Sunday, June 30, 2019

Taking time off.....

I am taking some time off from posting on my blog.  I am studying, practicing, have so much to learn....

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads




"Tricorn Black," the hat you wear
Growing up I had two aunts
Who made hats
And decorated them
Beads, flowers, feathers, and such

The "Raven Wing" is also black
A mere silhouette in the landscape
The raven collects shiny things
Meets early for coffee
Always has something to say

"Nevermore Grey" a time and place
From which there is no return
I have been there 
I know
On its reverse there is joy

A storm approaches on the horizon
Survival unsure
Some call it a "Nor-Easter"
Some a "Norther"
It all depends on your location

May 30, 2019

Prompt suggested by Margaret, funny names for colors.


Wednesday, May 29, 2019

All Is Perfect/Poets United Midweek motif/peace

All Is Perfect

What is peace
And where is it found?
A question hard to answer
Still there is an answer

And that answer lies within
When we realize (see with real eyes)
All is perfect
This is not judged

To be what we want
What we think is best
It is all things
That happen

What someone else does
What someone doesn’t do
What someone thinks
Or what we think

None of that matters
For often we cannot see
In that very moment
Something happens

We are upset
Our world falls apart
Our hearts are broken
We have to start over

We lay in our cribs
We cry
We say, but this is not what I want
Still the world continues

All is perfect

May 29, 2019

Sunday, May 26, 2019

Today/the sunday whirl wordle 405 -- poets united/poets pantry

Today
The morning bright
Not a cloud in the sky
Today chilly days forgotten
The last signs of winter

Have given up
Their swirling winds and snow
Sweet days of summer
Are here at last

May 26, 2019
Wordle 405

Note:  I have used few words today, the other words didn't fit my poem.

Thursday, May 23, 2019

End of Summer/poets united

End of Summer

Summers end
Put away the picnic supplies
No more long continual sunny days
No more hot nights

Sheets soaked in sweat
As climate change continues
Temperatures rise
End of fire season

Cooler temperatures greet
A new day
Autumn most beautiful season
Passes quickly
Soon it will be winter

Change of seasons 
Keeps us on our toes
Putting away
And getting out

Hardly time to remember
Season that has just ended
Look forward 
To the next season to come

May 23, 2019

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Light

Happy Birthday Light the Candles

Can we speak of light
In only a whisper?
Is it best to keep voices low?
Honor the sacred

Can we hear light approaching on tip toe?
Or does light come in thundering herds?
Singing all the way
Waking us from sleep

Announcing a new day
A beginning
So small 
It is hard to see

And yet without light
We do not see at all
Shall we stand guard
For its coming

And upon seeing the whites of its eyes
Shall we sound the alarm?
Or do we let it sneak into town
Like an outlaw

Light is so much a part of us
We often don’t see it depart
In the darkness that follows
We strain to see

It remains the other side of the coin
Light reveals the mystery
We need light in order to see
But never see the light itself

May 22, 2019

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

To Write a Poem

To Write a Poem

I take my place
I am prepared
And yet the mind remains blank
How long will it take?
To capture a thought
A thought that will take flight
Like the butterfly
That dips and weaves
And lands so perfectly

Will the doors open
Let the light stream in
With the softness of a kitten
The strength of the bull
Something insightful
Something wise 
Something true
Something only, I can say

May 14, 2019

https://withrealtoads.blogspot.com/Tuesady,5/21/19-The Tuesday Platform: in lieu of a poem

Friday, May 17, 2019

A Picnic to Remember/Imaginary gardens with real toads

A Picnic to Remember

A best picnic remembered
Was on a rainy day
In the back of a van
Chinese left-overs

In a little white carton
Eaten with chop sticks
Probably doesn’t sound too special
But for me, memorable

Sometimes it isn’t the menu
Nor the place
Rather who you picnic with 
An old friend from way back when

I a grown woman
The VP wouldn’t have thought it right
Still a picnic to remember
On rainy days or sunny nights

May 17, 2019

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

A Picnic/poets united

A Picnic

Life is but a picnic
Eating out of doors
Spread a blanket on the ground
Fill your plate
Sit down

Lull the afternoon away
Sing some songs
Take a nap
Read for awhile
Perhaps a game of ball

The hour gets late
Time to go home
The ants come out
Or chiggers in your pants
A day to remember

May 15, 2019

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

To Write A Poem/imaginary gardens with real toads

To Write a Poem

I take my place
I am prepared
And yet the mind remains blank
How long will it take?
To capture a thought
A thought that will take flight
Like the butterfly
That dips and weaves
And lands so perfectly

Will the doors open
Let the light stream in
With the softness of a kitten
The strength of the bull
Something insightful
Something wise 
Something true
Something only, I can say

May 14, 2019

Sunday, May 12, 2019

Poets United/poets pantry

Mother’s Day

A woman of small statue
Soft and kind
Gracious 
With a lovely voice

She was a power house
Could do anything
A wonderful cook
A nurturer

She loved poetry
Always had time for us
Never complained
The best Mother in the world!!

