I Can Rhyme Whenever I Want To

If you've read much of my self-described "alpha poetry", you might wonder how I can even dare to call it "poetry" at all. Poetry is supposed to rhyme, right? No, not always. Most of the time, when I am inspired to write a poem, or when I sit down and make myself write something, I don't concern myself with rhyme, or even rhythm all that much. I just go with the flow that's in my head. But just to prove that I can rhyme whenever I want to, here are a few rhyming poems I've written recently. They're all unrelated to each other, and there's no unifying theme here. Anyway, here they are. Hope you enjoy reading them...




"STARSTRUCK"

Crowds of people scream your name
And you just stand there grinning
It seems that you've embraced the fame
You shunned in the beginning.
It's not that easy to say "no"
When everyone is staring
Hanging on your every word
And the flashing lights are glaring.
I thought you could withstand
Not let these foolish things distract you
From convictions you've held all your life
But now these things attract you.
I guess that I misread you
Or the public eye misled you
Or you hungered, and they fed you
Thought you'd stand, but then instead you
Slumped. And now there's just a dead you.



"HOW IT WENT"

Dying to find out how it went
SHE whispers in her ear:
"Tell me everything," SHE says
But she says, "No, not here."
"Why not?" SHE asks, "I'll never tell
Your secret's safe with me."
She says, "It's not that I don't
Trust you. It's not you, it's me."
SHE asks again, "Just tell me if
He kissed you, and I'll know
From that – at least a little –
How the rest of it will go."
"Alright, alright," she answers
"Yes, he kissed me. And that's all!"
SHE frowns and sighs, "I thought
He really liked you when he called."
"He did," she says, "he's really nice.
But that's as far as it goes."
SHE replies and rolls her eyes,
"Oh, I see! He's one of THOSE!
Well, at least now that you know
You can leave him in the dust!"
She shakes her head and says,
"We're going out again. You see, it's just
That there was something really different
In the way he spoke to me.
What he said, I think he meant it
He wasn't just a wanna-be.
But the strangest thing of all
Was what he did before we parted
When he walked me to the door
Bowed his head, and then he started
Thanking God for everything
He even thanked Him for meeting me!
And he prayed that God would help him
To maintain his purity."
SHE stops her in her tracks, yells,
"And you're SEEING him again?
What on earth is wrong with you?
Do you want THAT in a boyfriend?"
"Maybe so," she says, and smiles,
"Maybe that's just what I need
A man who likes me for myself
Not just to do some nasty deed!
Anyway, it got me thinking
What am I really living for?
If just for me, then it's not worth it
I was made for something more."
"Okay, now you've flipped your lid!"
SHE says, and starts to walk away.
"If you're okay with CRAZY
Then I've got nothing more to say."
She watches as her friend leaves
And she hopes SHE'll change HER mind.
She'll never give up hope
But, for now, this is goodbye.



"THE WAR WITHIN"

Of course I have
And so have you
We all fall short
That's what we do.
The difference is
I've turned my back
From all my foolish
Words and acts.
It doesn't mean
I won't slip up
Of course I will
I'm not that tough.
But I will stand
And I will fight
This war will end
But not tonight.


"BETTER WITH AGE?"

If you think I'm ugly now
You should have seen me years ago.
I look much better than I did
When I was just an awkward kid.
My hair was pouffy and fiery red
Atop an enormously large head.
My nose was fat (well, it still is
But my face caught up, and it finally fits).
"Skinny" doesn't begin to describe
My frame till I was, like, twenty-five.
My bum was big (well, it still is
But my belly caught up, and it finally fits.)
I'd like to think that through the years
I've finally grown into my ears.
So yeah, I'm still a frightful sight
But my wife thinks I look alright
And perhaps someday I actually might.