"Brevity is the soul of wit."    - W. Shakespeare

 I agree with ol' Bill, which is why all my poems are four lines. Enjoy, and let me know if you have a favorite,   replying to tjfobbe@gmail.com. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!   - TJ Fobbe (Highland Pk, St. Paul MN)                                                                                                                                                                               

Finer dining restaurant                                         Why are dogs our bestest friend?
Small, but pretty, food will flaunt.                       Not too hard to comprehend.
Entrees tasty that delight,                                    Thrilled when we come through the door.
Could be eaten one big bite.                                Twice as much as time before.

Skinny though the bike lanes are,                       Walked dogs love to stop and sniff.
Close to every passing car,                                   Best to let them have their whiff.
Many choose to use them still,                            They then too must represent,
Trusting every driver’s skill.                                  Leaving here and there a scent.

Best among us die too young,                             Good employees choose to leave.
Long before some human dung.                         Company is blind, naive
Life ain’t fair, and why is that?                             To the fact that every loss
God, can we please have a chat!                         Had the very same bad boss.

Want to find a happy place?                                 Squirrels scamper extra quick,
Look into a toddler’s face.                                    Climb trees, traverse branches slick.
There you’ll see pure innocence,                        Cautiously? they’ll cross a street.
Simple joy without pretense.                               Carcass sadly marks failed feat.

Need to cross a busy street?                                Hard core pro sport fans it seems
Do so please with urgent feet.                             Care too much about their teams.
Don’t make cars slow down or wait                     Worship level interest shown.
While you show off lazy gait.                                Lots of time and money blown.

Some cannot resist its use,                                  Neighborhoods need neighbors who
Turning it into abuse.                                            Do the things nice neighbors do.
They, in traffic, full of scorn,                                Keep things tidy in their space.
honk incessantly their horn.                                Be good natured, don’t disgrace.

New homes that are built en masse                   Folks that have a lot of stuff
Come with seeded/sodded grass.                      Cannot ever have enough.
What there ain’t is ample shade.                         As their incomes yearly soar,
Baby trees mean that's delayed.                         Wealthy look to purchase more.

Parents fault cannot be hid.                                 Hope to win the lottery?
Must engage when raising kid.                            Chance you will is, let me see…
Apathy and negligence,                                         Slimmer than the slimmest slim,
IS worst mom or dad offense.                              Dimmer than the darkest dim.

Little kids you can appease                                  Overzealous moms and dads,
Buying pizza with just cheese.                            Cheering on their Brees and Brads,
Grown up toppings otherwise                              Eagerly articulate
Mostly lead to compromise.                                That their kids are really great.

Stop signs in my neighborhood                           Looking older as we age,
Are not stopped at very good.                              Faces help us guess and gauge.
Drivers slow to near stop, yes.                             Surgeries to hide the truth
Stop though “no” most must confess.                Don’t do well preserving youth.

When you’re on an evening walk                         Rush means moving quick, so hey,
You’ll see dogs most every block.                       “Rush Hour” makes no sense to say.
Seldom ever two the same,                                  Traffic, three ‘til six, is slow.
Each with a unique dog name.                             “STUCK HOURS” is more apropos.

Just a job ain’t good enough                               Parents love your children like
When both parents are “hot stuff”.                    They were still a little tyke.
Lawyer, doctor mom and dad,                             Hug them tight at twenty-five...
Kid can't be mere college grad.                           Always while you're both alive.

Listen to our elders, please.                                Tons of steel lifts off the ground,
While they’re here it’s best to seize                    Skyward distant city bound.
Firsthand knowledge of the past,                       If they were alive today
How life then and now contrast.                         What would Orv and Wilbur say?

Best things you can be combined:                     Birds with just their beaks and claws
Loving, caring, selfless, kind.                              Build nests nicely, without flaws.
Added up and more concise:                               Slim to none the likelihood
Really, truly, simply…NICE.                                   Clever humans do as good.

Youth sports sign up organized.                          Multi-colored, or just white.
Free time play unsupervised.                               Which illumination’s right?
Must do both, and nothing less,                          Christmas, best let kids decide.
To attain the most success.                                 White, I’m sorry, you’re denied.

Starved, stay clear of grocery store.                   Outdoor summer gathering...
Else the stuff you should ignore                          Food, friends, festive, fun…good thing.
Looks so sure to satisfy,                                       Then a bee, three interrupt,
You will, too much, junk food buy.                       Four, five, eight, twelve, damn, disrupt.

Losing weight is difficult.                                      Things that have legs two or four.
Tougher yet when you’re adult.                            Fine with that, but nothing more.
Mainly you must want to move,                           Spiders, centipedes aren't fun.
Eat less, better…just improve.                              Snakes, no thanks, their legs are none.

