Where Hope Abides

Photograph by Dorthea Lang

Linking with Poetry Jam

"Hope never abandons you, you abandon it."  ~George Weinberg

There is no place that it does not breathe

it can survive in a cardboard box

a lion's cage

 a train wreck

a coal mine

yet there is a hunger in it's belly

that yearns to be held whole

it will travel far

or it will hold still

like a photo

it's greatest strength

is where our weakness abides

in the time of need

it lingers

yet like a ghost

you may not see it unless

you are looking with your heart's eye.

My Sister Is A River

Painting by Jacqui Binford-Bell

Linking with In Tandem #19 a wonderful prompt for writers!

My sister is a river
she heads to the eastern sea
in her pockets she carries pieces
of all the things we used to be...

My sister is a river
her colors reflect of beauty from the past
yet she keeps moving forward
with ebb's distance and future's splash...

My sister is a river
she brings with her eternity in a rush
with force she moves, yet soft is her touch.



Sight

I chose to be blind.  It was easier that way. With eyes closed like a window shade I refused to see the truth.  No light could come in and warm my broken heart.  Some burdens are too heavy to bear all at once, or alone so I did not look.  I threw away my map and I gave no glances to the east nor to the west.  Not knowing was the only comfort I could grasp.  Fumbling in that kind of darkness....is a long walk to any light. So denial became both my friend and my enemy...engraved in one shroud of regret, that hurt to wear, and was even more painful to take off.  I can see that now, but in the midst of the storm, I was blind.

This was written for Kerry's Wednesday challenge at Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads.

It is my attempt at a prose poetry piece....a big weakness for me.  This is something I really went through and never want to have to face again.  The only thing worse than our heartaches in life...is our children's.

Algebra For The Soul

Magpie # 91

(Regret + y does not = fulfillment)

All of yesterday's regrets are 100 chairs we can no longer fill

yet we will create even more for tomorrow

foolishly trying to fill them today.

A Moment For Reflection

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Poets United Think Tank #74 Winter

Nature has a way of knowing when it is time to rest and renew. 
Growth will come when the time is right.
When I think of winter it reminds me of a pause in life.
A time of rest and reflection.
A way of being that mankind just does not know how to do.

 

Like Etchings In Stone

Magpie #90

"May you live all the days of your life."  ~Jonathan Swift

 

I learned early the power of what we give and take in this life, and the weight of what we leave behind. It can be a heavy burden whether it be plenty or it be brief.  Having lost both my parents by the time I was 29, and my only sibling before I was 40, I know all too well how important it is to make every second count.   Regret is a heavy burden to pass down as a keep sake, and sadly I have held it within my hands more than once.

It was in that loss that I found both comfort and liberty in writing.  Through poetry and the written word, I discovered a way to capture those feelings and lessons learned in a way that could be passed down from generation to generation.  Like etchings in stone, the written word surpasses the power of time's decay, giving forth more than just a glimpse of days gone by.  It is like taking a piece of someone's life and preserving it in word.  Everything that we do in this life leaves a mark in some way.  Like etchings in stone at a cemetary that states our name and the years of our life, I want my words to leave a mark as well.  Something more than just a faded memory, or torn quilt.  My desire is to give a piece of myself through my words to the ones I love, to leave behind something substantial that my grandchildren and their children can hold dear. 

Where Ideas Dance

 

Magpie #89

 

Ideals are like stars: you will not succeed in touching them with your hands, but like the seafaring man on the ocean desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them, you reach your destiny.

~Carl Schurz

When a writer sits before his desk with outstretched arms to type

it is like an awkward dancer tapping upon a stage
the ideas and words swing and tango until they just collide 

and then they make their grand entrance one by one hitting the page.

A Certain Force

"Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you."

~Oprah Winfrey

Poets United Thursday Think Tank #71 Energy


Also linking with dverse




There is a certain force that moves us
 like wind waves a flag,
 and the tide pushes forth an ocean. 
The energies of adversity,
 and our true passions
 make their way through us
 one way or another,
 driving us onward,
or pushing us down.
   Their power can make us stronger,
 and motivate us
 in ways that no other pressure can sway us.
Like the winter cold
makes us shiver,
and the heat persuades
us to thirst,
and
to
quench
it.
The
energy
of
change
has
an
impact
on
what
we
choose.
Through
 it
all
we
can
 find
 a
 force
 within
 us
 to
 survive,
 and
 to
 thrive...
becoming
 a
 beautiful
waving
 kite
 in
 the
open
 sky.



