Category Archives: Revolutionary ImproVerse Poetry

Washing Hands Lament

There once was a man
who didn’t wash his hands
then touched everything in the kitchen.

When I remind him again
after he’d touched his glands,
I always felt I was bitchin’.

(That is to say,
not in a good way,
I’d rather eat rotten chicken.)

What should I do?
What should I say?
I continually remind him
day after day.

He just shrugs and stares.
He clearly doesn’t care.
Maybe not caring’s the trick
(At least ’til I get sick.)

You’d think what we’d seen
during Covid-19
would change his hand washing
without all my bossing.

What should I do?
I haven’t a clue.
And now I’ll go puke
’cause I’ve got the flu.

What’s It Like To Be Kind? Haiku

What’s it like to be
that kind and caring person?
She’ll never wonder.

Backstory: A Facebook post about a friend talked about how she was being kind and caring. As I was reading about what she’d done, this poem came to mind. I wondered what it would be like to be kind and caring, and realized that was probably something she never had to think about. She just IS that way. “Kindness begins with me.”

Diamonds in the Trees: ImproVerse Rhyming Poem

Friends were complaining after a major ice storm in the Chattanooga Metro area (Catoosa County, NW Georgia). With lows around 6 degrees above zero, it WAS cold! As the sun came up, it showed something magical: Diamonds in the Trees. I walked through the woods and out into the wildflower field at Spirit Tree Farms, where goldenrods, pokeweed, late bonneset, blackberries, grasses, and other native plants joined with honey locusts, hickory and oak trees, and more, to show off  a collection of sparkling jewels unmatched at any jewelry store. I riffed these iambic lines in a video, trying to stiffle my crying. Thanks to HomeGrownNationalPark.org for the inspiration, and to Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus for the Creation.

Writing, Worried: Free Verse

Is he pretentious,
talented,
whimsical,
or just exhausted
and silly?

At last,
he is writing,
worried about what others think.
He hasn’t done that
in a long time.
He hasn’t cared.

We’re So Connected, We’re Not: Lament

Instead of scenic views and observations,

we watch reels.

Instead of conversations:

“Look at this.”

Instead of asking and learning:
“Google it.”
No wonder we’re so disconnected
from each other:
We’re too connected
to our devices.
But at least with GPS
men can get directions
without asking anyone.

Ok Boomer Is Ageism

When some young ‘un yells /
“Ok, Boomer!” at me, I’ll/
call out: “Ageism!”