Saturday, April 26, 2014

PAD 4 26

Choices

Concerning the future
it took me awhile to realize
the choices I make today
I will be living out tomorrow
and the tomorrows after that.
It’s so easy to make commitments.
So much harder to carry them out.
Decisions are like buying tickets
to future events.

Friday, April 25, 2014

PAD 4 25


The Way to a Man’s Heart is Through His Stomach

She aimed to steal his heart that day
with sex appeal and hips that sway.
She should have baked him cakes and bread.
And shot for his tummy, instead, he walked away. 

Thursday, April 24, 2014

PAD 4 24

Future

F eatured events which haven’t happened
U p and coming attractions to watch for
T ime passes, imminent, waiting
U pcoming sooner or later, inevitable
R eality yet to come, sum of choices
E ternally impending, never reached 

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

April 23 PAD

Brighter Future

Though flying to the future sounds far-fetched,
imagination has no limit. So
let’s think about the poor with arms outstretched
and clear a way for them to freely go,
with courage and commitment to bestow
the guts to conquer the false rumor spread,
the bogus hunch that chivalry is dead.
Let’s not regret the good we could have done,
but listen to their pleas and act instead.
Mend fences with compassion and we’ve won. 

April 22 PAD

Renegade

A spectator, on first glance,
would not detect the gloom
threatening to devour her.

She wanted to seek asylum
or better yet, become invisible.
Disappear.

She’d run for refuge,
anywhere but here.
Red hot anger raged within.

She trembled at the thought
of skipping out on it all.
Her mind churned.

She’d flee from the protector
and director of her soul.
He’d no longer be her sanctuary.

A shelter waited on the hill.
He would cover her,
cradle her

if she’d be honest
with herself
and admit she needed help.



April 21 PAD

Oh, when we first got married
Our first home was an RV
Windy Wheatland, Wyoming
Rock’n and roll’n

April 20 PAD

Fun Day

Hike
Breathe in
Let’s begin
Get the kinks out
Head for where the air’s thin
Leave a note and plot out the route
Camera, tissues, water, snacks, no doubt
Let’s run or meander, whatever pace we’d like
Let’s discover, explore and look about
Who knows what we’ll find when we scout
There’s shelter, rest within
Chat, laugh and shout
Rest and grin
We win
Hike

April 19 PAD

Mightier than the Sword

Tiny targets tremble
as monsters rage in anger.
Hope glimmers, skitters, snuffs,
and comes to a complete stop.
In the downward spiral of violence
a sharpened pencil pierces
and pushes through to pillows,
sunlight, azure skies, laughter,
and delicate petals of orange tiger lilies.
Ah! What poetry can do!

April 18 PAD


Violence

V iciously claiming what’s their own 
I ntense and willing to be cruel
O penly aggressive, on attack
L etting hostility reign
E nding peace in the land
N otoriously brutal
C ruelly sadistic
E ndlessly callous. Bloodshed. War.

April 17 PAD

Traveling

I travel through this country, east to west
And north to south, and long to visit more
It’s hard to pinpoint what I love the best
The rocky coast, the lake, the peaceful shore
The redwoods standing high above the floor
The distant islands and their mystery
The countless hiking paths here to explore
The mountains, deserts, and the churning sea
The bubbling streams and shady trees at rest
To see all of these things I am most blessed

April 16 PAD


Hidden

The mirrored image I observe today
Would probably be painted in pastels
With walnut colored hair messed up like hay
My many flaws, I know them, oh, so well

But outside me is just an opaque screen
Impossible to see what lies within
I’m often sabotaged by what is seen
What makes me tick here underneath my skin

Outside I may be quivering with fear
Inside exploding with bright hopes and dreams
Sunshine and roses, fun, laughter and cheer
Compassion and grand altruistic schemes

And when the clock strikes the final Midnight
What once was hidden will be in plain sight

April 15 PAD

Scrabble, Canasta
Please don’t invite me to play
Any other game

April 14 PAD

An Average Girl

An average girl in height and looks
One others easily ignore
A quiet soul with something more

A fetish for the pen and books
Has many projects on the list
To read and write, she can’t resist.

A hope to hire maids and cooks
Repelled by cleaning and the like
She’d rather swim or take a hike

Grew up midst forests, hills and brooks
A country gal amongst her kin
She treasures what she learned within

She aims to win by hooks or crooks
No! More like God’s amazing grace
In Him is where she finds her place

April 13 PAD

Writing Poems

In the dark hollow of the night,
I trade my sleep for time to write.
Idea clouds form overhead;
in blinks of time they can be read.
When I’m half done, they dissipate.
It’s in the cards to stay up late.
It’s only signal to press on,
until a chorus like a fawn
will scamper in the forest green
and sing of wonders, sight unseen.
The earth rotates and time will crawl
till words flow like a waterfall.
Poems paddle by in their canoes.
I so prefer this to the news. 

