And Repeat

1 Corinthians 13:13
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love

I found the following poem on an old post. I wrote it in 2017. I’m not sure what I was thinking then, but it has new meaning to me now. The clock hands seem to slow down and speed up randomly these days. The dark and quiet follow me each night. “Till death do us part” has a whole new meaning on the other side. But my love was not blind. It was aware and alive. It still is.

And Repeat
 
clocks hands so slowly move
on across the minutes
twenty-four and repeat
 
quiet dawn to soft dusk 
and moments in between
at last the lovers meet
 
that raven evermore
returns time and again
dark and quiet to mind
 
until death do us part
in faded lace and white
oft times love is so blind
 
5-9-17

That’s Love

by clipart-panda

That’s Love

Laughing at her son’s jokes
when they aren’t really funny
and listening to his long, detailed telling
of an episode of Justice League
That’s love

Driving thirty minutes out of his way
to deliver
his wife’s forgotten cell phone
so she wouldn’t worry
That’s love

Running to the kitchen for ice
when your big brother gets hit by a ball
even though he just pinched you
an hour ago
That’s love

Buying a portable wheelchair for his wife
as a surprise
so they could visit the zoo and stroll the mall
even though he’s not a mall person
That’s love

4-25-17

 

Adventures in Subbing #6

I was subbing in a history class last year during PAD. On  Two-for Tuesday, we could write either a sonnet or an “anti-form” poem (for those who don’t like formulaic poetry). So, I looked around the classroom that day for inspiration. Here’s my sonnet:

 History Class

Join or die, a choice beyond compare

The mind and heart do battle all the day

It’s felt in lives of young ones everywhere

How do you choose? How do you find your way?

 

Go confidently; follow after dreams

In the direction of the sun or moon

Your dreams may float or shine like gold sunbeams

Or bounce along like notes on sweetest tune

 

With perseverance run the race ahead

Respect, integrity will take you far

Diversity can be the vital thread

In everything you do be who you are

 

They say the price of victory is high

But so are the rewards; reach for the sky

 

Borrowed portions:

Join or Die – Benjamin Franklin

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams – Henry David Thoreau

Perseverance, Respect, Integrity and Diversity in everything that we(you) do = PRIDE – school mission statement

They say the price of victory is high. But, so are the rewards – Paul (Bear) Bryant

 

(edited/reposted)

The First of May and The Poet

The First of May 

 

So, the last day of PAD arrived with a prompt of “The _________”  . I went with the theme of the whole month. I love this poetic marathon every year; I just hope to keep at it. I hope to polish up a few poems and submit some for publication. Perhaps THIS will be the year!

2017

 

The Poet

she breathes the air of yesterday
infused with memories sweet and clear
outside her window, falling rain transports her
to childhood afternoons
or to the coast of Ireland
or to a washed out hope

she dreams of possibilities and regrets
possibilities give her words that soar
regrets form melancholic stanzas
and so she writes
into the night
on tear-stained paper

she walks through days alone
gathering images and syllables
saving them in her pocket
hiding them in her heart
until they spill out
unrestrained and satisfying

Jasmine

photo via dengarden

The PAD prompt for Day 28 was smell.

Jasmine

Every spring when the jasmine blooms outside my door
I close my eyes and I’m seventeen
I hear Simon and Garfunkel
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind
The world is full of promise
And unrequited love
A small gust blows me out of my reverie
But that jasmine
Makes me feel fine

 

Regrets

Today’s PAD prompt was “regrets”. Robert suggested a persona poem, so I attempted to put myself in someone else’s shoes.

Regrets

the girl wearing pink sparkle flip flops
in Wal-Mart
she must be about seven
yes, seven
she has my freckles
and light brown eyes
it could be her
I start to speak
reach out to touch her hair
her mother turns, startled
her mother with freckles
and light brown eyes
I dip my head
to hide the tears
busy my hands choosing detergent
she’s not the one
the one I gave away

For What is Faith?

The prompt for PAD Day 24 was “faith” . The day before I had just posted the following quote while hashtagging on twitter

 

“…you don’t have to understand things for them to be.” – from A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

September, 2016

 

For What is Faith?

I find myself questioning without doubting
Not understanding but believing
For what is faith?

The substance of things hoped for
Even when my mind is perplexed
My heart is pierced with truth

The evidence of things not seen but sure
Indications and manifestations to hold me
To keep me on the way

Hope, that thing with feathers
Faith fluttering as a breeze
Mystifying yet dependable

Inside the Object

PAD Day 21 was to write about an object. So many of us confuse the church building with the one true church. I didn’t give this poem a title (yet), but I was think of the building that houses the church.

photo- pexels.com

 

This building with its multicolored panes
That tell the stories of the saints of old
The highly polished wooden pews that creak
These pews that hold the sheep within the fold

This structure built upon a little hill
Though humble brick, within a message bold
Is spoken there for all who come to hear
The sweetest story that has e’er been told

This house of worship gathers saints who sing
Clear voices lifted up, God is extolled
Melodious and reverent the refrain
Amazing grace abounds in this stronghold

Somewhere

April-2014 Jacksonville, Florida

Somewhere
Is this system of minutes and hours
In the pattern of vacuuming
And the stacking of dishes
Help me to find my way

Somewhere in this system of work and play
May I not just see the alignment of bricks
And the traffic outside my window
But sad eyes that need a smile
Slumped shoulders that need a touch

Somewhere
In this system of sharps and flats,
Sweet notes and sorrowful,
May I find melody note by note
And harmony day by day

 

The PAD prompt for today was _____ System.

Remember When

Remember When

Remember that time
when we…
and so the stories begin
from the bearded men
gathered across the years
for such a time as this
another has gone from their midst
and so they spin tales
of long ago

 

Written for PAD Day 15 – “One Time”