English Verbs

English Verbs

The past of make is made.

Should the past of take be tade?

No, the past of take is took.

Should the past or rake be rook?

Should the past of bake be book?

Should the past of fake be fade?

No!

Book and fade and rook

Are words with other meanings.

So, instead we use

Baked and faked and raked

Not book!

Not fade!

Not rook!

Ah, but note,

The past of shake

Is shook

Like the past of take is took

The past of quake is quaked

The past of brake is braked

But the past

Of the OTHER break

Is broke

Like the past of wake

Is woke

So, look - 

And to be clear

When we say look

We mean the present tense.

Look over there!

Look up in the air!

The past of look

Is looked.

File that in your nook!

So,

It doesn't matter

What you've read

Where you studied

What classes you took

You won't find this

In any book

You just have to know

How English verbs wo'k

© 2026 Daniel R. South

All Rights Reserved

Crossings

I crossed the river

The raging water

I crossed that river

For you

I looked out over

The perilous current

And grappled with

What I should do

I crossed again

Though fear remained

I focused

And found

My way through

I crossed that river

Over and over

Always

To be with you

© 2025 Daniel South

All Rights Reserved

Wasting Time

Wasting Time

Is not a

Crime

But it

Takes

What cannot be

Replaced

Why I Quit Drinking

I quit drinking

In part

Because it makes me pee

I makes me pee a lot

And once I get started

I have to go

Frequently

One night

When I was drinking

With my friends

They took me

To your house

And they made me pee

On your car

They peed, too

I wasn't just me

We all peed on your car 

But I'm pretty sure

That I peed the most

I remember them finishing

And then remarking

How long

I peed on your car

Anyway

Clearly those guys

Didn't like you

So we all lined up

And peed on your car

And because we were drinking

We peed a lot

I peed a whole lot

I thought my bladder

Was going to explode

But they told me

No

I had to wait

They were going to take me

To your car 

And I had to pee on it

Anyway

That's not why

I quit drinking

I didn't feel bad

For peeing on your car 

They wanted me

To do it

It seemed to mean

A lot to them 

And I thought

It was kind of funny

I didn't know you

But you seemed like a jerk

By all accounts

So it made sense

That they wanted me

To pee

On your car

I was okay with it

No

I stopped drinking

Months later

For reasons

That I won't go into here

But I did stop drinking

Eventually

And I did pee on your car

Although only one time

And it felt good

It felt really good

Because I really had to go

I mean

I was seeing stars

I had to go so bad

So I'm glad

They finally

Let me pee

When we got

To your car 

© 2025 Daniel R. South

All Rights Reserved

Lies

The pat exaggerations

That shape the way we live

The blame and accusations

We’re oft prepared to give

Convenient excuses

We store on private shelves

The most corrosive lies

Are the ones we tell ourselves

I Long For Free Time

I long for free time

Calm and

Unstructured

Fertile

Uninterrupted

Time to think

Reflect and dream

Time to feel

And breathe and heal

Time for good books

Good food and good friends

Time to dabble

With no clear ends

Time to create

To shape and to form

Time to imagine

Things out of the norm

Time to discover

And prioritize

To look at the World

With a fresh set of eyes

When I find

Such time

When it’s free

And it’s mine

I savor it

Treasure it

Indulge

The pleasure it

Promises

So generously

I dive in

Right away

Like I’m eating

Two-thirds

Of a fresh-baked

Rhubarb pie

With scoops

Of sweet ice cream

Dripping slowly

Down

The rough-cut sides

Of its deliriously

Delicious slices

© 2024 Daniel R. South - All Rights Reserved

The Cage

Locked in a cage

Of my own making

The stress that I have piled upon myself

A warehouse

Of aggressive expectations

Feeling all the more tense

And urgent

As I sense

That time is running short

I have the key

To unlock the door

To free myself

But have I the awareness

To use it?

The Moment

Before I die

I want to be your lover

To celebrate for real

What we feel

For each other

To kiss your warm skin

As I hold you

Night and day

And treasure

The miracle of love

Before our moment

Slips away

Dream of the Fantastic

I dream of the fantastic

Like biodegradable plastic

And underwear elastic

That never stretches out

I dream of the incredible

Like healthful food that’s edible

Or sunscreen that’s so spreadable

You’ll never miss a spot

I dream of the impossible

The outlandish and implausible

The unlikely, the improbable

The confounding and unfathomable

I dream each day of the absurd

Of soaring music yet unheard

And I’ll continue undeterred

To chase these dreams through deed and word

©️ 2024 Daniel R South

Discombobulate to Educate

Some discombobulation

With a measure of frustration

Is the price we pay

Along the way

For effective education

Letter To Santa

Dear Santa

I have been good this year

I didn’t spend too much

On camera gear

I bought two lenses

And that was it

It’s all that I needed

To add to my kit

For Fuji

I’ve a wide-angle zoom on hand

For when strong winds blow

The seawater and sand

I don’t want my sensor

To be scratched or hurt

When changing a lens

Might let in some dirt

For Sony

I bought myself a fast prime

For use in the dark

Where I spend lots of time

My love for this lens

Has only grown

It’s the sharpest glass

That I’ve ever owned

So Santa, you see

I need nothing this year

I simply ask

That you spread some good cheer

Give gifts to the children

Help those in need

And we’ll all have

A Merry Christmas indeed

When Night Comes

The sun sets

The sky fades to blue

When night comes again

I think only of you

Halloween Limerick

At the pub late one Halloween

The barmaid had started to clean

As she bent toward the kegs

She spread her fine legs

And her treats were unveiled to be seen

(It’s so hard to keep a limerick clean)

PS. A friend challenged me to use “Halloween” in a limerick. Thanks to Ken for the inspiration!

Who Pays The Price

Who pays the price

The heaviest price

When the bombs fall

And the rockets fly?

The children

The old

The sick and the poor

The mothers

The sisters

The man at the store

Those who did nothing

To bring on a war

Those who can’t fight

And can’t get away

Those are the ones who pay

They pay with their limbs

They pay with their eyes

They suffer all night

And pay with their lives

It’s always the same

Time after time

The innocents pay the price

No Trace

The Earth

Will be here

Long after humans

Disappear

Buildings will crumble

Records will fade

No trace will be left

In a million years

The Integer Nine

Let’s contemplate

The Integer Nine

The first Odd Number

That’s not a Prime

This highest digit

Isn’t prime, you see,

Because it factors

To three times three

Fun With Bad Poetry

Fun With Bad Poetry

You look more yummy than lunch

That’s why I love you a bunch

-

I’ve done some stupid things

It’s true

But the stupidest thing I did

Was you

-

I remember the softness

In your voice

When you said,

“Please stay! Let’s do it again.”

I was happy to be there

In your warm arms

Until the door opened

And your husband walked in

Legacy

Boris Johnson

F**ked the UK

Donald Trump

F**ked the USA

The legacy

Of their treachery

Will cause trouble

For a century

And Vlad

Is glad

That he had

A hand

In electing

These two cads

Fight To Win

If you want to be a Winner

Gotta fight for every inch

Might as well be a Sinner

And a Brawler in the Clinch

You’ll need to push past

The mighty limits of Hell

‘Cause the hardest fight to Win

Is the one against Yourself

Seventeen Words From The Heart

If you love someone

When you embrace

Hold them as though

You’re going to lose them

Tomorrow