Blank you #1 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 20

 Thank You, Lord, for the Ocean

 

Thank You for the ocean

and how people like to bring their lawn chairs

and sit and watch it like they’re watching

the most fascinating TV show,

chatting with their companions

seeing what they can see and feeling what they can feel.

 

My sis and I did that yesterday.

We saw dolphins arcing in and out of the water,

the distinct profiles of pelicans traveling alone

or in flocks, occasionally divebombing fish.

And seals bobbing up

with their little bowling-ball heads.

 

And later my other sis and I

walked on the beach at sunset,

watching as the sky glowed pink.

We took pics of people walking,

dogs playing and even a nun in full habit

except for her bare feet

as she did kind of a dance at the water’s edge.

Future #3 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 19

 Heavenly Future

 

I anticipate

seeing that gate

that leads me right to You.

Thank you, Lord, for that day

that I will walk right through.

Future #2 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 19

The Future of Looking Back

 

I don’t know what the future holds,

but someday I’ll look back.

So give me wisdom how to live,

and help me stay on track.

 

When I look back to today,

may I feel no regret.

To thank You for Your goodness,

may I not forget.

future #1 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 19

 Tomorrow

 

The diet starts tomorrow,

or at least, when I get home.

It’s hard to stick t it

as I travel and I roam.

 

We munch when we play games,

and we’re often eating out.

When I put my jeans on,

they’re tighter, without a doubt.

 

A big “first” Thanksgiving meal,

we plan to do at three.

Thank You, though my diets blown,

I’m with my beloved family.

Thursday #3 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 18

 

Thanksgiving Day

 

Thanksgiving’s a Thursday in November

But we give thanks every day

From January to December

Thanksgiving’s a Thursday in November

It’s nice to eat turkey but remember

God is good come what may

Thanksgiving’s a Thursday in November

But we give thanks every day

Thursday #2 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 18

 

A Special Thursday

 

At a Thursday night Bible study,

as teenagers,

my best friend and I

said yes to You, Lord.

 

Thank You that now I have hope

and I’m never alone. 

And though she and I

live far apart, we’re still friends.

Thursday #1 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 18

The Week Before Thanksgiving

 

A week before Thanksgiving

and I’m thankful I can visit

with my sisters in California.

 

Thank You for the long walk,

one sister and I

took along the beach yesterday.

 

I loved hearing the waves come in.

and a flock of sea gulls gabbing

with each other on the beach.

 

We spied pelicans

with their distinctive silhouettes

perched on black rocks in the ocean.

 

With delight, we watched

harbor seals pop their heads up

and imagined their fun out there.

 

The hazy sky turned clear blue

showing the mountains

huddled around Carpinteria.

 

Up on the path we walked

among shady eucalyptus

with their fragrance of cough drops.

 

Thank You that I can enjoy

this part of Your creation until we spend

Thanksgiving with our kids in Arizona.

Object #3 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 17

Painting

Apartment wall

Watercolor sailboats

The ocean just one block away

Thank You!

Object #2 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 17

Cell Phone

(Mistress Bradstreet)

 

My cell phone seems to wander on its own.

I call my number, finding where it went.

I must keep tabs on it.

Don’t like it when my time is spent.

Don’t want to lose my driver’s license, please.

Or credit card, with its stop payment fees.

It’s something You prevent.

So thank You for this loving kindness that You’ve shown.

Object #1 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 17

I10

(huitain)

 

Twelve lanes of traffic on I10.

Off to the races, I won’t stop!

Don’t want to go this way again.

Where is the lane? It seemed to hop.

Praying nothing goes boom or pop.

We drove hours through barren land.

I have to go, hope I don’t need a mop.

Thank You, I made it to sisters as planned.

Form #3 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 16

Family Meal

(a Nonet)

 

My family ate at Cheddars last night

I prayed the whole way through traffic

The atmosphere was cozy

Warm wooden walls, dim lights

Rich appetizers

Salmon, rice, tea

Conversing

Thank You!

Yum!

 

form #2 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 16

(a Kelly Lune)

 

We’re up early.

Carpenteria, California, here we come!

Thank You, Lord.

form #1 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 16

Forms

 

F rom abecedarian to zymurgy

O ctometers, palindromes and quaterns

R ondeaus, rondines and roundels

M any to choose from. Thank You, Lord! Like

S hoe styles, there’s something for everyone.

Speed #3 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 15

Looking Ahead to Looking Back

 

I know my vacation

will go speeding by

and soon I’ll be looking back

on our time in Arizona

with our children

and in California

with my sisters,

if all goes as planned.

May whatever others imprint on me

and whatever I imprint on others

 honor You and glorify Your name.

Thank You, Lord, that one day,

time won’t be a factor.

Speed #2 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 15

Teens and Fools

 

Thank You, Lord,

for keeping me safe

when I was a teen

and my boyfriend

commonly drove 110

on curvy PA roads

and 50 in small towns.

 

Thank You that I survived

my own stupidity

for enjoying speed

and trusting his driving.

 

Now I’ve slowed down

and trust you

to take care of me

while I drive the speed limit,

or, at least, thereabouts.

Speed #1 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 15

Speedy

 

S o I thank You for

P eople who are speedy to

E ncourage and who

E ndure annoyances to

D irect people’s attention to

Y our great love for them.

Blank That #3 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 14

 

Look at That

 

As we roll down Beeline highway

Like marbles in a long, curvy tube

The sun turns the sky pink

Long-armed saguaro cactus

Wave their greeting.

Thank You, Lord, for desert beauty.

