©2025 Susan Noyes Anderson

art by Melina Valdez, my granddaughter

I’m a monkey in the jungle,
but I’ve got other dreams.
Existing in this heat is less
exotic than it seems.

Our tourists call it paradise,
and some days, I agree.
The views are great, but we lose points
for high humidity.

I’m melting underneath my fur
with no relief in sight.
(No wonder I imagine snow-capped
mountains every night!)

The man in my moon looks more like
two pine trees and a tent.
A nightly snooze in crisp, cold air
would be magnificent!

I have a bright green beanie to
protect me from frostbite.
But this old monkey’s stuck in Bali –
heat-struck! That ain’t right!!

{I’m such a sorry sight.}

image by Zdenek Machacek on Unsplash

YOSEMITE, ANYONE?

Poor, Sweaty Freddy. Looks like he’s having a pretty debilitating summer!

If you enjoyed reading this poem, you might also like reading Kitchen Confessional and Timicky Brown.

©1991 Susan Noyes Anderson

I wrote a good story but something went wrong.
I had all the characters where they belong.
The setting was great, and the word use was strong.
The length was just right … not too short, not too long.

©1989 Susan Noyes Anderson

image by Leah Hetteberg on Unsplash

What do baby brothers do?
Mine eats and sleeps and goes poo-poo.
He doesn’t play a single game,
He doesn’t even know my name
or his name, either. Not at all.
He stares right past me when I call!

©1989 Susan Noyes Anderson

image by Axel Marty on Unsplash

Have you ever used Mom’s rocking chair
to sail the skies without a care?
I do that all the time, you know.
Just rock real hard, and away you go!

©1994 Susan Noyes Anderson

Image by Alex Gallegos on Unsplash

Help, Police! I’ve lost my voice.
It’s gone away and not by choice.
It disappeared without a word,
the nicest voice you’ve ever heard.
It’s loud and soft, goes high or low,
whispers and shouts – Oh, let me know
if you have seen it. Tell, me please.
I’m left with nothing but a wheeze.
I gasp and croak. I rasp and squeak.
The thing I can’t quite do is speak.

©1989 Susan Noyes Anderson

image by Mohammad Hossein on Unsplash

Who’s the fastest, boldest, tallest?
Who’s the slowest, shyest, smallest?
Who am I, if these I’m not?
I’m the best-est me I’ve got!

©2011 Susan Noyes Anderson

Image by Chandan Chaurasia on Unsplash

I have a pet lizard named Timicky Brown,
who lives in the guest bathroom shower.
He feasts upon lettuce, sleeps on the drain,
and lies on my shoulder for hours.

©2011 Susan Noyes Anderson

image purchased from Shutterstock

“I’ll make a bet with you,” Dad said.
(The desert heat was roasting.)
“I’ll cook your breakfast right out here.”
I thought that he was boasting.