Moon Poetic Bloomings

 

Moonlit Romance

 

The hazy full moon

rested in the somber blue sky

over the reflective lake

edged by mountain

and pine silhouettes.

 

A long rustic dock

pointed to it all.

On the end of the dock,

young lovers

shared their first kiss.

Six Words PAD 20-3

 Having Enough

 

It was more than she could bear,

this man who once had flair.

He would grab her by the collar

and would like to hear her holler,

when no one else could hear

and she was filled with fear.

 

A man others would praise.

She once thought it a phase.

She finally decided to scramble

and let him wander and ramble.

She was worth more than this.

She left him with a kiss.

 

 

 

Six Words PAD 20-2

 Bearing the Cross

 

So on Sunday mornings,

we get dressed in our best

straighten our collars,

and drive off to church.

 

We participate in praise

with a band who has flair

for making a joyful noise

and leading us into worship.

 

We hear the young pastor

who encourages us

to bear our cross

and follow Jesus.

 

Then we ramble out the door

to our homes for a good lunch

and quiet afternoon, wondering,

Do we really bear our cross?

 

Six Words PAD 20-1

 Meeting a Bear in the Woods

 

We, four teachers and ten children,

rambled through Ponderosa Pines.

We had put a stuffed bear beside a tree

and had taken off the red bow collar

so he’d become more intimidating.

 

When they spotted the bear,

we told them to make a lot of noise

so it would hear and get scared.

They already had a flair for being loud.

They shouted, blew their whistles,

and raised their arms to look bigger.

 

A teacher, who was hiding behind the tree,

grabbed the bear and ran off.

We praised the kids for scaring off the bear.

Emotion PAD 19-3

 Playing a New Game with Guests  

 

No reason or rhyme,

This doesn’t make sense.

Are we wasting time?

Becoming so tense.

 

I’m feeling grouchy.

And then comes the shame.

These feelings—ouchy!

I don’t like this game!

 

And then the light dawns.

Now, I understand.

Excitement not yawns,

So, let’s play again!

Emotion PAD 19-2

 Our Pastor

 

Every Sunday he preaches

And speaks to our soul.

When it’s time to go home,

We’re feeling more whole.

 

Each week I’m amazed.

His sermons are great.

Such wisdom he has,

At only twenty-eight!

Emotion PAD 19-1

 Nature Discovery

 

When working with children

Enthusiasm, I feel!

Trekking through the forest

With zest and zeal.

 

Seeing their excitement

Watching them play

They’re having an adventure.

Oh, what a day!

 

In awe of nature’s wonders

By beauty, we’re dazzled.

But then I go home

Worn out and frazzled.

 

A week to recharge

My batteries are low.

Then the next week,

I’m ready to go!

Pessimistic PAD 18-3

 

Denial is not a River in Africa

 

With frequent depression, I concluded,

If dwelling on the negative makes me fall.

It’s better not to think at all.

Sometimes you can make denial work for you.

Pessimistic PAD 18-2

 

A  novelist

Must be a bit of a pessimist

Able to see problems

To write Main Characters

In and out of them.

Pessimistic PAD 18-1

 Pessimistic

 

P ersistently seeing the downside 

E xpecting bad things to happen

S ymptom of hopelessness

S ymptom of lack of faith                                        

I magining evil outweighs the good

M editating on catastrophes

I nsisting problems are unsolvable

S tranger to true joy and confidence

T urning people off with the negatives

I gnoring the possibilities

C onstantly whining and complaining         

Not Blank PAD 17-3

 Not Bad

 

Ten children watched as we built a fire,

Tinder, a match, kindling and firewood.

They talked and laughed as the flames went higher,

But they did keep their distance as they should.

They hoped that we’d cook something very good.

Of the Oregon Trail, they’ve come to learn.

We taught fire safety as logs did burn.   

We brought out the big cast-iron pot we had.

Of cornmeal and water, each took a turn.  

Hey, hasty pudding with honey—not bad!

Not Blank 17-2

 Not a Cloud in the Sky

 

Not a cloud in the sky

The sun is shining

The sky is bright blue,

So I’ll stop my whining.

 

Family’s on their way

Across the mountain pass.

I’m relieved that spring

Is finally here at last.

 

Colorado mountains

Covered with snow

Can be dangerous.

Lord, protect them as they go.

 

Not Blank PAD 17-1

 Not my will, but Yours

I try to echo His plea

Lord, change my “wanter”

Form PAD 16-3

 A Shadorma  3/5/3/3/7/5

 

Poeming and Nature Discovery

 

Three minutes

To write a poem

Work today

Forest time

With ten rambunctious children

And one teacher short

Form PAD 16-2

 Nonette

 

It’s a form for mathematicians

Or one who likes to tap fingers

Play at counting syllables

Fun, when it comes out right

Can be frustrating

So almost there

Just two more

At last

Done!

Form PAD 16-1

 5 3 5 Lune

 

We start thinking spring

Then it snows

Why Colorado?

Middle PAD 15-3

 

Middle Child Syndrome 

So much bad is said about being the middle child. I somewhat envied the sister in the middle of my family. She had two older and two younger sisters. Nice and even. I was the youngest for six years until the baby came along and usurped my position. I wouldn’t want the place of my two oldest sisters. They kind of forged the way and things were more settled by the time the youngest and I joined in. However, I always felt invisible between the commotion of three older sisters and the demands of the baby. Maybe it was me that felt the middle child syndrome.

