DO THE WRITE THING

The Birdsnest

2011-03-08T14:05:00.000-08:00

I watched a bird building a nest, dropping a single twig, then a strip of dried vine, into a pile. Each addition intertwined with the other. I thought of how each crime connected to the next creating a tangled mess. How could this birdsnest be unraveled without destroying it?

Dissociative Garden

2010-11-30T19:28:00.000-08:00

Dissociative Garden

When handling reality becomes too much

To Giverny I fly, into Monet’s garden as such

I lie in the bottom of an ancient blue flecked boat

Gliding down the river I aimlessly float

My head resting on a hard wooden pillow

As I drift under a water kissed weeping willow

Passing the tree and flower filled banks

I gaze at the blazing sun and give thanks

For the cool water where I drag my fingers

Praying that the refreshment lingers

After I’ve moved under the arched bridge

And my life returns, I hope that just a smidge

Of peace remains when I have left this place

To the problems we all must face.

Text Reggie
Photos http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=709&tbs=isch:1&aq=f&aqi=g2&oq=&gs_rfai=&q=monet%20Giverny

Mixed Up Words

2010-07-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

Cansado de ser casado

Viviendo en al morada morado mojado

Falto alcanzar el amanecer

Tired of being married

Living in the wet purple house

Unable to reach the dawn

Las espigas tiene las espinas

Pero respirando dura duele

Tu espalda usar un espada a cortarlas.

The spikes have thorns

But breathing hard hurts

Your back using a sword to cut them.

Encontré mi Dios y me entregué dentro él.

Mitad de mi meta es conocerlo a Dios.

La otra mita es amarlo a él.

I found my God and surrendered myself to him.

Half of my goal is to know God.

The other half is to love Him.

Las Palabras Confudidas

2010-07-01T15:16:00.000-07:00

Cansado de ser casado
Viviendo en la morada morado
No poder alcanzar el amanecer.

Tired of being married
Living in the purple house
Unable to reach the dawn.

This poem is simply a conglomeration of words
that I mix up when I'm speaking Spanish
which leads to some rather
humorous misunderstandings.

Text and Photos © 2009 Reggie

A Wounded Heart / Un Corazón Herido

2010-04-06T11:06:00.000-07:00

I woke up one day

To realize what you suffered

To heal me from my pain.

And the tears poured forth.

The high price of my sins

your unjust scourging

your broken body

your ruined heart,

To win, with an act

Of love, my wounded heart.

I never imagined what you endured

The isolation from your Abba

The humiliation and mocking

The horror of crucifixion

The flood of feeling

Mingled in the blood.

I’ll never forget

That you sacrificed your life for me.

I’ll never forget

How you love me.

I’ll always remember

How you healed my wounds

With yours.

Uno día me desperté

a realizar que tu sufrió así que

para que me curar para mi duele.

Y las lágrimas derramaba en adelante.

El precio alto de mi pecado

El azotado injusto,

El cuerpo roto,

El corazón destrozado

Para que ganar, con el acto

De amor, mi corazón herido.

Nunca yo imaginaria que sobrellevaste

Su aislamiento del su Padre,

La humillación y la burla,

El horror del crucificado

La inundación de sentimientos

Que se mezclaba con su sangre.

Nunca yo olvidara que usted sacrificaste su vida para mi.

Jamás yo olvidara como usted me amas.

Yo recuerdo siempre para como usted curaste mi heridas con tuyos.

Text and Photos

Death of Feelings

2010-04-05T11:15:00.000-07:00

I stood in the road.

Cars would come.

I didn’t want to end up in the hospital.

I needed to play chicken with danger.

I wanted to feel something even hurt.

I couldn’t feel love.

I was insulated, isolated.

I couldn’t find my center.

I knew God was out there.

He had no skin to hug me with.

I could tempt lightening to strike.

Fry me to split ends and rattle my heart.

Set my teeth on edge, leave me breathless.

I felt my body dying and I wasn’t ready.

