A SAMPLING OF Todd's Poetry...
The Lesson of the Smiling Sheep
There’s a little known legend
Of “Lizzie the lamb,”
The wondrous smiling sheep,
Who lived on a farm in a downtrodden barn
And smiled awake or asleep
Her buddies would stare
All well aware,
The lamb, had just one expression
The animals queried how the lamb was so merry
With permanent smile impression
So they all formed a line
And one at a time
“Lizzie” gave them a lesson,
To turn frowns a ‘plastic to faces elastic
A permanent smiling session
The calf said “bud
When I chew my cud
My lips they always hang low,
And though I’m not broody it looks like I’m moo--dy
‘Cuz I frown wherever I go”
So the lamb instructed
“Your smile's obstructed
When you’re chewin’ your cud all awry
Just take these tips, point the sides of your lips
Towards the corners of the sky
The owl cried “Who,
Who knows what to do?
When I’m scared when I’m hunting at night
My fear, it consumes as the cold darkness looms
And my beak droops low with fright
And the lamb gave a pause
Said “remember this clause
‘Cuz it erases your horror and screams
You can light every cranny, the glow is uncanny
When you brightly flash your beam”
And the pig in the pen
Said lamb “all my friends
They think I’m a stinky pink swine
And I think I’ll be bacon if I’m not mistaken
If I can’t make my pearly whites shine”
The lamb in her grace
Gave the pig an embrace
And gently supported his chinny chin chin
She held his pig stubble, said “forget your pig trouble
So I can see that gorgeous grin”
And one by one the animals asked the lamb to help them smile…
The horse in the stable
Said “lamb I’m unable”
The chick in the coup
Said “what can I cock-a-doodle do?”
The French poodle said “aide?”
(She couldn’t speak English)
…And the animals listened
As their faces transitioned
Their mouths in an upward direction
Their frowns disappeared as sundown neared
All glowing with happy expressions
And this little known legend
Is so little known
It was told for the first time today
But the farm does exist and the smiles persist
‘Cuz Lizzie could show them the way
So take a hint from Lizzie the lamb
The wondrous smiling sheep
Who’s intent all the while
I must confess, if nothing less
Is just to make you smile
I hope you’re smiling
Of “Lizzie the lamb,”
The wondrous smiling sheep,
Who lived on a farm in a downtrodden barn
And smiled awake or asleep
Her buddies would stare
All well aware,
The lamb, had just one expression
The animals queried how the lamb was so merry
With permanent smile impression
So they all formed a line
And one at a time
“Lizzie” gave them a lesson,
To turn frowns a ‘plastic to faces elastic
A permanent smiling session
The calf said “bud
When I chew my cud
My lips they always hang low,
And though I’m not broody it looks like I’m moo--dy
‘Cuz I frown wherever I go”
So the lamb instructed
“Your smile's obstructed
When you’re chewin’ your cud all awry
Just take these tips, point the sides of your lips
Towards the corners of the sky
The owl cried “Who,
Who knows what to do?
When I’m scared when I’m hunting at night
My fear, it consumes as the cold darkness looms
And my beak droops low with fright
And the lamb gave a pause
Said “remember this clause
‘Cuz it erases your horror and screams
You can light every cranny, the glow is uncanny
When you brightly flash your beam”
And the pig in the pen
Said lamb “all my friends
They think I’m a stinky pink swine
And I think I’ll be bacon if I’m not mistaken
If I can’t make my pearly whites shine”
The lamb in her grace
Gave the pig an embrace
And gently supported his chinny chin chin
She held his pig stubble, said “forget your pig trouble
So I can see that gorgeous grin”
And one by one the animals asked the lamb to help them smile…
The horse in the stable
Said “lamb I’m unable”
The chick in the coup
Said “what can I cock-a-doodle do?”
The French poodle said “aide?”
(She couldn’t speak English)
…And the animals listened
As their faces transitioned
Their mouths in an upward direction
Their frowns disappeared as sundown neared
All glowing with happy expressions
And this little known legend
Is so little known
It was told for the first time today
But the farm does exist and the smiles persist
‘Cuz Lizzie could show them the way
So take a hint from Lizzie the lamb
The wondrous smiling sheep
Who’s intent all the while
I must confess, if nothing less
Is just to make you smile
I hope you’re smiling
The Scarecrow Who's Afraid of Crows
A scarecrow who’s afraid of crows,
Frightened, fixed in fields of foes,
Dressed up warm in flannel clothes,
With frozen fingers, frost-chilled toes,
He stands alone in solo’s woes
And hovers high so no one knows
He cowers cold in cornhusk rows
A scarecrow who’s afraid of crows.
