Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Money/poets united midweek motif/money

Money

Something I have never really known
Thank goodness I have had enough
And yet there have been times of want
As often happens in a life

But always I have had so much more
And I want more for others
At least enough
I want shoes for barefoot Mothers

Who carry their children so many miles
To seek a better life
I want more for hungry children
For those in need

After all 
Need is so much greater
Than want
Money, what is it good for

The basis for trade
And all the essentials of life
In order to have them
We need money

The world has become a place of greed
Sitting atop large sums of money
You can see those who have none
Money can help make a better life

…or a life better
Do not make me beg
Open your purse
Share what you have
Make someone’s life better

October 31, 2018



Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Bliss/Imaginary Gardens with real toads


Bliss

Let us talk of bliss
What is it?  
It is the center of my life
The core of my being

And what is found there
It is my work
So hard to speak of it
Will you understand

The excitement I feel
A new idea crystalizes
The work begins
This morning

I will mix colors
Though I have them in mind
I need to actually see them
I am excited

Then to paint
To move the brush
To spread the paint
To be alive in the colors

Combined in a unique way
It is not that every idea 
Is great
No that is not it

It is to be able to create them
To see them
To share them
My gift of bliss is my great pea-green boat 

October 30, 2018

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Memories of Another Day/poets united poets pantry -- the sunday whirl

                                                        Taos Mountain


Memories of Another Day    
A slight breeze
Moves the sage
Outside my window
The sun shines brightly

In a forever light-blue sky
The child you were
Stands shyly in the shadows
Of the portal

Shading your eyes
From the brightness
Of the morning sun
Eggs piled high

On Granma’s best
Blue and white china plate
The waves roll in
One by one

Misty morning at the beach
The child attentive
Runs from the spray
As each wave hits the shore

Like a movie
It plays in my head
The corn roasting on an open fire
People gather, sing songs

End of the day
Long drive home
Only to find
You are no longer there

October 28, 2018
Wordle 375:     

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Where I Write/imaginary gardens with real toads

Where I Write

My house is small
Just a little casita
Years ago, we build a studio
A place to paint

A place to work
A place to write
My desk faces Northeast
To my right

I look out at Taos Valley
To the village below
And the mountains beyond
I can see the early morning sun

Rise with pale pinks flooding
A pale blue early morning sky 
Over the dark blue mountains
To my left I can see 
Mostly sky usually blue
Just outside the widows

The sage brush grows
The view is very similar
To looking out to sea
The sage a low intensity green

That looks very much like waves
I am often reminded of my home
On the coast
I write on the computer

My chair is a worn office chair
Blue green
Classical music 
Visibly floats in the air 

Sounds from a piano, or cello, or violin
Keeping time
For otherwise time would be lost 
As I am lost in my work

October 27, 2018

Friday, October 26, 2018

New Beginnings/dVerse

New Beginnings

The clock struck one and away we run
Somewhat strange for a sundial
Never heard it before
Didn’t know it could speak

The clock struck two
Just me and you
Put the kettle on
Sit for a spell

The clock struck three
One more than you and me
Take a nap
Get up for the news

The clock struck four
We sit and chat some more
I share my news
You tell me yours

The clock struck five
Man alive
In the kitchen
What shall I cook

The clock struck nine
The day ceases to be
Draw your bath
Say your prayers

Wait for morning
Begin again

October 26, 2018


Thursday, October 25, 2018

Identity Unknown/imaginary gardens with real toads

Identity Unknown

Something unexpected on the shore
Be it night or day
You wail your song
A song not often heard

In fields near by
Reminds one of bells that ring
In different series
Soft and loud

Later you might find
You hum along
A series of rings
Heard in the fog

Someone asked did you see him
And the answer is no
I didn’t see him
Have no idea what he wore

But from his foot prints
I would say… probably
A pair of yellow boots
His feet were “long”

We were afraid
When we heard his rings
Ran away from the shore
Ran all the way home

October 25, 2018







Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Winter/poets united midweek motif

Winter

For me, winter always represents 
A world of white
A world of possibilities
A world of giving

A world of dreams
Sitting by the fire
The chores all done
The music of my heart 

Fills the cold and crisp air
Like snowflakes dancing 
As they fall to the ground
Transforming the world

No longer the bare trees
Who have lost all their leaves
Instead a fairly land
Of glittery branches

Winter is the time of promise
A time of contemplation
Spring will come
New life
And we can feel all is right with the world

The winter I describe
Is not the always winter
But the winter of my dreams
The winter I wish for you

