I embraced the rain
From the safety of my den
Felt the thunder shake the house
Watched the lightning scorch the sky
Saw saplings swaying
To the rhythm of the storm
Such a dance within the forest
A rhumba in the jungle, if you please
Category: Poetry
Cinderella, Dressed in Yellow
Sketch a girl in black and white,
Pigtails flying, slapping against a plaid shirtwaist
Skinny sun browned legs skip-hopping to a rhythmic chant
Cinderella, dressed in yellow,
Went upstairs to kiss a fellow.
Made a mistake and kissed a snake,
How many doctors did it take?
Rope twirls ’round, up, then down, over and over again.
All in the wrist, she thinks as she counts, “One, two…twenty…ninety,” and beyond.
So many doctors! She can jump all day, or at least until recess ends.
In Her Dreams
Hovering on the
Edge of nothingness
Visions quiver ‘neath closed lids
Watchful
Hoping, yet
In the fourth state
No kingdoms conquered
No triumphs over death’s grip
Nary a prince kissed
At the very least
Shouldn’t she be the hero,
Star in her own dreams?
Artist Kinga Britschgi
Mortality
I see every year
Those past and those yet to come
Regrets, yet no fear
My youth in review
Awkward forays into life
Painful lessons learned
Shaken crystal ball
Some future tense imperfect
A roll of the dice
Tide Table
Bare toes, blue water
Minutes stretched thin across time
Watching tide’s return
Sand pipers scurry
Shy of ripples’ foamy touch
Dashing to safe shore
Footprints on the beach
Now you see them, now you don’t
Magical sunset
(Note: I’m tired of being sick and writing about being sick, so I went to the beach in my mind. The photos are all from Pinterest.)
Another Day in Catland
Insistent cat paws
Tap tapping on my forehead
“Up human! Feed me!”
Inquiring meow
Catnip toy batted about
“Human! Play with me!
Sweet kitty kisses
Velvet nose, nuzzling cheeks
“Please human, pet me!”
Standards
Firmly established
Benchmarks of true excellence
One’s personal best
Quality measured
Quantity notwithstanding
Who sets the standard?
Do leopards count spots?
Does spring’s robin rank his songs?
Ah, humanity!
This was inspired by my friend Marty, who writes a terrific blog, snakesinthegrassblog.com. The content in Marty’s blog is always outstanding. He provides useful information in an entertaining format, and I always look forward to his posts. He subscribes to a high personal standard of writing.
Recently I shared with Marty that some days I really don’t feel like writing anything, but at the same time I hate to let the blog wither. I’m not reluctant to sacrifice quality for quantity. Is that a sad thing? Should I begin holding myself to a higher standard? But as I asked Marty, “Why start now?”
This silly blog sustains me in a weird way. To paraphrase Descartes, “I write, therefore I am.”
Peace, people.
Beach Combers (reblog)
A vintage photo of my cousin and his friends playing music on the beach inspired me to write this poem a couple of years ago. I’d forgotten about it until today when the photo showed up in his Facebook feed.
Rock on.
Searching for the Right Valentine’s Day Card
How Do I Love Him? In 25 Words or Less
On February 2nd
The search began
For a card proclaiming
Undying love for my man
I looked at flirty cards
And sexy ones
Religious and
Romantic ones
Those that didn’t
Catch my eye
Were too verbose
With too many verses for my guy.
The number one thing
He likes in a card
Is conciseness in verbiage,
Just a few words from a bard.
So I strive to appease
The less words the better
This year I found one
With only one letter:
👁 💖 U
I think he’ll like that message, don’t you? I’m not sure I can find one with a briefer one.
The Colt’s Concern (reblog)
This is another of my collaborative pieces with photographer Julie Powell. I just love her artwork. Be sure to click the link to also have access to Julie’s site. Thanks!
