Tuesday, January 31, 2017

PAD 28 I want blank, Poetic Bloomings gift

I Want This and This and This and This

I remember as kids
we loved pouring over the pages
of the Sears catalog.
We’d make a long list of what we wanted,
marking down the prices and page numbers.
We’d marvel at how much it all cost when we added it up.
We knew we’d get only one or two things on the list,
but half the fun was the wishing.

Monday, January 30, 2017

PAD 27 Falling Apart

Writing Captain

I’m afraid my forty-year old writing group
is falling apart
and I’ll be like a naval captain
not abandoning ship
until the last glug, glug, glug. 

Sunday, January 29, 2017

PAD 27 Falling Apart

Junkers

Many times, I’ve gone cross country
in a car that was falling apart,
with two little kids in the back seat
and not much money in my pocket.
(Just in case you wonder where
my strong prayer life comes from.)

Saturday, January 28, 2017

PAD 27 Falling Apart

Falling Apart

F ifty-something, falling apart
A ware of the creaks and the groans
L acking in energy, shuffling along
L etting the pain out in moans
I  can’t see worth a
N ickle. My ears are all waxy.
G aining weight at great speed

A nd I’m not feeling sexy.
P lease lend me a hand
A s I try to get up, and
R emind me why
T here’s no tea in my cup. 

Friday, January 27, 2017

PAD 26 Visit

Hermits

We used to be more hospitable.
We’d always love to have people over
even when we lived in a small trailer.
Now as caregivers, we permanently
have people in our house.
We’ve become so busy
with this unusual family
that at times it feels like we’ve adopted
the “our four and nothing more” mentality.
I’d like to have people visit again,
but the thought exhausts me.
We’ll just have to be hermits for a while.

Thursday, January 26, 2017

PAD 26 Visit


I’d Like to Visit Hawaii.

It will be my fiftieth state.
I want to see the rainbow trees,
eat pork at a luau, and watch hula dancers
I’d like to coast a bike down the mountainside
and swim at pools beneath the falls.
I’d like to hike in bamboo forests
and sight unusual birds like the kiwi.
I’d like go cruising on a Catamaran
and spy humpback whales.
I’d like to sit on a lanai,
watch surfers out on the waves.
and dream of packing up and moving there. 

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

PAD 26 Visit

A Century

We’re planning a visit
to Texas to celebrate
my father-in-law’s 100th birthday.
Just think of what he has gone through since 1916.
The Great Depression, serving in WWII
Raising a family. He’s married to wife #4.
One hundred years of technology,
from the pop-up toaster to the iphone.
I can hardly imagine living that long.
I have 42 years to go.
Forty-two years ago I was 16,
just learning to drive.
That was about a couple hundred thousand miles ago.
What’s the world going to look like in 2058?
Maybe I’ll have to get my pilot’s license
to drive my flying car.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

PAD 25 tape

When I think of the hours I have spent
wrapping gifts with yards of paper and scotch tape,
God bless whoever it was who came up with gift bags. 

Monday, January 23, 2017

PAD 25 tape

Duct Tape or WD40

I used to get duct tape for my husband for Christmas,
but then that’s akin to him giving me dishtowels and spatulas.
So I usually give him clothing for Christmas and birthdays.
But he won’t wear something new until the old is worn out.
So he has new jeans, shirts, socks, underwear and shoes
that he’s never worn.
I would get him duct tape again,
but he’d probably use it on his jeans, shirts, socks, underwear
and shoes to make them last longer.
He was raised by parents who grew up in The Great Depression.
So maybe this year I’ll give him WD40.
The bathroom door’s been squeaking.

Sunday, January 22, 2017

PAD 25 tape

Whoosh and Wish

It’s about time
we get out packing tape
and shove pretty things
we made or bought into a box
and with a whoosh of the tape
and a wish that our loved ones
will feel the hugs and smiles
the gifts represent,
off they go. 

