feelings

Taking Off

My mood is bottled up inside

I would that it be owl in flight

Or ship that speeds across the sea

Not anchor stuck inside of me

A weight that keeps me here aground

With few sweet chances to abound

The television stares at me

And seems to mock my stuck esprit

The phone is silent as a tomb

The flowers here refuse to bloom

They’re brown and wilted, so forlorn

Like anger from a heart that’s torn

Like bright balloons adrift in sky

Someday my joy will float that high

Poetic Asides Getting Blank

Getting Ready to Go

Make a list

Of things to take

Make a chart

To-dos each day

Get the tickets

Begin to pack

Get the suitcase

From the back

Count the days

One by one

Soon it’s time

For traveling fun

exercise

Exercise

Although I want to exercise

I find it so tiring

It’s so important to keep fit

But it’s uninspiring

If I could move a little more

Progressively each day

I might not end up like Tinman

Who rusted by the way

conversation

Accidental Snobbery

“I saw you at the pool,”

my friend said. “I waved,

but you mustn’t have seen me.”

I wonder how many other friends I snub.

I don’t see anyone at the pool,

just colorful blurs.

I don’t wear glasses at the pool. 

friends

Friendship

I can’t remember all we did together.

I just know we got along really well.

We saw each other at church and

did fun things when we had the chance,

in the midst of raising our kids.

But then we both moved away.

Almost thirty years passed.

Now we’re back in the same town.

Our kids are grown. We walk together.

And we picked up where we left off.

It’s an amazing thing,

like unearthing lost treasure. 

limerick

The Cat Came Back

There once was a cat named Chow

Who had an obnoxious meow

His owner perturbed

Kicked him to the curb

You can guess where Chow is now

Faith

Faith

At times I consider the possibility

that there is no God.

No Creator.

No Protector.

No Comforter.

No one to calm my fears.

No supernatural strength.

No one to answer my prayers.

No still, small voice to guide me.

The world becomes tenuous,

frightening, hopeless.

Life becomes temporary.

I must have faith in God. 

shoes

Seventies

I remember platform shoes,

walking a good six inches from the earth

experiencing what it’s like to be tall

stooping to get a drink from the fountain

traveling a long way down to take a seat

having a good view at a football game.

I lost my platform shoes and mood ring

through the years, but I still have my lava lamp. 

shoes

Summer Sneakers

Hundreds of feet

up in the sky

I was glad that summer

while clambering boulders

at Vedauwoo, Wyoming

to have K-Mart cheap

blue and white sneakers

that gripped like billy-o.

Star

Moon Scene

The stars overlooked the moon.

The moon overlooked the castle.

The castle overlooked the cliffs.

The cliffs overlooked the trees.

The trees overlooked the town.

The town overlooked the river.

And God watched over it all.

Stars

Star Scene

The dome tent glowed

on the snowbank,

overlooking an indigo lake.

A man lay spread eagle,

making snow angels,

while staring at the starry sky. 

He said/she said

Telemarketers

I’m sorry to say I have become rude

to telemarketers, especially one

who has called so much, I know her name.

When she called today, I told her

“Please, take me off your list.”

She said she would.

And then she called again.

Maybe the click will be enough

that she’ll get the message.

he said/she said

Communication

At our house,

with two nonverbal people,

a lot gets left unsaid.

But with a talking device,

gestures, sounds, laughter

and very expressive eyebrows

we’ve discovered

a lot can be said

without words. 

cool/ uncool

Cool

A basement

A spring breeze

Moss to bare feet

A late night swim

Aloe on sunburn

A breath mint

Cool/Uncool

Cool/Uncool

I wonder what being cool feels like.

To have a bunch of friends emulating

your style, your actions, your conversation.

Being picked for projects, not waiting

long until your name is called.

Being the center of positive attention.

Feeling maximized, not minimized.

Being seen and heard and praised.

For some of us, though, it’s cool

to be uncool, letting others deal with mobs.

office

Principal’s Office

“Come into my office,” Principal said with a smile.

