Seems these days there’s a million shows,
of every make and every kind.
Trying to find that perfect one,
it is enough to blow my mind.
I flipped through all the streaming stuff,
I admit I have quite a few.
Searching and scrolling, looking for,
something that’s exciting and new.
After what seemed like an hour,
I found the one I wanted to see.
I leaned back in my recliner,
just my popcorn, my blanket and me.
I woke up three hours later,
the movie played and was gone.
The screen said are you still watching,
would you like to see another one.
With all these choices I have now,
I am afraid I must confess.
I don’t search through them anymore,
I still watch reruns of NCIS.
Chinese New Year
I’ve often heard of the year of the rooster
but 2025 is turning out to be the year of
‘The KooKoo’
~What a State~
do you think it’s funny
hilarious, haha, a joke
how a billionaire’s money
is enough to make him an expert
on how to put his hands
around your throat
until you choke
how your taxes should be spent
and who should be sent away
to another place
to disappear without a trace
sold into slavery
or worse
to another time
when people were schooled
that rich white men ruled and
everyone else was
easily fooled
where women stayed
in the kitchen all day
preferably naked
and always ready to play
nobody was welcome
unless they could pay
their five million dollar
fee to stay
does it make you giggle
when our president
rants and raves
stomps his feet
and holds his breath
until his face
turns orange
says that only he
knows what’s best
for the billionaires
because quite frankly
no one cares about
all the rest
everyone must bow down
lay down
stay down
or get put down
orange marmalade
like fentanyl laced Gatorade
breaks the spirit
numbs the mind
until you find
you’re on the floor
too weak to
care anymore
National Haiku Day
Happy April 17th my friends. Isn’t it a good day to be alive.
Once again, National Haiku Day is upon us. For those not familiar with the haiku, the western haiku is derived from the ancient form of Japanese poetry. It consists of three lines with the syllable structure “five-seven-five”. The more formal Japanese haiku count sounds, not only syllables. Haiku typically are about nature, or the passing of seasons and usually rely more on images than metaphors.
If you’re feeling up to it, why not give it a try. I’d love to read them.
Here is my attempt, either for your enjoyment or your amusement. Hope you like it.
~Soft Music~
Wind chimes synchronize
to nature’s morning chorus—
Summer symphony
~Outdated~
I am not made for these modern times
Missouri mud runs through my veins
unspoiled country air flows through my lungs.
my roots are intertwined in the bedrock of culture,
traditions and folklore of a pioneer Midwest
My heart beats with the rhythm
of wind through oak trees
the sway of golden wheat
the steady fall of summer rain
on metal porch roofs
My voice is the sound
of pickup trucks on gravel roads
tractors plowing through gumbo
the hoot of owls from leaning red barns.
the yip of foxes or the howl of coyotes from
across green pastures under full moon’s glow
trumpeting of a rooster greeting the day
songs of blue jays, cardinals, red wing blackbirds
caw of crows pecking through early snow
on harvested corn fields
beat of horse hooves
lazy bawling of cows
My nostril are filled with the smell of
wildflower meadows, fresh baled hay
alfalfa, soybeans, and apple blossoms
I am lightning bugs on summer’s eve
coon hounds asleep on sunlit porches
family picnics on red checkered tablecloths
horseshoes, freeze tag and kick the can
I am unlocked doors and open windows
rocking chairs and back porch swings
I am outdated
Jerry Brotherton 