pictured words

a simple pairing of pictures and poetry

Tag: Humor

PUMP THE BREAKS after Bob Odenkirk

PUMP THE BREAKS

The whole week is jammed
with to-dos and to-don’ts,
so now is the time
for I can’ts and I won’ts.

I can’t do that thing
I’ve been wanting to do,
when clearly too much
is crammed into my queue.

I won’t take a nap,
‘cause I can’t squeeze it in.
My schedule’s so full,
don’t know where to begin.

To just lollygag
is unthinkable now.
Where once I could loaf,
now my time won’t allow.

No time for some rest,
and I’ve no time to rhyme.
A stroll with a friend?
I’m so sorry – no time.

I think what I need
are some scheduled blank days;
some nothing-to-dos;
some okay-to-delays.

Then maybe my head
and my heart will be free
to do all I need do,
and still spend time with me.

© Marie Elena Good 2025

“The whole week is jammed with to-dos and to-don’ts” from “Lollygagging,” by Bob Odenkirk

HOMOPHONE FUN (same sound, different spelling)

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Homophones
(same sound, different spelling)

ATE and EIGHT

I ate eight pies
and ate eight French fries.
My tummy says that wasn’t wise.


BARE and BEAR

Does a polar bear
have big bare feet?
They’re covered in hair,
so they’re not bare,
but here’s what’s neat:
They’re big bear feet!


FOR and FOUR

Today’s lunch trade
(a huge upgrade!)
was all my prunes
for four balloons!


DEAR and DEER

My dear,

Though deer can be dear,
let me tell you this, dear: 
the deer are still wild, dear child.
They’re beguiling, it’s true,
but I’m here to tell you,
don’t go touching a deer in the wild. 

HEAR and HERE

An h on my ear (right here –>___ear) makes it hear.

FLOUR and FLOWER

flour and water
and salt and yeast
all mixed up well
pans lightly greased
and as bread bakes
some flowers are placed
on our table in a vase
our bread is ready
we pour some tea:
a pretty feast for you and me!


HOUR and OUR

We baked our bread with flour,
and prettied our table with flowers,
but we barely had time to chat
‘cause we ate in no time flat,
but our cleanup took more than an hour!


KNOW AND NO

I know you know no means no.


MEAT and MEET


Let’s meet at the meat market at ten.
See you then!


PAIR, PARE, and PEAR


I have two pears (a pair of pears)
that I need to trim (called pare).


RIGHT and WRITE


I need to learn to write right,
right?


THEIR, THERE, and THEY’RE


Their house is there, and they’re there in their house.


TO, TOO and TWO

Person One, to Two and Three:  I want to go. Who wants to go, too?

Person Two:  I want to go, too!

Person Three:  I don’t want to go too much.

Person One to Person Two:  Then I guess it’s just us two! 


ONE and WON

Two played cards, but just one won.
Which one won?
The winner won!


WEAR and WHERE

We’re going somewhere and we’ll not go there bare,
so we’ll choose what to wear and we’ll wear it!

(c) Marie Elena Good 2025

One Man’s Play is his Neighbor’s Labor (a poem of silly American English spellings)

Photo by Gu00fcl Iu015fu0131k on Pexels.com

One Man’s Play is His Neighbor’s Labor
(a poem of silly American English spellings)

He would have / should have chopped some wood
and would have, if he only could.
A livelihood of chopping wood would
likely be misunderstood
by those who live in his neighborhood
whose labor for their livelihood
feels more like floating on driftwood.
He noted that their income’s good,
not having fought for what they’ve got
(a yacht named “We Just Tied the Knot”)
which left him fraught with just one thought
atop his head like a 60-watt:
That someone surely chopped the wood
that made his neighbor’s fancy yacht,
which now he knew was headed straight
for the passage known as Taiwan Strait.
And as they cruised, his thoughts defused,
and then he snoozed, quite unamused.
And then he bought a nice hot brat,
and gave it not another thought.

© Marie Elena Good 2025

ood and ould make the same vowel sound: would, wood, could, should, good, livelihood, driftwood, neighborhood, understood

a, ai, ay, ait, aight, ey, and eigh make the same vowel sound:  play, straight, Strait, labor, they, neighbor

o, a, augh, ough, ach, ot, and att make the same vowel sound: chopped, on, got, not, knot, hot, yacht, fraught, bought, thought, atop, watt, brat

live and live make a different vowel sound in these words:  live, and livelihood

ote and oat make the same vowel sound:  note, float

not and knot sound the same

u, ui, ew, and oo make the same vowel sound:  knew, cruise, defuse, snooze, amuse

defuse, snooze, cruise, and amuse also all make the z sound

The e at the end of like gives the i its long sound, but not the i in live, unless it is the verb live (I need food to live) and not the adjective live (We are going live in 10 minutes)

The ai in Strait makes the long a sound, but the ai in Taiwan makes the long i sound. (In all fairness, Taiwan is not an American English word. wink wink.)

PHEW!






Say What poem

Bring Something to Share

Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com

Bring Something to Share (Sing along!)
Disclaimer:  Just for fun. Not my family.😉 )

On this day of Thanksgiving, our fam’ly brought with us:
All our hearts filled with thanks to be here.

On this day of Thanksgiving, our fam’ly brought with us:
Two party lines
Most with hearts filled with thanks to be here.

On this day of Thanksgiving, our fam’ly brought with us:
Three basted birds
Two party lines
Many hearts filled with thanks to be here.

