From QT

Golden Education

I’ve listened to countless sermons

extolling wisdom and warning against

becoming an educated idiot.

Knowledge is an accumulation of facts.

Wisdom is knowing how to apply it.

Yes, wisdom is more important

but we’re to choose education over gold,

in other words, be willing to pay for it

with time, energy, and money

and trust God it will be worth it,

coupled with the wisdom He provides.

QT prayer

Done with the Armadillo Costume

When someone needy comes to me

for help I often act like an armadillo,

curling up within myself for protection,

offering only a hard shell. Lord,

help me put aside the excuses:

no money, no time, I can’t,

but allow myself to be vulnerable

and see what I have available

to help those people You send me,

assuming that if You directed them to me,

You have also given me the power to act.

At the very least, I can pray for that person,

and trust You to  provide the answer.

Lord, grant me supernatural love

and courage to help those in need.

from my quiet time

God is Faithful

How many times have I tried to get up early

to pray and have either fallen asleep,

or have become distracted by family or Facebook?

So many times that I don’t feel guilty about it anymore.

Because I know that though I’m not faithful, God always is.

If I send my Z’s to heaven I know He’s there still loving me.

If a family member stands before me,

I know that He himself may have sent them my way.

And if I get distracted by Facebook,

I know He’s even there, teaching me, loving me

through my “friends”, or loving them through me.

And when I do have a truly quiet time,

when all my attention is on Him,

He’s faithfully waiting, keeping His promise

to draw close to me as I draw close to Him.

He’s faithful to listen attentively to my prayers and answer them.

He’s faithful to fill me with the Holy Spirit when I ask Him to.

He’s faithful to comfort and strengthen me.

And I always wonder why I haven’t run to Him sooner,

why I let myself be so caught up with this life.

And I ask Him to forgive me for being too in love with the world.

And He’s so faithful that He does. 

PA settled

Tummy Ache

My unsettled steak

lies in my stomach

and it feels like

a big bull dog is in there, too,

growling, working it over.

I’m round and fat, like I’m expecting.

I’m expecting that I’ll learn

to develop better eating habits someday.

Poetic Words

The wispy cirrus clouds

Danced in the moonlight

Like fairies’ gossamer dresses.

PA water

Rain

Drenching rain

Soaking skin

Warm

Fresh mixed scent of grass, earth, lilacs

Drumming

Trees dancing in wind

Life in raindrops

a poem

What’s Around Me?

My computer and cat are on my lap.

To my right on the end table:

A glass of water,

A clock with two magazines

and a book on top,

Two pot holders,

My Kindle on

a stack of books.

To my left on the other end table,

the phone and an empty spot for my computer.

Behind that an antique stool

with a viny plant

in a crock that used to be

what Mom made pickles in.

Things are funny things.

PA prepare

Prepare

In preparing

for April PAD month

I’ve got to reassure myself

that it really doesn’t matter.

I’ve got to lower my expectations

so I won’t trip up on perfectionism

or fear of my idea well running dry.

Instead, I’ll make it my goal

to write a useless poem,

and then If I manage

to squeeze in time to write,

I’ll just write words,

like I’m doing now

and maybe I’ll end up

with just a pile of words.

Or maybe

I’ll actually write

something worth reading. 

accrostic

Integrity

I  must

N  ot compromise on the

T  ruth, fudge on my duties or

E mbellish reality, not test

G race to the extreme or

R eact by giving

I n to peer pressure, but

T rust things will go okay according to

Y our plan when I do what’s right.

prayer

Do you still do fleeces, Lord.

Because I have one out now.

Or will I be flreeced?

Phoenix Rising anti poem

Contraction Ban

My husband says

I am getting smartified,

going to college,

but more like mystified,

because I cannot use contractions,

which is just plain silly.

Just think of how many unnecessary

words I will use because

I will not be able to use contractions.

When I am done with college

you will see that

I will use contractions.

prayer

Spendthrift

If I spent my money

like I spent my time,

I’d be broke before long

with so much to spend it on.

With my time,

I’m like delusional people,

thinking they’re rich,

spending money they don’t have.

If I filled my plate

like I loaded my to-do list,

I’d be called a glutton.

We only have 24 hours in a day.

Lord, help me practice restraint

with commitments and plans.

Poetic Asides photo prompt

Painted

-after La Spezia, Italy

Little houses

painted on the hillside

whispering secrets

hushed by the sea.

Like celebrities,

they’re there for all to see,

but for few to know.

from a photograph

Secrets

The castle wall peeked out from the bushes,

as If something that large could hide.

A balcony jutted from one of the windows,

a nice place for Rapunzel.

Maybe the large lodging didn’t hold captive

long-haired damsels in distress,

but it had its secrets.

Like an overgrown wall can’t be hidden,

secrets spill out, eventually. 

from Mark 10:13-16

The Children

What were the children thinking

when they sat on Jesus’s lap?

When they heard Him scold the disciples

for trying to keep them away?