Six eyes fixed on that last slice.                           Bagging leaves is tedious.
Three guys thinking “it looks nice.”                     Rake them onto tarps, less fuss.
Even though each fella’s full,                                Grab four corners up, compact.
Tasty pizza has its pull.                                         Quicker, better than leaves sacked.

Youngster tumbles, scrapes a knee.                   Neighborhoods of children play,
Quick, diffuse, else you will see                           Bikes and balls and games all day.
Agony, like lost a limb,                                           That was once upon a time,
Chance of their survival slim.                               When kids shrieked “I found a dime.”

Rummage sale, I’d rather not.                              NBA and MLB
All day long and what you got?                            Average one year salary
Tired of cheap S.O.B.s.                                          Will pay all one’s bills and more,
Eighty bucks collected. Geez!                              Lifetimes three or maybe four.

When you’re bitter, extra mad,                              Dancing can be really tough
Furthest you can be from glad,                            When the dance floor ain’t enough
Feels quite good to curse out loud,                     For an overwhelming throng
Even better in a crowd.                                          Lured by their favorite song.

No sense hearing person’s voice.                        Was a time when mail was fun.
Not when texting is a choice.                               Bills were few and junk was none.
Send some words, then get some back.            Phone calls cost a fortune, so
Talking, that’s old fashioned, Jack!                     Letter writing stole the show.

Kids deserve a decent name…                             Ice cream shoppe, three dollars buys     
Classic, simple, strong, but tame.                       Single scoop, a baseball’s size.
Parents, don’t pick rare or weird,                         Six bucks spent at grocery store
Rather, good old school, revered.                        Gets you 10 to 12 scoops more.

Can we just stop littering.                                     Buying, prepping, cooking food.
Really, it’s the dumbest thing.                              Lots of pre-eat time accrued.
There are trash cans everywhere.                       Ahh, alas it finds your plate,
Find one, put your garbage there.                       Where it’s gone in minutes, ate.

Baseball players like to spit.                                Legos are the greatest toy.
Nearly all seen doing it.                                        Keeps kids busy, brings them joy.
Ask them though and they’ll concede:               Christmas, birthday gift to buy?
Just a habit, not a need.                                        Legos always satisfy.

It’s assumed that only some                                Perfect gift is obvious.
Have plant talent, skilled “green thumb”.          Do not need to think, discuss.
Get good dirt and keep it damp.                          It’s what you can spend or stash…
Not that hard to be plant champ.                         Plain and simple: cold, hard cash.

Wait 'til birth before you see                                Spectate, that means watch the game.
If the child is he or she.                                        Cheer, that’s great, but don’t be lame…
Everyone should realize                                       Acting like an idiot,
Joy of that "big day" surprise.                             Screaming, yelling, without quit.

Feel like you’re about to sneeze.                        Traffic moving expertly.
Want to, c’mon, pretty please.                             Three lanes, spread out, smooth, yippee!
Ready, set, alas, let go!                                         Oops, ahead, dead stop for miles.
Nope! Return to status quo.                                 Road work, one lane, zero smiles.

Thursday night is good because                         World would be a better place
Got the "week's near over" buzz.                          If, without a single trace,
Next, there’s Friday night, hurray!                        Evil, awful, scary, weird,
Then the great Satur/Sunday!!                             Worst among us disappeared.

Quarter: shiny, flat and round.                             Endzone celebrations seem  
Kid sees, grabs up off the ground.                      In more recent years extreme.
Nineteen sixty-eight: yippee!                               Chest bump, hand slap is enough.
Nowadays: not so much glee.                              No need for the stilly stuff.

From the couch we watch TV.                              Offramp, turn lane, beggar folk,
There we drift off easily.                                       You can’t all be flat out broke.
Get up, brush teeth, go to bed.                             Also, please don't make us squint.
Wide awake with can't sleep dread.                     Message write in big, bold print.

Hate, a word that might seem strong.                Let’s stop dressing up for stuff.
Using it though ain't so wrong                              Business/formal wear, enough!
When it’s aimed at human dung.                          High priced, stuffy…so absurd.
Then it's fine to share sharp tongue.                   Cheaper, comfy…that’s preferred.

Indoor plumbing, holy cow!                                   Broken brained, uncivilized
Talk about life changer, wow!!                              Live among us...not surprised
Running water in a sink.                                        That there's always awful crime.
Goodbye outhouse, no more stink.                     World we live in ain't sublime.

Easy to be scared of heights,                               Thirty bucks to park the car.
Toothy beasts, whatever bites,                            Tickets, eighty bucks each are.
Spiders, snakes, and all that crawls,                   Couple beers and ballpark food.
Haunted houses, creepy dolls.                             Costly night, team lost, foul mood.

