Sunday, September 30, 2012

Devotional thought


Pride and Humility 

Pride disguises
as humility
with words such as “I can’t,”
“I’m nothing,” “I’m weak,”
“I’m incompetent.”
With Pride it’s all about “I,”
leaving God out of the picture.

True humility says,
 “I’m weak, but God is powerful,”
“I can’t, but God can.”
“My knowledge is limited,
but God knows all.”

True Humility
steps out hand in hand with Faith
knowing a strong powerful loving God
desires to work through
limited  humans.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Wordle: memorize, sharp, boat, fabric, draw, lift, amber, heart, motions, dripping, path, joints


The Harpist
(an alouette) 

Swim motions on harp
Melodic not sharp
Memorized by clever trick
Like honey dripping
Rowboat oars slipping
Or rustle of silk fabric

Subtle draw and shift
Faintly then a lift
Like amber lake shimmering
By a golden path
Though joints suffer wrath
A hopeful heart’s glimmering

Friday, September 28, 2012


7:56
 

Hallway and stove lights
grow dimmer as sunshine brightens.
Dogs bark in the distance and cars roar.
Kitty sits on my lap underneath an afghan,
occasionally moving like a fetus in a womb.
Drawers thump and plastic and pills click,
as Hubby pulls the medicine.
Our man shuffles out with M & M man
smiling and soliciting kisses.
Our woman moans at morning commotion.
Now 8: 06 time to get breakfast.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Poetic Asides trespass #2


Roots

I trespass
In the neighbor’s yard
To cut the roots of the tree
Of which its branches trespassed in mine

Our problems
May originate
In distant places or time
And we busy ourselves plucking leaves

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Poetic Asides-Trespassing and Poetic Bloomings Zymurgy

Like Adventurous Children
 

Children like adventure, to roam and wander.
W hen we were little we’d venture through hills
A nd woods and come upon no-trespassing signs
N ailed to trees or hanging on fences. We weren’t
D isturbed because many acres were free to
E xplore.  To country kids, creeks, vines, trees and
R ocks were like playgrounds were to town kids.  

Kids like to go here and there and where
W onders await. For endless hours, we
H ad fun climbing, swinging, sliding until
E xhausted. We’d soar in pretend jets and
R ockets and fight villains, monsters and
E vil men to protect our part of the woods—        

Woods where we were allowed—always.
A t times we’d be enticed by the forbidden,
L ike a decrepit house surrounded by
W eeds, a hidden monastery or other
A ssorted private properties. But we knew
Y ou got in enough trouble even where we were
S upposed to be.  We knew, firsthand, it was so.  

 So we stuck to where we were welcome.
W ould to God we’d all remember to
E ngage in opportunites our
L oving God has for us. At times we stay too
C lose to the fences, not venturing out.
O beying His no-trespassing signs, we
M ight have more fun and adventure
E xploring all of the wonders He offers.

 

Tuesday, September 25, 2012


Morning tea
Chatting with a friend
One rainy autumn morning
We talk about our summer
Brace ourselves for snow
Encourage

Monday September 24, 2012


Agreement

 

Sometimes, we try to please God

in our own ways

and we actually say no to His blessings,

but instead get into a whole pile of trouble.

He lets us experience this bondage,

in hope we will turn around

and walk in the freedom He has for us.

 

From head to heart,

from in to out,

God wants us to know Him,

walk in His overcoming power,

and receive His blessings

in His way,

in Jesus Christ.

 

Religious practice is not true humility,

but acknowledging who God is

and who we are in Christ—

beloved, accepted, blessed, forgiven,

set apart for Him, children of God—

able to go boldly to the throne of grace

to find help in time of need.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Sunday Septembe 23, 2012 Poetic Bloomings Prompt My Love Affair With...


Hiking
 

Hiking in the desert
With a water jug or two
Hiking up a mountain
Exclaiming at the view
 

Hiking in the forest
Midst moss and feathery ferns
Hiking along the ocean beach
Until my pale skin burns
 

Hiking down a pebbled creek
Ducking under bridges
Hiking around a clean blue lake
Admiring rough ridges
 

Hiking in a cavern
Getting cold and muddy
Hiking hills and broad cornfields
Chatting with a buddy
 

Hiking by the river’s edge
Across the stepping stones
Hiking by the geysers
Adventure in my bones
 

Hiking in deep canyons
Scrambling up the rocks
Hiking along the ocean bays
Smelling fishy docks
 

Listening to the great outdoors
Boldly tell its story
Of the wondrous Creator
His beauty and His glory

 

 

Saturday September 22, 2012


Jesus, my first love
All I think, say, write and do
I devote to You

Friday, September 21, 2012

Poetic Asides Prompt Worst thing that happened to you


A Bad Day

 

Mom, a long time diabetic,

developed a sore on her foot

and needed an amputation.

I stood there staring

at the spot

where Mom’s leg should have been.

 

At her home, I received a call from my husband.

When his mom took her daily walk,

two chows attacked nearly killing her.

I stared at my computer screen

of news photos

looking like a murder scene.