Blank That #2 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 14

Thanks for That

 

We packed up and left

On a bright sunny day

The car ran smoothly

All of the way.

 

Barren bluffs and rocky plains

Curvy roads and mountain passes

Cloudless blue skies

Tall forests and saguaro cactus

 

It’s good to see our kids again

And share a room with a cat.

We’ll eat and play and talk and laugh.

Thanks for that.

 

Blank That #1 Poectic Asides Challenge Nov 14

 True That

 

True That, God deserves thanks and praise,

Holy, loving and forgiving.

We come to Him with thanksgiving.

To Awesome God, our hands we raise

And serve Him gladly all our days.

He makes our lives worth the living.

True That.

 

No, it’s not a religious phase.

We are His without misgiving.

He’s the gift that keeps on giving.

A case when surrendering pays.

True That

Luck #3 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 13

 Not Unlucky

 

Some people might think I’m unlucky,

that my husband suffered two strokes.

That most everything that gets done

around here, I do.

That some needs are left unmet.

 

But I thank You that my husband is alive.

He still has his mind.

He still can walk, with his walker.

He still can take care of his personal needs.

He can still talk, though he lost his “boom.”

 

And he’s still a good friend

who I can laugh, cry and pray with.

At 42 years, we’re “going for the gold.”

Thank You, that I know, through prayer,

everything is Father-filtered.

Luck #2 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 13

 Blessed

 

Thank You, Lord,

for the little things.

Gas in my car,

Food in my belly,

Heat in my house.

 

Thank You for friends

And family.

For words of encouragement.

For smiles and laughter.

For road trips.

 

Some people might say I’m lucky,

But I know all good things come from You.

Luck #1 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 13

 Not Luck

 

Today, as I drive for 7 hours,

I don’t put my trust in luck.

That could be a dangerous thing.

Driving through the deserts,

Over mountain passes,

Going 80 miles an hour on I40

among all the trucks.

 

I put my trust in You.

Thank You for being

my traveling companion,

whether I’m home or on the road.

Raw #3 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 12

Vacation Eve

 

Thank You, Lord,

The time of gathering

eggs fresh from the chickens has past.

No more feeding the dogs, the cats,

the bunnies the fish,

taking care of my friend’s son with autism.

At least, for now.

Thank You that my bags are packed.

We’re doing last-minute-getting-ready stuff.

Tomorrow we begin our vacation.

Arizona and California here we come,

if You’re willing and I think You are.

Raw #2 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 12

Getting a Fix

 

Thank You, Lord,

For raw emotions

Joy

Pain

Hope

Vulnerability

Love

Bitterness

 

Through them,

I can get a fix

on what’s really going on my life.

They spur me on to seek Your direction.

and reaffirm my reliance on You. 

Raw #1 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 12

 What Love Did

 

Raw and bleeding

Interceding

You hung on that cross

Gently dying

Disciples crying

Feeling painful loss

 

Victoriously rising

So surprising

Disciples filled with joy

But the leaving

Disciples grieving

Waiting Your employ

 

The Helper came

In Your name

May I hear Him clearly

My hands I raise

In thanks and praise

Yes, I love You dearly.

 

You’re the glory

In my story.

I’m just a conduit

Let Your message be heard

Through Your Word

May others turn to it.

 

For what You’ve done

Through Your Son

I thank You with all my heart

You are forgiving

And now I am living

For Your service set apart

Memory #3 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 11

Veterans Day

 

Thank You for Veterans Day,

to honor our living veterans

who served or are serving

in the armed forces.

 

Please bless them!

May the freedom they fight for

not be taken away by the pen

of misguided politicians. 

 

May our freedom

never become a distant memory.

Memory #2 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 11

Mistaken Identity 

 

Thank You, Lord, 

for my dad serving in WWII

and coming home with a Purple Heart

 and a piece of shrapnel

 they took out of his head. 

 

Thank you for the way he lovingly

talked about his brother

who was killed in France.

Thank You, that I have

Uncle Bill’s Purple Heart. 

 

When Dad had Alzheimer's 

I was driving him home one dark night

and when he started

asking me strange questions,

I realized he thought I was Uncle Bill.

 

It was kind of creepy.

He’d cite some memories

of him and his brother

and asked, kind of shocked,

“Don’t you remember that?”

 

But it was a compliment

to be linked to his beloved brother. 

When I imagine Heaven

I picture being greeted

by Dad and Uncle Bill.

Memory #1 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 11

 Poeming

 

I remember what it was like

to post poems in the PAD Challenge.

To feel the warm fuzzies

when someone liked your poem.

And the warmer fuzzies

when someone would take

the time to comment.

Thank You, Lord, for the wide variety of poets

and the camaraderie shared between them.

Thank You for the way

they skillfully weave words

into the fabric of my soul.

 

Thank You that I got my new computer today

and now will be able to join in the fun.

Nature #3 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 10

Time seems to flow at a fast pace.  

It’s seen in the lines on my face. 

As I watch it decay, 

I’m coming Your way! 

Thanks for Your merciful grace. 

 

 

Nature #2 Poetic Asides Challenge Nov 10

Landscaping 

 

Thank You, Lord, for Sid

and all the landscapers.

For the grass they laid,

the cedar fence—almost complete,

the fabric they put down before they plant bushes.

 

After twenty-two years of living in this house,

it’s starting to look like someone cares.

Thank You for our new back porch

and that Hubby likes to go out there

with his walker to sit in the sun.

 

Thank You, that now that we have grass,

the outdoor furniture won't get so dusty.

Thank You, Lord, for being the source of all good.

 You are wonderful, God.

May all I think say and do honor You.