Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Rhupunt


Vacation

We picked the spot
And planned a lot
We’ll take our shot
We’ll dance and dine

We’ll go by jet
The greatest yet.
Please, do not fret
We will be fine

Take to the skies
Joys to surprise
Oh, what a prize!
We cannot whine

Such sights to see
Just you and me
Feeling so free
It’s time to shine

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

cinquain


Scotland
Ancient castles
Bagpipes, tartans, shielings
Walking in my ancestors’ steps
Lis’ning

Monday, January 29, 2018

Bref Double


Globe-Trotting Family

We struggle making plans to get away.
The whos, the whats, the wheres, the whens, the cost
Ideas flourish like a clover field.
The emails fly between us thick and fast.

Two sisters and two nieces want to go.
All questions don’t get answered in a day.
The destination’s quickly settled on.
Ancestral lands call to us from the past.

The Emerald Isle and Scotland come in play.
We puzzle over timing and expense.
We dream of Moher Cliffs, the Buren Way.
And castles, loughs, and rivers all appeal.

Confusion over details might dismay.
But all will be content when plan is sealed.

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Scotland


The Scottish Tingle

Pappap would get a wistful look in his eyes
when he’d talk about Scotland, as if the blood
of his Scottish ancestors tingled in his veins.
He’d attend concerts in Idlewild, a local park,
where they wore tartans and played bagpipes.

He’d close his eyes as if he remembered
the loughs, castles and stone shielings
though he’d never been there. And now
I’m thinking about going to Scotland. Must be
Pappap’s Scottish blood tingling through my veins.

Saturday, January 27, 2018

feeling


The Way

Stumbling through the tangle of vines,
hoping to find the clear path of light.
It’s You. Jesus, regardless of where I’m at:
Jungle, forest, ocean, mountain, desert.
You are the way, the truth and the life.

Friday, January 26, 2018

PA sick


What is this cancer
Gobbling up our country?
Let Your love bring healing.

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Poetic Asides Sick

Sick

S uffering physically
I ll and miserable
C oughing, sneezy, runny nose
K eep hopes up and the humidifier going

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Poetic Asides Sick

Stroke

He’s not ill or is he?
Part of his brain went on strike.
Once healthy and vibrant,
now a tottering old man.
He commands his arm,
“Come to me!”
And we laugh at the ridiculousness of it.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Prayer

Jig-saw Puzzle

Lord I feel like a jig-saw puzzle
right out of the box.
I’m searching for border pieces.
Trying to match up the pieces that fit.
Looking for like colors and patterns.
Wondering what the big picture looks like.

I imagine the picture being
me standing before You,
and You saying,
“Well done good and faithful servant.”
Lord, what is it that I’m supposed to be doing well?
Am I even close?

Lord, I ask for wisdom,
and as I put these little pieces together,
I trust that they are the right pieces
and Your head is bent over the puzzle
as we work on it together.
Eventually the big picture will come to pass,

And I will hear the words I long for,
“Well done!”

Monday, January 22, 2018

PA Elevated

Elevated

Not feeling so elevated
driving from sea-level Phoenix
to 6,000 feet high, ear-popping,
snowy and icy Colorado.
Wishing I was a snowbird.

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Ottava Rima

Spurned

Her lack of faith is now a tragedy.
A branch has fallen from the living vine.
God’s whispers to her heart so urgently. 
But she invents excuses to decline.
She rock-and-rolls, does drugs so recklessly
And sweeps her problems ‘neath the rug to hide—
In the guise of escaping misery,
reflecting coldness of her day and time.
While God desires to add joy to her life,
She dances with the devil and his strife.

Saturday, January 20, 2018

Ottava Rima


Sometimes Truth Hurts

The truth may hurt like blunt-force injuries.
Reality’s gloom may ache like a wound.
A coin, when flipped, will show two sides with ease.
God’s matchless grace with pain can be attuned.
Escape you may want, but not what you need.
Brief valley journeys won’t leave you marooned.
A glass is half full when it’s being filled.
Take care you don’t let truth’s value be spilled. 

Friday, January 19, 2018

Ottava Rima

Not Just Boulders

I’ve always had a liking for huge rocks,
With water curling ‘round each base like flames.
As kids, we’d slosh about our daring walks,
With scents of minnows as we played our games.
The stage was set for deeds unorthodox,
From mystic to new planets with odd names.
More images march like a long parade,
Remembering creative ways we played. 

1 18 18 Love

What is Love?

Giving sacrificially
Serving tirelessly
Producing abundantly
Making cheerfully
Being available
Love is an action word.

1 17 18 PA Little Blank

Little Helper

A lady at my church
introduced me to a visitor
with the description,
“one of our little helpers.”

I pictured myself with pointed ears,
long stocking cap
and bells on my toes
and I wanted to say,
“You’re littler than I am.”

But I just smiled
and greeted the newcomer.

Little words can bring big feelings.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

blank of blank

Class of ’17,
college graduate,
sounds weird
since I finished
my first year
of college
in ’77. 

Monday, January 15, 2018

Remembered

She always said
she’d attend her own funeral
to hear people talk nice about her.
So I better say something kind,
in case she’s listening.

