Poetic Asides Preparation

PAD Preparation

I usually write

off the top of my head,

not giving much thought

to planning for PAD.

But if I did,

what would it look like?

Perhaps list possible forms,

or things I’ve been thinking about,

or topics of interests.

How about experiences,

or interesting words for “wordles”.

Or maybe a theme

which all 30 plus poems

would reflect.

I’d examine my schedule.

When am I going to write said poems?

I’d make a plan of attack

like a general off to war.

Maybe I’d read blogs

on poem writing and revising.

Or maybe I’ll just

take off my perfectionism hat

and write from the top of my head.

Birthday Memory

Birthday Question

Swing set sat

in shady part

of our yard.

We played.

Table nearby

loaded with gifts

and food.

My birthday.

“How old are you?”

I forgot age had anything

to do with birthdays.

I was nine.

It would be nice

if today’s celebrations

were so fun.

I'd forget about age.

memory

Birthday Party

Birthdays

were usually

a family thing

but I remember

one birthday-

Was I ten?-

when Mom

invited several kids

from school.

We had games, balloons,

cake and ice cream,

and I got lots of presents,

one, I still remember,

a doll with blue hair.

Sounds like a typical

birthday party,

but it was magic to me.

childhood memory

Early Memory

The first birthday I recall,

I was three or four.

Aunt Marg the baker

brought my birthday cake.

Mom and my aunt, very tall,

lowered the cake so I could see

it decorated with red roses

and green leaves.

I said, “It looks delicious!”

They laughed at me

for using such a big word.

A bit hurt and mad, I thought,

How stupid do they think I am?

tricube Easter

Easter

Easter Day

Filled baskets

Smiles and grins

Empty tomb

Filled hearts

Lasting hope

He paid debt

We could not

Live for Him

wordle: zephyr, mare, sunshine, heart, sweet, cat, magic, dreams, connecting, brilliant, pattern, care, spring, lilacs

Galloping into Spring

A zephyr flirted past my cheek

As my fine chestnut mare ran free

With sunshine warming on my back

That filled my heart so joyfully

A pure sweet song sprung up within

Just like a playful kitty cat

The magic moment quickened me

I wore my dreams as a fine hat

Connecting with creation so

A brilliant hope consumed me there

The pattern of the limbs and leaves

And sun and clouds without a care

Yes, spring had bloomed inside of me

With fragrant lilacs guarantee

Coordinated wordle: crystal, resolved, trickle, yearned, scars, white, pierced, time, kiss, joy, lingers, lush

Coordinated by His Grace

With crystal clear determined will

The girl resolved to seek that place

The trickle of her faith that day

Coordinated by His grace

She yearned to overcome someday

The scars she wore upon her face

The white raised up on tender skin

Coordinated by His grace

They pierced His side with grievous pain

The story told through time and space                                       

The kiss of love and righteousness

Coordinated by His grace

She knows the joy abundant now

Her pain but lingers with a trace

His lush forgiveness conquers all

Coordinated by His grace

PA coordinated acrostic

Coordinated

C orresponding to one another in an

O rganized harmonious fashion.

O pen to direction and synchronized in fluidity.

R epetition, agreement, mutual outcome.

D irected and managed by a wise leader

I n step with each other and

N obly working together, magnanimous,  

A nd graceful. Splendidly in rhythm and in

T ime with each other. Energetic,

E ffective, and matched up to

D ivinely bring together individuals as a whole. 

Poetic Asides Coordinated

Uncoordinated

“Way to go, Grace,”

my cousin would often say

as I teetered crossing a creek

on a log, landing knee deep in icy water.

Or slipping through the limbs of a pine,

looking like I had done battle with a cat.

Or stepping on her toes or stumbling on stones

as we danced the polka waiting for the school bus.

Coordination wasn’t the mark of my childhood,

but I sure had fun. 

