From devo

Ears

We are specks

on a speck of a planet

and You still

know us,

love us,

and answer our prayers.

You speak to the specks

as if we’re special.

Help our tiny ears hear.

prayer

Dear Lord,

Forgive me

if I act

like You’re

the big meanie

in the sky

who brings

on us

all our troubles.

I know

You’re not

and You even

use our troubles

for our good.

Thank You

wonderful

gracious God.

27 prayer

Good Morning, Lord

or Good Lord, Morning

Sometimes praying

is like trying to wake up

in the early morning.

A little foggy.

An annoying duty.

But you force your eyes open.

Knowing the more you sleep,

the more you miss out.

So you press yourself to pray

knowing a glorious day awaits.

26 observation

Freedom

He smiles at the window

knowing he’ll go out soon

after being cooped up

all weekend. Freedom—

a breath of fresh air.

25 Houston flood video

He caught a fish

in his living room.

Having a little fun

in a flood.

May we all catch fish

in our troubles.

24 something small

Once part of something big

Now reduced to base labor

A toothpick

23 guilt

Guilt gnaws like hunger

ready for a great meal

of confession and forgiveness.

22 sadness

Sometimes sadness

gets lost in the shuffle

as it wanders about

unnoticed and ignored

till tears suddenly flow.

Garden Gnomes Love

Love

L eaving one you love

O pens up a flood of memories,

V irtually reliving shared

E xperiences for years to come.

Garden Gnomes

In the Garden

A bit of black earth

Underneath my fingernails

Shows I’ve been gardening

A bit of a smile

Flowing from my fingertips

Shows I’ve been poeming

PA Big Event

Life Goes On

Since your right side

went on strike.

The car had three flats.

The toilet got plugged.

The windshield cracked.

The refrigerator quit.

My email was hacked.

Laundry piled up.

Dirty dishes stacked.

Essays and paperwork await.

And everyone still

seems to need to eat,

take showers and go

where they need to go.

It would be a nice

if there was a pause button

on the little things

when the big things happen.

After four

Shopping and Then Some

Pulling the cart with client attached

Turning corners widely so he won’t bump into things.

Sports, kitchen, men’s and women’s clothing,

Household, jewelry, cleaning supplies, groceries

Crossing the last item off the list.

Making supper, editing paper, doing dishes,

putting people to bed, writing this poem

Hoping I have the wherewithal to write an essay

Stroke

Just when my plate was full to over flowing

the Lord dumps my plate and fills it with something else.

And I’m left staring at this unfamiliar plate

wondering where I should stick my fork in first.

August 16, 2017 Poetic Asides Introduction

Meeting of Essayist and Poet

I walked into a crowded room of writers

busily buying bunches of books from other writers.

Bumping me this way and that as they swished past,

and I said, “I feel like a rock in a river.”

I made my way across the aisle

where a lady looked at me and asked,

“Are you a poet?” “Yes,” I answered. “Why?”

“I could tell by what you said.”

“How would you say it?” I asked.

“I’m in the way,” she answered.

I said, “You must write nonfiction.”

She nodded. We laughed a writerly laugh.

Stroke poem

When it Rains

Since hubby had a stroke

Had three flat tires

A cracked windshield

A hacked computer

A clogged toilet

Because of God,

when I am weak

I am strong.

See me flex

my muscles.

August 14, 2017

Van full of equipment

Wheelchair, bath chair, commode rails

Hoping they won’t grow old at my house

August 13, 2017

Discreet Goodbyes

The nurses looked a little teary

When they said their goodbyes

Wheeled him to our van, waiting

But when he pulled out the urinal

They went back in commenting

About watering the bushes

August 12, 2017

Prayer Meeting

Being prayed for in Jesus’ name

By a group of brothers and sisters

In the presence of the Holy Spirit

Like taking a soothing bubble bath

My mind and soul are squeaky clean

August 11, 2017

Helping hubby since his stroke

Do his bathroom duties

For better or for worse

Not what I had in mind

But it’s okay

August 10, 2017

Justin takes a bath

Squirts me with his bath buddies

Wipe off my laptop

Poetic Asides money

Someone hacked me who is cruel.

No, I’m not in Istanbul.