But as dusk dawns his horror shows
And birds of black below his nose
Increase in number, tension grows
Upon his straw-stuffed shoulder bows
Within the fields, held up by hoes
There stand a scarecrow, scared of crows
Throughout his body terror flows
As crows above scan highs and lows
Stuck in place as if he froze
The scarecrow who's afraid of crows
Frightened, fixed in fields of foes,
Dressed up warm in flannel clothes,
With frozen fingers, frost-chilled toes,
He stands alone in solo’s woes
And hovers high so no one knows
He cowers cold in cornhusk rows
A scarecrow who’s afraid of crows.
But as dusk dawns his horror shows
And birds of black below his nose
Increase in number, tension grows
Upon his straw-stuffed shoulder bows
Within the fields, held up by hoes
There stand a scarecrow, scared of crows
Throughout his body terror flows
As crows above scan highs and lows
Stuck in place as if he froze
The scarecrow who's afraid of crows
Spiro the Sparrow
Spiro the sparrow flew upside down
His wings flapped up opposed to the ground.
His mom said, “Spiro, please turn around”
But Spiro kept flying, not making a sound.
His dad cried, “Spiro, you’ll fall like a mound”
But Spiro ignored and headed towards town.
His brother observed him just like a hound
Thinking that Spiro looked just like a clown.
Spiro knew he need not expound
While all flew up, he flew upside down.
And then one day, the earth turned around
What once was below had limitless bound.
And though Spiro’s aim was not to astound
He reveled in difference that he’d found.
‘Cuz while the sparrows watched with a frown
Spiro flew up, and they upside down.
His wings flapped up opposed to the ground.
His mom said, “Spiro, please turn around”
But Spiro kept flying, not making a sound.
His dad cried, “Spiro, you’ll fall like a mound”
But Spiro ignored and headed towards town.
His brother observed him just like a hound
Thinking that Spiro looked just like a clown.
Spiro knew he need not expound
While all flew up, he flew upside down.
And then one day, the earth turned around
What once was below had limitless bound.
And though Spiro’s aim was not to astound
He reveled in difference that he’d found.
‘Cuz while the sparrows watched with a frown
Spiro flew up, and they upside down.
Her Perfume Upon My Pillow
Twilights fading, sunshades shading
Misty dews upon the willows
New days dawn with yawns, she gone…
Except perfume on my pillows
Lack of presence, still her essence
Occupies my longing head
And I can smell her effervescence
In the pillows on my bed
Minutes, seconds, seem like days
And all I do is think of ways
To make sure that her fragrance stays
Upon my pillows and crochets
I sense her on my blanket frays
‘Cause scents is all I have to praise
When images begin to haze
And pillow scents become my gaze
Daybreak dawns and turns to night
Moonlit fog begins to raise
And as I fight to smell her sight
I press my nose to where she lays
Misty dews upon the willows
New days dawn with yawns, she gone…
Except perfume on my pillows
Lack of presence, still her essence
Occupies my longing head
And I can smell her effervescence
In the pillows on my bed
Minutes, seconds, seem like days
And all I do is think of ways
To make sure that her fragrance stays
Upon my pillows and crochets
I sense her on my blanket frays
‘Cause scents is all I have to praise
When images begin to haze
And pillow scents become my gaze
Daybreak dawns and turns to night
Moonlit fog begins to raise
And as I fight to smell her sight
I press my nose to where she lays
The Stone
I found a round stone
On the ground
And pondered where it’d been
In caves,
in deserts,
in oceans,
in mountains,
as a part of a castle,
or the bottom of fountains.
In India,
Syria,
Alaska,
Bolivia,
in Amazon jungles,
or plains of Nigeria.
Or perhaps instead
it hit the head
of Goliath the giant
striking him dead.
So I grabbed the rock and brought it home,
To show to all the treasure I owned,
But they all laughed and called it a stone.
On the ground
And pondered where it’d been
In caves,
in deserts,
in oceans,
in mountains,
as a part of a castle,
or the bottom of fountains.
In India,
Syria,
Alaska,
Bolivia,
in Amazon jungles,
or plains of Nigeria.
Or perhaps instead
it hit the head
of Goliath the giant
striking him dead.
