Also see:  Edward M. Smith's page on The Read WNC

Don't take any of it too seriously, unless you want to!

Group 111.

Unfortunately

Edward M. Smith

Taking a chance on

A “down and outer” is a

Losing strategy.

Calls attention to beauty

Edward M. Smith

As pretty as a

Ravishingly beautiful

Woman’s  noisy fart.

RIFed  at 50

Edward M. Smith

I looked the tiger

In the eye, and I saw my

Annihilation.

It’s who we are

Edward M. Smith

Very ornery

And blemished: sadly, that’s the

Human condition.

It’s Important

Edward M. Smith

Cannot distinguish

A goat from a sheep with just

A bleat or a baaaa.

Group 110

Fate

Edward M. Smith

Were a woman yet

Born so ugly that she didn’t

Yearn to be pretty?

Overkill

Edward M. Smith

Why should it take a

Pair of pliars and a hatchet

To open a package?

The Antarctic

Edward M. Smith

It's before color:

All black and white and the

Mouth of heaven lit.

Everyman's problem

Edward M. Smith

How to accept the 

Hand that you're dealt, yet to

Be in the showdown.

Travelling

Edward M. Smith

It's amazing what

You need, if you haven't it - and

What you don't, if you do.

Group 109.

Some things cannot be changed

Edward M. Smith

He brought his all: a

Partial basketfull, just as

We all are destined.

Reflection on aging

Edward M. Smith

Do not mourn for the

Beautiful bird that flew, but

Seek the shrinking ray.

Not surprising

Edward M. Smith

What he lacked in

Grey matter he attempted

To make up with bluff.

The scheme of things

Edward M. Smith

Here when we arrived;

Little changed by our lives;

And, here when we leave.

Interesting, but irrelevant

Edward M. Smith

If one wish one had –

To save the world or one’s kids-

Which one would it be?

Group 108.

The Unattainable

Edward M. Smith

That something's

Unattainable makes it

Just more desirable.

Reach for the impossible

Edward M. Smith

The goal reached, the

Justification for the

Mission Is removed.

 Moderation

Edward M. Smith

Gin is an acquired

Taste, but don’t develop a

Quenchless thirst for it.

But not in our lifetime

Edward M. Smith

If finality

Is history, are we not

Just voyeurs only?

Never to be used

Edward M. Smith

Values not withstanding:

 “Whore” is a distasteful and

Male chauvinistic word.

Group 107. 

The red zone

Edward M. Smith

As nervous as the

Rookie who was given the

Firm’s largest account.

Swabs!

Edward M. Smith

All hands on deck! The

Undiapered boy’s in a room

With dripping faucets.

Things remembered

Edward M. Smith

The lover his first

Kiss; the miser his first dollar;

The saint her first deed.

Juxtaposition

Edward M. Smith

Then, now, there, here; and

Oh, never, ever; but not

Ever, now and there.

The Equal Opportunity Game

Edward M. Smith

Sure, success’s open

To all, but more daunting for

The rag merchant’s child.

Group 106.

 Sins of our fathers

Edward M. Smith

The king should not be

Abashed that his father was

A malevolent thug.

It’s all an illusion

Edward M. Smith

A woman’s search for

A swimsuit is her quest for

The fountain of youth.

THE Code

Edward M. Smith

Always hold yourself

To a higher standard than you

Do those under you.

The Old Stalwarts

Edward M. Smith

The flamenco is

Dull compared to the tango

Between faith and works.

So do I!

Edward M. Smith

Immediately

Upon seeing her, I thought:

She needs a do over.

Group 105.

I promised to be faithful

Edward M. Smith

A stranger walked

In: my spouse fantasied by

A cosmetician. 

Know your footing

Edward M. Smith

If it’s opinion,

Go easy; if hard fact, jump

On it with both feet.

Attitude adjustment

Edward M. Smith

It used to bother

Me – until I found out that

She would not change.

Ignorance is bliss

Edward M. Smith

Would we happier

Be, if we knew the answers

To all the riddles?

Infidelity

Edward M. Smith

Not knowing the truth

Often saves us a bunch of

Pain and grim heartache.

