September 13th, 2026 Alaska Trip

 Praying for Umph

 

Eight more day before we leave.

I’m trying to get in gear.

This will make the fifth trip

I have made this year.

 

I’m anxious to get on the move,

But before I can take off,

There’s so much I have to do.

But can I do enough?

 

The weird thing is, I have the time.

It’s umph that’s up and gone.

How can I accomplish things,

With no desire to move on?

 

If I had my druthers,

I’d just sit and watch the shows

And eat sweet or crunchy things

Or take a nap and doze.

 

So, while I’m stuck in this position,

I’ll take a moment to pray.

Maybe it will take the Lord Himself,

To get me moving today.

Walking Poetic Bloomings

 

A Friend Walking

 

I often walk in our neighborhood

when I don’t have time for longer hikes.

I noticed another woman often walking,

slightly older than me.

 

She reminded me of a friend of mine.

She always wore a visor.

I wear my “Kenya hat”

which is really a fishing hat.

 

It has a flap you can pull down

so your neck isn’t exposed.

I never use it

because of my shoulder-length hair.

 

One morning, on our daily walk,

we met at a corner

and as we walked, we chatted

for several blocks.

 

The weather. The need for rain.

The bright Colorado blue sky and puffy clouds.

The recent in-town deer sightings.

We reached the end of the street.

 

She turned left and I turned right.

I haven’t been seeing her lately

and I wonder if she’s okay.

I don’t even know her name.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Morning Prayer

 Rejoicing

 

I’m glad that You love me

Excited that You care

My mind does good

To know that You are there

 

And to think that when You look at me

You wear a tender smile

That will keep me glad and singing

For more than a little while

September 12th Alaska Trip

 Pre-trip To-do List

 

Regrouping on my to-do list

Nine more days till we leave

I would like to complete my tasks

But that’s hard to conceive

 

I’d like to have the yardwork done

And the house deep cleaned too

And with manuscript publishing

I would like to be through

 

And of course there’s the little things

Set visits to the doc

Clean up some messes including

My haunted bedroom clock

 

The radio turns itself on

I can’t figure out how

So I gave up and pulled the plug

I’ll have to fix it now

 

And speaking of clocks that don’t work

I have one upside down

We couldn’t get it tight enough

And so it swung around

 

And with so all of these to-dos

I sit and write a poem

A lot of them will have to wait

Until we get back home

Blank the World, Poetic Asides

 

Declarations of the Natural World

 

Clouds

In all shapes and sizes

Whites and grays

Inspiring imagination

Attributes to God’s glory

 

Rocks

From pebbles to boulders

Stable, dependable, solid

Old stories to tell

Attributes to God’s glory

 

Flowers

A plethora of colors and designs

Perfect petals of beauty

A sweet variety of fragrances

Attributes of God’s glory

 

Trees

Arms stretched up

Turning in sun and wind

Demonstration of colorful artistry

Attributes of God’s glory

 

Water

Oceans, lakes, rivers, streams

Bubbling, soothing, calming

Giving life

Attributes of God's Glory

 

Animals

Small and cute to

Big and ferocious

A plethora of personalities

Attributes of God's glory

 

People

Art, music, dancing

Life, love, friendships, families,

Creating, building, learning

Attributes of God's glory

 

 

candle light Poetic Bloomings

 

“So carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the lonely, the tired and worn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world”

        (From Go Light Your World by Chris Rice).

 

Candlelight

 

“Go Light Your World,”

the theme song

of my daughter’s mission trip

when she traveled

with Teen Missions

at the age of fourteen,

ignites memories

every time I hear it

of her boarding a bus

with a duffle bag

about as big as she was

learning to light the world

in the country of Jordan,

now in Arizona

lighting a little corner

of the world

as an RN

keeping a little one

breathing.

crime Poetic Asides

 

Lacking Lullabies

 

I shouldn’t watch crime shows

Before I go to bed.

I dream all through the night

Of those who want me dead.

 

Of those who are abused

And running for their life,

Of crimes behind closed doors

Of a husband and wife.

 

Of murders and mayhem,

Of abductions and pain,

Of unsolved mysteries,

With no one left to blame.

 

Of robberies and heists

And all those things you dread.

I shouldn’t watch crime shows

Before I go to bed.