So I grabbed the rock and brought it home,
To show to all the treasure I owned,
But they all laughed and called it a stone.
The Elf Inside Your Brain
Inside every person’s brain,
His and hers and yours and mine,
There lives an elf who helps to train,
One’s eyes and ears and nose and mind.
He tells you what you like and hate
As all around your brain he tours,
And whispers in your listening ear
His magic elfin name of “Yoars.”
This clever elf will tell you when
To eat, to play, to learn, to sleep,
He should be everyone’s best friend
As all one’s secrets he will keep.
And if you get into a fight,
I’ll guarantee he’ll take your side,
Or if you’re one to get confused,
This magic elf helps you decide.
So when you don’t know how to act,
And cannot choose all by yourself,
Just know the answer can be found,
By simply hearin’ out “Yoars Elf.”
His and hers and yours and mine,
There lives an elf who helps to train,
One’s eyes and ears and nose and mind.
He tells you what you like and hate
As all around your brain he tours,
And whispers in your listening ear
His magic elfin name of “Yoars.”
This clever elf will tell you when
To eat, to play, to learn, to sleep,
He should be everyone’s best friend
As all one’s secrets he will keep.
And if you get into a fight,
I’ll guarantee he’ll take your side,
Or if you’re one to get confused,
This magic elf helps you decide.
So when you don’t know how to act,
And cannot choose all by yourself,
Just know the answer can be found,
By simply hearin’ out “Yoars Elf.”
Colonel Popcorn
I didn’t believe me when they told me,
‘Cuz it was a funny name
You’d think that someone would have warned me
On the day he finally came.
But when he introduced himself
As Colonel Popcorn to the crew,
I tried to hold my chuckles in
And did, until my face turned blue.
And Colonel Popcorn’s face got red
And yeah, I guess I should have known
That similar to “popcorn kernels”
First they heat up, then explode.
‘Cuz it was a funny name
You’d think that someone would have warned me
On the day he finally came.
But when he introduced himself
As Colonel Popcorn to the crew,
I tried to hold my chuckles in
And did, until my face turned blue.
And Colonel Popcorn’s face got red
And yeah, I guess I should have known
That similar to “popcorn kernels”
First they heat up, then explode.
It
Like an unexpected blink of an eye,
Or a shooting star athwart the sky,
Here and gone, Oh how could I
Have missed “It”
And I couldn’t figure where or when,
“It” might be back to frequent again,
With any stretch of time to spend
I wished it
Though past and present made it so,
An absence made my yearnings grow,
And I still miss “It,” yet I know
I can fix it
I have explored the silent expanse,
And tried to make “It’s” quiet dance,
But I keep an apprehensive stance
And desist it
Now it seems in hopelesss vain
That “It’s” image imprinted on my brain
Shall wash away like a transient stain
Though I resist it
So I restlessly wait till I see “It” once more
And keep my ears open for raps on my door
‘Cause I know I will find “It,” I’m not only sure
I insist it
And as I once kissed it farewell and adieu,
I knew “It” wasn’t too good to be true,
Because “It” is still with me, that “It” is you
And I miss “It”
Or a shooting star athwart the sky,
Here and gone, Oh how could I
Have missed “It”
And I couldn’t figure where or when,
“It” might be back to frequent again,
With any stretch of time to spend
I wished it
Though past and present made it so,
An absence made my yearnings grow,
And I still miss “It,” yet I know
I can fix it
I have explored the silent expanse,
And tried to make “It’s” quiet dance,
But I keep an apprehensive stance
And desist it
Now it seems in hopelesss vain
That “It’s” image imprinted on my brain
Shall wash away like a transient stain
Though I resist it
So I restlessly wait till I see “It” once more
And keep my ears open for raps on my door
‘Cause I know I will find “It,” I’m not only sure
I insist it
And as I once kissed it farewell and adieu,
I knew “It” wasn’t too good to be true,
Because “It” is still with me, that “It” is you
And I miss “It”
Twister
I am stuck inside a twister,
a inside stuck am I.
I’m starting to get very dizzy,
very get to starting I’m.
And most of all I’m really nauseous,
really I’m all of most and.
Then I guess it’s hard to write,
to hard it’s guess I then.
When you’re stuck inside a twister,
a inside stuck your when.
a inside stuck am I.
I’m starting to get very dizzy,
very get to starting I’m.
And most of all I’m really nauseous,
really I’m all of most and.