 

It wasn’t a good day for mothers.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Poetic Asides prompt your worst thing


Bound and Determined

The bond of marriage
frees when
your heart’s desire
is to be permanently attached,
To love
To depend on
To respect
To support
To cherish
To be friends and lovers.
But when your spouse
loses touch with reality,
and you feel widowed
though your spouse is still alive,
and then repeatedly widowed
with every episode,
the marriage vow
truly becomes a bond.
The bond restrains
until healing begins
and freedom returns.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Poetic Bloomings Swap Quatrain



When it Storms

When the skies are gray, the air grows cool
The wind picks up, the shadows rule
The water laps, the pine trees sway
The air grows cool when the skies are gray
 

When the thunder rolls the lightning splits
The animals hide, and the downpour hits
The campers run as the weather controls
The lightning splits when the thunder rolls
 

On our journey here, the storms will come
We’ll want to hide, we’ll want to run
But in our God, we have no fear
The storms will come on our journey here

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

choka



Wonders
Huge hot-air balloons
Capturing our attention
Bright colors floating in peace
No longer earth bound
What wonders humans can do
Ah, yes, but look at the clouds!


Monday, September 17, 2012

Prompt Skeletons in the Closet


Past Secrets

 

Perfectly hidden,

percolating under the surface,

poisonous like cancer,

piranha-like eating away spirit, not flesh,

persistent, until one day, their existence is

proved, diagnosed.

Persuaded, you face reality,

 

pushing through it,

persevering, you survive,

powerfully thrive. Or

perhaps you don’t. But

perchance you don’t,

positively your loved ones know, you

passionately did the best you could.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Poetic Bloomings Prompt Death


Immunization and Cure

I suppose I became somewhat immune to death as a child.

Dad was a hunter
Dead animals everywhere
Their deaths helped us live

 

My grandmother on my mother’s side was the first to go. I was only five. Mom would take me down to her house and I would play in my world while Grandma was in the adult world. Pappap and Mom must have worked hard taking care of her, but it was all in my peripheral. When she died I just thought that’s what old people do. It was a part of life to me, like dead fish in the frig.

 

My red boots dangled
When Dad lifted me to see
Grandma’s still, white face

 

In my teen years my grandfather on my dad’s side and my mom’s sister passed away. It was odd that the first time I saw my Dad cry was when my aunt died. I wasn’t all that sure he even liked her since Dad criticized a lot. That’s when death first touched my feelings, not because of my loss, but because it made my Dad cry.

 

When my Aunt Marg died
Dad sat hunched over and sobbed
I stared in wonder

 

When I was a young adult, death’s painful emotions caught up with me for the first time, when my friend’s baby died. We had prayed for little Bethany when she was born with a defective heart. She only lived a few weeks. Her parents’ grief saturated the air making it difficult to breathe.

 

Baby doll in lace
Sorrow and grief sting and claw
We live on, with scars

 

They say the care-giving spouse goes first, which was the case with my mom and dad. Alzheimer’s rendered Dad unaware when Mom died. He died two months later. I gain comfort knowing that neither one of them had to grieve each other’s death. I often picture Dad spying Mom at heaven’s gates and exclaiming, “What are you doing here?” My four sisters and I painfully plowed through each first holiday without them.

 

Without Mom and Dad
Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
Celebrate with tears

 

And now death has touched my generation. On a demolition job, tons of steel and concrete fell on my brother-in-law. Our last family reunion included a memorial.

 

Husband died, sis crushed
Said goodbyes through coffin lid
Full reunion waits

 

I am not immune to death. I feel it with all my senses. But I count on Christ, the one who rose from the dead, to be the cure. His death helps me live.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Knock out 100 days of summer prompt


Knock Out 

K nock out gorgeous
N ot shy, audaciously flirting
O ranges, golds, greens
C olorado fall, seductive and sexy
K nock out gorgeous

O penly, unabashedly daring
U nder a bright blue sky, alluring  
T imbered mountains, dressed to kill

Friday, September 14, 2012

Rictameter

October in Colorado 
Mountains
Crisp autumn air
Shimmering gold aspens
Pines sway about in rustling wind
Bold rocky-walled backdrop
Lake of colors
Mountains

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Haiku


Actors murmuring
Unseen in theatre’s wings
Daily tasks waiting

Poetic Asides prompt -- Interview

An Interview with Daniel
 

This is Curi Ositiy with
Time Traveler News
here with Daniel
in Babylon, Sixth Century.
Daniel, how did it feel
to be thrown into the lion’s den?

I was worried more for the king.
He was tricked into signing the order
to not pray to God for thirty days,
which led to my sentence of death,
and he was greatly distressed.

 Weren’t you afraid?

Yes, but I knew God would either protect me
or take me to be with Him.
My emotions just had to catch up.

 Tell me what it was like facing hungry lions?
Dark, stinky and I was hungry myself.
They didn’t plan for a last meal,
 since I was supposed to be it.

What was it like when you realized
the lions wouldn’t hurt you? 

