L.A. Jones
What is in a word
That "bloom" just blooms from the mouth
While "seed" germinates?
Words
Words in a row,
Tidy and neat,
Words striking paper
With a typewriter beat;
Words black on white,
Techni-color in the mind,
Words constantly reached for,
Words impossible to find;
Words shooting like fireworks,
Words pouring like rain,
Words tumbling in freefall,
Words pouncing again;
Words tickling nerve endings,
Words on the verge,
Words marooned in the soul,
Never to emerge;
Words whispered,
Words shouted,
Words clung to,
Words doubted;
Words scrawled
In desperation,
Words forged
With perspiration,
Words.
For the birds
Waking Up
Robin
Serenades the dawn.
Rooster
Rails.
Dove
Mourns the morning.
Jay bird
Plots to rule the world!
Resident Wren
Sing song like no other,
Sneak attack at dawn,
A trill a minute,
Hide-and-seeker,
Binoculars baffler,
Resident Wren.
Hummingbird
Did you see it?
That blur; that flash
I guarantee it—
That's hummingbird
On the dash!
Buteo
You're called "buzzard" and "hawk"
And "buteo"
(They say for the sound of your squawk).
To me, it's clear—
You've one name, my dear;
You're none other than
BEAUTY-OH!
Bald?
Majestic sir,
Silently sentinel,
Posing for your portrait
So it would seem...
With a headful of feathers
Gleaming beacon-bright,
How is it
You are deemed bald?
Towhee
Towhee,
Why so shy?
With that haunting cry
And the blood in your eye,
A warrior
You could be!
My Little Chickadee
He comes when I call,
Bright eyed and feather tailed,
With a cheep-cheep
And a peep-peep
And a chick-a-dee-dee-dee!
Blessings
Count your blessings
One by one.
Count the moon,
And count the sun.
Count the stars
Which span the sky.
Count the feathers
Flying by!
And, for the bees
Sunflower (Faux)
Sunflower,
Fun flower,
Bumblebee's bower,
How, oh how, you shine!
Faux they say,
To my dismay,
What, oh what,
Do they know?
Sunflower,
Fun flower,
Bumblebee's bower,
How, oh how, you shine!
False are you;
It's just not true—
What, oh what,
Do they know?
Sunflower,
Fun flower,
Bumblebee's bower,
How, oh how, you shine!
They should pay
For what they say
With a bumblebee's
Sting to the nose!
Holes in Things (Excerpted)
Holes are a deep subject;
Just go ask any bunny.
Dive inside that rabbit hole
And things turn pretty funny!
Let's talk more about holes
In the animal kingdom.
The sky's a big hole
For birds on the wingdom.
"Aristotle's lantern" is the poetic name
Of the hole that the sea urchin eats with;
He motors around, upside down,
Barging through kin and kith.
There's a groundhog who loves cold weather;
He's Punsxutawney Phil.
He pops out of his hole with his shadow;
Phil's keeping things chill—if you will.
Whales have holes for exhaling air
When they rise from under the sea.
Holes like mini apartment homes
House the harmonious honey bee.
Speaking of cozy accommodations,
Did you know that the wild grizzly bear
Digs a hole to snuggle inside of?
Yes, indeed—he calls it his "lair."
Then there's the wild crustacean
That seeks out a hole called a "shell."
He tucks himself inside it
Like the farmer in the dell.
But when it comes to a hole,
You just can't beat a mole;
Holy moly a mole-y
Sure can dig a fine hole-y!
Sneakers
Once at a party
For a very fine kiddo
(Except for the times
When he'd pop his lid-o),
There were presents aplenty,
All heaps of fun,
But for the maddening,
Inevitable one.
A pair of sneakers;
Really, how rotten!
They were shoved in the closet
Where they lay forgotten.
Funny thing about that, though,
In fact these shoes were awesome;
For these cleverest of shoes
Knew just how to play possum.
All day in the shoebox
They nestled tight,
Hidden away
Clean out of sight,
Biding their time
Until midnight struck;
Then out they popped,
And out they snuck!
Scooting under the bed
Where the dust bunnies play,
Then out to the garden
Where the mantises pray;
Squishing the strawberries,
Digging up potatoes,
Turning to ketchup
Prizewinning tomatoes;
Stomping in the mud,
Splashing in a puddle,
Swinging from the branches
Where the lovebirds like to cuddle;
Strolling on the beach,
Striding up a mountain,
Kicking up their heels
In an ornamental fountain;
Then back to the box
At the crack of dawn
(Before the very fine kiddo
Awoke with a yawn),
Sliding at last between
Tissue-paper sheets;
These wondrous shoes—
Alive without feets!
Came a day when the kiddo
Was forced to look fancy
(For the piano recital
Of his sister Nancy);
He pulled on his suit,
Clipped on his bowtie,
Remembered his shoes;
Now you won't wonder why
When he dragged out the shoebox
And took off the top,
The very fine kiddo's
Eyes did pop!
Into his mind
A question now flashed:
How in the world?
His new sneakers were trashed!
But it's not rocket science
How his shoes became reekers;
There's a reason, of course,
Why these shoes are called "sneakers."
Winston Hangs Ten
Winston Wilson hated shoes
From the first day he occurred;
"Toes flapping free, that's how it should be!"
Cried Winston, though nobody heard.
When his granny's angora booties
Were slipped onto his tiny feet
Winston screamed his tiny head off;
Granny beat a hasty retreat.
At four years old, little Winston
Got a pony named Moon Boy Blue.
His ma wedged on some cowboy boots;
Winston raised a great hullabaloo!
He sent the boots a sailin';
His ma had to hit the deck.
"No crampin' my style!" cried Winston.
"Shoes are a pain in the neck!"
As you can imagine, young Winston
Had a heck of a time out at school;
Shoes were a part of the dress code,
And some kids found shoes really cool.
But Winston's poor toes suffocated
Every time he pulled on high-tops;
Winston cut two holes in his high-tops
Through which his toes could pops.
The day Winston got his diploma,
Mortarboards flew through the air.
They were joined by a pair of high-tops;
Finally Winston's cramped toes were bare!
Winston jumped on the back of his pony
(His true little Moon Boy Blue),
Aimed toward a place he'd dreamed of
Where he could do what he needed to do—
Live his life without any strife
And be the one to choose
What his life should look like;
He had only shoes to lose—
Winston rode without stopping
Until he could ride no more;
Moon Boy pulled up in a tide pool
Where the ocean ran to the shore.
Then Winston had a revelation:
On the waves he'd have some fun!
For one thing Winston truly believed—
Toes stark naked never hurt anyone!
That's how Winston became a great surfer;
Hanging ten for him was a gift.
And the most inspiring sight of all
Was when Winston gave Moon Boy a lift!
