Road To Success

Ever since we were born, we heard,

That in order to make it, in this world,

You must be a success and a winner,

You don’t win first place, being a beginner,

You got to push and fight and win,

If you want to be someone and not an has been,

So put on your successful face, your winner hat,

Mix a little bit of this and a little bit of that,

There will be no excuses and tales of obstruction,

Because the road to success was under construction

xox

Yonge Street

“Yonge Street”, is the longest in the world,

It’s 1896 Kilometers from end to end,

Not really something for your daily walk,

Not something to joke about or mock,

It takes you from the Toronto lakeshore,

North to the nickel mines and the iron ore,

Where one can see Aurora Borealis with a naked eye,

Where the ground becomes one with the sky,

Where winters are ten months old,

Where summers make haste and quickly fold,

So if you wish to travel to the end of the world,

Maybe if you wish a Santa’s convention to attend,

Start at number one Yonge, head north, towards the pole,

Keep going until you see not one soul,

Then stop, relax, take a good look around, smile,

Now turn around its a long drive back, will take a while.

xox

Garlicky Bread

My mother could make an amazing dish,

From chicken, beef, veggies or fish,

No matter the source or the type,

Whether it was fresh, old, green or ripe,

She made everything taste so delicious,

Moreover, it was always healthy and nutritious,

She could make an amazing six-course meal,

From anything, even from deep seawater eel,

I remember after frying little beef croquettes,

She would deep thin slices of dark rye breads,

In the hot tasty dripping oil, it smelled amazing,

Then smear on it garlic that set my nose a-blazing,

Even today almost sixty years later,

I can taste the garlicky, tingly breads so tender,

It is these smells and tastes you will cherish,

No matter what dish on your plate was to furnish,

It is scorched onto your memory banks,

For that we can only be grateful and give thanks.

xox

Around The Table

Last night had dinner with my son’s family,

There were my son, his wife, Zoe and Emme,

Needless to say- when you sit to the table,

Having dinner with the kids, or a bite of a bagel,

It’s not only the family that sits with you,

The table always fills with their fun stuff too,

So yesterday, we had Emme with her train,

Zoe had “Baby Alive”, the blond doll with no brain,

Emme was zooming away with “Thomas” the engine,

Clicking, clacking, and purring like a kitten,

Zoe was combing “Baby Alive” hair with a brush,

Making sure the hair looks good and not like trash,

Yes, family dinners are a whole new celebration,

So, all you adults had better pay attention.

xox

A Smile

Today I visited my grandson Liam

As I got there, he was up and happy as a clam

He was in his little cot, looking at the outside,

Although it was cloudy, we had a bit sunlight,

I tried to get his attention so I tsked..tsked

Then I tweeted and clacked, clucked and clunked,

He watched me a while with this curious look,

Probably asking himself, “who is this schnook?”

And then a huge smile from ear to ear,

A beam, a smirk, a grin on his face appeared,

His eyes were laughing too, big and bright,

That’s my grandson and he is alright

xox

Bath In The Pot

Imagine you are two years old,

The only running water you have is cold,

In order to wash, mother boils up a huge pot,

That is the only way to get the water mildly hot,

She pours the water all over you soaping you up,

Then to wash the lather away, pour water from a cup,

As you shiver from the cold ready to die,

You jump into the towel, you never ask why,

Still almost sixty years later, I remember,

How it was to take a bath in a pot in December

 xox

Tap Dancer

When I was three or four,

I was king of the dance floor,

I was a child prodigy of the tap dance,

I used to swirl, swivel, and do all the stunts,

When my father took me to get my haircut,

The barber’s fee was dancing out my little butt,

As the years went by, so did my talent,

No longer a child prodigy with flair and gallant,

Now I enjoy the occasional classic movie,

With Kelly and Astaire dancing the boogie.

xox

Charlie The Lemur

Charlie the polka dot lemur,

Turned out to be quiet a dreamer,

He is an idealist and a romantic,

Yet meticulously pedantic,

He washes his hands before during and after,

(Please, this is no reason for laughter),

He is polite and says thank you and please,

Prefers steak to yogurt and cheese,

Charlie is a nice addition to our Toronto zoo,

Together with the other lemur named Sue,

They make a very nice couple of lemurs,

Although they are cold, in our Canadian winters.