Then I guess it’s hard to write,
to hard it’s guess I then.
When you’re stuck inside a twister,
a inside stuck your when.
The "Man"nequin I Met
I met a man the other day while shopping at the mall
He couldn’t speak, he couldn’t smile
It seemed that walking took him a while,
And the top of his head was bald.
My palm reached out to shake his hand
I yanked it pretty hard
And he became a one-armed man
He didn’t care that he’d been scarred.
So I took him home upon my back and left the arm behind
And grabbed a pen from the den
This must have been around nine or ten
And scribbled out his eyes so he’d be blind.
Next we played my favorite game
You know, the one called twister
And he twisted off his plastic leg
Yet still remained a silent mister.
Then I got tired and went to bed
I dragged him with me by his head
I really thought he must be dead
Without response to all this dread.
And I guess while I was sleeping he wanted his revenge
So he knocked over my pile of toys,
Being real quiet, not making a noise,
And while looking for his missing toes,
He must have strewn about my clothes,
And with no leg he prob’ly fell,
And rolled over my collection of shells,
Or maybe he tried to escape through the door,
But slipped and knocked those sweets on the floor,
And this is the man I met nonetheless,
And he’s the reason my rooms such a mess.
He couldn’t speak, he couldn’t smile
It seemed that walking took him a while,
And the top of his head was bald.
My palm reached out to shake his hand
I yanked it pretty hard
And he became a one-armed man
He didn’t care that he’d been scarred.
So I took him home upon my back and left the arm behind
And grabbed a pen from the den
This must have been around nine or ten
And scribbled out his eyes so he’d be blind.
Next we played my favorite game
You know, the one called twister
And he twisted off his plastic leg
Yet still remained a silent mister.
Then I got tired and went to bed
I dragged him with me by his head
I really thought he must be dead
Without response to all this dread.
And I guess while I was sleeping he wanted his revenge
So he knocked over my pile of toys,
Being real quiet, not making a noise,
And while looking for his missing toes,
He must have strewn about my clothes,
And with no leg he prob’ly fell,
And rolled over my collection of shells,
Or maybe he tried to escape through the door,
But slipped and knocked those sweets on the floor,
And this is the man I met nonetheless,
And he’s the reason my rooms such a mess.
Star Countin'
I think I’ve counted all the stars
And all the planets, including Mars
From all the galaxies, nears and fars
But I think I’ll have to count ‘em again
'Cuz I lost track around a zillion and ten
And all the planets, including Mars
From all the galaxies, nears and fars
But I think I’ll have to count ‘em again
'Cuz I lost track around a zillion and ten
The Pony Tail
There’s a ponytail atop my noggin
Danglin’ in my hair
Upon the backside of my head…
The backside of a mare
The extra shag it sags and wags
Suspended in the air
I wanted braids but here instead
The backside of a mare
And be that tail there as it may
It’s giving me a scare
‘Cuz when I’m talking, “Hee Haw! Nay!”
I’m talking like a mare.
Two legs have sprouted from my back
Got four just like a chair
I gallop now instead of walk,
I gallop like a mare
My neck, on which, upon the back
It once stood cold and bare
The tiny hairs stand like a mane
A mane as would a mare
And all that I could eat today
Was at the county fair
A freshly bound up bale of hay
The diet of a mare
Had I’d known better, I’d might say
…well no I shouldn’t dare
To think below this white beret
Two pointy ears,
A ponytail,
Four hooved legs,
A neck-hair trail,
Some oats and hay (about a bale)
Exactly like a mare.
Danglin’ in my hair
Upon the backside of my head…
The backside of a mare
The extra shag it sags and wags
Suspended in the air
I wanted braids but here instead
The backside of a mare
And be that tail there as it may
It’s giving me a scare
‘Cuz when I’m talking, “Hee Haw! Nay!”
I’m talking like a mare.
Two legs have sprouted from my back
Got four just like a chair
I gallop now instead of walk,
I gallop like a mare
My neck, on which, upon the back
It once stood cold and bare
The tiny hairs stand like a mane
A mane as would a mare
And all that I could eat today
Was at the county fair
A freshly bound up bale of hay
The diet of a mare
Had I’d known better, I’d might say
…well no I shouldn’t dare
To think below this white beret
Two pointy ears,
A ponytail,
Four hooved legs,
A neck-hair trail,
Some oats and hay (about a bale)
Exactly like a mare.