PAD 4 26

Choices

Concerning the future

it took me awhile to realize

the choices I make today

I will be living out tomorrow

and the tomorrows after that.

It’s so easy to make commitments.

So much harder to carry them out.

Decisions are like buying tickets

to future events.

PAD 4 25

The Way to a Man’s Heart is Through His Stomach

She aimed to steal his heart that day

with sex appeal and hips that sway.

She should have baked him cakes and bread.

And shot for his tummy, instead, he walked away. 

PAD 4 24

Future

F eatured events which haven’t happened

U p and coming attractions to watch for

T ime passes, imminent, waiting

U pcoming sooner or later, inevitable

R eality yet to come, sum of choices

E ternally impending, never reached 

April 23 PAD

Brighter Future

Though flying to the future sounds far-fetched,

imagination has no limit. So

let’s think about the poor with arms outstretched

and clear a way for them to freely go,

with courage and commitment to bestow

the guts to conquer the false rumor spread,

the bogus hunch that chivalry is dead.

Let’s not regret the good we could have done,

but listen to their pleas and act instead.

Mend fences with compassion and we’ve won. 

April 22 PAD

Renegade

A spectator, on first glance,

would not detect the gloom

threatening to devour her.

She wanted to seek asylum

or better yet, become invisible.

Disappear.

She’d run for refuge,

anywhere but here.

Red hot anger raged within.

She trembled at the thought

of skipping out on it all.

Her mind churned.

She’d flee from the protector

and director of her soul.

He’d no longer be her sanctuary.

A shelter waited on the hill.

He would cover her,

cradle her

if she’d be honest

with herself

and admit she needed help.

April 21 PAD

Oh, when we first got married

Our first home was an RV

Windy Wheatland, Wyoming

Rock’n and roll’n

April 20 PAD

Fun Day

Hike

Breathe in

Let’s begin

Get the kinks out

Head for where the air’s thin

Leave a note and plot out the route

Camera, tissues, water, snacks, no doubt

Let’s run or meander, whatever pace we’d like

Let’s discover, explore and look about

Who knows what we’ll find when we scout

There’s shelter, rest within

Chat, laugh and shout

Rest and grin

We win

Hike

April 19 PAD

Mightier than the Sword

Tiny targets tremble

as monsters rage in anger.

Hope glimmers, skitters, snuffs,

and comes to a complete stop.

In the downward spiral of violence

a sharpened pencil pierces

and pushes through to pillows,

sunlight, azure skies, laughter,

and delicate petals of orange tiger lilies.

Ah! What poetry can do!

April 18 PAD

Violence

V iciously claiming what’s their own 

I ntense and willing to be cruel

O penly aggressive, on attack

L etting hostility reign

E nding peace in the land

N otoriously brutal

C ruelly sadistic

E ndlessly callous. Bloodshed. War.

April 17 PAD

Traveling

I travel through this country, east to west

And north to south, and long to visit more

It’s hard to pinpoint what I love the best

The rocky coast, the lake, the peaceful shore

The redwoods standing high above the floor

The distant islands and their mystery

The countless hiking paths here to explore

The mountains, deserts, and the churning sea

The bubbling streams and shady trees at rest

To see all of these things I am most blessed

April 16 PAD

Hidden

The mirrored image I observe today

Would probably be painted in pastels

With walnut colored hair messed up like hay

My many flaws, I know them, oh, so well

But outside me is just an opaque screen

Impossible to see what lies within

I’m often sabotaged by what is seen

What makes me tick here underneath my skin

Outside I may be quivering with fear

Inside exploding with bright hopes and dreams

Sunshine and roses, fun, laughter and cheer

Compassion and grand altruistic schemes

And when the clock strikes the final Midnight

What once was hidden will be in plain sight

April 15 PAD

Scrabble, Canasta

Please don’t invite me to play

Any other game

April 14 PAD

An Average Girl

An average girl in height and looks

One others easily ignore

A quiet soul with something more

A fetish for the pen and books

Has many projects on the list

To read and write, she can’t resist.

A hope to hire maids and cooks

Repelled by cleaning and the like

She’d rather swim or take a hike

Grew up midst forests, hills and brooks

A country gal amongst her kin

She treasures what she learned within

She aims to win by hooks or crooks

No! More like God’s amazing grace

In Him is where she finds her place

April 13 PAD

Writing Poems

In the dark hollow of the night,

I trade my sleep for time to write.

Idea clouds form overhead;

in blinks of time they can be read.

When I’m half done, they dissipate.

It’s in the cards to stay up late.

It’s only signal to press on,

until a chorus like a fawn

will scamper in the forest green

and sing of wonders, sight unseen.