Saturday, January 21, 2017

PAD 24 imitation

New Florence, PA
With a hint of Knoxville, Tennessee by Nikki Giovanni

I always like autumn the best,
when the hills surrounding our valley
burst out looking like a bouquet of flowers.
Red and orange maples
Purplish oaks
Reddish orange Sassafras
Golden birch
Mixed in with deep evergreens
The fresh, crisp air energized us
as we explored fields and woods
and breathed in spicy air.
We’d gather hickory nuts
and swish leaves up to our knees.
We’d rake and jump
and thrive in our colorful playground.
And when we grew up and moved out west,
Mom would seal up bright leaves in plastic
to entice us home for a visit.

Friday, January 20, 2017

PAD 24 imitation a8b6c8b6


Life in Christ

The life that I now live in Christ
Is one of hope and love
Though darkness hovers all about
His light shines from above

I once felt lonesome every day
Until the Lord came in
And now He’s with me all the time
I have a Friend built-in

He has a purpose and a plan
For me while I am here
He guides me sweetly every day
And hears my every prayer

Someday I’ll be up there with Him
In that Heavenly place
Then I will know Him as He is
And see Him face to face

Thursday, January 19, 2017

PAD 24 imitation

A Yellow Dandelion
With hints of A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns

My love is like a dandelion
That’s just a common weed
His bright ideas scatter about
So like the flower’s seed  

And with its roots sunk firm in earth
All bright and cheery yellow
And so my love does spread his joy
He’s such a funny fellow

And many know the dandelion
Can crush into good wine
So with the pressures of this life
My love is just as fine 

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

PAD 23 when blank

When Two or Three

When two or three
get together to honor Christ,
they may as well pull out and extra chair
to remind them that though He is invisible
He is with them.
He promised. 

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

PAD when blank

Vanessa

When she does that belly laugh
Life suddenly seems okay
It makes me smile to hear her so
And ready to face my day

Monday, January 16, 2017

PAD 23 When blank


When I Meet Uncle Bill

When I meet Uncle Bill
I’ll be so happy to see him
and I’ll tell him how Dad
used to always talk about him,
how they would hunt and fish together.
 I’ll tell him that when Dad had Alzheimer’s
he’d talk to me as if I was his brother Bill.

I’ll tell Uncle Bill, “When Dad
was fighting in the Philippines
and heard you were killed in France,
Dad wrote an encouraging letter to your mother
saying that you wouldn’t want her to worry
that it was your duty and no matter how tough
you’d do it. It was the way you were.”

When I meet Uncle Bill,
I’ll tell him I missed knowing him.
Missed having his wife as an aunt
and his children as my cousins.
Missed seeing him and Dad laughing together.
When I meet Uncle Bill,
I’ll thank him and give him a big hug. 

Sunday, January 15, 2017

PAD 22 Sharing

Sentimental Value

Sometimes it’s easier to share money
rather than something with sentimental value.
I would more readily give away fifty dollars
than the red-haired doll Mom bought
for a quarter at a yard sale.
I inherited the doll Dad named Gooneybird
and she now sits in my living room.
I’ll have to will her to my daughter
with instructions to keep her always. 

Saturday, January 14, 2017

PAD 22 Sharing

Sharing

S ee how I
H old on to things so tightly
A fraid to let them go.
R emind me, Lord, that
I become stale and stagnant
N ot allowing Your
G oodness flow through like a fresh stream. 

Thursday, January 12, 2017

PAD 22 Sharing


Barn Raising

That Kindergarten book guy
grasped reality. We need to go back
and learn the simple things like
sharing our toys, snacks and smiles.

We also need to share each other’s
fears, burdens and responsibilities.
Sometimes our own stuff overwhelms  
and others’ worries slip our minds.

We’ve lost the concept of barn raising.
They used to raise up one in a day
because everyone pitched in.
Sigh. We need to raise them up
instead of burning them down. 

PAD 21 Thinking Out Loud

Tattletale

Sometimes the things I say to myself
aren’t very nice so like a little kid
who tells on her big sister I say,
“Father, tell me to be kind to myself.”