When He put His hands on their heads

and blessed them?

Were they thinking of wading in the river?

Catching a fish?

Eating honey cakes?

Since Jesus prayed for them,

what became of them as adults?

Did they look back and remember? 

dinzain elegy

Kathy

I miss the glint of mischief in your eyes.

The jokes just bubbled there beneath your skin,

Your wisdom and compassion in disguise.

You’d tease and boast and rub our errors in,

And out for blood when playing games to win.

But you’d be first to meet somebody’s need.

No one would dare accuse you of misdeed.

And we complain you left this earth too soon.

To keep you to ourselves would just be greed.

I’m sure you’re glad up there above the moon.

Phoenix Guild Alouette

Living Doll

Like a living doll

Smiles at one and all

Legs straight out in her wheelchair

Greets you with a squeal

Hugs you a great deal

And you know that it’s not fair

At that you feel blessed

To have such a guest

And you’d like to treat her right

Make up for her pain

Sun instead of rain

Yet like her, accept her plight 

Poetic Asides If I Were

Another Life

If I were a skilled mountain climber

I would live life to the fullest,

experiencing literal and

allegorical highs few experience,

and I’d make it my goal to die climbing,

thus every venture would be a success.   

Poetic Asides Animal

Tiger

T erribly graceful

I t prowls and

G rowls and sneaks

E ver closer to its prey,

R uns then pounces. 

Poetic Asides- based on a movie

In the Woods

Every day, on the school bus,

we drove past the drive

with a no-trespassing sign.

And I wondered what was down there

deep in the woods

 where no one could see.

Maybe M. Night Shyamalan

had a similar experience in his childhood

and dreamed up The Village.

My cousin boasted that she had ridden

down there along with our grandfather

to deliver garden seed to a monastery.

She took all the fun out of it. 

Poetic Asides shelter

The hut sat like a stout toad

It’s roof like a Victorian lampshade

It’s pole legs looked as if it would tire

of being landlocked and wade into the sea.

from a photo

The coastal city lit up in a half circle.

Clouds glowed purple, reflected in an indigo bay.

Mysteries seemed to whisper from its depths.

A shadowy mountain lurked in the distance.

limerick

A man once tired of the rut

Began to feel like a nut

So with his wife Lily

Went off to Kauai

And now they live in a hut 

Poetic Asides self-portrait

Me

I’m from the little red house on a hill

in a wooded valley.

The creek, the same as my last name,

flows through my veins.

I’m made of snowball fights,

sled riding, buttercups and violets,

hiking hills and climbing trees,

touch-me-nots and tiger lilies.

I thrived on trout, venison, and rabbit.

rusty coat apples and elderberries.

I’m the fabric of many relatives

and loyal friends, and four sisters,

a hard-working dad a giving mom.

My heart beats to the tune

of an open road and faraway places.

I breathe in God’s grace

and drink in His love.

Poetic Asides Night

Night

In the darkness

Little imps play tricks

Turning things topsy-turvy

Tempting, teasing, tossing about lies

Like leprechauns their gold

At sunrise they tiptoe off

And reason returns

Poetic Asides Milestones

Milestones

Like so many pebbles along the road

Meaningless,

If destination remains unreached

PA Prompt Since...

Since I Went Back to College

Since I went back to college

it feels like my life has rebooted,

rather than just about to wind down.

I don’t have delusions of winning a grand career,

other than the one I already have.

When I get my degree, it may persuade editors

that I really do know what I’m talking about.

But in these last decades or so,

I’m not too worried about what editors think.

I’ll self publish what I’ve written over the years,

except with a few more footnotes and better grammar.

And if some day a reader, searching for answers,

or, at least, interesting questions happens upon

my writing and gets to know You better,

then it will all be worth it, even the college degree.

PG rhyme

A River

A river carries me

It’s choices that I’ve made

Oh, who is in control?

I’m helpless in its flow

At times I feel betrayed

And set adrift at sea

Adrift, lost and alone

And then the cold winds blow

Oh, where is my reprieve?

Am I a hopeless case?

In this, I am set free

In Him I’ll be made whole

A river carries me.

Oh, He is in control!

PG rhyme

Poeming on the Go

Just a quick rhyme

When I don’t have the time

With the duo in the morning

And the new day adorning

In sunshine and snow

We’ll soon be on the go

Time to get some tea

And breakfast for them and me.

Poetic Asides Careless

Lackadaisical Day

O, give me a lackadaisical day

One to while my time away

One when nothing gets done

Just a little rest and fun

Let the dishes pile up high

All those toys, let them lie

May the computer and the phone

Know what it’s like to be left alone

The paperwork can gather dust

It doesn’t matter about the must

For I’ll be out in the fresh air

Enjoying having not a care

Phoenix Rising anti-love poem

Absent

You  may not think

I noticed the distance between us

when we’re standing side by side.

Your words are warm and friendly,

while your eyes go right past my head.

I remember when I kissed Mom in the coffin.

It’s like that.