xox

The Blushing Rhinoceros

Maxwell the red rhinoceros,

Wasn’t really pompous,

Maxwell was shy and sensitive,

Although he was huge and massive,

In fact, he was red just because,

Of a joke he was told by the cows,

Maxwell is very easy to be embarrassed,

Because apparently he is the gentlest,

So next time you are meeting Maxwell,

Be considerate, stop and don’t tell,

Or you end up with a blushing rhinoceros

That is reddening in a way that is wondrous

xox

Bernie

Bernie the ogre is being treated unfair,

It is true he is ugly and full of dirty lumpy hair,

Yet Bernie is really a very nice guy,

Very sensitive, when no one looks he will actually cry,

He listens to Mahler, Puccini, and Liszt,

He dwells in the arts – a postmodern artist,

True he has no social life to mention,

This is because he hates to attract attention,

Please be a little more considerate of the ogre,

Yes, we know he is your older brother.

xox

Cow

Eat your veggies! -I have been told,

It’s good for you, so you would be strong,

You need the vitamins and minerals,

So eat carrots, tomatoes, and apples,

A portion of spinach will not hurt either,

And parsley will benefit your bladder,

Bananas are full of potassium,

Will benefit your brain and your wisdom,

So I decided to eat a steak, a nice size fillet,

I am just being logical at the end of the day,

You are what you eat goes the old saying,

Cows eat veggies there is no denying,

So a cow is surely a veggie concentration,

Eating a steak is like eating my veggies ration,

Using the same logic, it now remains to be seen,

Will I be turning into a cow’s kin?

xox

Thunder

Did you hear the thunder?

It makes me wonder,

Who is making this noise?

Is someone breaking his toys?

Then, it’s the lightning, flashing,

Yes sir someone is doing some trashing,

Some dishes are being broken for sure,

Someone up there is uptight and insecure,

I think there are easier ways to make a point,

Without a mess, broken dishes, or total disjoint,

So, you up there please relax a little, chill

Or our relationship is definitely going downhill.

xox

Cherish Your Childhood

Cherish your childhood,

Not because you can, because you should,

These memories will carry you,

Through the bad times and the good times too,

Remember the smells of your mother’s kitchen,

Remember the sounds of the humming pigeons,

The noises coming from down the street,

The click clacking of heavy feet,

The fading lights of cars passing below,

The flickering lights of candles aglow,

Remember the pitter-patter of the raindrops,

The wind in the trees, and over the rooftops,

When all is done and is gone for good,

It is you and the memories; this is your world,

xox

Witches Brew

You throw in a lizard’s tail,

A broken toe without its nail,

A chicken leg (must be the right),

Curl of hair taken of snow white,

A wing from an owl from Calgary,

Three almonds and a single blueberry,

A zebra’s stripe a horse’s shoe,

An old chilli and some veal stew,

This is the witches brew,

That you may find –

at the bar of old McGrew,

xox

Dictionary

I use the dictionary,

To enhance my vocabulary,

The thesaurus comes very handy,

When father needs replacing daddy,

Synonym is a useful tool for a writer,

Just as antonym makes work lighter,

Homophones we all knew were new,

Did we? done, or did we do,

Enrich your language expand your mind,

Who knows what you will find?

xox

Sick

I get seasick on the boat,

Even though it stayed afloat,

I got carsick in the car

Even though we didn’t go far,

I got airsick on the plane,

On the trip we took to Spain,

I was train sick last summer,

That was a real bummer,

The bicycle really made me sick,

Even though it used a stick,

This really makes me think,

I am always getting sick

xox

Grumpy

I am so grumpy,

Because:

The soup was lumpy,

The road was bumpy,

My neighbor was jumpy,

His wife was frumpy,

Their son is dumpy,

His sister is stumpy,

So why am I grumpy?

Why am I so angry?

Because:

My pants are baggy,

The weather is yucky,

Lunch was not yummy,

My office was not tidy,

This is why I am grumpy

xox

Blue Wool

I never knew,

That cows moo,

With a different accent,

For all purpose and intent,

Depending on the region,

Be it Japanese or Norwegian,

This is a scientific fact it’s true,

They are different in every zoo,

You may also choose wool red or blue,

As the color of wool that sheep will grow,

The wool is tinted by design,

Every sheep has its own production line,

Technology is amazing nowadays,

As animals, adapt to human ways,

xox

Always Wrong

If a man is talking to himself, all alone,

He is with no one around, on his own,

Not a woman around him, not even one,

Please tell, after all has been said and done,

Not a woman around, he is on his own, all alone,

Will he still be always wrong?

xox

Garbage

In Toronto garbage goes into plastic bags,

In Montreal it is taken in garbage trucks,

In New York it is directly recycled,

In Boston it is simply shoveled,

In Regina it is compacted to a cube,

Then it is sent down the tube,

But in Los Angeles as everything goes

They turn their garbage to new TV shows

xox

Imaginary Friend

Jack my imaginary friend,

That only I can understand,

I guess it is because it’s only me,

That he allows him to see,

Or is it me to see him?