Group 104.

Blandness

Edward M. Smith

Do we all sin a

Little, because perfection

Is a bit yawny?

Let’s not share

Edward M. Smith

Keep your criticisms

Of me on your plate, and  I’ll

Do the same for you.

Simplify

Edward M. Smith

Keep all your keys on

The same chain, and you will save

A lot of searching.

The Call of “Screech Owl McConnel”

Edward M. Smith

I hate Obama!

I Hate Obama!  Get it?

I hate Obama!

A license

Edward M. Smith

Senators affirm

An unfettered oath:  to uphold

The Constitution.

Group 103

The Constitution

Edward M. Smith

With such divergent

Views, can the paper or the

Reader be at fault?

Our Constitution and the Bible

Edward M. Smith

What if a stop sign

Were open to as much

Interpretation?

The axiom is an old one

Edward M. Smith

You cannot prove a

Negative or a Congressman’s

Real motivation.

Judge leaders by whom they choose

Edward M. Smith

Leaders demonstrate

Their values and discernment

Through their choice of staff.

Wrongly accused

Edward M. Smith

On the road, top down:

“Did we just pass a paper mill?”

It is code for my spouse.

Group 102.

A Tragic alliance: the plutocracy and the marginalized

Edward M. Smith

What the underclasses

Don’t understand is that it’s

Not government’s doings.

We could name one of each

Edward M. Smith

A naïve leader

Can be forgiven - we shouldn’t

Be for a weak one.

Do we need a new word?

Edward M. Smith

Should an ignoble

Or weak person ever be

Called a ”leader”?

Bad leaders as “heads”

Edward M. Smith

Perhaps, rather than

“leader”,”head”, but, then, there

Is the body part.

Mysteries all around us

Edward M. Smith

If from a mustard

Seed a tree grew, from whence did

Shakespeare’s works burst forth.

Group 101.

Wine as an an aphrodisiac

Edward M. Smith

If grapes were not so

Sweet, would a kiss still be as

Intoxicating?

In over his head

Edward M. Smith

We forced an Ivy

League college upon our son –

He now lives with us.

Love knows no bounds.

Edward M. Smith

There they were - holding

Hands – the most grotesque man

And woman on earth.

Color coordinated

Edward M. Smith

There he goes on his

Pink motorcycle eating

A red popsicle.

Searching for the dead

Edward M. Smith

After seventy years,

I found their tombstones - on a

Weak and rainy day.

Group 100.

There’s an imbalance!

Edward M. Smith

Motivation to act,

Wrong needs not; right has

Only one reason.

Take this, you donkeys and elephants!

Edward M. Smith

Extremism grows on

Barren soil; methinks, perhaps,

That’s where it thrives best.

With room to spare

Edward M. Smith

If veracity's

A requirement, Congress could

Meet in my wardrobe.

Diogenes’ Search

Edward M. Smith

Politicians use

Mirrors that don’t reflect an

Authentic  image.

Don’t cry for me: I was an illusion

Edward M. Smith

No obscene word can

Define today’s politics,

But “putrid” is close.

Group 99.

It might not be  pretty!

Edward M. Smith

If evolution’s

So perfect, why don’t we each

Have eight eyes and ears.

"Vegetables only" diet.

Edward M. Smith

With vegetables

Sprouting from her body: “Doc,

When can I add fruits?”

An idle mind or untended plant

Edward M. Smith

A mind – much like a

Plant – must be cultivated,

If it is to grow.

Which shall I be?

Edward M. Smith

The active mind is

A hummingbird; an idle one

Is a Dodo bird.

Conceit or false modesty

Edward M. Smith

Some people gobble

Up all of the accolades;

Others will accept none.

Group 98.

Be considerate

Edward M. Smith

Can your listener

Share your best exploits, if he

Has never left the box?

I once gazed at the leaden sea – alone

Edward M. Smith

Learn music, art, prose,

Oratory, or verse;  how can

You otherwise share?

His mama’s surrogate

Edward M. Smith

His spouse’s control was

Total: she let him play in

His mama’s bird nest.

With the oaks and whales, also?

