Author: Jerry Brotherton

I am The Backyard Poet and I warn you that, not only will I ramble on about nothing but, I have been known to stand upon my soapbox and rant about things I care nothing about just to hear the sound of my own voice. I will try to force my opinion upon anyone willing to pay the slightest attention.

To Aria, Parker, Jaina, and Addy

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Poetry, Rhyming21 Comments

Let’s do it again PaPa Jerry

I wish I could fly clear up to the sun

Push me higher; it’s only just a little scary

But swinging is really so much fun

 

Round and round and round it goes

It’s really hard to keep it up

Hula-hoops are fun you know

But not for you ‘cause you’re all grown up

 

I’m tired now PaPa Jerry

I do not want to take a nap

My eyes are heavy and I am weary

Can’t I just sleep here on your lap

 

I’m not ready for our time to be through

I really wish that you could stay

Don’t you know how much I miss you

Every time you go away

The Train

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Free Verse, Poetry19 Comments

Through shoeless feet I feel

The ground trembling

I thrust my fist into the air

And pump it up and down

The blast of the horn drives me back a step

I yell, but my voice will not rise above the beast’s roar

My heart’s beat begins to match the rhythm from the sound

Of its massive wheels and my head swoons as I watch the cars gently roll from side to side…Powerful and terrifying

It seems to lift me off my feet and pull me closer

I am afraid the steel monster will devour me

My legs will not let me back away

At last I see the bright red caboose

I wave my arms wildly and in answer

To my exaggerated welcome

A grey sleeved arm

Slips out the window

The gloved hand waves

The roar subsides

The trembling vanishes

On weakened knees

I cross the tracks

Humanity

On By Jerry BrothertonIn Monoku, Poetry15 Comments

Humanity just might have a fighting chance… if it wasn’t for all the humans.

Progress

On By Jerry BrothertonIn flash, Short Stories14 Comments

Progress is never what it seems. It hides behind the mask of deceit. Progress always means change…change means money… but it’s always money for someone who has never had to live with the changes that progress has left them. Anytime you hear that they’re going to do a thing in the name of progress, you can bet that it’s just another way of saying, let’s take what’s beautiful, or intricately crafted, and turn it into something sleek, streamlined, cold…and ugly. Without warning progress will rip the heart from of a place and steal its innocents. It will pull the beauty from everything it touches and leave in its wake a crippled used up shell of what it once was.

Young vs. Old

On By Jerry BrothertonIn flash, Short Stories19 Comments

My son, over at mabrotherton.com seems to be obsessed with categorizing, stereotyping, and discriminating people based on which generation they fall into. GenX, GenY, Baby boomers, Me generation, millineals…Well I’ve got the answer for you son. You’re Young and I’m Old. That pretty much sums it up for me.

Let’s face it, if you can wake up in the morning and go pee without the 15 minute ritual of stretching, popping and cracking of every joint…you’re young. If you have to get into the shower and run hot water on your back before you can bend over enough to put on your underwear…you’re old.

If you give a shit about social issues…young

People shouldn’t be allowed on the streets after 6PM…old

If women in bikinis gets you excited…young

If women in bikinis makes you want to give them a lecture on skin cancer…old

Sex, as much as you can, anytime you can…young

Sex, what’s that?…old

If you think our current president is an ignorant, childish, sexist bully…well, I guess we have to agree on somethings.