Morning Poem

 Motivation

 

I didn’t want to start the day.

I lay in bed and let my mind wander.

Boys names through the alphabet.

Girls names through the alphabet.

Prayers through the alphabet.

 

Word associations like cat, dog, fun,

Travel, Judy, sister, Karen, Kathy,

Linda, Sessler, Jake, room, Africa,

Kenya, tent, safari, animals, poems,

Write, me, myself, I, win in Jesus.

 

And then I finally got out of bed

ready to start my day, bathroom,

washing up, making bed,

kissing Hubby, daily planning,

and writing this poem, hot tea.

sleep Poetic Bloomings

 

Lesser of Two Evils

 

Insomnia plagued me through the years

Bringing me often to wee AM tears

I made a decision that made doctors quiver

I chose between insomnia and risking my liver

So now each night I take Tylenol PM

And manage to go beyond the REM

ekphrastic

 

The Kenyan Moon

 

A bright full circle

contrasted the indigo sky,

casting enough light

to show elephants

and acacia trees

on the pale blue horizon.

Three silhouettes of tall, sleek giraffes

stood before the whiteness of the moon

their long necks angled

differently from one another.

 

(from a photo by Andy Weir)

Just Wondering

 

Gee Thanks

 

Since I’ve been overweight

I’m always surprised

by the people who tell you

that you need to diet and exercise,

as if you’ve never heard it

or even thought of it before.

That you haven’t tried 20-30 diets

and haven’t put yourself through contortions

or walked several miles and back daily.

 

They seem to think

that now they’ve enlightened you,

you will get your act together,

do all the right exercises,

eat all the right food

and hey presto you’ll soon be thin

and beautiful like they are.

 

Do they expect me to say?

“Gee, I never thought of that.

Thank you so much!

I’ll start today.

I’ll be eternally grateful for your advice!”

 

Or should I say,

Why don’t you mind your business

and work on your own flaws,

like your insensitivity?

Revision

 

Elephant Milk

 

At the elephant orphanage

the greedy baby elephants ran out,

eager to devour the big bottles of milk.

Some of them trumpeted their displeasure

when their bottle was empty.

 

A bystander asked what kind of milk they drank.

The keeper said, “They had to design a formula,

to be as close to elephant mama’s milk as possible,

because it’s hard to milk an elephant.”

I wouldn’t want to try it. 

 

Consider Peter Baraza, a 21-year-old farmer

who got nearly a pint of milk from an elephant

before she realized it wasn’t her suckling calf.

The angry mama tossed Baraza into the air,

and then chased him up a nearby tree.

 

With her strong trunk, she uprooted the tree

with Baraza clinging for dear life to its branches.

A crowd of screaming women distracted

Mama Elephant, allowing Baraza to be rescued.

He suffered broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder.

 

Nope, I wouldn’t try to milk an elephant.

 

(from Chicago Tribune October 29, 1998)

 

 

Chapbook

 

Sweet Baraka

 

When our tour guide told us

we’d pet a black rhino,

I thought she was joking.

 

You don’t pet

huge aggressive rhinos

with big, long horns.

 

But Baraka,

a kindly gentleman rhino

lives at Old Pejeta conservancy.

 

Blind in both eyes,

one lost in a fight

the other to cataracts.

 

He greets visitors gladly,

especially when they give him

some plants to munch.

 

In Swahili, Baraka means “blessings.”

I don’t know if he feels blessed,

blind and away from other rhinos.

 

But being allowed to pat him on the head

and scratch behind his ears,

I felt truly blessed.

ambitious Poetic Asides

 

Mr. Hall’s Car

 

Sometime my ambition

like Mr. Hall’s car

doesn’t go that far

and I sit

and enjoy the sunshine

streaming through the window,

the pictures hanging on my walls,

a steaming cup of tea

and my Christmas tree

that may stay up a while.

ambitious Poetic Asides

 

Upwards

 

My overall ambition

is to regard this life

as a temporary condition

and direct my attention

Upwards.

New Poetic Bloomings

 

Happy New Year!

 

Hello, 2023!

What do you have in store for me?

Please treat me well as did your brother.

2022 was like no other.

 

I have set some goals inside of you.

That would take miracles to see them through.

So allow the Author to write my story

May all I do bring Him glory.

 

Through good and bad I live by grace.

The righteous, indeed, will live by faith.

I pray for great blessings in you, New Year

For friends and family I hold dear.

Ambitious Poetic Asides

 BHAGs

 

Big, hairy, audacious goals

I seem to have them by the droves

They’re fun to think about

And sometimes carry out

But the big ones get boggy

My mind becomes foggy

And I chip away, as at blocks of ice

Getting things done would be nice

But the BHAGs survive from year to year

And I may never get them done, I fear.

new Poetic Asides

 

Newborn

 

Forty-one years ago today

I stared into the deep, steely

eyes of a newborn girl

and said, “Hello, friend!”

And I’m happy to say

I can still say that today.

Uncommon Love Poetic Bloomings

 

Uncommon Love

 

How do you describe

Your uncommon love?

You are love.

You expressed Yourself

In Creation

 

In the Jewish nation

In the law

But You were misunderstood.

You cleared Your throat

and clarified.

 

You sent Jesus

who expressed You, His Father

In miraculous healings, deliverance

provision and teaching

In death, burial and resurrection.

 

In salvation

In the Holy Spirit

In the promise of His return,

when we will meet Uncommon Love

face to face.

 

 

winter Poetic Asides

 A Winter Morning

 

The heater’s steady hum

breaks the morning silence.

Christmas tree lights

sparkle through darkness.

Dull light creeps through

Venetian blind slats.

Hot tea with cream and sugar

kiss my lips.

Sweetness comforts

while caffeine wakes me up.