Edward M. Smith

If all life sprang from

A single cell, are we all, then,

Brothers and sisters?

Much like bad politicians

Edward M. Smith

Think twice before you

Billet pigs or rabbits on

Your vulnerable grounds.

Group97

More important things

Edward M. Smith

When the hair is grey,

The retells aren’t as mirthful,

Or, are we too tired?

 Mistakes as education

Edward M. Smith

An education

Is expensive, regardless of

How it is acquired.

Hurt by betrayal?

Edward M. Smith

Knowing the truth is

Valuable, tho painful it

May be in gaining.

Even the paper is not free

Edward M. Smith

A country’s in pain

When the cost of printing its

Money’s a problem.

Humor is ubiquitous

Edward M. Smith

Humor’s saying to

Your hangman: “And, also, Sir,

A good day to you.”

Group 96.

Lasting Animosity

Edward M. Smith

It’s the little things:

Deny him tenure, but don't

Take his parking space.

Seeking the answer to the ultimate question

Edward M. Smith

If science’s fungible,

And art is unique, is

Our search misplaced?

What is the next level?

Edward M. Smith

He once knew a man:

Can incredible respect,

Aye, morph into love?

Of his own volition

Edward M. Smith

His subordinate -

Ten years senior and war vet-

Grabbed him from disgrace.

Unconditional love is infinite

Edward M. Smith

A hole to China, or

A paved road to the moon,

Can’t measure love's bond.

Group 95.

The fat lady sings

Edward M. Smith

Sure, skill and luck play

A part, but the final hand’s

Won by the best cards.

Art Versus Science

Edward M. Smith

Any student can make

Chlorine; but, "The Starry Night?"

Only Van Gogh could!

Let’s Hear it for Art

Edward M. Smith

All products of science

Are fungible; real art’s not

Reproducible.

Magic

Edward M. Smith

If black’s a color

Not, please tell me then, why can

We see a zebra?

Heart Attacks on the Stool

Edward M. Smith

Taking a strenuous

Scitte’s likely a dangerous

Thing for you to do.

Group 94.

Summertime

Edward M. Smith

The mum to the rose:

“I don’t mind the heat so long

As my feet are damp.”

Edward M. Smith

We live betwixt the

Abyss that’s behind and the

Abyss that’s ahead.

It's Obvious

Edward M. Smith

All planning assumes

Control over the future.

Futile or prudent?

Edward M. Smith

We control the small

Things in life.  The big ones are

Surely not random.

So few, so many!

Edward M. Smith

A good life’s a goal,

But only so many snares

Can be pushed aside.

 Group 93

Is life fair?

Edward M. Smith

Aren’t we clever?

Would a one year old refuse,

If offered a beer?

Rethink

Edward M. Smith

We build our moral castles

Upon the foundations of

Our own cluelessness.

I Raise!

Edward M. Smith

Do not let anyone

Know how many aces you hold - 

Or your net worth. 

Information is power!

Edward M. Smith

Why are financial

Firms so strong?  They strip search

You before dealing.

Group 92.

Turning Adam Smith on his Head

Edward M.  Smith

The most efficient

Markets require full info and

Equal dealers.

Duh!

Edward M. Smith

Let the patient choose!

Try shopping for a tooth cap

Or a heart bypass.

Winning

Edward M. Smith

To stay ahead, you

Must keep the percentages high,

Whilst the numbers are low.

What do you bring to the table?

Edward M. Smith

When a man marries,

He should ask, “What do I bring

That she doesn’t now have.”

The unreachable

Edward M. Smith

Born with an angry

Mask, next a stoic one, and

Left with a death one.

Group 91.

Love’s mystery

Edward M. Smith

It’s not what you see

In him or her, but him or  

Her in each other.

Golden anniversary

Edward M. Smith

A boat afloat for

Fifty years has good planks or

Expert seamanship.

To his own

Edward M. Smith

Share your good news with

Your friend, the bad with your foe;

They’ll both be happy.

Fire!

Edward M. Smith

When there’s a fire, only

Two can sound the alarm:

It’s just you and me.

Togas are out of style

Edward M. Smith

College presidents:

More Edifice complexes

Than Socratic ones.

