A cow at market to be sold, A hen, a harp, a bag of gold, A wife who tells her husband lies, A common thief of normal size Whose blood has a distinctive smell— My bulk impelled how hard I fell When he outran my lumbering legs Who listens while collecting eggs. #riddlepoem #poetrycommunity #poetry

I can’t see, hear, or use my tongue Because, when I was very young, I witnessed a horrific scene. I later met the Acid Queen Who tried to open up my mind. But I remained completely blind To Truth until my mastery Of Pinball finally set me free. #riddlepoem #poetrycommunity #poetry #poem #opera

I’m up before the day’s begun And set out earlier than the Sun, Announcing to the Earth and Air His imminent arrival there With dripping tears and rosy fingers. The brief time that my presence lingers The world’s enchanted by my light And celebrates the close of night. #riddlepoem #poetrycommunity

Down in the lowest, inmost layer, Neck-deep in ice with my betrayer, I feed on him that immured me. Your speech says you’re from Tuscany So you’ll have heard of Hunger Tower, But not of my most desperate hour When, as I chewed my hands in madness, Starvation overpowered my sadness. #riddlepoem

Unmarried man, beware my bite, For I am the Screech Owl in the night; I am the demon devouring souls Of children, mentioned in the scrolls That comment on the Pentateuch, Mother of every monster or spook, Sucker of blood and seed of life, Your first father’s first true wife. #riddlepoem #poetry

Although we both were old and poor, When strangers knocked upon our door We brought them in as welcome guests. Others denied their meager requests For lodging, food and drink; but we, With modest hospitality, Unknowingly were host to gods Who spared our goose from desperate odds. #riddlepoem #poem

I met my friend in a wood, at night, Under a lonely lamppost’s light Beyond the furry winter coats. His horns and hooves were like a goat’s, And he invited me to tea— It was all very queer to see! I didn’t stay long or go too far And sensibly left the door ajar. #riddlepoem #poem #poetry #riddle

A massive attack on several humanities units (Arabic Studies, Judaic Studies, Holocaust Studies, Classics, Religion, German & Scandinavian, Russian/East European/Eurasian Studies) *and* tenure now unfolding at the University of Oregon (a blue state!). Closure of units and faculty layoffs threatened.

A Scientist in days of yore Conducted from my upper floor Experiments on gravitation. Due to my gentle inclination, The setting was ideal. But those Observing would not bend, and chose To deny the proof in plain sight, Saying the Philosopher was right. #riddlepoem #poetry #poetrycommunity #poem

Back from beyond the Great Green Sea, My true parents abandoned me Before my life force fully formed. But when the frosty weather warmed, Preferring me to her own brood, My foster mother brought me food— A bastard bird, from whom the shame Of jilted husbands takes its name. #riddlepoem #poetry

Here where I drew my final breath A shrine commemorates my death, Where four knights from across the sea In God’s cathedral murdered me, As every pious pilgrim knows. Their rationale, in standard prose, Is what the reading audience learns In a verse play by Thomas Stearns. #riddlepoem #poetry

Removed from civilization’s cares, From uptight snobs and straight-laced squares, We munch on this narcotic tree. A chronic case of apathy Comes over us, and we’re so wasted The moment fruit or flower is tasted Or smoke of smoldering leaves kicks in That we’re not sailing home again. #riddlepoem

Out of the woods, a river flows Into a field where wheatgrass grows. And there, where tilth and treeline meet, I rule, from my luxurious seat, The fruitful seasons of the land With golden scepter in my hand And silver stars that cap my crown, Bedecked in pomegranate gown. #poetry #riddle #tarot

Lightning strikes, and white-hot sparks Touch down like calligraphic marks On skillfully constructed stone. From there, two human figures thrown Escape destruction, smoke and fire. But like the crown atop my spire That once stood sturdy, proud and tall, So too went they… before the Fall. #poetry

I woke one day completely changed. My family wasn’t yet estranged And begged me to unlock the door. It took a while to cross the floor And longer just to turn the knob. My first concern was for my job, But now they all pick up the slack While throwing apples at my back. #riddlepoem #poetry #poem

On winter’s eve or summer’s dawn, The Hunter holds the bowstring drawn, Ready to let his arrow fly Straight through the Sacred Bull’s red eye. Though we are distant, deep and dim, Eternally evading him, We seven sisters jointly shine Along that imaginary line. #riddlepoem #poetrycommunity #poetry