I wanted to live afresh even in a scarred body.

La Muerte de Sentimientos

Me paro en el camino.

Carros vengan.

No quise a ir a hospital.

Necesité jugar pollo con peligro.

Quise sentir algo aun cuando duele.

No pude sentir amor.

Yo estaba aislamiento.

No pude hallar mi centro.

Supe que Dios existe.

Él no tuvo la piel para que me embrace.

Yo me atreví relámpago para me golpear.

Me fríe para los cabos de mi pelo y traquetea mi corazón.

Ten dentera mis dientes, me deja sin respiro.

Siento mi cuerpo moría y no estaba límpido.

Quise vivir una vida fresca,

aun cuando en un cuerpo con las cicatrices.

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Perdido

2010-03-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

Si sólo yo no hube perdido fe

Si sólo yo no hube dado vencido.

Si sólo yo hube escuchado

La primera vez

Yo estaba perdido.

Necesitaba ser perdonado.

Pero yo vagaba tan lejos.

No yo sabía ninguno camino atrás.

Atrás a mi primero amor.

Atrás a tus brazos.

Yo no entendía que tu amor dura siempre.

O tu paciencia nunca tenia no final.

No lo puedo crucifique a Cristo otra vez.

Él solo derramó su sangre

Uno vez

Para todos

Todos pecados

Todo tiempo.

Tu vi que yo estaba perdida.

Eso el razón que tu estabas en el cruz.

Perdóneme.

Me inunde con tu amor

If only I hadn’t lost faith

If only I hadn’t given up.

If only I had listened

The first time.

I was lost.

I needed to be forgiven.

But I wandered too far.

I didn’t know any way back.

Back to my first love.

Back to your arms.

I didn’t understand that your love lasts forever.

Or your patience had no end.

I can’t crucify Christ again.

He only poured out his blood once

For all.

All people.

All sin.

All time.

You saw me lost

That’s why you were on the cross.

Forgive me.

Flood me with your love.

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Hechizo

2010-03-26T16:04:00.000-07:00

Cuatrocientos años
En la misma zona  
Generación detras generación
Los accidentes y los muertes no naturales 
El cuerpo pudrió en el bosque. 
Ahorcó en su alcoba. 
El muerte en la casa quemó.
Herido de un balazo en el pecho.  
Murió acuchillado 
Asesinato.
Suicidio. 
Asfixio
Ahogo 
Accidentalmente envenenó.
Un carro se estrelló
Dos esclavas sepultó en el campo. 
Torácica pinchó una aorta.
Gangrena.
Derrame cerebral. 
Las vidas cayeron como las hojas
Sacudido.
La concesión de tierra
Colnevache, Colonia de Buques.
Un error de cartógrafo 
Tres letras siempre cambió.
El mapa decía Calmavache, Calamidad. 
La tierra se hechizó 
¿Donde es la redención?

Scripture NIV

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Echar

2010-03-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

Nosotros casi lo echábamos a Jesús.

La mayoría de la gente no hizo echar un vistazo en Jesús como nadie.

Él echaba de ver como alguien desechaba y despreció.

Él no se echó atrás cuando lo confrontaron por los jefes religiosos.

Él tomó el echar la culpa por nos pecados.

A pesar de ellos echaron mano de él.

Los soldados echaron los suertes ganar su ropa.

Ellos lo echaron como a la basura.

Cuando nosotros echamos carnes con pecados

él nos amaba bastante morir para nos.

Echó su sangre por nos.

Él echó nuestra fe en la plena floración.

Por que de él cuando nosotros echamos en muerte nosotros no nos convertimos perder.

Él nos salvó por eso como no echáramos a pique al infierno.

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Su Cuento

2010-03-15T18:47:00.000-07:00

Ten cuidado de la mujer sonreido

está de pie junto

a ti en el concurrido mercado.

Soy como un niño pequeño

Preguntadora acerca todo.

Hay una razón que Dios me creó único.

No puedo dejar de ser como soy.