Group 90.

Thanks to Jesse Helms

Edward M. Smith

Build a fence around

Congress, and call it a zoo

Which thrives on green stuff.

One size does not fit all

Edward M. Smith

Wisdom’s selective:

One man’s “Aha” moment is

Another’s emetic.

Mining is not just geology

Edward M. Smith

Wisdom is much like

Mining: you must sift through a

Lot to reach the precious.

Uncritical university

Edward M. Smith

If a dog had pooped

On his vast writings, it would’ve

Doubled its worth.

One size does not fit all

Edward M. Smith

Wisdom’s selective:

One man’s “Aha” moment is

Another’s emetic.

Mining is not just geology

Edward M. Smith

Wisdom is much like

Mining: you must sift through a

Lot to reach the precious.

Uncritical university

Edward M. Smith

If a dog had pooped

On his vast writings, it would’ve

Doubled its worth.

Attitude’s important

Edward M. Smith

It’s the dog’s bared

Teeth, not its tucked tail, that

Commands attention.

One size does not fit all

Edward M. Smith

Wisdom’s selective:

One man’s “Aha” moment is

Another’s emetic.

Mining is not just geology

Edward M. Smith

Wisdom is much like

Mining: you must sift through a

Lot to reach the precious.

Uncritical university

Edward M. Smith

If a dog had pooped

On his vast writings, it would’ve

Doubled its worth.

Group 89.

Trite but true

Edward M. Smith

You cannot cross the

Finish line, unless you were

In the starting blocks.

No lock on wisdom

Edward M. Smith

Erudite gems have

Been dropped by sailors in the

World’s sleaziest bars.

A choice

Edward M. Smith

Good food, good sex, and

A loving mate; or, then, you may

Want the trophy wife.

Free spirit

Edward M. Smith

She lost her allure:

 Post marriage, she still drank beer

From a sailor’s boot.

Armani and Wrangler

Edward M. Smith

Own a Lamborghini?

Then, you’ll  also need an old

Rusty pickup truck.

Group 88

Let’s come together

Edward M. Smith

To my heart my eyes

Said: “See”; and, to my eyes my

Heart said: “Try loving.”

It’s what you’re after

Edward M. Smith

Fancy coffee pots

Impress, but they don’t always

Make better coffee. 

All things being equal

Edward M. Smith

In all general

Theories there is a trash bin

For what does not fit.

Faith

Edward M. Smith

How to prepare for

The ahead when you don’t know

For sure what’s out there?

Mercy, Mercy, Miss Percy

Edward M. Smith

He begged for mercy,

And she stomped him as if

He were a pissant.

Group 87

An eye for an eye

Edward M. Smith

He dropped a few bad

Pennies.  Did he have it coming?

It’s not mine to say.

Retribution

Edward M. Smith 

When you look a person

In the eye, and he comes up

Vacant, don’t play God.

Winners and losers

Edward M. Smith

At craps, it’s sevens

And  elevens.  In life, it’s your

Career and  marriage.

Coins or the brights

Edward M. Smith

Better good genes and

A wooden spoon, than a silver

One and puny genes.

No Prodigal Here

Edward M. Smith

A child, ten years gone,

And with no phone number or

Post office address.

Group 86.

Grains of Sadness

Edward M. Smith

Drop a grain of sand

On the white beach, and find it -

Or your estranged child.

Reality(Las Vegas)

Edward M. Smith

From a posh hotel.

This conservation shit is

Just for the peasants.

Fourth Dimension(Honolulu to London)

Edward M. Smith

The fourth dimension:

Moving across nine time zones

In twenty-four hours.

My Existentialism

Edward M. Smith

The vulgar/common,

Life’s verities, then to the

Eternal joined.

Harshness

Edward M. Smith

The options are harsh:

Enable a dysfunctional

Marriage, or leave it.

Group 85. 

Ratio: 1:16

Edward M. Smith

You put on the pounds,

But, sadly, you can only

Take off  the ounces.

Weight Yo-Yo

Edward M. Smith

Putting it on’s fun:

Beer and ice cream.  Take it off

With roots, leafs(sic), and blands.