The Master of the Vineyard hired Us in the morning. Now we’re tired And hungry, though it’s only noon. With half the vines still left to prune, He goes to town and hires more. Assigning them an easier chore, He promises to match their pay With those of us who’ve worked all day. #riddlepoem #poem

Still wet with seaweed, muck and brine, The Oracle speaks: “Now leave this shrine With veiled heads and dress unbound, And cast behind you on the ground Your mother’s bones.” We can’t profane Our ancestors—we must explain This riddle in some other way. So we throw stones and walk away. #riddlepoem

Till cows come home in old Vermont The critics’ words will always haunt Our story of grassroots success Despite how much our fans obsess Or how complex our compositions, Allowing that we’re fine musicians And each of us can clearly shred… We’re just a ringer for the Dead. #riddlepoem #poem #poetry

I’m well-to-do and well-respected. I’ve never yet done unexpected Things or gone on an adventure. Indeed, I’d be subject to censure If I should take my daily stroll Without returning to my hole. All this explains my sense of warning At a gray, old man saying, “Good morning!” #riddlepoem #poetry

With scythe for sword I ride and reap, A wandering knight without a keep Mounted black on a pale horse. I am the one unstoppable force To whom both kings and bishops bow. But don’t despair—the Cards allow A less macabre interpretation Of simple change or transformation. #riddlepoem #poetry #poem

Not every scientist is mad, But when they are, they’re always glad To have me with them on the screen— And that’s where you’ve most likely seen My hunched outline in shadows lurk. I always do the dirty work And sycophantically assist. But in the book, I don’t exist. #riddlepoem #poetry #whoami

Thirty-one pilgrims trek this trail. We each take turns and tell a tale To while away the long, slow miles. The language of the British Isles Transitions between old and new. I document with much ado, In couplets of iambic rhymes, Daily life in medieval times. #riddlepoem #poetrycommunity #poetry

With bare feet and a tin-pot hat, I made sure that your cider-vat For years to come would still be full. A generous and gentle soul Anticipating future needs, From sea-to-sea I planted seeds… Or so they say—if not, at least A handful of states in the northeast. #riddlepoem #poem #poetry #whoami

The Emperor called all his best Philosophers to try and test The soundness of my faith with prattle, But I was victor in that battle, Convincing several to convert. He tried to hit me where it hurt And break my spirit on the Wheel, Then milked my neck with sharpened steel. #riddlepoem #poetry

Afraid his power will be undone When Earth and Sky make love, the Sun, As king of our celestial sphere, Decrees: on no day of the year Shall mother sing a birthday tune. But Wisdom gambles with the Moon And wins enough of silver rays To buy five extra golden days. #riddlepoem #poetry #poem #whoami

I kept upon my gold watch chain The sovereign coin that once had lain Close to the heart of a rare woman Whose shrewd finesse and acumen Outdid my powers of observation. Though quite below a queenly station, She equalled me in sense and wit When we both played the counterfeit. #riddlepoem #poetry

Enticing them with meat and bread And soft rest on an iron bed, I welcome weary travelers all. And if the bed’s too large or small I stretch or saw accordingly. Detesting difference, thus I see My guests and goals to execution With a one-size-fits-all solution. #riddlepoem #poem #poetry #whoami

Desiring peace and cooperation, We signed a treaty with the Nation But broke it for the love of gold. Their cause was just; their claim was old; And at our hands their people died. Then, being yet unsatisfied With minted coins and paper bills, We carved our faces in their hills. #riddlepoem #poem

Five centuries’ discoloration In landscapes of imagination Whose line of the horizon lies Above my neck, behind the eyes, Where icy mountains fade from view, With faithful realism, true To life, in the Old Masters’ style, I sit with enigmatic smile. #riddlepoem #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity #art

They say I mimic human voice And laughter, change my sex by choice, And feed on flesh of rotting dead. A magic stone inside my head Imparts the power to see through time. And if harassment is a crime I’m guilty then, against the king, Along with all the friends I bring. #riddlepoem #poetry #poem

Somewhere between alive and dead My dark black hair and lips of red, My perfect, pale and cold, white face, Preserved inside this clear glass case, Prove what the mirror has reflected. And when my image is projected Through acetate on silver screen, That’s how I’m ever after seen. #riddlepoem #poem

I sent my rival a poisoned gown Along with a matching golden crown That stripped the flesh from off her bones. Lay the blame on my husband’s hormones And her desire to dress in splendor— Not on the whims and wiles of gender. Now they both know my deep contempt, And she looks thoroughly unkempt.