May 12, 2019

The Sunday Whirl/ Wordle #403




A Place Where Shadows Live

I never really liked alleys very much
You don’t know who you will meet
I always think shadows live there
But there are no shadows without lights
So alleys have both

Still, it seems more shadows than light
A place to be shot
A place were tracks are hidden
A place were clues might be hidden
A place were deeds are done
A scary place
A place to hide oneself
Life in the alley

Is not a lifestyle I would like
I would try to get a permit to leave
The siren sounds in the night
A signal something has happened

Help is on the way
Within blocks
Rescue is coming
There is a shift

I have no real experience of alleys
No insight to those who live there
Alleys are simply the way between
A place where shadows live

May 12, 2019

https://sundaywhirl.wordpress.com/Wordle 403

Saturday, May 11, 2019

https://withrealtoads.blogspot.com/2019/05/just-one-word-apart.html

Apart

To think we will be apart
Is heartbreaking
When we thought
We would grow old together

It is funny we talked about it
On the way to the party
Without knowing that week
Would be the last

We picked flowers by the roadside
Still wet from last night’s rain
We hiked along the rim
Saw the big horned sheep for the last time

We kissed good morning
And kissed good night
My touchstone
My rock

Tomorrow will come
Though we might not be here
To greet the rising sun
Life will continue

There is no promise it will be ours’
Perhaps just a little speck of life
Left over from abundant days
When we were young

May 11, 2019




https://withrealtoads.blogspot.com/2019/05/just-one-word-apart.html

Thursday, May 9, 2019

https://withrealtoads.blogspot.com/2019/05/such-were-syllables-that-possessed-may.html

Yellow Blossoms

Dandelions appear where none grew last year
Faces of yellow call out to the bees
Morph into puff balls
Blown in the wind

There is a plan here
Seeds ride the wind
Find new places to grow
Surprise everyone when they appear

Yellow blossoms show themselves
The sweet scent of early summer
I remember honeysuckle
….and you

May 9, 2019





Tuesday, May 7, 2019

http://withrealtoads.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-tuesday-platform.html

“What Have You to Say?”

Some days are like that
When asked, “What have you to say?”
There is no answer
The mind is blank

You have nothing to say
You sit in silence
Hoping no one will notice
There are no sparkling words

You are alone in the room
The clock ticks in the hall
The sound echoes in the room
Like high-heeled footsteps on a hard wood floor

Becoming louder and louder
The sounds bounce off the walls
The moment is more about waiting
Waiting for what, you ask

Waiting for the imagined words to appear
Fall stunningly from your lips
You sit up straighter
In expectation

Still they do not come
Remain hidden
Perhaps they will come later
Perhaps they will not come at all

Perhaps you are dead
Died in your sleep
You just don’t know it yet
The future could be silent

May 7, 2019

http://withrealtoads.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-tuesday-platform.html

Sunday, May 5, 2019

https://sundaywhirl.wordpress.com/2019/05/05/wordle-402/

The Sunday Whirl  Wordle #402


Desert Home
Yes, it is a dusty little New Mexico town
And yet I sing, fly and float
Through the dust filled days
Dipping my brush into colors

Making sense without words
From my window I see the coyote
As she traces yesterday’s steps
Carefully placing her paws near the cactus

Every living thing is covered with thorns
Signs of ancient people
Scattered on the desert floor
Painted with complex designs


Off the well-traveled path
Far from the city lights
An orphan finds her way
Stifles the cry that rises from within

The wind shrieks of loneliness
Of days lost in sameness
Yet… in this quiet place
I have found home
May 5, 2019




  














Thursday, May 2, 2019

The Small Treasures, Pleasures and Comforts

The Small Treasures, Pleasures and Comforts

Oh, my, the world is so full of these treasures
My cat, Issa, loves to go for a walk
And when the sun comes up
He is ready to go

He wears a little red harness 
His leash is black
The air is cold
As it slides down from the mountains

From here on the mesa 
I can see the snow covered 
Tops of the mountains
I pick up a piece of pottery shard

Nestled in the sandy dirt
At the base of a sage brush
The ancient ones were here
Long before the white man came

The shard is a reminder
This land belonged to them
I run my fingers over the shard
Knowing long ago

A potter created a pot
With his hands he rubbed it smooth
Shaped it for his needs
Now only a shard

Most of the shards are not decorated
But some are
With stripes of black paint
Only once I found a piece with red decorations

The Tewa people who lived in Taos Valley
Were very traditional
There were never many here
This area would not support too many people

We are high mountain desert
What we have in abundance are mountain views
Sage brush
And clean mountain air

May 2, 2019

Sherry has asked us to write a bout the small treasures, pleasures and comfors.

https://withrealtoads.blogspot.com


Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Biodiversity -- Knowing the Impossible

All-One

The concept of All-One
Is difficult
As we each look different
Have different preferences 

I look at you
Right into your eyes
And you look right back
I recognize the familiar

You are not so different 
After all
So much we have in common
In so many ways we are one

May 1, 2019

imaginary gardens with real toads
________________________________________________________________


Knowing the Impossible

To say you know it all
Know what will happen tomorrow
Is impossible
Certainly, you can say about some things

But you never know for sure
There are the unexpected happenings
The surprises out of the blue
There are times you even surprise yourself

