ICE CREAM Do fairies float on thistledown Can angels fill a night time dream The earthly cooks who wear a crown Are those who served our first ice cream. The Chinese led with flavoured ice Milk, flour and camphor, not so good Fruit juice for Henry, very nice. Queen Anne enjoyed real ice cream pud. Ice houses filled the rich mens dream Not shared by members of the staff Who served them bowls of silky cream In silence while their masters laugh. We plebs began to get a taste In sixteen hundred, so they say I bet the hygiene of that paste Left many on the pot all day. Ice cream soda, once called Sunday Riled religions of the day Had their way. It changed to Sundae Snow cone parlours on their way. How things have changed. Once rich mans treat Shops overflow, an easy sell All thousand flavours hard to beat But very fattening-what the hell.
JUST A SIMPLE SOLDIER He was getting old and paunchy And his hair was falling fast And he sat around the Legion Hall Telling stories of the past Of a war that he had fought in And the deeds that he had done In his exploits with his buddies They were heroes, every one And though sometimes to his neighbors His tales became a joke All his buddies listened For they knew whereof he spoke But we'll hear his tales no longer For old Bob has passed away And the world's a little poorer For a soldier died today He won't be mourned by many Just his children and his wife For he lived an ordinary Very quiet sort of life He held a job and raised a family Quietly going on his way And the world won't note his passing Though a soldier died today When politicians leave this earth Their bodies lie in state While thousands note their passing And proclaim that they were great Papers tell of their life stories From the time that they were young But the passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung Is the greatest contribution To the welfare of our land Some jerk who breaks his promise And cons his fellow man? Or the ordinary fellow Who in times of war and strife goes off to serve his country And offers up his life The politician's stipend And the style in which he lives Are sometimes disproportionate To the service that he gives While the ordinary soldier Who offers up his all Is paid off with a medal And perhaps a pension, small It's so easy to forget them For it is so long ago That our Bob's and Jim's and Johnny's Went to battle, but we know It was not the politicians With their compromise and ploys Who won for us the freedom That our country now enjoys Should you find yourself in danger With your enemies at hand would you really want some cop-out With his ever waffling stand Or would you want a SOLDIER who has sworn to defend His home, his kin, and country And will fight until the end He was just a common soldier And his ranks are growing thin But his presence should remind us We may need his kind again For when countries are in conflict Then we find the soldier's part Is to clean up all the troubles That the politicians start If we cannot do him honor While he's here to hear the praise Then at least let's give him homage At the ending of his days Perhaps a simple headline in the paper that might say: "OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING FOR A SOLDIER DIED TODAY." AUTHOR UNKNOWN
Here is one of my "String-cheese" poems: And In Between He left a hero, and came home a hero…and in between…he was heroic. According to the roster…it was his turn to be a hero, so he was. Don’t cry…heroes are never in short supply…and they all get to fly. He was brave when he left, and came “home” brave…and in between he walked bravely. It’s hard to tell, but when he fell…he fell bravely. So add our yell…of “Bravo”....to all who gravely tell …of bravery. He rode out a chief, and returned a chief…and in between… he chiefly saved the day… He led the way. His eye was clear, and shadow long. But some would say…”he’s had his song”…they would die wrong. He was born of God, and died of God…and in between…he lived of God. His goal, along the way…was to obey. Some would say, for him there was “no other way…to love”…true and faithful …to the end.
@Joe Riley, Another poet has entered the room. Good going, Joe I like the way you string them. It seems our lives are lived in between some objective or what we're looking for.
@Joe Riley, I believe you have a talent for rap. . It does have the rhythm, don't you think? Just teasing. I love the poem and the message.
I think this is a cute poem, written by a man named Sheldon "Shel" Silverstein. Apparently he wrote a lot of children's poems. That's about my speed. The lyrics to the song, "A Boy Named Sue," was one of his poems. Where the Sidewalk Ends