you can hear the zing
The Mongoose is to fast, to the side it jumps
Then comes the bone crushing crunch
As the snakes body curls in on it's self into a ball
Looks like the mongoose won after all
So even if you think of yourself as small
Be the mongoose when problems come to call
Mar 6, 2016
Mar 6, 2016 at 4:17 PM UTC
Sitting outside in my grandpa’s veranda,
he passed away before I could appreciate his presence;
he wished for me to come see his art;
his garden, a green maze of trees and bushes,
from marigolds and periwinkle to mango trees and whatnot.
As I lay here on the mat,
close to my grandpa, I might gladly add;
seeing the ants crawl up on the periwinkle blooms
and wild butterflies dancing overhead;
with a bulbul on a mango tree branch
and crows chattering near food dumps;
with a sweet scent of marigold in the air
and crickets chirping in the background;
with a mongoose running on the broad fence
and a squirrel eating rice that my grandma kept;
with the sun rays hitting my face through the trees
and a couple of flies hovering beside my novel;
with a moment of pure serenity,
that brings a peaceful calm to this tranquil space;
my heart feels full and my soul at ease.
As a gentle breeze whispers by,
my hair seems to be afloat.
As the fresh air clears my mind,
I feel alive like never before.
As I hear children playing nearby,
memories of my childhood days come alive;
one of the best moments of my life;
in this veranda forever entwined.
As I feel a soft breath of crispness on my face,
I reminisce about the times I had lived with him;
the village isn't as bad as it seemed.
This is the land where my ancestors lived;
and where I feel his presence still,
he must be smiling sitting on the chair beside me;
finally, content that I appreciate his accomplishment.
Apr 3, 2023
Apr 3, 2023 at 4:03 PM UTC
Go ahead and paint a picture of perfect
time slips between our fingers
like my tongue slipped between my lips
to say something stupid
politicians are sleeping soundly atop the knife
metal to the floor
pick up speed
pick up bad habits
linoleum is easy enough to clean
but khakis stain like a *****
but if you want to sell me your deepest darkest dream
I’ll haggle with you all night long
we give birth to Cobras and give them to the hungry mongoose
put me on the blacklist
my white flag is stained with blood and grey matter
but everybody in their right mind wants to get a chance
to walk through wrong altered perceptions
I stole your dream catcher
and I’m writing novels about your hopes
and faults and I track your arteries
along the fault lines of imaginary continents
is this insanity?
it’s easier said than done
play chicken with my train of thought
spine is steel is cowardice is machismo
put me under your microscope
tell me what’s wrong
I’ll give you a doodle on the back of a napkin
and a shoddily put together love poem
Feb 23, 2014
Feb 23, 2014 at 3:15 PM UTC
The silent assassins came floating down,
Tiny but deadly they came.
Two thousand dead mice,
Stuffed full of Tylenol,
On the island of Guam they deplaned.
To **** off the snakes
That are killing Guam’s birds
Tylenol should do the trick
A mere 80 milligrams
Can **** a grown snake
Or at least make them terribly sick.
I hope this works better
Than the Mongoose Brigade
We deployed on Hawaii’s fair shores.
They were sent to **** rats
But instead took long naps
And the birds are more rare than before.
Dec 4, 2013
Dec 4, 2013 at 11:06 AM UTC
Ma Jalouse, Mon Unique, Mon Ultime
Sais-tu ce que Lord Invader, Sam Manning
Cyril Monrose, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong
Jack Sneed et Ernest Rangling
Sans oublier Blue Glaze Mento Band et Phil Madison ?
Et je m'arrête là pour l'instant,
Sais-tu ce qu'ils ont en commun ?
Eh bien vois-tu, ce sont tous mes ombres.
Tu ne pourras jamais me comprendre
Si tu ne les comprends pas
Et si tu ne sais pas ce que représentent pour moi
La mangouste et le raccoon.
De même que pour te comprendre il faut avoir lu tout Dostoievski
Pour me comprendre il faut avoir écouté tout Sly Mongoose
Car peut être n'as-tu vu en moi qu'aria et boléro, symphonie et concerto
Alors je t'explique : pour comprendre, n'essaie pas de philosopher
Lève-toi et bouge tout simplement et tu toucheras l 'essence
C'est du folklore, c'est du reggae, c 'est du mento, c'est du calypso, c'est du jazz,
C'est instrumental ou c'est vocal
C'est moi, mes ascendances et descendances.
Sly Mongoose c'est mes Frères Karamasov
Smerdiakov, Aliocha, Ivan et Dmitri
C'est mon Idiot, mon prince Lev Mychkine
C'est mon Joueur, mon Alexei Ivanovitch
Mon Rêve d'un Homme Ridicule
Et Raskolnikov errant dans la nuit dans Crime et Châtiment.