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

PAD 21 Thinking out loud

Musical Breakfast

Everything seems to
remind me of a song
so it’s not unusual for me to
sing choruses like
Camp Granada
Hey Good Lookin’
Yes! We Have No Bananas
I’m Going to Order a Pizza Pie
Where Has My Little Dog Gone?
All God’s Critters Got a Place in the Choir
during the course of making breakfast.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

PAD 21 Thinking out loud

Plotting

I’m afraid I’m going to be
one of those little old ladies
ambling down the hallways
rambling words that have
nothing to do with anything
but in reality I’ll be plotting
stories that make perfect sense
to me.

Monday, January 9, 2017

PAD 20 popular saying

Nice Weather We’re Having

Nice weather we’re having,
we say when we can’t
think of anything else.
For some unspoken reason
politics, church, hobbies,
travels, jobs, kids, pets,
what we had for lunch
are all taboo subjects.
Better to focus on blue skies,
sunshine and gentle winds.

Sunday, January 8, 2017

PAD 20 popular saying, PB change

Be Prepared

The other morning,
we had our first snow.
Despite it being mid-November,
it melted quickly
and returned to spring-like weather.

My friend invited me
to her Nature Center for a hike.
I realized my mistake when she came out
wearing gloves, a knit cap,
a winter coat and hiking boots.

I enjoyed our hike through the woods
and out into an open field with a 360 degree view
of mountain ranges in four different states,
though I was hatless, wearing a light jacket
and sneakers standing in two inches of snow.

Thirteen miles into higher elevation
makes quite a difference.


Saturday, January 7, 2017

PAD 20 popular saying

The Elephant in the Room

We didn’t notice it at first
Until the bad went to worst
We could handle it short term
This two-and-a-half-ton pachyderm
Its grayness matched the décor
We could keep it a little more
We’d dust around it till
The elephant ate its fill
It had a way to persuade
Except for the deposit that it made

Friday, January 6, 2017

PAD 19 common place

The Bank

I remember going into the bank
barely tall enough to look at the table
with slot boxes containing slips of paper.
I remember looking way up to counter
to the woman with glasses and curly hair.
It was a big dark building, soon demolished,
making me feel like part of history.

Thursday, January 5, 2017

PAD 19 common place

Grocery Store Friendship

One time while wheeling
my two children up and down
the aisles of the grocery store,
I met a woman with her two children,
at each pass, coming from opposite directions.

We’d comment about the weather,
the food labels, the prices, our kids,
the mundane activities of the day.
By the time our baskets were full
we were friends, except I never saw her again.

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

PAD 19 common place

Library

Rows of books
Clean shiny inviting tables
Cozy chairs off to themselves
Entranced people at the computers

I hardly ever go to the library anymore.
My Kindle and laptop keep me busy.
I feel a bit nostalgic,
kind of like missing childhood holidays. 

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

PAD 18 wordle: clean, logic, band, web, pack, froth

Temporary

She cleaned all day till her bones were weary.
The logic of responsibility had left her dreary.
The radio band playing kept her going,
As she cleared cobwebs inwardly knowing
That a pack of kids would soon invade
Frothing with energy like a summer parade,
And the results of her efforts would disappear.
But she did it doggedly year after year,
Until one day the kids were gone
And she was left with a spotless home.

Monday, January 2, 2017

PAD 18 wordle web, froth, clean, pack, logic, band

Crooks

With a web of evil
frothing and bubbling beneath the surface
of a clean environment,
the pack of false professionals panned out their
logic to prospective customers who were unaware
that they were dealing with a band of criminals.

Sunday, January 1, 2017

PAD 18 wordle: band, logic, pack, web, froth, clean

The Band

As the band belted out
loony logic about love,
families brought packed picnic baskets
weaving colorful webs of celebration on the lawn,
with a wondrous waterfall frothing and foaming nearby,
giving everyone around a clean, joyous feeling.