On this day of Thanksgiving, our fam’ly brought with us:
Four kinds of carbs
Three basted birds
Two party lines
Many hearts filled with thanks to be here.

On this day of Thanksgiving, our fam’ly brought with us:

Five
Biased
Spats

Four kinds of carbs
Three basted birds
Two party lines
Some with hearts filled with thanks to be here.

On this day of Thanksgiving, our fam’ly brought with us:
Six guys on sofas

Five
Biased
Spats

Four kinds of carbs
Three basted birds
Two party lines
Some with hearts filled with thanks to be here.

On this day of Thanksgiving, our fam’ly brought with us:
Seven women cleaning
Six guys on sofas

Five
Biased
Spats

Four kinds of carbs
Three basted birds
Two party lines
And still hearts filled with thanks to be here.

On this day of Thanksgiving, our fam’ly brought with us:
Eight tipsy members
Seven women cleaning
Six guys on sofas

Five
Biased
Spats

Four kinds of carbs
Three basted birds
Two party lines
Fewer hearts filled with thanks to be here.

On this day of Thanksgiving, our fam’ly brought with us:
Nine knock-down-drag-outs
Eight tipsy members
Seven women cleaning
Six guys on sofas

Five
Biased
Spats

Four kinds of carbs
Three basted birds
Two party lines
And some hearts wondering, why are we here?

On this day of Thanksgiving, our fam’ly brought with us:
Ten football rivals
Nine knock-down-drag-outs
Eight tipsy members
Seven women cleaning
Six guys on sofas

Five
Biased
Spats

Four kinds of carbs
Three basted birds
Two party lines
And more hearts wondering, why are we here?

On this day of Thanksgiving, our fam’ly brought with us:
Eleven players playing
Ten football rivals
Nine knock-down-drag-outs
Eight tipsy members
Seven women cleaning
Six guys on sofas

Five
Biased
Spats

Four kinds of carbs
Three basted birds
Two party lines
And the kids’ hearts all glad to be here.

On this day of Thanksgiving, our fam’ly brought with us:
Twelve-midnight snacking
Eleven players playing
Ten football rivals
Nine knock-down-drag-outs
Eight tipsy members
Seven women cleaning
Six guys on sofas

Five
Biased
Spats

Four kinds of carbs
Three basted birds
Two party lines

By next year, we’ll be glad to be here.

© Marie Elena Good, 2024

SOUNDS LIKE ESL IS HARD!

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com


Let’s take a trip down language lane.
Prepare yourself to tax your brain.

So: bike, and fyke, and seiche, and psych
aren’t spelled the same, but sound alike.

We’ve feign and vein and Maine, main, mane,
champagne, campaign … it’s all insane.

There’s there and they’re, and also their
and stare and stair, and ne’re, and prayer.

Too, to, and two, and you and ewe
and through and threw, and loo and lieu.

Let’s see … there’s sea, grand prix, esprit,
and Leigh, and Bea and bee and be.

And though there’s Leigh, there’s also weigh
(which sounds like way, whey, pray, and prey).

Clime, climb, time, thyme and Anaheim
I’m here to say all rhyme with rhyme.

Cent sounds like scent, assent, ascent,
descent, dissent, rent, rente, and meant.

Now cell and sell and bell and belle
all rhyme as well, as you can tell,

Like here and hear and deer and dear
and peer and pier and tier and tear,

Except when tear sounds just like pear
and wear like ware and ware like where.

We have these rules we break (not brake).
Like why rhyme stake, steak, and opaque??

It makes my head and stomach ache.

And I’d accept all this, except
it makes me feel vocab inept.

© Marie Elena Good 2024

Nursery Rhymes with Built-in Crimes

1.

There once was a hideous thug
With an ugly and ominous mug
He’d threateningly prey
On sweet girls’ curds and whey
Then just sit there obnoxiously smug.

2.

Who’d rock their poor baby to sleep
From height that’s forebodingly steep
While singing a song
That’s in every way wrong
And just causes the baby to weep.

3.

There once was a farmer’s wife
Who wielded a carving knife
In nursery rhyme tales?
Oh, please spare the de-tails
Of blind mice who must run for their life!

(c) Marie Elena Good, 2013

MIDWEST

Photo by Keith R. Good


You may not have guessed, but I can attest that the Midwest is blessed. And might I suggest your quest be to test if I jest in what I’ve expressed, lest your life be suppressed and you end up depressed for your lack of Midwest nest. I’m from the Midwest, and sincerely request that you come be my guest. 

And yes, I’m obsessed.  

© Marie Elena Good, 2024

MOREL OF THE STORY (food for thought in 17 syllables)

Photo by Tom Fisk on Pexels.com

1.

I yam mad, you crepe!
You stocked me and stole a quiche.
I artichoke you.

2.

News.
Olive it bad.
Endive got to know,
Who leeked it?
I’ll just wine and stew.

3.

Soda ya think it’s thyme
To pear up and rhyme?
Say where,
I’ll meat you there!

#seventeenineighteen times three!

Remotely Interested in Travel

Travel host Rick Steves in Switzerland’s Jungfrau Region
With suitcase in hand as she leaves,
the thought of it drives her to heaves.
Oh what joy it might bring
but it isn’t her thing,
so she now leaves it up to Rick Steves.

© Marie Elena Good, 2021


(Would love to know who to credit for this image.)