This brings us to the question
Do you ever really know about anything?
Do you really know yourself?
Both inside and out

Everyday things happen in ways you didn’t know
Perhaps you thought you did
And can you really say for someone else?
I personally like those unexpected happenings

May 1, 2019


https://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/poetic-asides/poetry-prompts

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads/ https://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/poetic-asides/2019-april-pad-challenge-day-30

To Write is Simply a Mystery to Me

I cannot say I know
For that would not be true
Each little poem
Comes from who knows where

I do not even know what inspires
What is the source of my desire
I simply know I want to write
To put it down

Perhaps it is for safe keeping
Along the way
And maybe just to make notes
Of where I am and what is seen

It happens every now and then
And I never know if it will happen again
Maybe it is just to share with you
The little things life brings to me


April 30, 2019

http://withrealtoads.blogspot.com

_____________________________________________________________________




To Stop or Not to Stop, That Is the Question

As a painter
I ask myself all the time
Should I stop, now?
Or should I continue?

…Until I have painted all the life from the painting
Removed all the mystery
Turned the freshness into “stale old bread”
It is hard to quit

Maybe I think, just one more stroke
That will get it
Not wanting to leave any stone unturned
I want to do what I can do

Create a piece of work
Keep the freshness
Stop traffic
And reach satisfaction

April 30, 2019

Note:  I have added a piece I am working on.  The question is always with me.





https://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/poetic-asides/2019-april-pad-challenge-day-30 https://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/poetic-asides/2019-april-pad-challenge-day-30

Monday, April 29, 2019

Questions -- To Remember Again A Cat Named Floyd

Questions

Life is full of questions
Questions about the future
Questions about the past
Questions without answers

And sometimes we don’t know the questions to ask
We continually ask questions about ourselves
Questions about you
From sun up to sun down

Who is he
Who is he really
What does he mean when he speaks
Are these words, words we have heard before

I read your poem
And wonder what you are saying
What you mean
Questions without end

Like stars in the sky
Too numerous to count
Questions form in the mind
Answers can come from any corner

April 29, 2019
withrealtoads.blogspot.com/Poems in April - Asking Questio
___________________________________________________________________

April PAD Challenge Day 29/Writers Digest

To Remember Again A Cat Named Floyd

I read your piece about the cat named Floyd
We often think
When animals are so like us
They are amazing creatures

We like that
You speak of his habits
…or where they yours’?
A gentleman

Through and through
Smarter than your average cat
Often, he spoke by the expression on his face
And a beautiful face it was

You gave him shelter
You gave him love
You were his friend in life
He will be with you till the end of your days

He was your companion
Your familiar
You gave him your best
And he, unto you

And that is way of love
It sinks its teeth into your heart
And stays with you
Even in memory

April 29, 2019





https://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/poetic-asides/2019-april-pad-challenge-day-29/comment-page-1#comment-4229574






Sunday, April 28, 2019

A Song in My Heart/ Photographic Images Reimagined -- Ideas/Wordle 401 -- 2019-april-pad-challenge-day-28


Play for Me - Ian Dooley


A Song In My Heart

A melody floats through the empty house
The words of the song come back to me
From so long ago
Now only memories

Yet memories so clear
It all could be happening today
The sun shinning
The empty house

The water running in the shower
This isn’t our house
For we shall never have a house
Together

You have built a life
And I as well
We are as close today
As we shall ever be

Still I keep the memory 
Stored in a tiny place
Shadowed from the bright light of day
A song in my heart

April 28, 2019

withrealtoads.blogspot.com/Poems in April - Photographic Images Reimagined


 _____________________________________________
Ideas

You throw the cast over and over
With a grin on your face
Put it exactly where you want
Practice to develop skill

You wait for hours
You wait for the mouse
You watch and wait
Never tire of the task


What ideas are really worth our attention?
Creative ideas
Kind ideas
Ideas, never conjured before

You are the overseer of your ideas
Like a factory you crank them out
One after the other
Unfortunately most are the same

What will diminish you?
It is your ideas
When you think small
You are

April 28, 2019

https://sundaywhirl.wordpress.com/Wordle 401
___________________________________________________



An Answer for Every Season

In all seasons we seek the answer
Is there only one answer?
Or are there many?


April 28, 2019

https://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/poetic-asides/2019-april-pad-challenge-day-27

Saturday, April 27, 2019

withrealtoads.blogspot.com/In a Station of the Metro -- https://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/poetic-asides/2019-april-pad-challenge-day-27/comment-page-1#comment-4229114

Children at Play

The boy in the sailor cap
Mourners gather in the rain

April 27, 2019 

withrealtoads.blogspot.com/In a Station of the Metro

____________________________________________________________________

Go West

The exact direction unknown
Yet, I travel west
Follow the sun
Through the shadow of the valley

Each has his own journey
Much will happen along the way
Keep your eyes on the horizon
Celebrate each sunset

The journey could be long
It will happen as it happens
There is no preparation you can make
That will make the journey easier

If you had it all to do over
You would probably do it the same
Life is but a rodeo
Ride the bull until the bell rings










Not Just A Cup

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