The blank screen of a new day

awaits words and images.

May it be art and poetry.

Morning Prayer

 The Father’s Love

 

Like a newborn baby

in his father’s arms,

help me relax in Your love.

 

Like a toddler running to the door

when her father comes home

and lets him scoop her up

and whirl her around,

may I take joy

in Your affection

and presence.

AM meditation

 

The Older Brother

 

Remind me of what the father said

to the older brother of the Prodigal,

“You are always with me,

and all that is mine is yours.”

Fellowship with You is the most important,

plus I have access to what You have

through prayer. Thank You.

bank Poetic Asides

 

Along the Bank

 

As a child,

walking along the bank

of Shannon Creek

near New Florence, Pennsylvania,

my last name Shannon,

I dreamed of walking along the bank

of Shannon River in Ireland

and one day I did.

 

Thank You Lord,

for making a child’s dream come true.

caterwauling Poetic Bloomings

 

Caterwauling

 

Her small two-story

white, balloon-framed house

sits on hundreds of acres

in Colorado, which has been

 in her family for generations.

 

She’s single, senior years,

alone, but not lonely.

One night, she hears

a sound that seems

to run up her spine.

 

A shrieking sound,

like a woman in distress.

She knows it’s a mountain lion.

She prays for her alpacas, her geese,

her goats, her Anatolian shepherd.

 

In the morning she goes out.

Chisolm greets her with innocent eyes

and wagging tail. He had done his job.

Her animals are safe. She thanks God

for her life in which she is joyfully engaged.

warm up Poetic Asides

 

Safari Tent

 

Our safari tent, yes, had canvas sides

with zip up windows, but differed

from a regular tent otherwise.

A thatched roof sat on the tent like a hat.

The inside looked like a motel room

two beds, end tables, lamps, electricity.

 

A canvas flap set apart the bathroom:

shower, sink, toilet with a curtain.

Cozy and comfortable, but the best

was when you got to bed in the chilly evenings

and found that while you were out on safari

the maid had placed a hot water bottle in your bed.

 

And as you snuggled in that warm bed

you fell asleep instantly, waking early

and rested for the next safari.

Time to Celebrate Poetic Bloomings

 A Time to Celebrate

 

As one who likes to travel,

Sometimes when I roam,

I wonder if home’s vacation

Or if vacation is my home.

 

I’ve been on the road

Five weeks today,

Arizona, Nebraska,

And Kenya way.

 

Next week in Colorado,

I will celebrate

Arriving home

At my own gate.

Picture from Africa trip

 

Beneath an Acacia Tree

 

In an open field in Kenya

under a murky sky

with a distant forest in the background,

beneath a lone, thin acacia tree

with umbrella-like shade,

lies a small graveyard.

Black headstones in rows.

 

Birth and death dates are inscribed,

as expected, but something unexpected,

no surnames, just Rosey or Jasper or Tuff.

Also listed is how the grave’s occupant died,

usually shot by gun or spear.

 

This is a rhinoceros graveyard

in an effort to raise awareness

and to discourage poachers

who threaten the existence

of these unique animals.

And Blank PADd 30-3

 

And the Last Poem

 

Ninetieth poem

Written in a hurry

And a flurry

And a lack of enthusiasm

Or inspiration

But still, it counts.

And Blank PAD 30-2

 

And for the Fun of It

 

Thank you for your words

Poeming together

And for the fun of it.

And Blank PAD 30-1

 

And One More Fling

 

Arizona, Nebraska,

New York, Kenya, Arizona

Around in a ring

Off to a resort in Scottsdale

for one more fling.

Truth or Dare PAD 29-4

 Daring

 

I love to travel,

but after tickets are bought,

tour group decided, plans are made,

I always feel a little bit of fear and trepidation.

What did I get myself into this time?

 

Getting to know the dozen in our tour group,

hearing the loud frogs near our hotel,

bouncing and slushing around in the mud

in safari vehicles, seeing elephants, lions, zebras

gazelles, impalas, monkeys and many other animals,

visiting the museums, the elephant orphanage,

feeding Rothschild Giraffes at the Giraffe Centre,

petting the old blind Baraka the rhino,

seeing an ostrich in an open field

and later tasting one at the Carnivore Restaurant,

boating in Lake Naivasha, watching brave fishermen

with their nets among the dangerous hippos,

walking in the park among giraffes, zebras and water bucks.

 

The many people scurrying here and there,

the many church-goers walking

in their suits and dresses on Sunday,

those selling their wares in tumble-down stands,

the brave women running their bead businesses

and making weavings starting from scratch,

spinning their own wool to support schools and families,

and the children, those wonderful children

who hugged us and inquisitively touched our hair.

 

Despite struggling to meet a writing deadline,

temporarily losing my cell phone,

spending too many schillings, traveler’s diarrhea,

thirty-two exhausting hours of travel home

and coming down with COVID though fully vaccinated,

despite all the hoops and hurdles, it was worth it

and I’m glad I dared go to Kenya.

Truth or Dare PAD 29-3

 

Dare

 

D are to believe Jesus

A nd do not worry

R emember to step out in faith

E ternity awaits

Truth or Dare PAD 29-2

 

Truth

 

T ruth has a name

R edemption, salvation

U nderstanding, wisdom

T he way, the truth, the life

H is name is Jesus

Truth or Dare PAD 29-1

 

I am who I am

No matter how you dare me

I will not give in

Remix PAD 28-3

 

Remix of November 22

 

Transcending Love

 

I saw love in Kenyan school children

as they recited their lessons, 

sang their songs

and then in a sea of blue school uniforms

dark skin, black hair, brown eyes and smiles,

they hugged each one of us

mostly senior, white ladies.

One of the most cherished memories

of my travels in Africa.