Sunday, September 28, 2025

Come With Me To Caroline!

 The Carolinas
—Poetry by H.L. Dowless, Northeastern U.S.
—Public Domain Photos Courtesy of Medusa
 
 
GOING TO CAROLINE!

I’m going to my elegant doric estate
In blessed Caroline,
Where the dark clouds never gather
And there’s always golden sunshine!
There
The king’s halcyon doubloons still lie in the beach
    waters
The children might find,
In this favorite oasis of mine.

Well
Come on along with me to sweet Caroline,
Where the jazz music and everyday people
Thrive so fine;
Hey,
Run with me right now
‘Cause there’s little remaining time!
Smokestacks are huffing
And puffing,
The jingling bells are already in a hurrying chime!

The crowds are already going,
The ropes they are throwing,
The big wheels are turning,
The motors are churning,
Candy trails are everywhere,
Such great cheer hangs heavily in the air!

The belle ladies are dancing,
The sleek ponies are prancing,
The music and food are enhancing,
Couples are romancing,
Yearning to find this place of mine,
That sweet oasis of astonishing liberty,
Caroline!

Here
They live to do as they please,
They labor hard for wealth
And a splendid life of aristocratic ease.
Everyday the people are dancing
As the shinny parade ponies are prancing,
Hey,
The crystal chandelier and rich food
Are so fancy;
Look,
I’m getting really antsy!

There
I know I can’t go wrong,
Listen hard
And you can already hear the sweet dixieland
    poetry
And banjo song,
In this magic space where us freeborn people
    belong!

Join me in this parade
So fine,
As we make our way to that blessed oasis of
    Caroline.
Come along now
With me
To the choice escape space of deteriorating
    society's
Freedom-seeking Refugee!
 
 
 
 

THE WILD FLOWER MEADOW BY
A COW PASTURE

When I was young,
On the back side of a large field
By a lone cow pasture,
I used to frequently walk into a meadow of multi-
    colored
Sweet-scented wild flowers.

The wild turkeys
And the deer,
The soaring swan
And the ducks,
Loved to wallow in them.
When they finally arose,
Prancing around so refreshed
And strong,
The sight made me think of a song
I’d whisper to myself as I sang.
How
Delightfully my voice rang
While standing in this place
Once so well known..

Oh!,
Those scattered daffodils
Gave me light chill,
While the volunteer kaleidoscopic hydrangea
And tulips
Made me do cartwheels
And grandiose back flips,
Down in this special place
Where I used to go.

I milled around
And found weathered homemade bricks
Where I was told a huge plantation mansion
Once stood on those long revered grounds.
Then suddenly in the dusk shadow of emerging
    gloom
Donning a dancing angelic Robe à le Française
Rose-pink ballroom gown,
My magnetizing spirit lover would loom.

The lightning flashed,
My,
How my youthful head did swoon,
Her domineering presence would abound!
I shuddered as I heard the sharp crash
And the rumbling sound.

I perceived her gentle breath on my face,
Her delicate lips upon my sweat-drenched pale
    cheek,
How my young heart did race
As my whispered name she did somehow speak!
I was aware of her luminous embrace,
Into a bed of clover our forms entwined
Did sink.
The sensation was energetically real,
Her flaming hair seemed so long!
Only me running my fingers through it
Was a true perfectionist’s spectacular deal!
Aye,
This lovely graveyard angelic nymph
Was my greatest thrill,
So how could my woodshed experience
Ever be wrong?

When our roll seemed so drawn,
Oh bliss!,
The passing of time had now so quickly flown.
I glanced around into the horizon sky,
The dusk light above the trees commenced to rise.

Then
When I glanced back down
Beneath me,
My alluring lover,
In likeness to no other…
Was gone.
 
 
 
 

JACK-A-ROO!
WHERE ARE YOU?

Jack-A-Roo,
Where are you?
On the hillside by the hay,
hunting rabbits on this clear fall day?

Jack-A Roo!
Where are you?

Might you be standing by the seaside
at high tide,
riding a whale and ringing her bell?
Or catching a shark
by the time of dark,
so you can hang him up high in the yard
by the dockside park?

Jack-A-Roo!
Where are you?

Are you hunting ducks in the dale,
with a good scatter gun and shell?
Might you be at the State Fair just as well,
riding a colorful carousel?

Jack-A-Roo!
Where are you?

I recently heard
at the time of new bloom,
some seven men shall fly away
to the moon!
Will you be one among them,
oh so soon,
out catching stardust with a spoon?

Jack-A-Roo,
we love you!

Are you laboring to be president?
at this time votes shall not be hesitant.
I say,
millions shall think you were heaven-sent!

My dear
Jack-A-Roo,
oh so many are counting on you!
 