Situation getting grim,

If we don’t know it’s me or him,

Either way we make a team,

Jack my friend the unseen,

He has been with me since Halloween,

xox

Mail Carriers

What is it about mail carriers?

To have behind them all the terriers,

Snapping at their heels,

Looking to supplement their meals,

Is it their socks – that smell so appealing?

Or their fleshy thighs that are overwhelming,

Either way, dogs love mail carriers, without fail,

Fortunately most people today use electronic mail,

xox

The Mall

Going with your grandchildren to the mall,

Can drive you to knocking your head on the wall,

I want this, no, I want that, I need to pee,

I am tired, I need to rest, I am thirsty,

Can we go home? My head really hurt,

I want ice scream, oops, it’s all over my shirt,

Can we go the playground now?

I am so hungry I could eat a whole cow,

Can we go to the car, can I sit in the front,

Who is this woman? She looks like Jimmy’s aunt,

I am very cold, where is my coat,

Look at this man; he looks like a goat,

Buy me this doll; buy me this necklace,

I think I have managed to present my case

xox

Punctuation

 The apostrophe is used instead of letters,

The colon separates minutes from hours,

A dash separates parts of a sentence,

Without it, words would be nonsense,

The exclamation is there to show excitement,

Even at the end of a mediocre statement,

Hyphens are used to hyphen – when it’s tight,

Question marks are to ask questions, right?

A comma leaves you hanging a while,

As you wait for the end to compile,

The rules of grammar and punctuation,

Will send you up the wall in frustration,

xox

Mary Had A Little Lamb

Mary had a little lamb,

Then she had a slice of ham,

A hot dog in a bun,

Covered with mustard just for fun,

Six slices of pizza, three ribs,

Four shrimps and a bunch of squids,

Mary was a wonderful girl, you bet,

As long as she was getting fed,

Mary was delightfully bright,

No doubt, she also had a huge appetite,

Next time you hear about Mary and her lamb,

Keep in mind she liked him as kebob.

xox

The Fair

We went to the fair, my parents and me,

We went on the rides; it was a great place to be,

Many of the rides were much the same,

Most I even forgot what was their name,

I had lots of food in the kiosks at the fair,

Hotdogs, popcorn, drinks and even a burger,

Then we went on the biggest ride of them all,

The super-duper monster, 300 feet tall,

It spirals and turns and flips,

Oh, I forgot, we also had fish and chips,

As we were going on that high-speed ride,

My stomach was turning side to side,

As the roller coaster took a sharp turn,

I lost the hotdog, burger and the popcorn,

We took a nosedive; we were on our fingertips,

So went flying the fish, the sauce and the chips,

Going to the fair is an amazing adventure,

If you don’t mind losing your dinner.

xox

Birthdays

In a few months, I will be six,

That’s on the level, no tricks,

My sister will be about three and a half,

She is trying to catch up, that’s a laugh,

I grow older much faster than she does,

I don’t know why, just because,

At six I’m already going to school,

This should be very cool,

All my friends will be going too,

Sarah, Glen, Rachel, Mathew and Sue,

The important thing is my birthday is soon,

And it is taking place during school,

My sister’s birthday is during the August break,

Everyone will be vacationing away at the lake,

xox

The Sweater

This sweater, its driving me crazy,

It itches and scratches, it makes me all hazy,

Mommy makes me wear it to school,

In winter when the weather is cool,

I can’t stand it, I sweat and I scratch,

I told mommy, I hate it so much,

But, she does not listen dear mother of mine,

This is why I am failing grade nine.

xox

The Runaway

Little Josh is at the end of his wits,

Today he calls it quits,

He is running away, be what may,

Out into the wild, he is not going to stay,

Unfortunately today it is raining,

Therefore, Josh will just be waiting,

Yesterday the sun was excessively strong,

Going under such radiation, would have been wrong,

The day before that, it was very windy,

This made any running away a bit sticky,

Last week we had hailstorm and lightning,

Running away would have been frightening,

So for the time being Josh will wait patiently,

Probably by the end of the week, he will flee.

