PA sensitive

Sensitivity

 

Lord, help me be sensitive

to Your voice.

A voice within me,

yet not my own.

Higher above myself

than the Carrick A Rede bridge

above the Atlantic Ocean.

Stepping Up Poetic Bloomings

 

 

One Foot in Front of Another

 

I tell myself, “Keep going!

If you don’t stop,

you’ll get there!”

Surprise PAD 30-1

 

To China

 

I dreamed I went to China

and you were there,

once a missionary

to China for 20 years.

We walked together

along a shady road.

 

I said, “I’m so glad,

we’re here together.

I’ve been praying for this.”

Weird to dream about

when I’m on my way

to Europe.

Sight PAD 29-3

 

Parisian Scene

 

Pink cherry blossoms

frame the Eiffel Tower,

a triangle curved

and pointing up

to a pale blue sky

filled with fluffy white clouds.

 

A bateau-mouche boat

filled with tourists

heads for the arches

of the Pont d’ Iéna bridge

which spans the River Seine

and leads to the famous landmark.

Sight PAD 29-2

 

Llanddwyn Island, Wales

 

Old rock stairs curve upwards

to a squat, white lighthouse

perched on a rocky pinnacle

overlooking the Caarnarfon Bay

with views of the rugged

mountains of Snowdonia.

Sight PAD 29-1

 London

 

The bright red telephone booth

seems to pose for a selfie

in front of Big Ben

and the sprawling

Palace of Westminster.

You are blank PAD 28-3

 You Are It for Me

 

You are peace in clamor

Sweet in sour

Hope in despair

 

Water in drought

Faith in doubt

Freshness in air

 

Comfort in stress

Order in mess

Calmness in scare

 

Beauty in ugly

Lovely in unlovely

I’m glad that You care.

You Are Blank PAD 28-2

 

You Are Poemers

 

You are a voice of encouragement

Camaraderie

Beauty 

Though I can’t see your faces

I can see your smiles

And your tears

They come through in your poems.

You are blank PAD 28-1

 You Are Not the Man I Married

 

You are not the man I married

and that’s okay.

I’m not the woman

you married either.

 

In forty-three plus years

that young couple

standing on a Pennsylvania lawn

repeating vows

is like a single cell

compared to a person.

 

And like an ocean

what is unseen

is much more impressive

than what is seen.

Anapodoton PAD 27-4

Where There’s a Will

 

There’s peace of mind

that your stuff

will go where you wish

when you die.

 

But you may want

to clear some of it out

and not burden your kids

with all that sorting

 

And who knows?

You may be allowed

to watch from Heaven

and you’ll be saying,

 

Oh no, don’t throw that away!

That was expensive!

Or I made that for my father!

Or that belonged to Great Aunt Ruth!

 

Perhaps a will is insufficient

for complete peace of mind.

  

Anapodoton PAD 27-3

 A Rolling stone

 

In Colorado

can squash your car like a bug,

dig a ditch through a highway

and be so big

it is named, wears a plaque

and becomes a point of interest

where you can stop and take pictures.

Anapodoton PAD 27-2

 Curiosity

 

Killed no one

and that cute little monkey

and the man with a yellow hat

may have squelched many little

explorers,

active learners

and adventurous spirits.

Anapodoton PAD 27-1

 

The Grass is Always Greener

 

When you water it.

But don’t do it more

than every other day

or the water police

will fine you.

When living in the southwest,

water takes priority

over green grass.

Response PPT 26-3

 French Souvenirs

 

Macarons or madeleines

Chocolate or French cheese

Herbs and spices, even mustard

Colored salt, aromatic teas

 

A striped mariniere jersey

Fridge magnets, though cliché

Eiffel Tower keychains

Or perhaps a French beret

 

French perfume and old postcards

Scarves in a plethora of colors

A Louis Vuitton handbag

Though it costs many dollars

 

There’s lots of things from which to choose

As Parisian souvenirs you peruse

 

Response to 24 Souvenirs to Buy in Paris & Where to Find Them

 

 

Response PPT 26-2

 Mona Lisa

 

Mona Lisa smiles

And soon I will too.

Because I’ll be seeing her

Right there at the Louvre.

 

Will I have time to stare at her,

Like she stares at me?

Or will I be pushed away

by a crowd that wants to see.