The earth rotates and time will crawl

till words flow like a waterfall.

Poems paddle by in their canoes.

I so prefer this to the news. 

April 12 PAD

Till Next Time

Like two little elves

with quirky smiles

and mischievous eyes,

coming out at midnight,

my sister and I make hot tea,

pull out the Scrabble and dictionary,

and play into the wee hours

until she wins more than me,

and suddenly she’s tired

and we call it quits.

When did we get to bed?

Oh, it was early.

April 11 PAD

Silent Knight

There once was a knight named Big Mac

One night he fell under attack

He fought bravely on

But silenced by dawn

Now he’s gone and won’t be back 

April 10 PAD

Daily

“You learn something new every day,”

my mother would say,

usually when she came across

some piece of trivia,

like a woodpecker

pecks about 120 times a minute.

Learning leads to discovery,

adventure and a better life,

like finding a new path

in the woods

or deciding you prefer pale pink

over army green.

Even uncovering

something unpleasant

arms you with knowledge

of what to avoid,

like cow patties

in the field.

Like apples,

learning something every day,

keeps the doctors away.

April 9 PAD

Discovery

D etermined to dig deep, when

I learned buried treasures wait, I

S ought with all diligence and

C ame across the booty, but found

O ut dirt and worms lie with gold.

V ictory comes when you uncover and

E ncounter both, and

R ealize how

Y ou discern which is which.

April 8 PAD

Hooked

At six, I got hooked

And soon caught up in the chain

Before long, a pack a day

I took on singles

And then I made it doubles

Fifty years, I still crochet

April 7 PAD

Since she learned to cook Rotini

Making nothing else beside it

No one fits in their bikini

They’re all fat and try to hide it

April 6 PAD

Since I Began Writing

Since I began writing,

the six week course

I took in typing

has come in handy,

unlike the years of

math and history.

Since I began writing,

English classes proved

to be valuable

despite the English

teacher being so old

she wore mismatched shoes.

Since I began writing

I’ve learned how to learn

as I research my stories

and delight in discovery,

leaving most high school

and college classes in the dust.

Since I began writing

I became more in touch with myself

and have come to enjoy

who I am, less maimed

by fear, inferiority

and inadequacy.

Since I began writing,

I have something to offer

the world at large.

I’m more creative, hopeful,

no longer chained

to scientific reasoning.

Since I began writing,

I’ve branched out

to other creative pursuits

like drawing and painting.

I no longer say,

the drawing fairy passed me by.

Since I began writing,

I can more easily recognize

God speaking back to me as I pray,

as I tap out words

that bypass my brain

and encourage my own soul. 

April 5 PAD

The Artist

The artist paints her soul

A message without words

And those with ears to hear

Will grow within their hearts

The colors strike their chords

And minds become more whole

And with her grace and skill

She shapes their inner parts

Unmindful of her role

She only paints what’s true

With beauty as her goal

Which rides upon a tear

An artist paints her soul

And those with ears will hear

April 4 PAD

In lieu of the letter

This is much better

A paper square that will stick

And better still

Is the thrill

Of email so brief and so quick

April 3 PAD

Our Traveling Song

On a woodland hike

We all often like

To sing our traveling song

Oh, the sky is clear

We spot birds and deer

As we step, step, step along

As we ride our bikes

And singing moods strike

We sing our traveling song

Racing here and there

With wind in our hair

And feeling our legs grow strong

We climb in the car

Oh, yes we’ll go far

We’ll sing our traveling song

We go miles and miles

With laughter and smiles

Are we there yet? It’s been long.

We fly in the plane

Through sunshine and rain

And sing our traveling song

We sing quietly

Softly as can be

Bugging passengers is wrong

April 2 PAD

enough

pack a bag

put in some snacks

don’t forget medicine

walk out

April 1 PAD

Worship

At day’s beginning,

I worship You.

Like a rose unfolding

in morning sun.

Peeling back the layers,

letting light shine through.

God You’re so great,

I worship You.

When the sun is high

and my energy’s low.

My list’s still long

and things go wrong.

I feel like a bug

scuttling in the dust.

I worship You

because I must.

At day’s end

when my work is done,

or, at least, postponed

till another time.

I wind down

like a spinning top,

I worship You

and will not stop.

Tucked safe in bed,

awaiting dreams.

Worries threaten

to disturb my peace.

Like a child sneaks in

to her parents’ room,

I snuggle in

and worship You.

March 31

Life Saver

This ending could be bad

(loss of hope, relationships, material things)

if it wasn’t for the start of something else.

So I will grab onto the new beginning

as a drowning man would latch onto a life preserver,

embracing new people, possessions and possibilities.