Usted me dirá su historia

en menos de un minuto.

Voy a escuchar en silencio.

Tengo uno de esos rostros

que le hacen creer que es seguro

derrame de sus secretos interior mayor.

Habla lentamente por favor.

Todavía estoy aprendiendo.

Y sólo puedo escribir tan rápido

No te preocupes.

En mi próxima novela no voy

a utilizar su nombre real.

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Nota a Elmer

2010-03-13T21:21:00.000-08:00

Una sonrisa tan brillante como nieve recién caída

Esculpida a la perfección incluso el río arrugas de vida.

Una obra de arte más valiosas con una pátina.

Una voz como el susurro de Dios a cada alma.

Incluso la respiración entre pausas tocar la melodía

El poder de estimular las pasiones y temores calma.

Una canción que me hace sentir querida y especial.

Un aire fresco que respira el amor incondicional

Tan agradable a los sentidos como un jardín en flor

Bendición a través de la expresión intuitiva en la canción

Una actitud que inicia un terremoto en mi corazón

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

I Was Not Ready For Real Love

2010-02-25T08:25:00.000-08:00

I stood incredulous.

Unprepared to serve.

I impulsively ran ahead.

I opened the door too soon.

I did not know who to expect.

My emotions were unbridled.

I acted unfaithfully.

I was unwise.

Preoccupied.

I did not guard my heart.

Perfect love went unrecognized.

I embraced forgery.

I grasped gratification.

Self-centered.

I hoarded.

I settled for superficial.

I’m drowning in a pool of

skin deep, rude, shoving,

get out of my face unless you can please me,

self- centered, never forget your mistakes,

hypocritical, hurt me, suspect me, despondent, suicidal

LOVE.

Ring the loud obnoxious clanging gong.

Save me now.

Scripture NIV
Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Bloom for Kai

2010-02-19T08:28:00.000-08:00

Bloom new waiting love now

Blush emerging coy pink vow

Ripen tender fruit slowly come

Beautify one shared space from

Romance to the beholder’s eye

Beacon closer desire’s heart cry

Scent the perfumed courting air

Flatter the beloved light’s stare

Brighten the coming trysting day

Attract gentle embrace to lay

Tease the tightly closed bud undone

Coax open inviting petals to sun

Blossom fully to other receive

Please the tentative senses believe

Tickle the longed for touch

Burst intriguing colors much

Shower unfading affection

Bleed passion red to election

Green with envy no ever reason

Become true devotion every season.

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Snow Falling Me Failing

2010-02-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

Weather forecasts predict more of the same

Scenery black and white in window frame

Outside silent snowflakes drift to earth anew

Ice dams halt their drip making drywall goo

Inside napping spouse and sleeping dog snore

Laptop fan hums machinations in service restore

Spanish homework waits for yet another reading.

Tropical birds and lazy cats await net feeding.

Manuscript languishes famished for final edit.

Conversation lacking quotes forgot who said it.

Mental organization scrambled from ADHD.

Cataracts and failing vision now difficult to see.

No snowy capped peaks will I be scaling.

As snow falls my aging faculties are failing.

Scripture NIV
Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Waiting

2010-02-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

What love sustains believing along life’s rutted road.

What hope lightens the burden of sorrows sodden load.

What patience nightly whispers in lonely fading light.

What mindful sharing of forbidden touch transcends right.

What undiscovered mysteries tempt treasures untold.

What lustful need ushers unfulfilled longing to hold.

What frozen loneliness chills hearts like a winter tomb.

What tear stained cover softly comforts in empty room.

What distain grows undetected keeping dreams alive.

What soul death teases awaiting oneness to arrive.

What sweetness speeds day’s minutes when months grow longer still.

What known shadow on the horizon breaks hearts winter chill.

Scripture NIV
Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

White Roses

2010-02-03T06:48:00.001-08:00

His love is sincere.

Endlessly pure.

Accept without fear.

Open your souls door.

Like ivory or cream

In colors glorious

Unreal as a dream

He’s risen victorious.