Sly Mongoose c'est l'histoire d'une mangouste maline
Qui a baptisé la fille du pasteur
De son eau sainte
Et qui fuit la Jamaïque
Et part à l'étranger
Après son forfait.
C'est l'histoire d'une mangouste qui vole les poules les plus grasses de la cuisine
Et qui les met dans la poche de son veston
C'est l'histoire d'une mangouste qui entre dans la cuisine d'un prédicateur
Et qui repart avec une des poules les plus grasses
Et tous les chiens savent son nom.
il s'appelle Sly Mangoose
Il est malin, il est vicieux, le compère
C'est mon ombre, que veux-tu
Et parfois pour échapper aux prédateurs
Il prend l'apparence de l'ombre d'un raccoon.
Aug 21, 2019
Aug 21, 2019 at 6:05 AM UTC
Upon the arboreal dozed and limb,
Extended coccyx serpentine loose,
Throne of inspection, tenet and dumb
Stillness hunts akin stealthy Mongoose;
Except for the natal locomotive
Soft deep sufficiently immense purr
Emanating from some industry; effective
In the cover of the thick supple fur.
The lord of his unconquered empire,
Thrives on flesh and quenches on milk,
Wintering unperturbed reading the fire
That flickers, gleaming his bed of silk.
Ever landing on appendage quadruple
Acrobatic athlete not soiling once his back
Consummating in strict concealment marble
Couch of perpetual indulgence buried black.
Jun 23, 2012
Jun 23, 2012 at 5:35 AM UTC
*Coiled golden serpent, furiously hisses from behind the thicket,
hiding mongoose, wakes up from its siesta, gets alert,
game of life and death, spying on each other goes on nonstop,
death hidden in serpent either surrenders or escapes now and awaits its next chance.*
Jul 9, 2013
Jul 9, 2013 at 9:41 PM UTC
The ten count is over
He's down for the count
The Greatest is gone from this world
But, we will remember
He will stay here forever
As we think of the quips that he hurled
As fast as his fists flew
His lip was much faster
He rhymed with the greatest of ease
Parkinson's slowed him
But, we will remember
The Greatest of All...ALI
Known by the masses
After his time in the ring
He was an angel sent to this earth
He had his convictions
Became a man of the people
He showed what a real life was worth
A true gentle giant
With the speed of a mongoose
The Louisville Lip...that was he
We all know his trademark
How he floated and stung
The Greatest...Muhammad Ali
Jun 4, 2016
Jun 4, 2016 at 7:15 PM UTC
He was small,
He was long,
He was crossing the road when I saw him,
Unaware of what is happening around,
Motorcycles and Buses were passing by continuously,
His Parents left him as if they were aware of the vehicle was coming towards them,
I don't know why Parents leave their Children in difficult times,
And what happened then scares us,
Vehicle crossed by crushing him
It's too late till I get through over to him,
I wasn't able to save him,
I was in the car,
Seeing from far what happened there.
He was a little Mongoose
Sep 29, 2016
Sep 29, 2016 at 3:49 AM UTC
Upon the arboreal dozed and limb,
Extended coccyx serpentine loose,
Throne of inspection, tenet and dumb
Stillness hunts akin stealthy Mongoose;
Except for the natal locomotive
Soft deep sufficiently immense purr
Emanating from some industry; effective
In the cover of the thick supple fur.
The lord of his unconquered empire,
Thrives on flesh and quenches on milk,
Wintering unperturbed reading the fire
That flickers, gleaming his bed of silk.
Ever landing on appendage quadruple
Acrobatic athlete not soiling once his back
Consummating in strict concealment marble
Couch of perpetual indulgence buried black
Feb 13, 2012
Feb 13, 2012 at 6:46 AM UTC
Reassuredove strides over modern bridges
occasionally glancing for somewhere to sow his seed
Her scicle a slicing scythe smoothly severs
the flesh like a mongoose strike
tasting the life fluid
Quickly everyone dances in a sober pattern
the wake of a speeding ship shooting across the surf
White dog, walking at your side
you see it in the sober sun
unblemished by uncertainty
Reassuredove wont leave you all alone
rich genius. Tomorrow is the dawn of a greater day.
Jul 26, 2012
Jul 26, 2012 at 4:13 PM UTC
Captain,
suit jacket still beneath your tremor-less hands,
dark jeans as classy as any suit,
blue and black tie radiating calmness,
confidence,
you are our best.
Captain,
how you speak with such careless finesse,
words painting a picture and cutting it to shreds
and repainting it in new light,
you respond and counter questions,
a mongoose attacking an ancient cobra,
striking, winning,
grinning and frowning in perfect rhythm,
ever in control.