I have found in my life, that the struggles I have faced have been a driving force in what I choose to do.  In those difficult times  I have also been moved to find a way to better cope and survive.  I think even in my childhood, when I first started writing, that is what motivated me.  I can still remember writing my first poem, and why I decided to sit down, and put my energy into it.  There was a difficult situation going on at the time, and somehow that moved me to write.  The flickering flame of that heated moment sparked me on a journey that has continually been a comfort for me in life.  The energy of life's hardships, and constant change, have hurled me forward in my passion for writing time and time again.

Reaching Out

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. ~Mark Twain

I have learned through my children that when it comes to learning and growing you have to be willing to reach out and feel your way around, like a blind person in a maze.  My experience with blogging has been no different.  I first created my blog in March of 2010.  At that time in my life, I was going through a difficult family problem,and blogging became a wonderful diversion and outlet to my crazy world.  The whole blogging experience has been such a wonderful and uplifting journey.  I have met so many amazing poets, and made some even more amazing friends in the process. 

I recently received a versatile blogger award from one of my amazing blogging friends Tug.

I would like to thank you Tug for considering me for this wonderful award.  In the blogging world we have the opportunity to reach out and meet and communicate with people all over the world.  It is an amazing experience indeed.

Here are my nominees for The Versatile Blogger Award:

Life At Willow Manor with Tess

Poems By Ninotaziz

The Poetry of Alaurilee

Signed....Bkm

Circling The Cuckoo's Nest

Enchanted Oak with Chris

Bob at Average Poet

In The Corner of My Eye with Mary

Star Dreaming With Sherry Blue Sky

Kerry with Skylover

Eileen with Words And Thoughts

Inside The Mind of a Highly Sensitive Person

Imperfect Prose with Emily

Out of My Ocean with Susannah

Brian with Way Station One

Each one of these blogs has something wonderful to offer the blogging and writing world.  I think you will enjoy them as much as I do.

Now here are the rules:

1. Thank the person that gave you this award, and link back to his/her blog.

2. Nominate 15 bloggers for this award, and notify them about the nomination.

3. Finally, tell  readers 7 things about yourself.

(I know that everyone is busy these days, so if you do not want to follow the rules....that is fine....I understand. Just know that you are loved and acknowledged here in the blogosphere.) :-)

Now for the 7 things about myself....YIKES:

1.  I am the proud grandmother of 10 wonderful grandkids.

2.  I never went to college....I only graduated from the school of hard knocks.

3.  I am a terrible speller.

4. I am dreadfully afraid of heights.

5. I went to boarding school in 10th and 11th grade.

6. I am distantly related to Edgar Cayce.

7. I live in tennis shoes...high heels hurt me in less than 5 minutes!

(4 of my kids and me)

The Ball

Last year I attended the Willow Manor Ball with my beloved Wilson

Unfortunately, he was in a recent dodge ball incident, and is no longer with us.

It has been a difficult time, but friends convinced me to get out and have some fun. So I am going to attend the much anticipated Willow Manor Ball 2011, but I could not bear to go alone....so I decided to find someone that reminded me of my dear Wilson....

and so here is Owen Wilson

I know what you are thinking....how could I replace my dear and beloved Wilson?!

Well, can't a girl get a little joy in life?

Anyway, I will let all of you lovely ladies have a dance with him....

cause that is just how I roll.

 

 

Thank you Tess for inviting me!  If anyone else would like to come join the funjust click on

The Ball

 

 

Feast

Magpie #86

When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that is in itself a choice.  ~William James

There is a feast of options

on the banquet table of life

we can sip it's warm brew

and all it has to offer

and then sit back and read between the lines

of what may lay before us

giving us the ability

to choose our next move

who will be king

and who holds our happiness

that is in our hands

and on our tongue

...we can decide

to swallow

 or to just spit it out.