April 12 PAD

Till Next Time

Like two little elves
with quirky smiles
and mischievous eyes,
coming out at midnight,
my sister and I make hot tea,
pull out the Scrabble and dictionary,
and play into the wee hours
until she wins more than me,
and suddenly she’s tired
and we call it quits.
When did we get to bed?
Oh, it was early.

April 11 PAD

Silent Knight

There once was a knight named Big Mac
One night he fell under attack
He fought bravely on
But silenced by dawn
Now he’s gone and won’t be back 

April 10 PAD

Daily

“You learn something new every day,”
my mother would say,
usually when she came across
some piece of trivia,
like a woodpecker
pecks about 120 times a minute.

Learning leads to discovery,
adventure and a better life,
like finding a new path
in the woods
or deciding you prefer pale pink
over army green.

Even uncovering
something unpleasant
arms you with knowledge
of what to avoid,
like cow patties
in the field.

Like apples,
learning something every day,
keeps the doctors away.


April 9 PAD

Discovery

D etermined to dig deep, when
I learned buried treasures wait, I
S ought with all diligence and
C ame across the booty, but found
O ut dirt and worms lie with gold.
V ictory comes when you uncover and
E ncounter both, and
R ealize how
Y ou discern which is which.

April 8 PAD

Hooked

At six, I got hooked
And soon caught up in the chain
Before long, a pack a day

I took on singles
And then I made it doubles
Fifty years, I still crochet

April 7 PAD

Since she learned to cook Rotini
Making nothing else beside it
No one fits in their bikini
They’re all fat and try to hide it

April 6 PAD

Since I Began Writing

Since I began writing,
the six week course
I took in typing
has come in handy,
unlike the years of
math and history.

Since I began writing,
English classes proved
to be valuable
despite the English
teacher being so old
she wore mismatched shoes.

Since I began writing
I’ve learned how to learn
as I research my stories
and delight in discovery,
leaving most high school
and college classes in the dust.

Since I began writing
I became more in touch with myself
and have come to enjoy
who I am, less maimed
by fear, inferiority
and inadequacy.

Since I began writing,
I have something to offer
the world at large.
I’m more creative, hopeful,
no longer chained
to scientific reasoning.

Since I began writing,
I’ve branched out
to other creative pursuits
like drawing and painting.
I no longer say,
the drawing fairy passed me by.

Since I began writing,
I can more easily recognize
God speaking back to me as I pray,
as I tap out words
that bypass my brain
and encourage my own soul. 

April 5 PAD

The Artist

The artist paints her soul
A message without words
And those with ears to hear
Will grow within their hearts

The colors strike their chords
And minds become more whole
And with her grace and skill
She shapes their inner parts

Unmindful of her role
She only paints what’s true
With beauty as her goal
Which rides upon a tear

An artist paints her soul
And those with ears will hear


April 4 PAD

In lieu of the letter
This is much better
A paper square that will stick
And better still
Is the thrill
Of email so brief and so quick

April 3 PAD

Our Traveling Song

On a woodland hike
We all often like
To sing our traveling song
Oh, the sky is clear
We spot birds and deer
As we step, step, step along

As we ride our bikes
And singing moods strike
We sing our traveling song
Racing here and there
With wind in our hair
And feeling our legs grow strong

We climb in the car
Oh, yes we’ll go far
We’ll sing our traveling song
We go miles and miles
With laughter and smiles
Are we there yet? It’s been long.

We fly in the plane
Through sunshine and rain
And sing our traveling song
We sing quietly
Softly as can be
Bugging passengers is wrong

April 2 PAD

enough
pack a bag
put in some snacks
don’t forget medicine
walk out

April 1 PAD

Worship

At day’s beginning,
I worship You.
Like a rose unfolding
in morning sun.
Peeling back the layers,
letting light shine through.
God You’re so great,
I worship You.

When the sun is high
and my energy’s low.
My list’s still long
and things go wrong.
I feel like a bug
scuttling in the dust.
I worship You
because I must.

At day’s end
when my work is done,
or, at least, postponed
till another time.
I wind down
like a spinning top,
I worship You
and will not stop.

Tucked safe in bed,
awaiting dreams.
Worries threaten
to disturb my peace.
Like a child sneaks in
to her parents’ room,
I snuggle in
and worship You.

March 31

Life Saver

This ending could be bad
(loss of hope, relationships, material things)
if it wasn’t for the start of something else.
So I will grab onto the new beginning
as a drowning man would latch onto a life preserver,
embracing new people, possessions and possibilities.