Captain,
you cannot win an uphill battle
when your opponent walks on air,
when spectators throw to them machine guns
and step on your fallen spears,
nor can your army
(ever willing, ever ready)
fight without you and your words
drilling through enemy lines,
ever calm,
confident.
Captain,
I have suffered the sting of defeat,
as have we all,
and I have felt the shame and fear
that flows in your blood as you hear the result,
and I see the look in your eyes
as you walk, ever steady, from the room,
foot itching to kick the walls with your radiant deliberateness,
and then you come back,
the look in your eyes one of exhaustion,
for you are tired,
Captain.
Captain,
rest your mind, hold your tongue,
let sleep and lethargy be your's for a day,
for the weekend,
for we all shall,
we, your army, who are tired and worn
from the conflict,
who have come out as victors or failures
and who cry in your dreary shadow.
Captain,
ten days remain till next we fight,
papers as swords and numbers as shields
beneath fire from questions like missiles
which we must deflect,
somehow,
and we will be ready, Captain,
we, your army,
in our suit jackets and clicking heals,
will lead you as you lead us:
to victory.
Nov 8, 2013
Nov 8, 2013 at 7:59 PM UTC
My dear roses glimmer as they tear
My daughters fought the werewolf as it came
The lover cried a song of sweetened wear
Pretty moments wasted if not shared
He climbed the frightened footsteps up to fame
My dear roses glimmer as they tear
Saunter slowly such a flimsy pair
The years go by and slowly we are lame
The lover cried a song of sweetened wear
And I know why the people start to care
It’s silly as the mongoose, slow and tame
My dear roses glimmer as they tear
Picture perfect movies and their hair
Our glasses start to drown us in our shame
The lover cried a song of sweetened wear
Weeks go by and life begins to stair
Beauty of the seasons hear our claim!
My dear roses glimmer as they tear
The lover cried a song of sweetened wear
May 6, 2013
May 6, 2013 at 11:11 PM UTC
what pattern of
deception
is the cobra
with its
yellow banana eyes
locked upon the
silver mongoose
he knows how to dance
weaving its body
from side to side
bobbing its head
up and down
in a yo-yo
like fashion
suddenly
a lightening
quick bite
straight as an arrow
to crush snap
then bite off
the cobra's head
Sep 20, 2014
Sep 20, 2014 at 10:46 AM UTC
They all stood watching
there in the shadows of the great forest
The lion and impala
looked at each other
concern in their eyes
the hawk and rabbit
viewed each other
their eyes had that same look
the mouse and the elephant
the wolf and the lamb
the mongoose and cobra
even the spider and the fly
All the creatures of the forest
the air and the sea
those of the great Serengeti
all of them
Watching
Waiting
Gathered together to see
what man might do next
to further destroy their homes
Jan 7, 2015
Jan 7, 2015 at 8:31 AM UTC
I was in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, doing human-rights work. I made several Malawi friends. We decided we would go out in the countryside to camp. The African terrain was beautiful. We pitched a large tent and enjoyed chatting after roasting chicken over the campfire. We spoke Chichewa, the main indigenous language in Malawi. Before sunset, I saw, at a distance, an animal slowly approaching us. It was long and slender, about a-foot-and-a-half in length. It was a mongoose. When I stood up, the mongoose stopped coming toward us. We stood there looking at each other. After several minutes, I began to walk in measured steps toward it carrying with me some crispy cooked chicken skin. The mongoose didn't move. In due course, I got within 10 feet of the mongoose and sat down in the tall grass. The mongoose still hadn't moved, which surprised me. I tossed a piece of chicken skin at it. It landed within a couple of feet of it, but still the mongoose didn't move, only lying in the tall grass looking at (and smelling, no doubt) me. The sun continued to set. Finally, the mongoose moved toward the piece of chicken, smelled it, then picked it up and ate it, then lay down again in the grass. After a few more minutes, I tossed another piece toward the mongoose, again landing about two feet from it. And again, after a few minutes, it moved toward the chicken and repeated this ritual. I continued to do the same thing until the mongoose was within, I'd say, about four feet from me. The sun had set, but the two of us sat close to each other in the tall grass for about another half-hour, neither of us moving. I felt we were, each of us in or own way, getting to know each other. This was most surprising and satifying to me. Finally, I slowly arose and began making my way back to what was left of the campfire. When I turned around, I saw the mongoose then get up and amble into the darkness. I had made another friend in Malawi.
Sep 6, 2020
Sep 6, 2020 at 2:31 AM UTC
I never knew how the roses you grew
the myna flapped again broken wings
soils thirsted for touch of you
longed for your gift of saplings!
I never knew the depth of your eyes
reaching to the densest of bush
I only snapped the mating butterflies
the day end’s scurrying mongoose!
I never knew what hidden key
was in you to unlock the door
to be in a world yours only
with a sky for limitless soar!