Sunday, January 14, 2018

Remembered

She was like a Timex
She took a licking
And kept on ticking

Until she didn’t

Saturday, January 13, 2018

to the world

Dear World

God loved you so much
that He sent His Son Jesus
to pay the price for our sins,
and whoever believes in Him
will live forever in Heaven.
World, please, receive
His love and forgiveness. 

Friday, January 12, 2018

to the world

World

W onders of the world
O pen our minds and
R evive our spirits, but
L ord, You are greater.
D ear One, You’re my world.

Thursday, January 11, 2018

construction

Construction Deconstruction

This is me
trying to construct a poem.
Never mind the foundation
I can’t get past
the hole in the ground.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

PA harmless

Harmless

In trying to list
things that are harmless,
I’ve come to the conclusion
nothing is purely harmless
in all situations.
Consider the lowly peanut.
Most people can gobble them down
but some are so allergic
traces of peanut oil can be dangerous.
Other foods? Besides allergies,
too much can make you sick,
fat or choke you.
A kiss? Germs. Abuse. Betrayal.
Remember Judas?
The sorry fact
Is that our bodies
are fragile,
mortal,
temporary.
Unless you’re in heaven.
Then all is harmless.

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Abundant

Abundant

A bundant and ample
B ountiful and plentiful
U nlimited and copious
N ever ending and rich
D ivinely blessed and profuse
A lot and poured out
N umerous and lavish
T remendous and considerable

Monday, January 8, 2018

Good for Nothing

Bright Side

He feels good for nothing
except now he’s a job
for someone. “The aide
can feed her family,
because she’s taking
care of me,” he said.
“Your job is not
to be useful, I said.
“It’s to get better.”

Sunday, January 7, 2018

What I Meant to Say

The Boss

Sometimes, Lord, I treat You like I’m Your boss.
Do this. Don’t do that. Please and thank You.
But You’re my boss. I shouldn’t worry so much
about what You do for me but make sure I’m
doing my part and aiming to please You. What I
want doesn’t matter so much as Your perfect will.
Let Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Please, change my heart so I want what You want.

Saturday, January 6, 2018

What i Meant to Say

What I Meant to Say

W hat I meant to say was no instead of yes.
H ow many times I find myself in the middle of
A n awkward situation or a big mess and I
T hink, how in the world did I get here?

I meant to say no but I said yes.

M any times I find myself exhausted and at the
E nd of my rope. My plate full to overflowing.
A nd I regret saying yes instead of
N o. No. No. Absolutely not. Find another person.
T reat me fairly. Quit using me. Let me say it clearly

T o you now. No. Not just this time. Not any time. I
O pen my mouth with my tongue behind my teeth and

S ay no. Read my lips. N-O! No!
A nd if I say
Y es again, someone please stop me.

Friday, January 5, 2018

Stranger

Stranger than the Twilight Zone

At times, I feel like my life
is stranger than the Twilight Zone
an odd combination of horror,
science-fiction, drama,
fantasy and pinches of comedy
and romance thrown in.

I imagine Rod Serling
introducing my day.
“An ordinary woman
finds herself in a world
that doesn’t make sense
called the Twilight Zone.”

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Stranger

Stranger Than Most

S tranger than most
T errifically weird
R adically bizarre
A nd outlandish to say the least
N obody odder
G enuinely peculiar
E ccentric at best
R eally quirky and that’s why we’re friends

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Poetic Asides Password

Magic Password

M any people know some magic words that make others hop
A simple phrase that encourages folks to offer
G racious help and assistance
I magine gifts, support, goodwill to be yours at last
C arefully spoken, these words are a great treat
P lenty of people omit these words and make others angry
A ll will find speaking these words a great help
S  o with these magic words be liberal
S lip these into your conversation with ease
W hether you want a piece of pizza
O r a lift to the airport or other favors
 R ead the letters at the end of each line
D o it now!

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Shardorma

Dear Jesus
Be with me each day
Help me hear
Help me see
And walk with You hand in hand
Till the day I die 

Monday, January 1, 2018

Happy New Year!

Hello 2018

2017 bumped along from the highs
of graduation, trips to Mesa, Greeley,
Montrose and Honolulu, two weddings,
and seeing all my sisters twice,
to the lows of losing a writing job,
hubby’s two strokes and resulting disabilities,
saying goodbye our hosts home client
and half our income, making it difficult
to take trips, remodel the house,  
buy a new car and complete projects.

But 2018, I have the same hope
entering you as I had in entering
your brother. Jesus is my hope
and my rock. Eternal things
and God’s will are really what
matters. So our physical health,
how much money we have
whether or not we can go anywhere
are secondary to my hope
of eternal life with the Holy Trinity.

As long as I have you here on earth,  
I’ll do my best to know God
and make Him known.
To keep fit in order to do God’s will.
To maintain loving relationships.
To go with the flow with a good attitude.
To not forsake my brothers and sisters in Jesus.
To use my writing skill and the gifts
of the Holy Spirit and whatever I have
and can do to love God and others.

So I greet you 2018 with a little excitement
and a little trepidation. Let’s make the best of it
to God’s honor and glory and praise
because He is worthy of all worship
and our complete and unreserved devotion.