Worship

Divine Intimacy

“I cannot believe in a God who wants to be praised all the time.” Friedrich Nietzsche

Poor Nietzsche

must have never

opened his eyes

to the majestic,

wonderful Creator

who is worthy

of all praise

and that worshiping Him

is like looking

into His loving eyes

and having spiritual sex.

Prayer acrostic

Longing

L ord, sometimes I 

O pen my eyes and realize I am

N ot of this world.

G od, Heaven is my home.

I am an eternal being. I do

N ot belong in this temporary place.

G od, thank You for That Day. 

3 20 16

Newton, My Hamster

Lived in a terrarium—

a big clear plastic ball

open on top,

white plastic base.

I put in cedar chips,

a water bottle,

a food dish,

a Pringles can to sleep in.

Being nocturnal,

he’d make a racket at night,

scooting round and round

with his little paws going.

I gave him hamster treats

about as big as tater tots.

He’d put one in each cheek pouch,

then unable to fit in his Pringles can.

3 19 16

My Earliest Memory

Suppository

Pain

Pottychair

Why does it have to be a bad one

emblazoned on my mind?

Why can’t it be

candy

doll babies or

puppy dog kisses? 

List poem

Eleven Items atop My Entertainment Center

A deep blue towel to act as a table cloth.

A back-scratcher so we can find it.

A ten-inch tall brown ceramic owl vase,

containing written blessings for the year.

A small stuffed puppy wearing a graduation cap

from my daughter’s graduation years ago.

A small stuffed owl wearing a graduation cap

to urge me on to complete my college degree.

A red-framed photo of my mother-in-law.

A brown-framed photo in sepia tones of my

four sisters and me dressed in old-time clothes.

A three-inch tall white plastic cross

with the word “grace” to remind me that Easter

is still about Jesus rising from the dead.

The movie War Room that challenged

a friend and I to pray more.

A white candle with red bow and buttons

a friend gave me to congratulate me

for completing another college class.

The stereo with CD player, radio,

and double cassette player.

If I listed every item in my house

it would make a very thick book. 

Poetic Asides Linger

A Request

Dear

health

vitality

vim

vigor

verve

energy

umph,

Please,

linger

longer

as long

as I linger

on this earth.

list poem

Patience

I dream of no responsibilities

Of climbing rock upon rock at Vedauwoo, Wyoming

Of taking a long hike following a meandering creek

Of drifting in a kayak on a mountain lake

Of floating along in a hot air balloon

Of zipping here and there on jet skis

Of white-water rafting in the river

Of bobbing about in the ocean

Of bouncing around in a jeep

I have done all these things

I must be patient

with life.

List poem

My Life

A little house in the country
Pennsylvania 

Fourth of five girls

Shy girl with big brown eyes.

As and Bs and some Cs

Tight group of friends

Dated same guy four years

Plus some others.

Met the Lord.

Met a guy in Wyoming

Married and two kids

A bunch of odd jobs

Many moves.

Homeschooling

Colorado

Writing

Traveling

More schooling.

Host home to two.

A novelist and poet of sorts.

What’s the next chapter?

Time Change

Time Change

Whoever decided on DST

didn’t take care of people

with developmental disabilities.

We undergo three weeks

of rushing around and being late,

waking up at odd hours,

and feeling tired in the day.

It’s like jetlag times twenty-one

but no traveling fun included.

Thoughts

My Hero

God’s a better poet than I am.

He speaks of kings as branching trees.

He’s a better artist.

Look at the mountains, the oceans, the deserts.

He’s a better parent.

He’s not afraid to discipline.

He’s a much better lover.

He gave up His own son.

He’s good, holy, powerful.

I can only yield myself to Him

like a blank page

and say, “Please write Your poem on me.”

Quick Poem

Ripples

We don’t

realize

what an

effect

we have

on others.

Like Dr. Seuss’s

little bug

that went

kerchoo.

We might

think we swim

through the waters

of this world

without making

a ripple.

But at the end,

we realize

everyone we touched,

touched another

and so on.

