THE ANIMAL HORISCOPE

FORGOTTEN TIMES



FORGOTTEN TIMES

Texas Bull
carved from pine and painted with acrylics.

When you no longer have feelings

and you slow dance alone

And time canters by as the last

unicorn fades into the future,

carrying with him a new maiden

When you no longer need to be touched

or hear Romeo’s unspoken words

and loneliness creeps inside your

covers at night and wraps his

cold arms about you

When your tears rain in twilight memories

and your hands no longer reach out for help

stop, and take one moment to embrace

the loved ones that your left behind.

A PEANUT BUTTER FROG SANDWICH

A PEANUT BUTTER FROG SANDWICH

painting by Robert Margetts
(and not very good at that!!!)

Froggy, froggy, you look so glum

With crunchy peanut butter on your bum

Hidden inside two pieces of bread

Grape jelly dripping down your head

Not so good, not so fun

Quick, jump out before you’re done!!

THE GOOD DIE YOUNG

(painting by r.margetts) 

THE GOOD DIE YOUNG

In the hours of revelation

As death suffocates the night

Memories will dance before your eyes

And silent tears bleed self pity

The pain trickles in

And life flickers into Prometheus’ child

As images foreshadow the past

In the silence of death

Lonely and wrinkled

Warmth of the flickering flame

Bribing cold bones

Death wins

And another life becomes a shadow of the flame.

WOOGLE DOOGLE MONSTER



THE WOOGLE DOOGLE MONSTER

The Woogle Doogle Monster
(I think he is still living under my bed) carved from oak with acrylic paint

He’s mean and crude

Not my most favorite dude.

His teeth are yellow and green with slime

He walks like an ape

And is never on time

His arms are big and hairy

And at first glance, rather scary.

With a snort of is snoot

And a twitch of his chin

He passes gas at the drop of a pin

He’s kind of crude and a bit mean

Awfully fat and definitely not clean

But as monsters go

I must say

My Woogle Doogle Monster is a OK.

DOES YOUR DADDY SNORE



DOES MY FATHER SNORE?



Mayilyn in blue

acrylic paint on canvas by Robert Margetts

My mother said it once

And she’ll say it no more

“Your Dad does not snore”

a puff and a hoot

perhaps an occasional toot

“But your father does not snore”

Sometimes at night a quibble in the dark

a moan from under the pillow deep from the heart

soft rumbles echo from his fat tummy

gas and air mix and make it sound funny,

“But no, thank God, you Dad does not snore”

CAN WE HAVE A DOG



CAN WE HAVE A DOG?

I promise I’ll walk him

I promise I’ll feed him

And when he pees

And when he poops

I promise Dad will clean up the scoops!!!!

BURNING LETTERS IN THE SKY



BURNING LETTERS IN THE SKY

Elvis living with the stars

acrylic paint on canvas by Robert Margetts

Kiss my puppy love notes goodbye

Up, up to the sky

Flames dance into the night

Carrying words, thoughts out of sight.

Goodbye puppy love….

Hello true love.

KISS AUNT SUE



KISS AUNT SUE

The Sax Man and his Lady
acrylic paint on canvas by Robert Margetts

Now I know I’m just a kid

and with time I’ll grow and mature

but kissing aunt sue is like

stepping into cow manure.

Her lips are caked with lipstick

and drool drains down her chin

and her bad breath is listed under

the eleventh commandment as a deadly sin.

Lips as powerful as suction cups

and the strong scent of Old Spice as advertised on T.V.

I think I’m being kissed by Captain Bliegh

from Mutiny On The Bounty.

I beg her to stop

but she will not desist

and when her razor stubble rubs me raw

that’s when I really start to resist..

Now it’s not the hair lip or the bad breath

that really gets my stomach churning

it’s when her denture Poly-Grip leaks

onto my face and starts burning.

I’ve tried every remedy know to man

from silver bullets, to garlic, to a skillet pan.