This corner where I can’t be seen By cameras in the telescreen Is one of very few such spots. Recording my forbidden thoughts Illegally, I realize How much I hate those prying eyes Reminding me I can’t be free While Big Brother is watching me. #riddlepoem #poetry #poem #poetrycommunity

In lofty circles, I pull weight And keep the company of great Philosophers and men of science. I’ve found a way to end reliance On faulty models, yet I cleave To custom—I won’t take my leave From theories that are still Earth-first Or parties where I’m fit to burst. #riddlepoem #poetrycommunity

I am the first known analog Computer. Each connecting cog Has rusted for two thousand years. An intricate array of gears And clockwork drove my three displays. They showed each planet’s path and phase, The months with their Egyptian names, And schedules for the Olympic games. #riddlepoem #poetry

The Sergeant-Major warned me not To wish, but like a fool I thought No harm would come from trying it. And though it’s true, I must admit, That I received two hundred pounds, I can’t ignore those knocking sounds That make me wish I’d never wished Upon that little mummified fist. #riddlepoem #poem

My motivation isn’t clear. Though from the start I seem sincere, I somehow take a vicious turn. I’m ultimately doomed to burn For love of silver and of sin. But now’s the moment I begin My spree with one innocuous crime: I dip my bread at the same time. #riddlepoem #poem #poetrycommunity #poetry

I taught the boy to prune the vine, And press the grape, but making wine Was his discovery alone. Now far and wide that cult has grown, And student has become the teacher To this half-human, woodland creature. For I attend his every class While riding backward on my ass. #riddlepoem #poetry #poem

If you would gaze with far-seeing sight, Then focus on my inner light And soon the picture will be clear. But I am not a crystal sphere— I’m more a glass and metal cube With particles inside a tube, And waves of information hurled Against your window to the world. #riddlepoem #poetry #poem #whoami

I sit upon this leather chair Delivering verdicts just and fair, Appointed by the King of Kings, Reminded of the crooked things My father did. He held this post Before me, and his earthbound ghost Covers the bench, stretched and thin… But I’d prefer to keep my skin. #riddlepoem #poetrycommunity

Dead by the age of twenty-one I’d killed as many with my gun— One for each year upon this Earth… A child, still baby-faced from birth, Embroiled in territorial war To regulate an even score, Tried, convicted, escaped and shot By the county sheriff… or not? #riddlepoems #poetrycommunity #poetry

Though most agree my plane crash-landed Somewhere over the South Pacific, A few conjecture I was stranded Upon an island unspecific, No hope of rescue, doomed to die. Another theory holds Japan Mistook me for a western spy… But no one mistook me for a man. #riddlepoem #poetrycommunity #poetry

As witness to our faithfulness, In elegant and flowing dress We dance around the altar-stone. Though usually we work alone, We hold this monthly gathering To concentrate our power and sing With seven notes our simple tune, Together drawing down the Moon. #riddlepoem #poetrycommunity #poetry

When moonless nights are clear and breezy, Locating me is fairly easy, For like a snake, I twist and wind Between two bears. So you can find Me if you know where those two are. One’s big, one’s little, and the star That points the way for those at sea Is on a line that goes through me. #riddlepoem

My father warned, for he was wise, By skill alone I’d earn a prize, Since I possessed the slowest horses. And so I steered around the courses On the inner side. Nearly deprived Of my reward when I arrived, Accused of recklessness unfairly, I came in second place, just barely. #riddlepoem #poetry

Home from the long Crusades and full Of doubt about my mortal soul, The land and I seem unacquainted. The skeptic squire critiques a painted Allegory and asks for gin. The actor and his wife both grin At Pestilence’s plaguing breath. And I… I’m playing chess with Death. #riddlepoem #poetry #poem

The moment of the final scene, Projections on a see-through screen, And pulley systems put in place To simulate an air of grace, Will lower a god into the fray— A lazy way to end a play, But we don’t need a perfect script When venues are so well-equipped. #riddlepoem #poetrycommunity #poetry #poem

As Andean lilies burst in bloom, I stand outside the Windowed Room, And view the Temple of the Sun. Slow crumbling, long ago begun, Is silent while I listen clearly. I seem to hear a sentence merely Whispered and not truly said… Here in the City of the Dead. #riddlepoem #poetrycommunity #poetry

I’ll give you a ride and get you there While gliding on a sheet of air, And scant resources will I need. If promise of my quiet speed, And power of my linear motor, Go unfulfilled, then blame the voter: Although my magnets rarely fail me, A Careless Coin can still derail me. #riddlepoem #poetry