So Billy went in after sitting awhile.

It started out nicely with a, “Hi how are you?”

Not so well, now, thought Billy, when they were through.

haiku

Shadows in moonlight

Fairies dancing until dawn

Or woodland critters 

haiku

Ideas won’t come

But I will write anyway

Look, Mom, a haiku!

restaurant

Moroccan Restaurant

Candle light, reds, golds, soft flute music

Sat on floor pillows around low tables

Draped large white towels over shoulder, instead of napkins

No silverware, ate with fingers, even hot food

Over the next two hours ate by course

Lamb, couscous, curry veggies, powder sugared dessert

Server in cream silk blouse and black slacks

poured tea backwards over her shoulder

Leftovers wrapped in swan-shaped foil

Memories stick even after thirty years

restaurant

Making Fries

One winter, I worked at McDonald’s

where I made fries, after fries,

after fries, after fries, after fries.

The most exciting things that happened

was when the coatroom caught on fire.

We got to go home early and

I got a new outfit out of the deal.

And there was the time a drug addict

was kicked out of the dining room

for bad behavior and then he returned later

and jumped through the plate glass window.

We got to go home early that day, too.

Other than that I made fries, after fries,

after fries, after fries, after fries. 

wordle

I’m just an earthen vessel

With a flat glaze

Holding His lavish grace

Let praises ring

wordle

Blacklisted

He wrote his story for a high, flat fee

About a ring of thieves he stumbled on.

With lavish words he penned the mystery,

The Vessel of Deception: A Great Con.

Came out in paperback on Amazon.

But soon it was blacklisted, to his shock.

A gaudy old reviewer named Bad John,

His words like aching tooth smacked by a rock.

But to that writer, seemed like just a prank.

His thousands were already in the bank.

Poetic Asides Unimportant

Big Enough

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (I Peter 5:7) NIV.

When you love your child

and their teddy bear is lost,

you take time to help them find it.

If they like green sippy cups,

you get green sippy cups, not blue or red.

If they’re grieving over their goldfish,

you help them through it.

Nothing seems too unimportant,

if it’s important to one you love.

God is big enough and loving enough

to care for the unimportant things

if they concern us. 

Time Out

Two pink coats

But I don’t like pink

One on sale

One a gift

I should take time out and find

My blue and brown coats

Time Out

Time Out

Time out to write a poem

As lunch settles in my belly

As music plays on the radio

As my hubby chats about work

As the floor dries in the kitchen

As a gentle wind blows

Beckoning me outside

To watch the world green up

But I might just sit here a little longer

And play Words With Friends. 

The Last...

The Last Reunion

Thirty-two

In P-A

Green Forrest

Rented rooms

Lots of food

Saw locals

Wild raft rides

Idlewild

Memories

The Last...

The First and Last Summer in Cheyenne

I met you there that Sunday night

At church a tour group sang

You clapped along with inner light

Your deep voice loudly rang

I learned you bussed the kids to church

I helped on Saturdays

You helped me with my godly search

To learn His loving ways

Lunch out together, prayers, long walks.

Church, singing, time with friends

Sweet kisses, passionate deep talks

How swiftly summer ends

So nearly forty years ago

At that small point in time

An hour of a gospel show

My life turned on a dime

free verse

About the grave

They stood like statues

And wept at their great loss

Not believing he was gone

Their hope buried with him

But that was Friday

Sunday came

limerick

There once was a girl named Lenore

Who had a remarkable snore.

One day she did marry

Some poor soul named Larry,

But soon they were married no more.

PA Are we there yet? PB Diminished Hexaverse

Are We There Yet?

In the mood to drive

With soft rock turned high

First feeling fearful

Narrow mountain pass

Calling on angels

Avoid potholes

Crushed dead critters

Large tumbling rocks

Extreme drop-offs

Wildflowers

Dazzling falls

Swaying pines

Breathe in

Fresh air

Joy