Kind of nice.
Have you ever heard lions purr?
Lulled me right to sleep.
And they made for comfy pillows. 

And when they freed you, what was that like?

A relief but it was also tragic
since the men who framed me
and their families
were thrown into the den.
They died before they hit bottom.
It’s not a sound I’ll soon forget. 

Terrible! What would you like to say
 to those who are listening? 

This is for future people, correct?

Yes, it's airing in 2012.

 I’ll echo my good friend King Darius,
 
Worship the living God,
the eternal ruler.
He saves, rescues, and  
 performs astounding miracles

in heaven and on earth.”

He saved me from the power of the lions.

Thank you Daniel. Remarkable story.
Next in the news,
Children in public schools
forbidden to pray or read Bible stories.

Tuesday Sept 11, 2012


Cool, quiet morning
Clock ticking, kitty purring
Tea whistles, “It’s time!”

Monday Sept 10, 2012


Persistent kitty
Prancing, nudging, purring, stop
Settles on my lap

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Poetic Bloomings First Love


Kissing 

You were seventeen, I was fourteen.
I loved how your deep voice boomed in the night,
even though you were describing an x-rated movie scene.
One evening, you drove me home, driving like a maniac,
but I loved  how it felt to fly down Pennsylvania roads.
For fourteen months, we were inseparable,
playing basketball, kissing, walking in the woods,
kissing, going bowling, kissing, watching movies,
kissing, going to church, kissing, hanging out with friends,
kissing, tinkering with ham radio in your shop,
kissing, painting your MGB bright orange, kissing.
After dates, huddled in a kitchen corner,
we sipped mint tea, munched cinnamon toast,
talked and kissed with an eye toward my parents’ room.
 We spent the next three years trying to break up
but always getting back together,
until we just got sick of each other. Fast forwarding
almost three years, you met my fiancé and you hit it off.
Somehow you ended up in our wedding party
and our wedding was on your birthday.
Every once in awhile you pop up in my dreams
and we’re usually kissing.

September 8, 2012


Tiger Lilies

Lining the country road,
freckled, orange trumpets
on long slender stems,
cheering and encouraging me
as I got on and off the school bus
for twelve years,
yet I was unaware.

Friday, September 7, 2012

halibun


Isolation

 

A mountain lake mirrors golden aspen, emerald pines and sapphire sky. An upside-down row boat rests on the rocky shore.

 

Bejeweled mountain scene

Millions scurry in city

And I wonder why

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Prayer poem


Not David and Goliath
 
Lord, I’m not facing any giants
Like David against Goliath
Just a bunch of angry dwarves
Like a cow versus fire ants
So please help me not get nibbled
To death by all my problems
But walk in victory even over
 The little nuisances in my life

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Poetic Asides Memorey


Memory 

M ay remember it, may not
E very day’s a guessing game
M ay remember it, may not
O ften he doesn’t know my name
R emembering is like fishing
Y ou catch some, but most get away

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Poetic Asides Prompt My First Halibun


Treasured 

I have always held disdain for flowery poems about mother, exalting them for their love, hard work and perfection. No angel shines brighter. No martyr sacrificed with such conviction. No humanitarian served with such compassion. Gag me.  

Son gave me bronze plaque
Mother poem gushing praises
I'll treasure always

Monday, September 3, 2012

Gratefulness


Lord Thank You For…

 

My husband of thirty –eight years

My daughter who looks like me

My son, tall and strong

The two who enrich my life as I care for them

My four sisters and a plethora of memories

Cheerful music of any kind

Cool water, hot feet and Shannon Creek

The ways Pennsylvania hills seem to green up all at once

The aspen trees shimmering in a golden dance

The cricket song in the evenings

Huge impressive boulders reminding me of hope in You

Chicken and Grandma’s Noodles, Steak and baked potatoes

Cheesecake and blueberries, Kathy’s lasagna

Corn on the cob, snow peas and freshly-picked tomatoes

My laptop, the internet and Facebook friends

Watching words become something beautiful

Scrabble, Canasta and crocheting

Hiking, swimming and kayaking

Roller skating, tennis and basketball

Good movies like Life is Beautiful, Fly Away Home Kuch Kuch Hota Hei

Favorite Books like Chronicles of Narnia, The Secret Garden, Monster

Singing, Worshipping, and Dancing

All the wonderful colors and painting my soul

Thank You Lord for all the people and things I love and enjoy

Sunday Sept 2 2012 Poetic Bloomings Favorite Food


Country Meal

 

Turkey, quail, pheasant,

venison, rabbit or even squirrel from our woods,

or trout from the creek just past Pappap’s

as the main dish.

 

Potatoes, corn, tomatoes, lettuce, onions,

cucumbers, green beans, yellow squash

from our garden as the sides.

 

Elderberries, grapes, Siberian crabapples,

rhubarb, blueberries and blackberries,

walnuts, hickory and hazel nuts

picked right out of our yard to make

homemade jams and jellies,

cookies, cobblers and pies for dessert.

 

Nothing like a fresh country meal.