Treaties, extortion, promises and an exorcism

will not pacify the witch.

Next time she shoves her snout close to my face

I’ll grab the shovel and bury the bitch.

TO ALL THE PEOPLE



TO THE PEOPLE

The Dotted Beatles

acrylic paint on canvas by Robert Margetts

To all the lonely people

walking one in a crowd

passing strangers in the snow

keeping an eye to the ground.

To all these lonely people

who live on memories

and the dreams that they sail upon

pass late into the night

and the loved ones that they made

echo memories from new touches

To the people who chose to forget

the laughter and cries

the smiles and frowns

the warmth and fears

To the lonely people

who fell in love with a poet

that danced on words

and sculpted songs with his heart

To all these people

self pity walks with you.

ONE NIGHT LOVERS



ONE NIGHT LOVERS

The Twins

acrylic paint on canvas by Robert Margetts

Lonely nights

and strangers mingle in foreign beds

exchanging gratitude with calloused paws

and clawing approval upon wanton flesh

Lips bleed beautiful lies

to fill the hunger of a dove

injured in youthful flight

never again to soar high among

the billowing winds of innocence

And memories burn within sadden eyes

as wrinkles steal childlike beauty

and bellies barren of life

live for the gentle moments of the night

The dark gives to the day

as another night ebbs into a silent memory

in the hours of loneliness

another bedmare dies

BLACK AND WHITE

The Bat Call

(painting by r.margetts)




BLACK AND WHITE

Apollyan and the Sustainer

lived and bitched

from a fallen angel

into the hallow ditch

from a dog did rise

a Deity evolved from a wolf

The Das took the black

and Jehovah the white

across the Styx against the light.

Did he who created the day

flower the world

and befriend Lucifer?

Did he who sang to live

thrown from heaven

rewolf the Earth

and sing evil?

From the skies did bile drip

and the sentinel of the night

crawl among the flowers?

From the dirt did the fig grow

to give life to blind creatures

so that they may walk in thickets?

From the wolf did flow

evil that was to live

and the blind that day

did cower from the light.

And the serpent of the dark

frolicked in the spoils on the Seventh day.

Black and White

the equinox is today.

THE WISE KING

THE WISE KING

Elvis the King
acrylic paint on canvas by Robert Margetts

Long time ago there was beauty and balance

in the seas and in the air

on the land and below the ground.

Animals tall and short

strong and weak

crawled and walked

flew and swam.

And they gave way to Man,

a creature of superior intelligence

and compassion and understanding for all.

He took and he gave.

He judged and ruled with fairness

and the animals were happy

for their new King was wise.

Then one day he discovered oil

and he became very greedy

bought a gun, and killed them all.

THE ROCKING CHAIR

THE ROCKING CHAIR

Willy Nelson still kicking

acrylic paint on canvas by Robert Margetts

Another ember crackled in the fire

as the whispering winds of past                        

echoed silence outside my door.

The rocking of the smooth pine

kept time like an aged pentameter

slowly winding down.

And the rhythmic swaying

slowly lulled my bones to rest.

A tickle in my eye misted my squinted greens

and the thought of death

gave a smile upon a wrinkled face.

The crackling on the floorboards

moaned under the weight.

And life dripped into the decade

old grooves that had worn its

way into the tracks that I had chosen.

The last pass of the pendulum

as the sickle makes it mark.

The chair ground to a halt

as the pianist clamped the lid on the box.



SUN BEAR

Sun Bear

carved from pine with acrylic paint by Robert Margetts

Fallen Sun Bear

with misted almond shaped Godivas

slowly darkening the day with heavy lids

and beckoning the nightmares

to place leniency upon a guilty soul.

A tear of Raspberry drips the dew

That webs the sky                                                      

nectar for those who crave the taste

a show of pain who dare to cry.

Droplets of liquid trickle

down the innocent face of one so hurt

pelting the ivory lace dress

patronizing love and loyalty.

