PAD 27 blank of blank

The Year of 2017

So many ups and downs

Back-and-forths

Leaping over hurdles

Getting smacked by circumstances

I feel like a ping pong ball

PAD 26 Shine

Not Shining Today

Sometimes the sun will shine in all its brilliance

Sometime the sun will hide behind the clouds

The sun’s still the sun despite its disappearance

Sometimes the sun will shine in all its brilliance

So though I may seem in incompliance

I’m still me though I avoid the crowds

Sometimes the sun will shine in all its brilliance

Sometimes the sun will hide behind the clouds

November 25, 2017 PAD 25 remix

One More to Go

So far I’ve traveled to forty-nine states

All but Hawaii left to discover

I’m glad to say we have reserved the dates

I’ll go with sisters, but not my lover

And my daughter, too, but not her brother

We will swim at the beach at Waikiki

There will be so much to do and to see

Touring and luaus will be so thrilling

I might even buy a ukulele

I sure do hope that the Lord is willing

Zero to Go

At last, I’ve traveled to all fifty states

Lovely Hawaii, last to discover

We went in October, those reserved dates

I with my sisters, but not my lover

And my daughter, too, but not her brother

We all swam at the beach at Waikiki

There was so much to do, enjoy, and see

Touring and luaus were all so thrilling

And I even bought a ukulele

I am so glad that the Lord was willing

PAD 24 How I'll be remembered

Here Lies Connie

A little smart

A little dumb

A little cheerful

A little glum

A little kind

A little mean

A little pro

A little green

A little humble

A little proud

A little quiet

A little loud

A little helpful

A little lazy

A little wise

A little crazy

A little funny

A little sad

A little good

A little bad

A lot of a little

Seems to fit

I guess I’ll miss her

A little bit. 

PAD 23 Preface

Hawaii Eve

Similar to Christmas Eve

Anticipation

Final acts of preparation

And you know how ever great it is,

you’ll be looking back at it

before you know it.

PAD 22 New Day

New Day

You can’t start from where you were.

You must begin right where you’re at.

Even if do-overs you’d prefer.

You can’t start from where you were.

Simple logic must concur.

You can’t step back into the past.

You can’t start from where you were.

You must begin right where you’re at.

PAD 21 construction

This is me

trying to construct a poem.

Never mind the foundation

I can’t get past

the hole in the ground.

PAD 20 What I Learned

I learned something,

but whatever I learned

I forgot.

PAD 19 Abundant

Oahu

A mple supply of pineapple

B ountiful plant life

U nlimited ocean

N ever ending aloha spirit

D iverse people groups

A lot of dancing

N umerous luaus

T remendous fun

PAD 18 Good for Nothing

Treasures

I found my boarding pass

to go to Hawaii. Seems odd

that something I paid so much for

and had guarded carefully on the trip

is now good for nothing.

I tossed it into the trash

with greater appreciation

for those things unseen.

PAD 17 What I Meant to Say

Thoughtless

What I meant to say

to the doorman

of our Oahu hotel

was thank you, we

had a great time and

tip him for his troubles.

But an invisible barrier

materialized between us

and feeling awkward

I said and did nothing.

PAD 16 A poem to the world

Dear World,

They call Hawaii Paradise

and I’m sure it bears a resemblance.

But dear world, even Hawaii,

is a far cry from Heaven.

World, you give us comforts and joys.

Exciting things to see and do.

In you, we have feelings of purpose

as we go about our work.

We have friends and family

we don’t want to ever leave.

When I was dating my, then, boyfriend

long distance, I busied myself

in Pennsylvania while he was in Wyoming.

I made the best of it, but I belonged with him.

And that’s how it is with you, World.

You are not my home. Heaven is.

I belong with Jesus

and everyone there.

Two thousand miles separated me

 from my husband-to-be.

The distance between Heaven and Earth

can’t be measured.

But it’s only a heartbeat away.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21

PAD 15 Stranger

Hawaii

Aloha spirit

Ohana

Family

Treat strangers as if they’re friends

Love and compassion

PAD Day 14 sonnet

Fifty Before Sixty

Was Pennsylvania-born, one autumn night.

Remained until a little less than eight.

The seven of us packed in car so tight

To Delaware, a flat and sandy state.

A choir tour then took me down the coast,  

Through Alabama and up Tennessee.

Then later added Northeast to my boast.

Wyoming! There I met my groom to be.

Moved to Nebraska for a year two.

And then in Colorado where I’m now.

From there, the western half I have gone through,

And cruised Alaska, so keeping a vow.

Then, visiting Hawaii, I made fifty.

And so, I met my goal at not yet sixty. 

PAD Day 13 City

Honolulu

Leis

Luaus

Hula dancers

Lost tourists

Relaxing beaches

Sunshine, showers, rainbows

Palms, banyan and monkey trees

King Kamehameha Statue

Tall hotels, busy streets, tempting shops

Swimming, surfing, paddle boarding in waves 

PAD 12 transformation

Polynesian Culture Center

We were transformed

into a brightly-colored

walking flower patch

wearing red, blue, or

yellow plastic ponchos

padding in the rain

like a bunch of ducks

as we learned about

Polynesian culture.