 

I’ll marvel at the colors

Dark and full of gloom,

But somehow, they manage

To share light into the room.

 

Da Vinci painted her

About 1504.

She’s the most written about.

So this poem’s just one more.

 

Response to Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci

 

 

 

 

Response PAD 26-1

 

Intercession

 

My pastor prays for me

My church prays for me

My friends pray for me

My sisters pray for me

My kids pray for me

My husband prays for me

And even Jesus Himself prays for me.

What do I have to worry about?

Even if I die,

He is able to save me completely.

 

In response to Hebrews 7:25 (NIV): Therefore he (Jesus) is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Dreams Reality PAD 25-3

 Like Uncle Joe Moving Slow

 

Instead of up scheming

I’d like to be dreaming

Cozy in in my bed

But I’m up and about

Ready to go out

I’d like to stay in, instead

Dream Reality PAD 25-2

 Bucket List

 

Australia where kangaroos roam

Brazil where ocelots call home

Cabo Verde with great cuisine

Denmark where Legos can be seen

El Salvador to visit a friend

France, tourist sites with no end

Germany, to see Berlin art

Hungary, the thermal lakes part

Iceland to see Northern Lights

Japan to climb Mount Fuji’s heights

Kiribati to scuba dive

Liechtenstein where hikers thrive

Morocco, find treasures in souqs

New Zealand enjoying the views

Oman, boat and hike Wadi Shab

Philippines, revisit for Dad

Qatar, to relax on the beaches

Romania, castles and churches

Seychelles, a fine coastline drive  

Thailand, Bridge Over River Kwai

United Kingdom, explore via tube

Vanuatu, shipwrecks and seafood

Wales, U. K., on Snowdonia trains

Xcaret, Mexico, where fun reigns

Yugoslavia (What used to be)

Zambia, to walk on Safari

Perhaps my goals are too high.

But I can dream, can’t I?

 

Dream Reality PAD 25-1

 Are We Really Doing This?

 

Time and plans

seem to creep and climb

like a roller coaster.

Then it’s both hands in the air,

laughing

screaming

rushing

up and down

around

this way and that

fast

stop.

Then we get off

and it’s behind us.

touch PAD 24-3

 

In the Nick of Time

 

Can’t wait to feel

that hard, smooth,

cold U.S. passport

in my hot little hands

a week from today

in Tucson, Arizona,

while here I sit

in 60-degree weather,

there, close to 100.

touch PAD 24-2

 Popped

 

My hubby used to be slow

to show his emotions, but

after two strokes, I hear him

giggling down the hallway.

 

At church, when he’s touched

by a sermon about the love of God

and our glorious future in Heaven,

he breaks into shoulder-shaking sobs.

 

It’s like most of his emotions

have been like water in a balloon and

whatever the strokes did to his brain

popped it.

touch PAD 24-1

 

Back in Time

 

When I woke up this morning,

it was like I went back in time

when I would wake, as a child,

to frost on our windows,

after the banked, coal fire

barely glowed down in the cellar.

This morning, I discovered

I had left the back door open

all night long.

Fear PAD 23-3

 There was a man from Algiers

Who was plagued by terrible fears.

He went to a shrink

Asked, what do you think?

But his fears had brought her to tears.

Fear PAD 23-2

 Fear

 

F uture catastrophes

E nvisioned

A ware of impending danger

R eal or otherwise

Fear PAD 23-1

 Live Anyway

 

I’m afraid to travel.

But I love to travel.

Such fun and adventure!

So I travel anyway.

 

I’m afraid to speak publicly.

But when I’m through

I’m glad I gave to someone else.

So I speak publicly anyway.

 

I’m afraid to plan big events.

A million things can go wrong.

But all attendees benefit.

So I plan big events anyway.

 

I’m afraid I’ll outlive my kids.

But I can’t do much about that.

I can enjoy the times I’m with them.

So I’ll live anyway.

 

It’s not the traveling, the speaking,

The planning, the living

That should end,

Just the fear.

 

 

food words Poetic Bloomings

 The Elevator Ride 

 

When she got on the elevator

she was sandwiched between

two large football-player types.

As more people boarded,  

they squashed her further in.

Her buns smashed against the back.

She was about to go bananas

when they reached the top floor.

After the ding, everyone got out.

This may sound corny,

but she was saved by the bell,

peppered with relief.