Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Blue Elephant



©2016 Susan Noyes Anderson

What is this creature on my chest?
Blue elephant has come to nest.
My lungs are smashed; my heart is crushed.
My whole, wide world in blue is brushed.

Not robin's egg or ocean blue,
more like a mess of midnight goo.
And I'm surrounded by the stuff.
Blue bites! Big-time. Enough's enough!!

It's hard to breathe, harder to talk.
I locomote by belly-walk.
Yo, Dumbo. Get off, dude. You stink.
(Henceforth, my pachyderms lean pink...)

Assignment: Write a blue poem.

 for more blue poems, click below

31 comments:

Waltermarks said...

Ha ha, that's great! Can't say i'd like a blue elephant, but the verse is splendid!

Arcadia Maria said...

Quite clever and delightful read.

Victoria Ceretto-Slotto said...

This is so fun, Sue. Your poetry is a delight and I can see this one in a child's anthology.

Grace said...

So delightful and fun to read Sue ~ Love your share ~

De Jackson said...

HEAVENS! I love this! You are channeling Shel Silverstein here (a favorite of mine).
"locomote" as verb = fantastic!
So much fun to read out loud. This would make an adorable children's book, too.

Grandma Honey said...

You are going through so much yet you still are able to smile. With someone who has such great talent, writing must be an avenue of coping, yes?

Truedessa said...

haha - this was quite entertaining - a blue elephant can be heavy on the heart for sure.

Glenn Buttkus said...

Blue elephants all warble Trump's tune, though many do not--cuz his pachyderms are mostly red. I'm jut a blue mule adrift in a red sea of political madness--& your poem pumps levity into the beer-filled bladders who are lining up to cheer the Don--ald.

Bodhirose said...

Haha...what fun this one is! What's up with that elephant anyway?

kaykuala said...

Chuckles! What of the blue elephant, making a bother to oneself. Sure makes it blue to the soul, Susan!

Hank

Anonymous said...

"Not robin's egg or ocean blue,
more like a mess of midnight goo."

Haha. This was a delightful read. :D

Sanaa Rizvi said...

Oh my god this is just fantastic Sue :D bravo!!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

As a nurse we always told patients that chest pain from a heart attack felt as if an elephant was sitting on one's chest. I imagine it would be blue in color!

Susan Anderson said...

Writing a poem is always my go-to coping mechanism!

Susan Anderson said...

Makes sense to me!

Imelda said...

How refreshing! Thanks for the humor and fun take on the prompt. 😂

-imelda

AnotherFearlessYear.net said...

This is so cute! And yet, it in, I saw a metaphor for depression. The difficulty breathing and talking fits perfectly. I suspect that's not what you were going for, but that's the great thing about poetry -- the reader often sees more (or less) than what the writer intended.

Susan Anderson said...

The poem is definitely a metaphor for depression...A bit of black humor can be a big pick-me-up when all the world is "brushed in blue."

SilverGardenia said...

This made me laugh! I loved "pachyderms" I had to go look it up. It's a very apt word.

ayala said...

A fun read!

Josslyn Rae Turner said...

Fun, sweet, and lovely. <3

LeAnn said...

Sue, you are amazing to me. Ok, I did see a bit of depression in this one. Also, because of being a nurse, I thought heart attack.
I do love how you brought out different unique thoughts that can mean more than one thing. I also see some good humor in this one.
Gosh, how do you come up with these ideas; just fantastic.
Sending loving thoughts and hugs your way dear friend! I do hope you are doing well.

Haddock said...

The rhyming is perfect.
Crushed ....brushed.

Jae Rose said...

I love the playfulness in this poem - it's always good when blue makes you smile :)

Unknown said...

As De already commented, you've channeled Shel Silverstein in this. Love it! (Although, would a pink pachyderm be any lighter?)

Susan Anderson said...

Of course! Mood-wise, anyway...;)

Pondside said...

Bring on the pink elephants!
Yesterday I took the boys to an exhibit on the Woolly Mammoth at the Royal BC Museum. Now that was a BIG fellow!
I hope your chest is feeling a little lighter.....

lillianthehomepoet.wordpress.com said...

Oh --- chuckling I am! Thanks for the smile 😊

yaya said...

Ha! Love it! I'm painting many rooms with a blue theme lately...not sure why but I've always loved that color! Hope all is well with you and your family!

carol l mckenna said...

Ah ~ lovely and humorous and yet true ~ sometimes a 'blue elephant' sits on our chest too ~

Wishing you a Happy Weekend ~ ^_^

Karen Sue said...

Very Cute! Did Blue Elephant jump into your mind immediately, or did you have to ponder that heavy load?!?!?