We absorbed a lot

of facts, watched

many hula dancers,

tried poi and games,

but I remember

the rain the most,

good to the last drip. 

PAD 11 unlucky

Beyond Luck

It’s hard to feel unlucky

lying on a sandy beach

listening to the waves roll in

and laughter as people play.

It’s hard to feel unlucky

when everything is going right.

But eventually, like sand in an hour glass,

Luck runs out.

Better to be blessed than lucky.

Blessing goes beyond luck.

Blessing carries you

through unlucky times. 

PAD Day 10

Going Somewhere

G randiose expectations

O pen dreaming

I magining the best

N ever thinking the worst

G oing

S omewhere

O nline scheming

M ay be the best trip yet        

E ntering numbers

W ardrobe lacking

H aving fun shopping

E merging with bargains

R eservations, tickets, schedule

E verything is in place. Hawaii, here we come.

PAD Day 9 blank if blank

Take the Road to Hana if you Dare

Tourist info claimed majestic views,

curves, twists and cliffs.

So we dared take the Road to Hana Tour,

but the driver made the shuttle crawl.

Stopped a lot.

Vegetation blocked views of the drops.

We remembered mountain roads

in Colorado and Arizona.

Now, they will curl your hair.

Day 8 thing

Ukulele

Ukulele on the stand

I hoped we’d play and sing with him

But now his singing’s not so grand

Ukulele on the stand

Some things go not as planned

His brain won’t speak to voice or limb

Ukulele on the stand

I hoped we’d play and sing with him

PAD Day 7 Days of the week

A Week in Hawaii

Six hour flight 

Sandwiched between two

Daughter and sis

Snapped pictures

Met other sis and nephew

Dinner and fireworks

Waikiki

Beach chairs, umbrella

Bob in waves

Evening

Paid eight dollars for French fries

Very loud restaurant

Swap meet fun

Shopped and ate shaved ice

Taxi ride

The Bus ride

Dinner cruise, pinkish sunset

Watched hula dancers

One long day

Polynesian Place

Rained whole time

Tasted poi

Watched lots of hula dancers

Bought ukulele

Pearl Harbor

White memorial

Heard stories

Felt sorrow

Then ate at Hard Rock Cafe

Kathy tried poke

My birthday

At Hanamau Bay

Beautiful

We snorkeled

At dinner heard “Brown-eyed girl”

I had steak and shrimp

Maui Day

Road to Hana tour

Lots of curves

Lots of plants

Got to see a rainbow tree

Airport-great burgers 

PAD Day 6 Praise

In Praise of Hawaii

Lush vegetation, banyan and palms

Rugged mountains, we ooh and we ahh

Inviting beaches, we relax on a whim

Sparkling waters, we go in for a swim

Colorful fish darting about

Various sands, without a doubt

Balmy fresh air, so nice in the fall

Exotic dishes, we’d like to eat all

Expressive dancers sharing the joy

Warm smiles, they often employ

Welcoming hosts, eager to please

Aloha spirit, feeling at ease

PAD Day 5 self destruct

Post-vacation

With my feet back in the Rockies,

no more hula dancers, waterfalls,

black, white and red sand beaches,

exotic food, luxurious hotel room,

I return to caregiving, housekeeping,

cooking, errand running and shopping

through Wal-Mart and the old lady

at the checkout moves like a sloth

and bumps a shirt hanging beside

her and shuffles over to pick it up,

and I’m beginning to self-destruct,

determined, I put on a brave smile

and cross over to life as I know it.

PAD 4 Whosoever

Whosoever Wants to Fly

Whosever forks over the money

Dares take off their belt and shoes

Give up their laptop and cell phone

Raise their hands in a plexiglass tube

Stand stocking-footed on printed feet

Allow themselves to be patted down

May pass to fly to wonderlands

PAD Day 3 Triangle

Hanauma Bay

Being of hearty stock,

I, well into women’s plus sizes,

am the most petite of the five

that headed to Hanauma Bay.

As we waddled to the water

wearing our large triangular footwear,

I worried when we’d go bottoms up

we’d be mistaken for a pod of whales.

But worries were forgotten

when we glided along underwater

breathing like a group of Darth Vaders

spying on the colorful inhabitants.

I tried not to think of

the creature the tour guide

referred to as the “S word.”

as I followed my daughter.

When she pointed, I realized

I was seeing only the large fish;

about as blind as cave creatures,

 I missed the smaller ones.

Out of the water, with my glasses on,

seeing her sparkly-eyed enthusiasm

I knew she had found something

that made her feel alive.

I sat on my beach chair and pondered

why we go through life like automatons

when there’s such amazing wonders  

as fins, snorkels and Hanauma Bay.