I need no money or your pity,

No sick aunt in New York City.

I do have a hubby who had a stroke,

but don’s send money, we’re not broke.

Aug 8 Ballad form

Morning News

When I go out my door, today,

in trusty tennis shoes.

I pad along with ears alert

to hear the morning news.

The sparrows twitter cat is near.

I see her hiding there.

The postman’s started out his rounds.

The morning weather’s fair.

But judging by the soggy leaves,

it rained here in the night.

The neighbors must have stayed out late.

The house is locked up tight.

The silence signals all is well

while people start to stir.

Then soon to-dos will shout out loud

and day will be a blur.

couplets

Hotel Bed

This is an ode to the hotel bed

that spits you out upon your head.

With mattresses piled to make them wobble,

a night on them will make you hobble.

But if you manage to stay in the middle,

you’ll awake as fit as a fiddle. 

Aug 6 Iambic pentameter (almost)

Divine Companion

Some years ago, I had a lonely time.

It seemed my friends were dropping like dead flies.

One died. One moved. One drifted far away.

And one pursued some new relationships.

The Lord reminded me of Shannon Creek.

My childhood years, my parents ran a park,

a place where folks had fun in Snannon Creek.

And even when the pretty park closed down,

all of us neighborhood kids would play there.

 The old abandoned park with broken bridge

was where I liked to go as moody teen.

One particular wintry New Year’s Eve,

my three best friends went off and left me home.

I sat on the old crumbling bridge and watched

the ice, the twigs, the brown dead leaves rush past.

I heard His voice above my heavy thoughts.

“I want to be with you my precious child.”

Though none on earth wanted to be with me,

the God who made the universe so did.

He cleared the way so I could be with Him.  

At home, I celebrated with my King.

I read fourteen to seventeen of John. 

Christ’s friends were sad that he would go away.

Abide in me, He said, so you’ll bear fruit.

He wants to hang out with each one of us.

So God reminded me of this again.

Instead of grumbling, thank Him for His love.

He paid it all for us to come to Him.

Don’t wait until you’re down and feeling blue.

Enjoy your friends, let Him fulfill your life.

Aug 5 Patterned after Frost's Snowy Evening

A Silly Dream

I dreamed a very silly dream

Containing a romantic theme

A boy I once knew long ago

We met at last with eyes agleam

I told him what he didn’t know

That I did want him as a beau

First grade paired up to do our work

He asked me to but I said no

He must have thought I was a jerk

Though I declined without a smirk

Already promised a shy friend

One who displayed not just one quirk

He asked, “We’re beaus until the end?”

I had to turn him down again

I made a vow I cannot bend

I made a vow I cannot bend 

triolet

Dozing Off

He dozes off in his wheel chair

He walked the loop three times today

Sometimes it seems that it’s not fair

He dozes off in his wheel chair

Sometimes it seems too much to bear

We count on all of those who pray

He dozes off in his wheel chair

He walked the loop three times today

triolet 8 3 17

The Simple Things

The light ring rings to call the nurse

The simple things are luxuries

But we are glad things are not worse

The light ring rings to call the nurse

As we partake in Adam’s curse

You will get better by degrees

The light ring rings to call the nurse

The simple things are luxuries

Poetic Asides Error

By a Thread

“I told you I was sick,” you said.

I told you to have your bp read.

You could be dead

Instead, part of your brain died in your head.

Now you can’t get out of bed

without help. We know not what’s ahead.

You must take your med

so the illness doesn’t spread.

I’ll see that you’re fed.

I love you since we wed.

Nearly forty years ago. No dread.

We trust the one whose blood was shed.

With thoughts of Robert Frost

Back Home

I once used to chase fireflies about

When I was little and liked to go out

Barefoot, running free, breathing country air

Sisters and friends playing, good times to share

Laughing and having fun, without a doubt

Riding my bicycle up the long drive

Tending the gardens and watching them thrive

Playing ball, badminton, and hide and seek

And building a rock dam in Shannon Creek

Always running outdoors, feeling alive

And now the pines are as big as the oak

The weeds the driveway has begun to choke

The little red house is no longer there

The land’s now home to deer, rabbits and bear

Many feelings these images evoke