Keep the Boy Inside of You

My dad turned 76 years young this past month. He's in Florida right now enjoying the sunshine with my mom. They meet up with other retired folks every winter and from what I hear have a lot of fun. I wrote my dad a poem for his birthday. It's the least I could do for a dad who never complains about anything, is content with life and has given me so much.

There's still a boy inside of you
Enjoying life through and through.
He's a lad full of wonders
About things hid from view.

What to others seem dull and old
You find treasure to behold.
And from your lad you quickly learn
All that's good and true.

He gives your eyes power to see
How life is meant to be
Your days are more glorious cause' you kept
That boy inside of you.

The More You Find

I've been too busy to write a poem this week so I'm lending you one from Helen Steiner Rice. Her poems speak to the heart. And since this is heart month I think it's appropiate.

The more you give, the more you get—
the more you laugh, the less you fret.
The more you do unselfishly,
the more you live abundantly—
The more of everything you share,
the more you’ll always have to spare.
The more you love, the more you’ll find
that life is good and friends are kind.

Helen Steiner Rice

LOVE PREVAILS

Hope you had a wonderful valentines day. Did you give and receive love? Here are some of my thoughts on love. As I wrote this poem I used I Corinthians 13 as a reference. After all, who but God knows what love really is. He is love and designed it.

When the moon has lost its glow
love passes by;
not to be caught, but released
like a butterfly.

Though some build tall fortresses,
are boastful and proud,
Love shines like the morning sun
and is never loud.

Love tosses aside the list of wrongs
that others have done,
And never lies to its prey as a cat
when the chase has begun.

Love longs to build bridges
when all else will fail.
It never dissapoints or leaves us.
Love will prevail.

SNOW SHOVELING

Are you enjoying the winter? I suppose if you like skiing, tobogganing or building snowmen then you're enjoying it very much. If you find snow shoveling the only sport you seem to do, well I want to remind you that spring is just around the corner. So, hang in there. There's still more dreaming to do until spring.

I begin to shovel the driveway,
Snow is falling like confetti
Only I’m not celebrating,
And there’s no reason to smile.

As mounds of snow grow into hills
My mind drifts upwards like a cloud.
For a moment the world's at war
And I have to dig my way out.

The snow that I toss, mocks me.
I can hear it in the silence.
But I won’t let it defeat me,
Cause I won’t be the one melting.

WHITE POWDER

I have a confession to make. My husband is passionate about skiing and I'm not. I'm the creative type and love projects. I give my family a good laugh when I exit a chair lift. Instead of jumping off, I drop like a sack of potatoes. My dearest beloved, graceful on skis seems to float down mountains without effort. I fight it all the way and can hardly wait to rest by the fireplace with a hot chocolate. I wrote this for him.

Sparkling white powder
On high mountain top
Is falling down gently
Like sweet ginger pop.

Dangling boots soaring
Preparing to jump
From chairs in the sky
And land with a thump.

A flash of deep colors
Dashing through trails
Brush against branches
Wearing white veils.

Zinging and zooming
Soaring down hill
Frosty cheeks glowing
Oh what a thrill.

A Wedding Wish

I attended a wedding shower the other night. The bride-to-be is so sweet that I had to write her a little poem. Here it is. I also want to add that I've had a poem published in January's issue of Stories for Children, an e-line magazine. My poem is called The Penguin. Please check it out. I love the illustration they put with it.

May your hopes and dreams
be wrapped in sky,
Complete with ribbons
to help you fly.
May the dreams you dream
brim full of love
So your hearts will soar
through clouds above.
May the hopes you long for
be weaved with gold
And ripple with blessings
to prize and hold.

PLANS

No one likes it when plans have shifted. After coming home from a mini-vacation at Lake Placid, we found our fence and the pool deck ripped out by strong winds. The deck lay folded inside the pool. Thankfully, a friend came by with a tractor and pulled it out. What would we do without dear friends. I wrote two poems this morning and hope they inspire you. Now that 2009 is upon us, let's look forward to fresh new ideas to inspire our writing.

Sometimes things don’t go as planned
And life goes a different way.
For just as a tree, strong winds strike
And cause our plans to sway.
Sometimes we can swing along
And find a new direction.
Other times we've gained great insight,
And time for deep reflection.

On the last day of December, a huge flock of robins sat in a tree next to my house with two feet of snow all around. What were they thinking!

The Robins Song-

I heard the robins sing,
On the last day of December.
It was the strangest thing
That I can remember.
I wondered what to do.
Had they changed their diet-
Was their map askew-
Still, I thought them brave to try it.