October 24, 2018 

Monday, October 22, 2018

Christmas Comes Slowly/dVerse/early

Christmas Comes Slowly

I avoid what comes too early
Instead will wait for Christmas
A long wait indeed
But send my love for now

The sun never rises too early
Always just on time
I hate to be late myself
Hate to make the little ones wait

October 22, 2018

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Florence/poets united poets pantry -- the sunday whirl

Florence
The waves hit the shore
A storm like no other
Formed in the salty sea
Without charm
But she has class
A class four to be exact
She huffs and puffs
Every house falls down
The site of her landing
A disaster…

The needle pierces the fabric
Disappears
Then returns
All that we had
Washed away
Sinks to the bottom of the bay
Returns to the shore
Another day
Coiled with seaweed and shells
Picked by a beach comber
Searching for treasures
Years after the storm

October 21, 2018

Wordle 374 resonate, charge, electricity  


Thursday, October 18, 2018

It Is October Again This Year/dVerse

It Is October Again This Year

Scratch notes into my journal
Fingers touch the keys
You pull the bow across the strings
Beyond the music
I hear the crunch of your footsteps

On the gravel 
Golden leaves fall
Branches bare
You fill my memories
It is October again this year 

October 18, 2018

My list of words:
  • gravel                  leaf                    october                branch                          notes

Beauty in Ugliness/dVerse

Beauty in Ugliness

What is beautiful
What is ugly
Only you can say
It is personal

The whole idea of beauty
Is a mystery
Since beauty is not to be found
In this world

Rather... 
In the eye of the beholder
What is beauty after all 
Is it first light of day

Is it your smile
The sparkle in your eyes
The light that shines from within
The smoothness of your dress

Buttons on your jacket
Your little pink nose
A glorious sunset
The blue of the lizard’s tail

Perhaps it is memory
The two boys who died to soon
Strong and tall
Or you, in your red bathing suit
Trailed by your little black dog

Beauty is awe of this world
For what else do we know
The sparkle of stars
The glow of the moon

Perhaps beauty is a poem
With words so carefully selected
I can “see” what you “say”
My heart stops for a long second
It takes my breath away

October 18, 2018

Abundance/poets united midweek motif/abundance

Abundance

Have we forgotten
We grew up 
In a time of abundance
For the most part

Is there a difference
Between want and need
I see it everyday
You stand on the street

You are just a boy
A homeless mom
You wave at me
A friendly smile

I roll my window down
Search my purse
For extra bills
Who will help

It is really up to me
…and you
We do not go to bed hungry
…or cold

We sit before the fire
Sing songs
Listen to the radio
The fire flickers

Your face stays with me
Your ragged clothes
Your pregnant wife
Your faithful dog

October 18, 2018





Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Waiting For The Next Shoe To Drop/imaginary gardens with real toads

Waiting For The Next Shoe To Drop

All bad news
People drown
Towns swept away
By the latest storm

Eleven infant bodies in the attic
Reporter tortured to pieces
Clowns in the white house
Where is the refuge

Rowdy mobs yell
About other rowdy mobs
No sleep in two years
Anxiety and shame

Shame on me
Shame on you

Stop!
Look out the window
Autumn is here
Snow predicted on Sunday

Transformation
Under blue skies
Don’t turn it on
Leave it

I’ve heard enough
I am full up
Take a break
Waiting for the next shoe to drop


October 13, 2018







Sunday, October 14, 2018

The Last Time/the sunday wordle -- poets united poets pantry

The Last Time

The night black
No stars in the sky
Mood melancholy
You appear before me
Something I cannot forget
No longer singing
No longer smiling
Dressed in black
Not much between life and death
A life is brief
No matter how long
It is but a blink of the eye
It seemed we were in the café
With plenty of time
Suddenly it is over
Nothing will alter that last time

A cherished moment
I carry to my grave
Like being hit with a two by four
An act of kindness
I had no weapons
No way to defend myself
It was not the ending
I would have written
No revenge to be taken
No charge made
Another night would come
Another day…

October 14, 2018

Thursday, October 11, 2018

What's in a Name?/imaginary gardens with real toads

What’s in a Name?

