J. Patrick Lewis - Believe Me When I Tell You

Believe Me When I Tell You
                                    The Rolling Stones
                                           Mick Jagger—1943-; Keith Richards—1943-;
                                           Charlie Watts—1941-; Ronnie Wood—1947-;
                                           Brian Jones—1942-1969

Rock ’n’ roll’s
The perfect party favor
Rock ’n’ roll’s
Granddaddy’s nervous tic
Rock ’n’ roll
Believe me when I tell you
Rock ’n’ roll
Is always Keith and Mick

It’s the penthouse floor in a snazzy hotel
It’s a symphony written to a sorcerer’s spell
At the wedding of the undertaker and his bride
When they kiss, he’s happy, she’s terrified

Rock ’n’ roll
Comes shaking like a preacher
Rock ’n’ roll
Some say’s a dirty trick
Rock ’n’ roll
In case you ever doubted
Rock ’n’ roll
Is purely Keith and Mick

It’s the cyclone rush of a wind tunnel high
It’s a poke in the snoot and it’s mud in your eye
It’s a cream pie hit to the guv’nor’s tux
As he swindles the choir for a few hundred bucks

Rock ’n’ roll
Is caution on a riptide
Rock ’n’ roll
Is opera with a kick
Rock ’n’ roll
I think I oughta mention
Rock ’n’ roll
Is always Keith and Mick

© J. Patrick Lewis. All rights reserved.

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How nice of J. Patrick Lewis to send a bit of rock 'n' roll poetry to share with the world, eh? Some might quibble with him, of course ("For those who say that rock is all/It's always John and Paul" for example), but who can deny our Poet Laureate's rhythm and way with words? Not I! As always, it's a pleasure to have Pat here at GottaBook.

By the way, you can check out today's Poetry Friday roundup at A Year in Reading to get a bunch of pre-National Poetry Month poetry joy. And consider today's poem pre-kickoff to 30 Poets/30 Days.

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A Poetry Re-Issue: Air Guitar

AIR GUITAR
by
Gregory K.

I bought myself an air guitar.
You think I overpaid?
Well, the guy who sold it to me said that it’s the best he’s played.

It really is a beauty:
Just one scratch and two small dings.
I can’t wait for you to hear it... but I gotta buy some strings.

(originally published here at Gottabook on April 16, 2006)

The Poetry Friday roundup is at Some Novel Ideas today. You should go just to see the Piku that Stacy has posted there. Yes, I said Piku!

And if you want to get all my poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

The Best Concert Ever -- a music poem/an orchestra poem/a poem about instruments

THE BEST CONCERT EVER
by
Gregory K.

A violin told knock-knock jokes.
A trumpet made a pun.
A French horn told some riddles that were really goofy fun.

The timpani and xylophone
Made lots of silly faces.
A tuba and a piccolo decided to switch places.

A double bass got lots of laughs
By standing upside down.
Every last viola had been dressed up like a clown.

The instruments played forte soft.
They played piano loud.
The woodwinds all threw whipped cream pies directly at the crowd.

I haven’t laughed this heartily
Since I can’t tell you when.
I sure can’t wait ‘til I can hear this Symfunny again.


If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Elaine is hosting the Poetry Friday roundup today over at the Wild Rose Reader. Go on over and check it out.

And I'll see you back here on Monday when I stop teasing and finally say what's going to be happening at GottaBook during April for National Poetry Month. Did I mention I'm excited? Good. Because that's the truth!

My Brother Plays Accordion -- an accordion poem/a musical instrument poem

MY BROTHER PLAYS ACCORDION
By
Gregory K.

My life was really good, but then…
My brother “learned” accordion.
Some folks play it well, but sadly…
Not my bro – he plays it badly.
He puts his fingers on the keys
Then gives that beast a mighty squeeze.
Sounds emerge… but they’re not notes.
Instead, it sounds like angry goats
Plus honking horns and fighting cats
With just a pinch of screeching bats.
My parents don’t know what to say,
And both of them have gone quite gray.
We all so miss those days back when
Before there was accordion
When life was good without a care…
And my sister’s bagpipes filled the air.


I'm posting an original poem each day in April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and I post all year round, because poetry is NOT just for April!) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".

If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Poem of the Day: Air Guitar -- a music poem/a guitar poem

AIR GUITAR
by
Gregory K.

I bought myself an air guitar.
You think I overpaid?
Well, the guy who sold it to me said that it’s the best he’s played.

It really is a beauty:
Just one scratch and two small dings.
I can’t wait for you to hear it... but I gotta buy some strings.


If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!