xox

Crocs

Crocodiles are a tough crowd,

With a huge set of teeth in their mouth,

Their cousin the alligator is just as endowed,

With enormous molars, they are so proud,

When a crocodile smiles, it isn’t funny,

In fact, it is a little uncanny,

Both have been around since creation,

That is millions of years without a vacation,

Next time you see an Alligator, eyes shut,

Be careful you may end the day in his gut,

So walk on your toes, and fast disappear,

If you are lucky, you’ll be around another year

xox

Octopus

Octopus is a funny looking creature,

With some outstanding features,

It has eight long arms sticking out,

That is very useful all year round,

With so many arms, it feels good,

Playing the piano, the accordion or the flute,

A piano concerto written for two hands,

Once played will have people going crazy in the stands,

If you decide to take it to a Vegas casino,

It will be more than just a fourth hand, you know,

Octopus is a very intelligent creature,

That has one more very important feature,

It has a huge supply of black ink,

And a capacity and ability to think,

So with such high intelligence and brain,

I think it is easy to maintain,

Giving the octopus a writing pad,

It will write you a story with each hand

xox

Skunk

I am a skunk, a tiny skunk,

Energetic and full of spunk,

I have a tiny pointy nose,

I do not smell like a rose,

However, I am a nice guy, I am fun,

I like to play with my friends and run,

So why is it I have such a poor image?

Be it city or the village,

People shy away from me,

Make faces and begin to flee,

This does damage to my self-esteem,

Next time we meet, please don’t scream.

xox

Elephant

I hate being an elephant,

(Not that I envy the ant),

Being an elephant is usually cool,

Frolicking all day in the deep end of the pool,

My parents are very loving to me,

They spoil me quite a bit I must agree,

But, there is one thing I hate,

(And no it has nothing to do with my weight),

It is something I share with my elephant peers,

We all hate cleaning these huge ears.

xox

Henri The Zebra

Henri the striped zebra,

Went to the beach with his friend Sarah,

Of course, they needed to change,

To swim with you PJ will look strange,

So, Henri changed into his swimsuit,

In his swimsuit, he looks very cute,

Sarah asked Henri to turn his head,

Although a friend, Sarah will blush red,

As Henri turned his head like a gentleman,

Sarah took his PJ and cloths and ran,

There is a lesson to be learned here,

Even good friends will sometimes disappear,

A friend indeed will stick by you,

Even if you are a zebra in the zoo,

xox

Convention

Sebastian the ogre from Brampton,

Had a meeting with Cedric of London,

Cedric is a well-known Goblin, indeed,

He is the cousin of the Zombie, David,

They have a monthly monster convention,

It is all part of their public relations,

They make speeches and discuss,

How to be scarier and make a fuss,

Most children are onto these monsters,

Those try to scare all the youngsters,

The monsters really are a lonely bunch,

Dying to be invited, by some kid to lunch,

Kids nowadays know better than this,

All the monsters need, is a big, huge kiss

xox

The Giraffe

The poor giraffe was so tall,

It kept knocking its head on the wall,

It is a problem to be standing so high,

With most others reaching below your thigh,

Everyone asking you how is the weather,

Most your friends are birds of a feather,

Your legs are so long and a little clumsy,

Every move makes you sound a little wheezy,

A giraffe, cannot be compared, to a goat,

Especially when the giraffe has a sore throat.

xox

A Slice

I am crazy about pizza,

Especially with the three layer extra,

With double cheese and mushrooms too,

Ground meat and chicken stew,

Tomatoes, green peppers, and onion,

Kosher salt, ketchup to sweeten,

Egg plant slices and jalapenos,

So hot, it runs out your nose,

A little feta on the side,

Asiago and shrimps a little fried,

Mozzarella, Mortadela, Parmesan,

This pizza, is second to none,

It is never enough; will never suffice,

You will never be happy with just one slice.

xox

The Dragon Pies

Dragons are useful,

As useful as can be,

Don’t let the dragon impress you,

As he tried impressing me,

I grabbed him by the neck,

And I tied him out on the deck,

On the weekends, I turn his furnace on high,

So he earns his keep, he has to fry,

Barbecue, steam and bake,

An apple pie, sometimes a chocolate cake,

Dragons can be very useful,

Keep him clean or he smells something awful.

xox

Rhetorical Questions

I specialize in rhetorical questions,

And I am open to any suggestions,

I see things that make me think,

That maybe I discovered the missing link,

If the witch of the west melted in water,

Did she ever bath? Did it really matter?