 

Ah, it dawns on me

I, too, am a middle child

Yes, I can be seen

Middle PAD 15-2

 

I’d like to be fit as a fiddle

But there’s this thing called a middle

It jiggles like jelly

Be gone fat belly!

How to do so remains a riddle

Middle PAD 15-1

 In the Middle

 

Hubby dwelled in the circumference.

If his parents drew a circle

He’d be standing there with his toes over it.

Or, in his teenage years, way beyond it.

He always tested the limits.                                                          

Me, I was always somewhere in the middle.

Ekphrastic PAD 14-3, sun Poetic Bloomings

 “Sun Water” by Tamara Phillips, A Painting

 

The yellowish-orange sun plays in the colorful striped water

Purples, blues, pinks, oranges show between the rays

An image which portrays the emotions of a warm smile

Ekphrastic PAD 14-2, sun Poetic Bloomings

 “Towards the Sun,” a Painting by Leonid Afremov

 

The sun glimmered a path

in the dark, rippled ocean.

One lone sailboat silhouetted

against the burnt orange sky,

its sails pointing to a dark cloud

seemingly ridden by

an orange cloud nymph

its hair blowing in the wind.

Ekphrastic PAD 14-1, sun Poetic Bloomings

 Enticing

 

Tall skinny, trees,

the Italian Cypress,

give away the location

of this landscape.

 

The stone buildings

with red-tiled rooves.

Grapevines featured

in the foreground.

 

The glowing golden fields

make the sun’s presence known.

The cliffs and mountain ridges,

the muted blue sky hint sunset.

 

I can imagine being there soon

adding the smell of pizza,

the sounds of Italian mandolins,

and words like ciao, grazie, amore.

 

“Coral Sunset Tuscany” by Phillip Craig

teases my senses and I long for more.

Living PAD 13-3

 What if death is just a door—

Nothing less

and nothing more?

living PAD 13-2

 

Living (in the style of Red)

 

Loving lavishly

Intimate intercession

Vivacious visions

Inviting ideas

Nimble notations

Gregarious gallivanting

 

This was a little difficult since Red picked some of the words I would have used.

living PAD 13-1

 

Kayaking, hiking, biking

makes me feel alive!

At times, my lovely, little home

feels like a tomb.

Funny PAD 12-3

 Just a Missing N

 

We had a teenager staying with us

who only spoke Spanish.

Late one night, I said, in Spanish,

“I’m tired, I’m going to bed.”

She looked down and stifled a giggle.

When relating this to a friend, she laughed.

Instead of saying, “Estoy cansada.” I’m tired.

I had said “Estoy casada.” I’m married.

It gave the sentence a whole different meaning.

Funny PAD 12-2

 Mindset Readjustment

 

A man with disabilities came to live with us.

He liked to play with noisy toys.

One of them was particularly annoying.

I had enough of listening to it

and it was getting time for bed.

I did what I did when my kids were little,

I put the toy up on a high shelf.

But at 5’10,” he walked over and took it off.

I had to readjust my thinking.

Funny PAD 12-1

 There once was a poet name Sunny

Who tried to write something funny

His thoughts in his room

Were somber as a tomb,

“I’m glad it’s not how I make money.”

Memory PAD 11-3

First Time West

 

When we arrived in Wyoming

from Pennsylvania,

I remember my sister saying,

“Whoever wrote Population Explosion

has never been here.”

I thought Wyoming looked unfinished.

 

It was my first time west.

My sister’s speedometer was stuck on 55.

I had my driver’s permit

and couldn’t tell if I was going 55 or 95.

It made for some hair-raising moments,

particularly for the passengers.

memory PAD 11-2

 Summers in Delaware

 

Every summer, the seven of us would cram into our station wagon with our belongings stored underneath a row boat on the roof and escaped into the night like a band of refugees to travel from Pennsylvania to Delaware. Dad would never drive during the day because of the traffic, but mostly because his five daughters would sleep. We’d wake up and it was like magic to be in grass, trees and hills one moment and sand, water and flatlands the next. We’d spend the week in a little cabin by the lake---swimming, fishing, playing hide-n-seek, having water fights and cookouts. We’d go to the ocean a few times, and despite Mom’s best efforts, we’d get sunburnt. Over the years, we got to know the locals and my oldest sister almost married one of them. That was the summer only four of us girls went down and slept in a tent on an island, which we learned had a large population of raccoons and that you shouldn't keep food in your tent unless you want visitors. Eventually going to Delaware was only a memory—well actually, many memories.

 

The seven of us

Fun, magical memories

Sand, sun, ocean, lake

Memory PAD 11-1

  We Went by One Name

 

We went by one name, where Dad was concerned
KathyJudyLindaConnieKaren
Or sometimes Sassafras, Smokey or Sam
Over the years, we got with the program

Answer to anything is what we learned

As Dad got older, his memory churned
By little discrepancies we were warned
We all realized we were in a jam
We went by one name

Gradually the situation turned     
He didn’t know us and we felt burned
But he could still say, this great refrain,
KathyJudyLindaConnieKaren
We are Shannons, the name given, not earned
We went by one name

(A Rondeau mutant)