I would never know why said you
when at dusk I pointed afar
*your eyes and my eyes together make two
please never show me a lone star!*
Mar 17, 2015
Mar 17, 2015 at 9:50 AM UTC
Vieques
Snakes were here by the grace of God, but
knowing Him, He set them down while He fiddled
with an Egyptian plague, forgetting where He’d left them.
The Navy brought mongooses to eat the snakes
so they could relax and shell the sunrise coast in peace
but mongoose got to eat, as any chicken farmer will tell you.
Spain sent Church and State astride the horse, but conquistador and cleric
dismounted to take in a sunset from ***** Arenas while the sea breeze
whispered soft and sweet to a restless stallion and his starry eyed mare.
Ticks in the grass, indifferent to bombs, bitter on mongoose tongue
bloated equestrians each every one, blithe captives of nothing
but the cold blue Atlantic and the turquoise bath of the Caribbean Sea.
Bored by the endless cycle of creation and destruction, inspired perhaps
to beauty or by niggling guilt, God unveiled the egret, elegant in its simplicity
with a taste for tick and a knack for lazy symbiosis.
The Malecón sways with rhythms we won’t bring back in our carry-on’s, a drink
down the road from the old United Fruit Company dock, short stroll to sugar house
ruins, unhurried drivers nodding to afro-son, waiting for horses to make their way.
Oct 12, 2016
Oct 12, 2016 at 7:43 AM UTC
I open my mouth to your tongue
and it forces its way in
slurping past my incisors
and licking the crevices between my molars
like a snake about to strike
at a mongoose's ********
oh my god but your halitosis
is enough to make me boke
copiously on my new hush puppies.
Jan 7, 2015
Jan 7, 2015 at 2:02 PM UTC
Month by month
Week by week
Day by day
Hour by hour
Minute by minute
Second by second
The pressure builds
The stranglehold tightens
Like the monstrous coils
Of a giant anaconda
That is savagely determined
To squeeze its hapless prey
And ruthlessly quell every ounce of resistance
Until the poor rabbit realises
That it's all over bar the shouting
But I am not a rabbit
I am a mongoose
The mere sight of that ugly serpent
Fills me, not with fear
But instead, with rage
A rage so powerful, and so enduring
That I long to rip the snake
Into a thousand slimy pieces
With my shiny claws
As sharp as daggers
Until and unless Justice is served
We employees are accorded
The respect and dignity we deserve
Our dues are paid on time
And you, the employer
Finally show some transparency and accountability
And empower us with that freedom
Which you keep boasting about
But which we all know, is just a sham
Just like the training sessions you promised
The dedicated office setup
The addition of more employees
And of course, most of the incentives
Sep 20, 2019
Sep 20, 2019 at 12:08 PM UTC
lightning quick
from
side to side
the
mongoose
dance
from
counter clockwise
then
bites the cobra
behind
its
snake eyes
Feb 25, 2017
Feb 25, 2017 at 2:35 PM UTC
I remember when you weren't that big.
You moved swiftly on trees and sprigs.
Tongue was tiny, fangs were bantam.
Very small was your gland of venom.
But then also you were dangerous being.
Again and again I spotted you hissing.
I confronted you on that particular day.
Somehow managed to scare you away.
But again you've been sighted nearby.
You're hiding in bushes dense and high.
Now big in size with increased weight.
You have come to avenge and retaliate.
You are filled with vengeance and anger.
But all these days I wasn't idling either.
I found a teacher, while your fangs grew.
From mongoose I have learnt tricks few.
Nov 5, 2014
Nov 5, 2014 at 9:12 PM UTC
ghost white moon
with
her
mongoose smile
waited
for
the
cobra night to strike
and
bloom
along the River Nile
Feb 2, 2019
Feb 2, 2019 at 4:52 PM UTC
I’ve seen signs of life grow
As they dance within fallout zones
Hunger’s war-waged
Ravaged plains where no Jesus goes
Shopping for happy
And shinier things
A bazaar kind of market
Where real freedom rings
Over cannons crowns used to blow babies to bits
But now lion kings bow in the tigress’ midst
And in piles of ***** where they let the pigs squeal
But the monkeys as gods still respect what they feel
By the river, the nurturing mother, the giver
Created by Brahma, the people, the mirror
As clear as the lotus blooms Saraswati
With the grace of a swan in my speech therapy
Where the wisdom of elephants steps to progress
And the mercy for mice carries it to success
And the cobra don’t strike lest the mongoose is stressed
For Surya sent his very best from the West
As it sets in a sapphire mango mirage
And it adds to this human collective collage
With monsoonal communal’s resurgent potential
To never change climates on what is essential
Jan 19, 2018
Jan 19, 2018 at 2:34 AM UTC