Walk each day a mile or two.                                Many million miles away…
It’s the least that one can do.                                Mars, but you can’t live there/stay.
Need to move, burn calories.                                Let’s just try to fix our earth,
Else the outcome will not please.                        Where there is so little mirth.

No more sunset photos please.                           Little kids love being chased.
They’re more common than a sneeze.               Knowing parents, silly faced,
Sorry, yours is not unique.                                    Blurt “I’m gonna get you”, which
Any other snapshot seek.                                     Send them running, laughter rich.

Had to spend a lot to get                                       Easy to be nice, and yet
Early color TV set.                                                  Many choose a crap mindset:
Never then could have foreseen                          Glass half empty attitude;
Giant, lightweight, cheap flat screen.                 Always angry, always rude.

No one wants bad weather, but                            Nice hard rain has left behind
TV weather talent/nut,                                           Puddles everywhere to find.
Bored by days of clear, blue skies,                      There for kids to stomp on through,
Doesn’t mind a big storm prize.                           Each wet splash sheer fun renew.

Each celeb designer dress                                    Why do people choose to live
Worn at Oscars to impress                                    Where the weather won’t forgive?
Costs as much as all the clothes                          Damn tornadoes, hurricanes
Most have in their lifetime chose.                        Threaten southeast coast, and plains.

Open spaces that once were                                 Kids see vending “snack” machine.
Where kids played without deter                          Can’t resist it’s junk cuisine.
Are today, well, mostly gone,                                 Plead with either mom or dad:
Land developed, built upon.                                  “Hungry, starving, need it bad.”

Warm or cool is surely fine.                                  Chinese takeout boxes are
Hot or cold is when we whine.                              Magical, unique, bizarre.
Ninety plus and steamy…bad!                               Crazy how much food they hold,
Minus ten with wind…egad!!                                  Meals, not two, but three, fourfold.

Really, basic crust, sauce, cheese,                      Driveway nearing, almost there.
By itself enough to please.                                   Home alas, no time to spare.
Toppings more than two a waste,                        Race from car, burst through house door.
Steals from simple pizza taste.                           Toilet reached, relief once more.

Thank God for the laborers,                                 Wealthy need trips overseas.
All hard working hims and hers,                          Nothing short of that will please.
Doing what most will not do,                                Those just barely getting by
Solo and sometimes with crew.                           May not ever get to fly.

Under shade tree by the lake,                               Large life plans are often made,
Shielded from the hot sun bake,                          Which next day will surely fade,
Gentle breeze caresses face…                             When folks have too much to drink,
You have found your happy place.                      Causing them to “big talk” think.

Ding on car door quarter inch,                             Ninety-five is plenty hot,
Noticed but without a flinch.                                And that’s in a shady spot.
Spouse though later sees said ding,                   Much worse in the sultry sun.
Makes noise like got big bee sting.                     Stay in, mother nature’s won.

Outdoor work is worstest when                           Monthly five, six day ordeal,
Temp unshaded nears one-ten.                           Nine month pregnancy appeal,
That’s when you’re a lucky slob                           Painful birth then breast feed fun…
Just to have an office job.                                    Women cannot be outdone.

Hydrate, we are often told,                                   Lots of people choose to run,
Almost to the point of scold.                               Though their faces don’t say “fun”.
Water is important, yes.                                       Those who walk with decent pace
Stupid though to drink obsess.                           Seem to have more cheerful face.

Mozart and DaVinci, wow!                                   Priceless what a child might say
Go ahead boys, take a bow.                                 When they try best to convey
Beauty, brilliance unhatched.                              Something that is on their mind.
What you gave us goes unmatched.                  Observations kid defined.

Motorcyclers, there are some,                            Burgers, we are so obsessed,
Arrogant and somewhat dumb,                          Looking always for the best.
Who treat traffic like a game,                              Season patty, fry, add cheese…
With “I’ll race, weave through it” aim.               YOU can make one sure to please.

It’s okay to learn to climb.                                   Husband strangely loses life.
One way you can pass the time.                        Murdered. Who else but the wife?
If though you ascend things tall,                       Wife killed. Must be spouse, of course!
Best to know how not to fall.                              Could have gotten a divorce.

Little children, daycare group,                            Cotton candy, crazy stuff…
Walk together, quite the troop,                           Whipped up, airy, sugar fluff.
Holding hands in coupled line,                           Marshmallows are sweet but bland,
Crazy cute and just divine.                                  Spongy unless fire tanned.

Walking means you’re moving, great!               Bedroom window open wide,
Jogging elevates heart rate.                               Letting summer breeze inside.
Biking covers lots more ground,                        Good night sleep assured, and then
helps you faster get around.                               Cricket, nearby, loud, kills zen.


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