Be not so afraid to seek the hand that once placed the ring of time

upon a child in a land far away.

For every child finds peace

by the twilight of night

in the arms of a soft Teddy Bear.

LADY BUG



LADYBUG

Marilyn in full color

acrylic on canvas by Robert Margetts

 

Ladybug, ladybug

all fickle in the head

open your eyes before you’re dead.

Seems a shoe

clouds your domain

and the souls of many

left its stain

Splat…Splotch.

Now you are dead

alas it is I who am fickle in the head

LOOK A PICASSO



LOOK MOM….PICASSO

What God painted

carved from pine with acrylic paint by Robert Margetts

Till this day I will never understand

why mother took the whip to my little hand.

I did what she said

and showed my skill.

All on the wall, not a spill

First black and then some red

rolled it

mixed it

to create the head.

Picasso would have been ever so proud,

not too abstract and not to loud.

Next came the blue and white

and the orange, perhaps a bit too gaudy,

mixed it together to form the body.

At this stage I was interrupted.

My career as an artist abruptly cut short

by a whip or a stick of some sort.

A quick rap on my knuckles

delivered her message.

And I dropped

the brush

to later pick up the pen

and now write stores of life at age ten.

CHERRY MUD PUDDING CAKE



THE CHERRY MUD PUDDING CAKE

The three circles of time

carved from pine and painted in acrylic by Robert Margetts

Take 5 cups of mud

and 6 tablespoons of flour

toss it in the oven and turn on the power

Take 7 cherries and two frog legs

add 1 can of lard

and stir together till it’s nice and hard

Next comes the jelly and fish eggs

this gives it the consistency and the flavor

It melts in your mouth

and it is something to savor

PAIN IN THE TOOTH

TEETHING PAINS

The Vampire dentist

acrylic paint on canvas by Robert Margetts

Wango tango

it sure hurts

Please don’t give me Exlax

it gives me the squirts.

The other end, if you don’t mind

It’s in my mouth, not in my behind!

Changing my diaper just won’t do

I’ve got gums, but I can’t chew.

Give me a pacifier, Orajel, a shot of rum

and for God’s sake,

remove that thermometer from my bum!



I CAN’T WAIT TO GROW UP

The Prez

acrylic paint on canvas by Robert Margetts

When I grow up

I want to be big

as tall as a tree

and green as a twig

as strong as a baboon

and fat like the man on the moon

I want to grow and grow

fatter and fatter

taller and taller

stronger and stronger

just like Daddy

On second thought,

I don’t want to grow up

to look like Daddy!

DIVORCE



WHY A DIVORCE

Bruce Lee feeling retro

acrylic paint on canvas by Robert Margetts

Parents are like countries

always fighting and splitting apart

They forget words, emotions, and commitments

that they made to one another

They only remember the hate, the bad

and the hurt that they did unto each other

Fortunately I’m not a parent

so why do I feel the pain.

THE PIGGY BANK



MY FULL PIGGYBANK

Texas toast

carved from pine and painted in acrylic by Robert Margetts

50 Lincolns …in you go

a nickel….clink.

10 dimes…plink, plink, plink.

6 quarters….ching, ching.

20 Georges…come on George

3 five dollar bills….Wow I’m rich

1 ten dollar bill…Wish I had two more

2 Jacksons…Good president

4 Franklins….Hey, he wasn’t a president

1 Hamilton……Ah, my favorite

Wow…Daddy sure had a lot of money in his wallet!

GROWING UP

PUBERTY

Superman forgetting his past

acrylic on canvas by Robert Margetts

I forgot you

Yes I did

And I don’t know why

Nor do I want to

Though you have been erased from my mind

That I feel sure

I just can’t remember when it occurred

It happened not over night

This I am somewhat certain

But, in either case,

You are forgotten

And if by some fluke

I start to remember

I’ll remind myself to forget you again.