 
 
 
 
MY SWEET JENNIFER

Way back when
Inside that one-room school house,
You and me,
We walked all about.
We both were never better,
Except when us two sat together.
You and me,
We were very best friends,
Sometimes in silence
I wish we could start all over again.

We walked all around that baseball field,
Counting the wildflowers
And strawberries
The green clover would yield.
I shall say here
You were my best friend,
I wished our life-party would never end.

We held hands as we walked down the hall,
While reading books in the library
We both had such a ball.
Inside there
Times were such great fun,
We both read poetry about
Birds and bees
In candy gardens ‘neath a promising rainbow sun.
It was inside our favorite place here
Where we spent many of our school days,
We both earned that right by making straight A’s.

When Miss McDowel escorted our group back
    into class,
We both doubled back
And made a hurried
Secret pass.
Behind those closed doors in the darkness
We tasted heaven’s bliss,
When I was with you
I stole a serious kiss;
But both of us suddenly wiped away our grin
When Miss McDowel snapped on those lights,
Frowning hard as she caught us
In the midst of our forbidden sin.

Oh!,
Do you still remember
That cherished moment of our precious surrender,
My sweet Jennifer?

When on the bus
You would declare I was yours,
I was the only one you said you adored!
You sat closely beside me until I blushed,
My face felt hot
When I received that head rush.

Oh
You were mine,
And I was once yours,
Oh,
Those long-lost memories!
Do you still remember,
My sweet Jennifer?

That time so quickly came
And now it's long
Forever gone,
I can’t remember where we went so wrong;
But I’ll forever sit contemplating
As I sing my own song.
When the lightning flashes
And the thunder rolls,
I wonder if you ever think
On those now misty
Candle-lit times of old.

Oh!,
When it comes to both of us,
Do you still remember,
My sweet Jenniffer? 
 
 
 

 
NO BETTER DAY THAN THIS ONE

Enjoy the day at hand,
Place your face into the rising sunshine,
Sip your coffee while sitting upon your porch,
Plan a nice trip,
The bills will always be around.

Say yes
To a new idea,
Then act on it!
Dare to experience adventure.

Do you live near the woods?
Then grab a gun or a trap and dare to go hunting!
A fresh deer or bear kill
Is such a magnificent endeavor for a new thrill!
When are you going to tell yourself you can?
Are you waiting around for somebody else to do
    this?
Those who may tell you no
Are really not difficult to miss.

Hop on a ship,
Sail around the whole world!
Do it this coming Christmas,
Or this summer.
A day more perfect than the present one
Will never arrive.
Bills will always be right there when you return,
No matter what!

Yes,
The power may or may not be switched off when
    you return.
Sometimes one can prepay,
Or create a pre-payment account to cover the
    absent time.
Yes,
The water may be turned off when you make it
    back home,
But it will be simple for you turn back on,
I promise!
There may be six different placards on your
    front door
From those who claim you owe them money,
But then so what?
Those placards will still be posted right there when
    you return!
They will never pull themselves up and walk away.

The upward climb of post-World War Two’s
    golden era is dead!
The dollar-for-dollar pension is now relegated to
    history!
Bottom level employment and salaries accessing
    bottom level accommodation
No longer exist when all has been said!
Now would you believe
The true Union is a faded memory?
So fellow,
Thy long-anticipated golden day shall never arrive,
No matter how much you work!
One must now have a million dollars in an account
    to retire even modestly.
Hoss
Now lets dim the lights down low,
Attaining such is simply NOT reality!

Stop listening
To the incessant consumerist lies motivating you
    to endlessly labor.
When are you ever going to live out your own life
    dreams?
Do climb that mountain!
Go hunting that high-ranging sheep
Or elk,
Take that charming neighbor on a midnight roll
    in the hay!
Why only exist as the system’s eternal indentured
    slave?
You’re losing your youth,
Maybe even your mind right along with it.
Now for once
Listen to the honest truth!

As does life itself,
Nowadays
A job comes and goes.
So get that RV,
That haunting hippie-like mystery van,
That Scrooby Dooby doggie
Or that plain-Jane supply trailer;
Fix it up
And hit the road!
In reality
None of us have an enclosing wall,
No true responsibility,
Hoss,
No national economic duty call!

Like somebody’s dear mother always told them,
Say
Two beans in a bucket,
Mother shuck it!
That’s right,
Shuck it all far,
Far away!
There shall never ever be a better time for living
     life
Than this very moment,
Today!

___________________

Today’s LittleNip:

There's no such thing as perfect writing, just like there's no such thing as perfect despair.

―Haruki Murakami,
Hear the Wind Sing

___________________

—Medusa, with thanks to H.L. Dowless for more of his fine poetry today!
 
 
 
 Carolina Wren: Small Bird, Big Voice



















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 LittleSnake in the Cow Pasture~