Whatever happened to Oldfoundland?

Is it the same place as OldZealand?

Do homeless kids get homework?

Is a fly without wings a walk?

Do people that are born again-

Have a double bellybutton?

What did Ham endured-

Before he was cured?

xox

When Exactly

I read today that the world will end,

In one huge bang, it will be spent,

According to the Mayan calendar,

One big bang and it is all over,

On midnight December 22nd two thousand twelve,

The doomsday prophets say, everyman for himself,

I only have a small issue with this prophecy,

Is it Pacific Time? Or Mountain Time? Or EST?

xox

Breakfast Anytime

I was invited out- by a friend of mine,

To a restaurant, a nice place to dine,

It advertised an all day breakfast menu,

You eat whatever you like, it is up to you,

The waiter said: you can order breakfast at anytime,

This restaurant is tops, the best, its prime,

Breakfast anytime, I wondered? Let me see!

Can I have my breakfast at 400 BC?

xox

Historical Doll

In the afternoon, I visited my granddaughters,

Emme was still asleep; she slept for three hours,

Zoe was up when I came, and she let me in,

She is the oldest, and welcomed me with a happy grin,

After a while Emme got up, surrounded by her dolls,

There was an elephant, a bear, and a thing that crawls,

I recognized many, even the big brown teddy bear

I gave her father when he was born; it had good care,

It is nice to revisit things and events from the past,

Today things don’t seem to be staying long or to last,

I hope this bear will last for many years to come,

From generation to generation from father to son,

To be eventually making the worthy claim,

To have an honorary place in the hall of fame,

xox

Why Bother?

You know that:

The neighbor’s grass is always greener,

The other lady is always leaner,

Their back yard is always cleaner,

His steak is always thicker,

So why bother?

xox

Goodbye

I really do not understand,

All I did was wave my hand,

Apparently, it was enough to get people upset,

That I waved goodbye with my hand,

Later my parents explained to me,

Next time I will be right on key,

My dear pal, comrade, my dear friend,

In future when I wave goodbye with my hand,

Stop complaining you whimper,

I will wave my hand with all fingers.

xox

Breakfast

Have you ever considered breakfast?

It’s the start of the day, so make it last,

The North-American flagship of course,

Is ham and Eggs, a bagel and a sauce,

A day’s work for the chicken, no doubt,

For the pig a lifetime commitment, he’s out,

xox

Onions

There she was my math teacher,

Can I say she was a stinker?

My math class was after lunch,

When kids and teachers went to munch,

My teacher was the helping kind,

She would surprise you and sneak from behind,

Thank God for little marvels,

Her onion breath came to our nostrils,

Long before she arrived from behind,

So I had my peace of mind,

Someone wise has said it before many a day,

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away”,

I can add another coin:

“Biting into an onion by morn,

Will make everyone else disappear and be gone”

xox

The Cat Was Allergic

We love our cat; we love our kids,

Although at times, one wants to call it quits,

The day-to-day grindings, the problems,

Dealing with moods and tantrums,

Eventually we got rid of the kids,

It was tragic,

But it had to be done,

The cat was allergic.

xox

Ringer

People tell me my face rings a bell,

I have no idea how they can tell,

It is true I use my nose here and there,

When my hands are full, and I only have the pair,

Others say I am a dead ringer,

So from now on I will only use my finger.

xox

Miss Who?

At the Miss America pageant this year,

Many young ladies came from far and near,

They came from Texas, New York, Louisiana,

Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama,

They walked and showed their bathing suits,

Showed their talents, talked about their roots,

They were asked questions, of science and trivia,

Where is India and where was Bolivia,

At the end, Miss Illinois was the winner by far,

Miss California was second; she looked like a star,

Third place Miss Ohio, because of the way she performed,

Miss Alabama came last, because she was Miss Informed,

xox

Deep Thoughts

You play at the recital, you recite at a play,

All the protein is gone, anyone knows Whey?

Why when you duck, you are a chicken?

If you are odd, can you still get even?

If I play with a bun, am I roll playing?

If I am bald, can I still be greying?

Does a supersonic train have a whistle?

Who wrote the bio for Mr. Diesel?

xox