And our little ripples

have gone

throughout the world.

For better
or for worse.

free verse

Reality

You know what it’s like

when you awake

from a vivid dream

and you realize

what you just experienced

wasn’t real.

I think that’s what

it will be like

when we die. 

Daily Lesson

They Called Him Ishmael

What did I learn

from You  yesterday?

In Genesis, though Abraham

loved his son Ishmael

he sent him off in to the desert,

trusting You to keep Your promise

to make a nation of him.

If we understood Your promises more,

we’d worry less,

and be willing to sacrifice

and take risks.

And see Your wonders

come to fruition.

Poetic Asides Under the Weather

Remember

It’s hard to remember

What it’s like to sick

When you’re feeling well

What it’s like to be in pain

When you’re pain free

What it’s like to feel depressed

When you feel happy

What it’s like to be hungry

When you’re full

What it’s like to be thirsty

With glass of water by your side.

It’s hard to be empathetic

with the sick, those in pain,

the depressed, the hungry,

and the thirsty

when all your needs are met.

But take a moment now.

Remember

Pray

Act

wordle: counting, pasted, message, race, empty, summer, craves, songs, quitter, memories, fingerprints, darkness

Summer Fling

She was counting on him,

her ear practically pasted to the phone

waiting for a message that would make

her heart race faster than a sports car engine.

Her life was empty

until that summer.

Now she craves him and his

serenading songs like chocolate.

She’s no quitter.

She’ll hang on to the memories

left life fingerprints on her heart,

until light chases away darkness.

Vanessa

Vanessa

The people of the church

line up before the service begins,

like cars at a gasoline pump,

to hug a woman who cannot walk

or talk,

but man can she smile

and squeal cheerful greetings,

filling them up with love. 

sonnet

Poet’s Attempt

The bloom is like new life in Jesus Christ.

The twinkle of the star is like His hope.

The dream drew me away from prayer, enticed.

The light of love did rescue like a rope.

The Lord transcended time and space for all.

The river of His Spirit is a plus.

Translucent, shining love, He gives the call.

The loyal God did send His Son for us.

Divine romantic wooed us from above.

His boundless loyalty stands true through time.

As eras pass, we grow in His great love.

And poets try expressing it in rhyme.

In time, this world will roll up like a scroll.

And sin and death will pay their final toll. 

list poem

Muffins

I’m going to make some muffins today.

What kind of muffins shall I send your way?

Apple, coconut, walnut, maple, cherry

Butterscotch, almond, bran, cranberry

Peanut, marshmallow, banana, raisin

Pecan, cinnamon, chocolate, bran

Peanut butter, cocoa, carrot, blueberry

Yes, I’ll make those muffins for you

On second thought, let’s make that for two. 

haiku

Cluttered living room

Owl on top the TV stand

Saying, “Who, who, who!”

couplets

Mysterious Marcy

Mysterious Marcy walked about like a ghost

Knowing what she was up to gave one cause to boast.

When crime was committed in the dark of the night.

All pointed to Marcy whether they're wrong or right. 

Poetic Asides book

“Perfect Strangers”

Perfect Strangers with tattered pages

Survived several readings through the ages

Her biological clock was ticking

He had guilt sharp and sticking

They made a pact, a bit courageous

He’d marry and sire for his wages

She was plain, he had rages

Both beyond romantic picking

Perfect Strangers

The two sported emotional cages

But their love grew in stages

Their positive traits began clicking

Then the baby started kicking

Perfect Strangers

abcb

Why I Dance

In hope I cling to You, O, Lord,

When it appears all hope is gone.

When I feel lost and all alone,

I cry to You from dawn to dawn.

But in those times when all is dark,

I recognize You as the light.

And though my faith is frail and weak,

I know You’ll make things good and right.

You are my strength, my hope, my song.

My life, my food, my sustenance

You are my joy, my breath of air.

You are the reason I can dance.