"SURPRISE ME" & Other Surprising Poems: Poems with surprise endings by ArtDax

Poems with surprise endings. Some of the poems will put a smile on your face. Others will disturb your mind

ArtDax was proclaimed International Poet Laureate by UPLI (United Poets Laureate International) on July 3, 2011 in Larissa, Greece.

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FROM THE AUTHOR

Some of the poems in my books are very personal. I write for myself first, second for my audience. I write poetry when I think I’m in love and when I’m happy, angry, helpless and sad. But most of all I write when I'm inspired, when I’m in awe of the joy of living and when I feel thankful for this majestic wonderland we live in. I write for myself when I want to embark on a journey to a place that exists only in my mind. I invite the reader to take the journey with me.

I would like to think that I am the "humbler poet" Henry Wadsworth Longfellow refers to in his poem, THE DAY IS DONE,

(Excerpts)

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Come, read to me some poem,

Some simple and heartfelt lay,

That shall soothe this restless feeling,

And banish the thoughts of day.

Read from some humbler poet,

Whose songs gushed from his heart,

As showers from the clouds of summer,

Or tears from the eyelids start;

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The poems below came from the books, "MAKE ME YOUR #1 - ArtDax Poetry" and "SURPRISE ME":

“SURPRISE ME”

Today around lunch time I was dying for sushi

so my friends and I went to Bistro Yama Sushi

“What would you like?” the waitress asked me.

“Tempura or udon, sushi or sashimi

ramen, yakisoba, tonkatsu, teriyaki

or boiled carp, fave fish of Zatoichi?”

With so many choices, I just replied “sushi”.

“What would you like?” she asked, “anago, unagi,

hirame or saba, maguro hamachi?

Mirugai, ikura, tamago, amabe

shiromaguro, hotate or uni

just so she’d stop, I answered, "Surprise me."

“What would you like?” she asked, beer or sake?

Mai tai, Singapore sling, margarita or whisky?

Chi-chi, sex on the beach, mudslide or midori?

Mimosa, gin tonic, cosmo or pink lady?

Manhattan, white Russian, orgasm or zombie?”

Just so she’d stop, I replied, "Surprise me."

Omigosh, her mixture was surprising to me

the drink she concocted was foamy and smoky

it tasted bitter sweet, so tart and so oaky

the cocktail was so strong it made me so woozy…

…she got home, I was waiting, she showered quickly.

As soon as she’s out, “What would you like?” she asked me…

...” 'round the world, *9, wheelbarrow or dog**?

Just so she’d start, I just said, “Surprise me”.

FLYING, FLOATING

It started getting very windy.

I faced the wind and jumped up until I was

off the ground and flying, floating.

It was a great feeling.

I was proud I could fly and people were looking at me.

I was the only one up in the air.

There were many people all around

and most of them were walking uphill and I was…

flying, floating 10 to 20 feet above the ground

facing opposite them while they are walking uphill.

I landed on the ground gently when I pointed

my feet downwards, then I would jump up again

against the wind and get lifted up again in the air

flying, floating with my arms stretched out.

It was a great exhilarating feeling...

Then I heard my doctor’s voice saying,

“Your triple coronary bypass surgery had been a success!

COFFINS

It was dusk and the weather could not be gloomier.

It was cold and there was a light shower

that portends heavy rains.

I was in the back seat of a black car

that had a male driver.

Two women in black dresses sat me between them.

They want to take me somewhere.

On the way to our destination the car

slowed down and parked in front of a place

but the driver did not shut off the engine.

I remained seated in the back seat

and one of the women got out of the car

and went inside the place.

Then I realized the place sells coffins

because there were different coffins

standing up against the walls.

It was then I said “I knew this is where we are going…”

MARRIED WITH CHILDREN

Married life is serious business

Our children need our care

Not much time for love and sex

So little time to share

And two of the children

Will start first grade next year

the youngest is still nursing

time with you is prized and dear

The minutes we spend together

are worth their weight in gold

Every moment spent with you

Are daring, brave and bold

And now it's time for us to end

This thrilling whirlwind date

You'll go back to your husband

I'll go home to my mate

Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror: Poems (Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, and National Book Critics Circle Award Winner) (Penguin Poets) by John Ashbery

John Ashbery’s most renowned collection of poetry -- Winner of The Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award 

First released in 1975, Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror is today regarded as one of the most important collections of poetry published in the last fifty years.  Not only in the title poem, which the critic John Russell  called “one of the finest long poems of our period,” but throughout the entire volume, Ashbery reaffirms the poetic power that made him an outstanding figure in contemporary literature.  These are poems “of breathtaking freshness and adventure in which dazzling orchestrations of language open up whole areas of consciousness no other American poet as ever begun to explore” (The New York Times).

Ants on the Melon: A Collection of Poems by Virginia Hamilton Adair

 Already singled out by The New York Times and the subject of a feature in The New Yorker, Virginia Adair has, after decades of shunning book publication, decided to collect eighty of her best poems in a volume that will surely be hailed as among the most accomplished works of our time.

Ants on the Melon includes poems that concern the author's childhood, that explore sensuality in candid terms, that starkly treat her husband's suicide and her own blindness, and that explore both her own emotional landscape and the universal mysteries of the human condition. Technically brilliant, using strict, classical prosody, yet entirely modern in sensibility, Virginia Adair's poetry will play a central role in the ongoing American poetry renaissance

Moods; Prose Poems by Mercedes de Acosta 1893-1968

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant

Shells (Yale Series of Younger Poets) by Craig Arnold

This year’s winner of the 1998 Yale Series of Younger Poets competition is Craig Arnold’s Shells, which was acclaimed as “a gifted collection of daring writing” by the contest judge, the distinguished poet W. S. Merwin. The book is an intriguing set of variations on the theme of identity. Arnold plays on the idea of the shell as both the dazzling surface of the self and a hard case that protects the self against the assaults of the world. His poems narrate amatory and culinary misadventures. “Friendships based on food,” Arnold writes, “are rarely stable”―this book is full of wildly unstable and bewitching friendships and other significant relations

For When The Revolution Comes: Poetry of days | Poetry of hope (Songbooks and Poetry) by Moushumi Ghose

 For When The Revolution Comes is a hauntingly beautiful poetry collection by Moushumi Ghose that delves deep into the emotional turmoil of a world in crisis. Through a series of raw and evocative poems, Ghose explores the profound sense of depression, sadness, loneliness, and disillusionment that arises when life feels increasingly chaotic and unjust.

This collection serves as both a personal reflection and a quiet act of resistance. Ghose candidly examines her struggle to find meaning and a sense of belonging in a world turned upside down, capturing the disillusionment and loud stirring or rebellion and resistance within her heart. Each poem is imbued with vivid and stirring imagery that mirrors the chaos and uncertainty of our times, resonating with anyone who has grappled with similar feelings of despair and hope.

In For When The Revolution Comes, Ghose offers readers a poignant and introspective journey through a landscape of emotional depth, providing solace and solidarity to those navigating the complexities of the human experience during challenging times