Pornography

Edward M. Smith

My dictionary

Shows fifty-two leaf forms, not

One sex position.

Hegemony

Edward M. Smith

The Bull; then, Lion/

rooster , Lion, Eagle/bear.

Is the Panda next?

A Fighter

Edward M. Smith

It hit my fly line like

A  shark, but, landed, it was,

Lo: a shellcracker.

 Group 84.

Cable News

Edward M. Smith

What’s in the soup today?

Why didn’t you know:  it’s whatever’s

Spoilt in the garden.

Stay at Home Day

Edward M. Smith

Rain. Rain. Rain. Rain. Rain.

Muddy Watauga.  Where do our

Brookies and Browns hide?

Some Treasured Things

Edward M. Smith

My treasures: my spouse,

My thoughts, my books, words, friends, and

Shellcrackers pissing.

Release

Edward M. Smith

I am bottled up

In this mind; words can get me

Me outside-the-box.

Group 83.

Infinity

Edward M. Smith

 In Ireland asked

Directions to Inn Finity. 

“Can’t get there from here.”

Stone Age Medicine

Edward M. Smith

Definitive work

On prostate cancer’s  only

Forty-two years old.

Mathematics

Edward M. Smith

If God didn’t invent

Mathematics why, then, is

It so beautiful?

Two Certainties

Edward M. Smith

Only when, not if:

Motorcycle accident and

Nuclear holocaust.

A Rose

Edward M. Smith

If  we did not want

A flower to smell good, why,

Then, call it a rose?

Group 82.

Astronomy

Edward M. Smith

What’s astronomy?

It’s numbers that you cannot

Even comprehend.

Sign of Our Times

Edward M. Smith

A  lad passed - on a

Pedalcraft -  pulling a cart,

With scrap metal lashed.

Fecundity and Dominoes

Edward M. Smith

Zucchini and figs.

Neighbors closed their blinds when we

Approached with  a sack.

Best Friends

Edward M. Smith

What does it imply

When your best friend is a dog,

Or – oddly - a cat?

Don't Underestimate a Hand

Edward M. Smith

A hand’s a good thing –

Whether on your head, on your knee,

Or on your shoulder.

Group 81.

Old Age

Edward M. Smith 

Snug up my robe, and

Place a rug on my lap – a

Faint bell’s a’calling.

The Candidate

Edwrad M. Smith

I could be wrong, but:

Verjuice!  I do believe that

He’s on his third wife.

Futility

Edward M. Smith

They stood at the fork:

The old man to the youngster -

“Turn back, while you can!”

The Hiker

Edward M. Smith

She never saw an old

Hat, jacket,or pair of boots

That she did not like.

I Tried

Edward M. Smith

I knew that a capt’n

Of the sea, I couldn't be, but

A good mate? Maybe.

Group 80.

On Being a Man

Edward M. Smith

You are a man, if

You can stand your ground when the

Bravest break and run.

Would Not Give Up

Edward M. Smith

Refused to accept

His spouse’s dementia: saying,

“We’re all a bit crazy.”

Corporate American

Edward M. Smith

How much more required

To say, “I will try to help,”

Than it is, “Piss off!”

Limits of Patience

Edward M. Smith

All amicable

Souls get pissed off at times -

And with good reason.

Ninja Germs

Edward M. Smith

Mothers, why ask little boys

“Did you wash behind your ears?”

What is lurking there?

Group 79.

Serfdom

Edward M. Smith

A christening gown

For the baby; in return,

A young roasting pig.

No Shortcuts

Edward M. Smith 

Doctoring called

Me,  but premed studies seemed

So very mundane.

It's a Crap Shoot

Edward M. Smith

A loving spouse is

Happy with any gift - nothing

Pleases the cold heart.

Controlling Person

Edward M. Smith

 So in charge was she

That she reorganized

Her son’s ant colony.

Thoughts on Mutual Funds

Edward M. Smith

Give up mutual funds!

When choice loses to chance

Half the time, drop it.

Group 78.

 Supply and Demand

Edward M. Smith

Difference between

Pot mender and pot tender?

A whole lot of stash.