THE LAST FISH

THE LAST FISH

The last Fish

carved from pine and painted in acrylic by Robert margetts

Rain so wet

nair it quench a thirst

spat forth mist from clouds so gray

taps the parched soil for humans to pray.

Evil that plagued its king

live the story that could not unwind.

Lips open on dry banks perched

spill their life into dirt so baked.

To wolf the air through gills so hot

and flow the desire to appease the pain.

Dew that could no longer cling to scorched blades,

wed to the inevitable and knelt before the land.

Not a hand of water to save

nor a ton of hope to give.

Time as seen in the pupils of an eye

emit the truth and prepare to die.

Swallowed the pain and took to his bed,

water the blood of Earth, the color of red.

THE SEASONS OF LIFE

THE SEASONS OF LIFE

Moose heading home
carved from pine and painted in acrylic by Robert Margetts

Play we did in our youth.

Love we gave with no strings attached.

Together we shared the Spring,

the air fresh with evergreen mist

and pastors so alive with bees sucking the nectar from morning flowers.

Water trickled through our toes

as frogs croaked melodiously while perched upon green lily pads.

With Spring the hours lasted late into the night

bringing the joys of kissing lips that hungered

for the touch from one so innocent.

We held close to one another

and cuddled in the lies of everlasting love,

forever under the watchful eye of a tangerine moon.

One score gone by.

My youth fluttering into the Summer wind,

yet in beauty she aged not a day.

The girl in penny loafers shed the leather and walked as a mother.

The two that gave birth to a third,

frolicked upon some unknown hill,

holding hands and laughing for no reason.

It was just Summertime,

and they bathed in the translucent light of a gracious sun.

Blue skies that once gave birth

to young goslings flapping across the endless horizon,

echoed the chilling winds of silence.

Autumn leaves fell to the frostbitten grass below

as the time of age kept its destructive course,

never hesitating and never rewinding.

Wrinkles ran like tributaries

and veins became more numerous upon hands and legs.

In the Fall of his life

she stood strong beside him,

holding hands and smiling deep

beneath the flickering stars.

Winter came with promising hands

effortlessly caressing the hinges loose.

To the fire it raced to gather warmth,

laying in wait for the final rock.

Gently it blew upon the graying embers

that once glistened like black coal.

In slow motion the chair,

like a pendulum winding down,

rocked to the sound of the crackling wood.

The cold quickly shrouded their aged bodies

in a nebulous fog of solace,

as the two passed together into the night

in the house of their loving son.

MEMORIES OF MY SON

 

MEMORIES OF MY SON

Jim Morrison with 4 faces

acrylic paint on canvas by Robert Margetts

Son of  me

Son of mine

When I look up I don’t see the sky.

What can I say

What can I do

If living in heaven with the morning dew

is hell on Earth

then, I don’t want to die without you

It’s cold at night

until the clouds meet the day

And the hours turn to minutes

as my memory slips away.

And friends to have none

to sit aside

and play with my mind.

God, it’s not easy to die.

THE CONSTANT PAIN

CONSTANT PAIN

Batman in pain
acrylic paint on canvas by Robert Margetts

 

When she looks straight through you

and desires another by her side.

When warmth and tenderness

lead to unhappy acceptance,

and the tears that swell

deep inside her sockets as she

lays with her back to you,

drip long into the cold night

for the other man.

And hands that once

swore partnership before a sentenced crowd

break the ring of time

and toss the circular icon upon deceits tarnished floor.

With lips that begged for

hungry connection

spit forth the fluids of the chosen

and contaminate the unborn within the uterus.

There be no such hand

that could deliver a blow and inflict

the pain that now grows between

a man and his wife.

A pain as blistering as fire

chewing the moisture off the skin.

A hurt as deep as the growing universe

constantly expanding and drifting farther apart.

And a numbness that only a bullet

in the head could awaken.