Juggling responsibilities against the tug of gravity
in an effort to keep my head above the fickle tides.
Steering a true course by the examples that stars have set
by illuminating the preferred trajectory.
The dropped ball can’t be blamed on the ball.
Artist, please yourself above all others ~
for the sin of praise, the truth is smothered
Verse 1]
You're so incredible,
the most amazing man.
I'm taken to new heights of pleasure
with the touch of your hand.
There will never be another man
in my life who compares.
Your eyes, your smile...
no one as perfect anywhere.
I will never forget, or stop loving you...
Well would ya lookie here, my dear…
I can lie too!
[Chorus]
I can lie just like you do!
Make promises, plan dreams that will never come true.
I didn't know I could be such a fool!
I guess I was never, ever
good enough for you...
See? there I go again, I can lie too!
[Verse2]
You are the man
of every woman's dreams.
You sure knew your way
around my body
I guess I had you going
with all the fuss I made
So glad I was the star of all my high-school plays
Because you are an imposter...
And baby I should win an Oscar…
Cause as you can see
I can lie too!
[Chorus]
I can lie just like you do!
Make promises, plan the dreams that are never coming true.
I didn't know I could be such a fool!
I guess I was never, ever good enough for you...
See? there I go again, I can lie too!
Was it I wonder
For cracks on heels he was mocked
Or to meander.
No, to have for values walked
That he was heavily docked.
______________________
Tanka (Senryu + couplet) |12.09.2025 | irony, meander, values
Always more fun, when someone’s left out
Good company, two, but three is a crowd
Two share more joy, when it harms a third
Without that plus one, it dampens the herd
In fact, what’s the point? Is there one at all
To climb a ladder, if no one else falls
What good is being great, if not better
If not, first place, you’re not a goal setter
What lifts you up, when another, not down
Why better yourself, while winning no crown
How can one thrive, alongside their peers
How would we survive, without other’s tears
Truth trips the tongue mid-stage
the mask cracks in the glare,
applause feeds on the lie
failure wears a spotlight.
youth fades with truth
truth holds the proof
smooth words uncouth
truth hides the proof
uncouth truth
want write poems that not
bout politics life's weighty
absurdities death's grip all
simple poems contentment
son's enthusiasm energy
wife's cooking heroic endurance
kitten's bouncing curiosity
old cat's slowing solitude
dog praying hard reform
colors fall newness spring
mowing leaves grass gazing
on in forest looking beyond
tree tops lake mirage day
venus mars night
bach lifting toward
mozart floating down
heaven singing love conquering
fulfilled voluntary unions bodies
cooperation nations peace
strength through peace soul society
treading softly near edge
old habit making safe path
some sweet day will
Shape of the mouths
Silence of the footsteps
Harmony of the tears
Firmness of the handshakes
Emptiness of the buffet
Declare:
Were they in love or in need.
I wait for you
where the road splits in two,
I'm forced to remain
uncertain which path is mine,
yet certain you will come.
I will open my abyss for you,
not as a prison,
but as a place to rest:
for an afternoon so perfect
it could outlast time.
I know, as every moth must know,
that the flame is its destiny:
even though the light was never made
for moths.
Death arrives when sorrow takes flight,
Even the game shivers when played in fright.
A wound so strange, a pain so new,
I pledged my soul to the beloved’s view.
I longed for you, that was my claim,
Fulfilled at last—by your leaving’s flame.
For years a lone star graced my skies,
It hides away, yet returns through goodbyes.
What would it mean to have it all?
I lose my reason when things do fall.
Know the strength that silence keeps,
Restlessness grows when complaint speaks.
Cling to truth and let it stay,
The heart grows dim when joy decays.
O my companion, still your fire,
The world won’t burn from my desire.
“Forward Ever...Backwards…Never!?!”
With all
The progress
We made, how
Is it that we’re
Back to where
We once were
With oppression?
Did we become
So comfortable
That we failed
To see what
Was coming
To push us
Back and make America great again?!
How could we have simply missed
The vivid message of Stockholm,
Which, for us, here today, is now
A USA, Oppressor Syndrome?!
When instinct becomes
an educated guess
And improvisation
demands quick redress
Like thinking on one’s feet
if too drunk to stand
Be found all at sea
throwing up on dry land
Twisted situations
we find ourselves in
When bundles of joy
reek original sin
Smack on the butt
for showing a bit of cheek
Do everything perfect
be labelled a freak
Gestures, signals,
often appear to confuse
High five, fist bump
a sweaty handshake defused
One or two fingers:
the bird a sign of peace
Kneel with respect
submissive purr on a leash
Diversions, promises,
never black and white
Passive aggression
silent treatment for slight
Jack in the box, ripper
jumps out with a knife
Break a leg, for the
performance of his life
Police warning: never
mess around with guns
Gut reaction sparks a
stampede, or the runs
Playing it very cool,
whilst feeling much heat
Praying devoutly,
burnt at stake for deceit
Sticking out one’s tongue
in contempt, no a kiss!
Sigh of relief
they were just taking the piss
Such is living, such is death
come friend or foe
On second thoughts
syllabic verse, or sh!tshow
By David Kavanagh
hms
GEOFF: A Whet Pirouette Poem
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
furry, spry squirrel, Geoff
Chaucer he doth channel
"Come and 'whet thine whistle'."
"Poof! abracadabra!"
Really?
Now Georgie,
you're silly!
be smiley,
beguilely!
~ A Story You'll Surely Adore ~
('Suicide's a Pain')
As I was about to enter the store
I was smacked by a malfunctioning door
Without so much as the slightest warning
or a perfunctory good morning
Astonished more than stunned
I took off at a brisk run
to inform the manager-on-duty
of the door that had greeted me so rudely…
When I’d finished my story, to my utter surprise
the manager muttered: “Lies, lies, nothing but lies”
My jaw dropped and I exclaimed, “Why? Why? Why?”
the manager replied, “We’ve an epidemic of spies”
“Spies from our competitors,” he continued
“that’s why we smacked you upside your head”
In disbelief and rage, I said, “Well, I never” –
pivoted right back into that door ~
and keeled over dead
For Sir Brian Strand's 1409 Senryu Poetry Contest
3 September 2025
( ^ ^ )
laughter fills the eyes,
( - -)
ii ii
* & & * the heart sings through every night,
¦¦¦¦¦ as all days stay dark.
Specific Types of Irony Poems
Definition | What is Irony in Poetry?
Poems Related to Irony
twist, paradox, wit, humor, satire, criticism, repartee, quip, mockery, taunt, banter, ridicule, incongruity, burlesque, jibe, contrariness, raillery, reproach, derision, contempt, mordancy, sardonicism,