Anarchy

Edward M. Smith

 For sure, at its root ,

“Anti-tax” is shorthand for

“Anti-government”.

Alpha and Omega

Edward Marvin Smith

 Both young babe and the

Miscreant arrive and leave -

Needing not a purse.

Group 77.

 Blinking at Evil

Edward M. Smith
Evil, in the short run,

Too often wins, but, long term,

If unchecked, all lose.

Robber Barons

Edward M. Smith
The orthodoxy:

Even the pig at the trough,

In due course, gives back.

Unsustainability

Edward M. Smith 

Lost societies.

Environmental destruction:

A leading reason.

Our Polity

Edward M. Smith

No refuge from pain;

No escape to paradise;

And, no one to lead.

The Nuclear World

Edward M. Smith

We built a ladder,

Such that we can climb it, but,

We can not descend.

Group 76.

Ersatz Friednd

Edward M. Smith

Suffer your critic –

Not the friend who puffs you up

With insincere praise.

Reason Enough

Edward M. Smith

Beauty of languages:

Opera in Italian; French

For chancon d’amour.

Wall Street

Edward M. Smith

Heart: black, dickey , hard,

Lying, cold, uncaring, evil;

And, then, the  banker’s.

College Student Loans

Edward M. Smith

Shame on America!

Indenturing youth  for a

College education .

Captain of Your Own Ship

Edward M. Smith

When you are slighted,

The real question is: How can

You rise above it?

Group 75. 

 The dishonest and

Greedy mostly win because

They will when others won’t.

The Wall Street bankers

Can,  since there so few of them,

So many of us.

Judge by how it feels:

Driving a car, or holding

Une femme dans vos bras.

Choices:  Love.  Career.

In each case, when the Voice said

“Choose this one”,   I did.

For most huge problems

There’re many answers at hand-

But no solutions.

Group 74

Turning back the clock?

Chastity belts will almost

Surely not return.

He’s antisocial

And antigovernment; he’s

An antibody.

A corn field.  Stalks, ears,

Grain, fodder, feed, pigs, cattle;

Then pork chops and steaks.

The key to the foul

Big business/government lock

Is the ballot box.

Carved  “C”s, not “K”s,

On his stone;  thus, he became

Carl Caley Cramer.

Group 73.

If a bank’s too big

To fail, then, the solution

Is to slice and dice.

Bartender to banker:

“What’s your poison?”  “Ten mil more

Poor college students.”

Our lives aren't zero

sum games.  We don't know, do we,

About our being?

Fairness.  Should not those

who take so much, return just

A bit more to the rest.

The Wall Street banker

Takes yours and claims and uses it

As his very own.

Group 72 

A straight poker game

Trumps  the stock market because

There are  no mirrors.

Do not forget! “You’ve

Got to go to Sleep Alone”.

Thanks to Joe Ely. 

Smith’s Immutable:

"Losing your virginity’s

Irreversible."

How naïve, the one

Who thinks that virginity,

To sex mainly stands.

For most things practice

Helps;  but, not true for losing

Your virginity.

Group 71.

If, at death’s door, your

Knock was unanswered; then, give

Thanks for a reprieve.

The love of money:

Society’s crack cocaine.

It’s our addiction.

Relentless greed  leads

Always to a sickness called

 Immorality.

No economic

System based upon greed

Can very long  survive.

Any economic

System based upon greed

Consumes its muscle.

Group 70.

Money controls all:

Good, evil, culture, conduct,

Gifter, and thief dens.

It’s not by chance only

That many religions have condemned

The money mongers.

To the barricades!

Control the money mongers:

Our enemy within.

 Can a masterpiece

Possibly  be painted by

An unknown artist?

A great single book

By an author?  Yes!  Famous

Single painting?  No?

Group 69.

If I can’t remember

My own birthday, how could I,

Then, remember yours?

It ‘s esoteric

That gives my Manhattan its

Old-fashioned slyness.

Life’s progressional:

Aborning, surviving, maturing,

Working, idling, then …

We were all given

A free ticket on life’s trip;

They’re all unreserved.

Corporations like

Individuals treated? 

I’ll take the reverse!