Perhaps it might be a burden
To christen a child
With a holy name
Say it loud

From a mountain in Spain
I have been told the meaning
Of my own name, Annell
Is “little doll” in Cherokee

Or “gift from God”
On another day
It seems they could not agree
One wanted Nell

The other Ann
They compromised
And so it became, Annell
Ding dong

Pussy’s in the well
Sing a song of six pence
No cloudy day...
Call me by my name

October 11, 2018





Three Little Pigs/imaginary gardens with real toads

Three Little Pigs 

Three little pigs lived up the hill
A home of their own
Was their dream
They quickly got to work

Built a home of sticks
Didn’t like it
One of stone
Not so much

At last they built 
A house by Frank Lloyd Wright
A right smart little home
Just right for pigs

Cantilevered out from the hill
A home of their own
Sure enough
The wolf came by

Knocked on the door
And stroked his chin
They opened the door
Let the wolf in

They all became fast friends
Fell in love over a cup of tea
And even married…
Three pigs and thee

October 11, 2018


Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Allergy Season/imainary gardens with real toads

Allergy Season

I have been wanting to write 
About this time of year
The most beautiful 
Of all seasons

All of the colors of the rainbow
Are revealed
The leaves from green to dark old red
The fields from green to gold
The sunsets outrageous

Red, orange and yellow
Like fire upon the horizon
And I sit totally spaced
Trapped within a lonely room

Ragweed or sage have come full bloom
Turned my world to undersea
“Blockhead” is what I call it
Allergies have taken control of me
There is nothing but space between my ears

When you are poor
It is said, you do not have two coins to rub together
When you have allergies
You sneeze

Your eyes water
Your nose runs
You do not have 
Two thoughts to call your own



October 10, 2018


The Owl Knows/poets united - midweek motif/owl

The Owl Knows

The owl knows 
The secrets you won’t share
The words you don’t choose 
The reason why

The owl knows
The words you won’t utter
The things hidden
The reason why

The owl knows
The way you feel
Your history 
All the way back

The owl knows
What you don’t want to think about
What never comes up
The reason why

The owl knows 
The secrets of the forest
What is under each rock
The owl is wise beyond his years 

The owl can be trusted
He will never share
What is yours alone
…the owl knows

October 10, 2018





Monday, October 8, 2018

Comforting Smells/dVerse

Comforting Smells

The first thing that floated to mind
Was the smell of fresh laundry from the line
It holds the smell of sunshine
Fresh air and laundry soap

The smell of shells left on the beach
From the last wave to shore
My Mother’s smell
As she takes my hand

It is the smell of love
Hung out to dry
All cozy warm and safe
Now... only the smell of the dryer

October 8, 2018

Sunday, October 7, 2018

It Only Seems Like the First Time/ Sunday Whirl #182 -- poets united poets pantry -- the sunday whirl #372

It Only Seems Like the First Time

Crisp brilliant clouds
Float magically in clear blue sky 
Bring balance to an empty soul
Otherwise we speak of empty breath

Empty eyes, empty heart
Crowds of zombies
Wander the earth

Celebrate loss
Among them no delight found
It seems such a waste
When in fact 

We will live to fight another day
We rise and step into the fray
Tumult all around
With no possible thought of winning

We leave our comfortable positions
We bring what we have
We fight as if for the first time
Virgin warriors

October 7, 2018


Note:  Today I feel I am but an empty shell, left lonely on the beach. The loss felt deeply.  Probably what we fear most will come to pass, but the fight continues.  Perhaps it is only a dream, but often things we cherish begin with a dream, Bobby, Martin, and John.  Those that are powerful today, will fall in disgrace.  


Sunday Whirligig  #182

___________________________________________________________

We Drag Nails Across the Blackboard

Yes, we are all feeling a bit bruised
Voices tremble as we speak
A little unhinged
Numb from disappointment

We had a vision
It blossomed
Now we are left to savor razor blades
We listen to your side

We drag nails across the blackboard
We are poised on the edge
We ache deep within
There is no match for this feeling


October 7, 2018

The Sunday Whirl  #372






Wednesday, October 3, 2018

How To Find Balance in a Woman's Life/poets united midweek motif/balance

How To Find Balance in a Woman’s Life

You speak of balance
I scan the horizon
Think of the playground see-saw
How to balance the larger child
With the smaller child?

The length can’t be equal
The larger child
Has to be nearer the center
To balance the weight

How to find balance in everyday life
The TV shows us an ugly man
Makes fun of an attack victim
The crowd laughs

I awoke writing a letter to my Daughter
To say how to avoid being the victim
Don’t be out alone
Don’t be out after dark
Don’t wear sexy clothes

Be careful what you say
Do not talk to strangers
Avoid men when you are out
Do not make eye contact
Be very careful

Why is any of this a balance in a woman’s life
Perhaps we need to examine our society
White male patriarchy
My Daughter asks how can this be right
I have no answer…

October 3, 2018






Not Just A Cup

  Not Just a Cup       Southern born Not a tea drinker Always coffee For me   Although I often find  Bitter taste Of the dark brew A bit muc...