Things that Run

 

 

 

Some things run

That we don’t run after,

And sometimes even occur

With bouts of laughter.

 

Take the pipe:

And this is a regular habit,

It does be running

But we don’t run after it.

 

For the number of times

The pipe has been running,

It should have travelled the world

And be now returning.

 

The Sahara dust

Have lots of eyes running

But the eyes can’t run fast enough

To stop the burning.

 

 

The nose is another;

It runs when there’s a cold

Yet no one runs after it;

None is so bold.

 

A running commentary

Is what this has been

Of what runs that we don’t chase;

Let’s not forget icecream.

 

They have no feet

But yet still they run,

Except for the case of laughter

The others are no fun.

 

In the poem is a riddle

That hopefully you will find,

But for now, I am of here

And out of time.

 

 

 

Which case is fun

When the others are not?

Let me know the answer

If you find out what.

 

You’d noticed I lied

About out of time

But I am telling the truth now,

This is the last line.

 

Stewart Russell © August 8, 2024

 

Up and Down Up and Down

 

 

Up and down,

Up and down,

Two, three, four, five,

And yet another around.

 

You may be wondering

What I am talking about,

It is today’s weather:

An intermittent waterspout.

 

You open the windows

And sit down for a while,

Then you have to close them-

It’s this yo-yo style.

 

Up and down,

Up and down,

Two, three, four, five, six…

Feeling like a clown.

 

Building muscular arms

Creating a six pack,

This rain keeps on stopping

And then coming back.

 

Taunting and teasing

Now for sixth time,

This intermittent waterspout

Messing with my mind.

 

Overcast skies

Promising much rain

But just falling and stopping

Again, and again.

 

Frustrating it is

And definitely giving me a fit,

On account of the rain

Just doing drip-drip.

 

Up and down,

Up and down,

Three, four, five, six, seven

Causing me to frown.

 

A drizzle at first

Then a sharp shower,

This intermittent waterspout

For more than an hour.

 

It’s battling two things:

Heat and Sahara dust,

And neither of them yielding

Is causing me a rush.

 

 

A rush from my chair

To close and then open,

This taunting weather today

Is causing me a problem.

 

I just sat back down

Having got up to close,

This might be the downfall-

But who really knows?

 

Up and down,

Up and down,

Could be about eight times-

My count is not sound.

 

This is the longest so far,

It has been falling a while

So, I will stop fretting myself

And light up with a smile.

 

I will say thank you Lord

For the rain and the sun

And for the up and down exercise-

I’ll treat it as fun.

 

Stewart Russell © July 3, 2023