Tag Archives: The South

Bless Your Heart

(Poem 170 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

AI Generated image I prompted on Gencraft.com https://gencraft.ai/p/XxvXOw

Bless your heart, you simple soul;
not a thought going on up there.
No light on in that attic of yours, or
maybe the light’s on, but nobody’s home.
You mean well, but you can’t help
it that you’re not playing with a
full deck of cards. Poor thing fell out
of the family tree and hit every branch
on the way down. It’s not your fault
you’re not the sharpest tool in the shed;
you’ve lost your marbles, you’re
off your rocker, and your elevator’s stuck
between two floors. You’re thick as a post,
rowing with one oar, a pickle short of a barrel.
There might be a leak in your think tank,
one prop short of a plane, and I’m afraid you might
have a few loose screws. You’re a few peas
short of a casserole, two sandwiches
shy of a picnic, a drink short of a 6-pack,
and can’t think your way out of a paper bag.
It’s ok that you’re silly as a goose,
as smart as bait, and don’t have all
the dots on your dice. You may not be firing
on all 6 cylinders, possibly running
about a quart low. You’re a few fries
short of a Happy Meal, and your cheese might
have slipped off your cracker, but I love it
when you come around because if I stand
close enough to you I can hear the ocean.

@Home Studio – 170th poem of the year

Runner ups for the Bless Your Heart photos to accompany my poem:

Southern Sweet Tea

(Poem 94 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

AI Generated image I prompted on Gencraft.com https://gencraft.ai/p/JnB2Yp

There’s nothing more refreshing
than a cold glass of sweet iced
tea when a body’s hot as blazes.
My Mema insisted on unsweet,
so we had to agree to disagree.
Once, when I was up in Detroit,
someone offered to make me a
glass and poured powder into
liquid; it was instant, they said.
I had never heard of such an
innovation and was baffled by
the dehydrated concoction.
Well, how do you make it? they
asked, and were equally perplexed
by my method of brewing a pot
of tea, only to pour it over ice.
The strange culture clash was
more unsettling than yous guys
instead of y’all, playing football
in the snow, drinking milk out of
bags, and eating ketchup chips.
At least Mema and I agreed on
the starting point for our tea
with a fresh tea bag, a boiling
pot of water, and a few minutes
of conversation while you wait
for it to steep. No need to rush.
Take your time. Sit a spell.

@Home Studio – 94th poem of the year