As soft as a petal

He whispers to you.

He will never settle

Until he gets through.

To call you his friend

Is his greatest desire.

Faithful and true till the end

He sets our hearts afire

With passion too great

To ourselves to keep

In true sinless state

He sends us to sleep

As white as the snow.

As sure as the Son.

When Jesus you know

There is no other one.

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Rush of Wings

2010-01-27T15:58:00.000-08:00

Migrating Grackles

Sunrise chirps and sings

Garden chimes ring buffet bell

Din signals descent.

Avian clouded

Sky light obscure blotted out

Lowering to earth

Bird bath cavorting

Premier pecking satisfied

Feeder grab and dash

Signal flock rising

Flutter, flap, rustle, whoosh, fly

Community gone.

Morning feast broadcast

Chatter seeds future banquet

Feathers litter ground

Toot, cheep, squeak, screech blend

Voiced cacophony ascends

Repeat offenders

Rushing blur of wings

Frozen poplar seed bird brunch

Thousand grackles soar

Tree top silhouettes

Black branch crowded waiting room

Ice kissed leafless rest

Red tailed hawk glides past

Wood guard shoos interlopers

Mass winged exodus

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Cold Heart

2010-01-24T09:07:00.000-08:00

http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

Did they pray expecting an answer

Yet stopping to tell no one?

Ice seized heart killed like cancer

Plans and promises felt undone.

Suddenly losing ambitious grip

Spiraling down too soon to slip

Hopes and dreams on a sinking ship

In the blood of a stone cold heart.

In that thought life met it’s end

Too much time left, nothing to spend

Prison of disappointment there send

Every black and suffering cold heart.

Dare not listen to such a fearful cry.

Unheard protestations end with a sigh

Still keeps asking and wondering why

Who could live with hard cold heart?

Text and Photos

Traveling Math

2010-01-23T12:32:00.000-08:00

Rising four in the morning yields two hour drive to airport

Equals nearly three hour sleep deficit, but so much more.

Minus customs obligatory international luggage sort

Family reunion anticipation makes related heart soar.

Cherished visage dearer than imagination can duplicate,

Appears in blurred loop of travelers dragging necessities.

Jack in the box springs, sailing from chair through air to gate.

Resulting in squeezing love oblivious of public realities.

Greater than deserved, memory no longer serves

Sum of wait. Inequality with rewards on receipt side

Racing mind, tired body, stimulated nerves

Better value for acceptance of arrivals on retrieval ride.

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

This Writing Life

2010-01-20T14:20:00.000-08:00

This writing life has got me on a whirlwind tour

Of learning, free associating, typing and editing

Downloading on kindle and running to the bookstore.

Signing up for yet another course and I’m betting

Before the semester is over, I’ll sign up for another.

Fork over another hundred bucks to fuel the dream

That drive this illness I inherited from my mother

If someone says I’m just like her I know I’ll scream.

Her tome’s been in the basement for nearly sixty years.

Almost published, but she wouldn’t make the changes

The editor suggested and drenched her dream in tears.

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Word Damage

2010-01-12T09:19:00.000-08:00

Cold as frigid breath a diatribe careens and flips.

Feigned apologies for meanings sincerely intended.

Indiscriminate utterance flown from tightly pulled lips.

Unrecovered while sailing target relationship suspended.

Thoughtless idle sharp shrapnel methodically exploded

Rent chiffon emotions shred, spin, flutter, tremble.

Shame tortured heart, psyche, soul utterly imploded

Uniquely esteemed character mottled dying resemble

Shriveled mummified remains of vanished potential.

Collateral damage eternally estimated at meager.

Unidentified personage labeled non-essential.

Into the fray volunteers hesitate uneager

Sacrifice true essence to universal purpose.

Disillusioned by seizure of individual treasures

Altruistic inclinations timidly fail to surface

Conversely stubbornly yielding to purloined pleasures.

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Mind Expanding

2010-01-10T12:33:00.000-08:00

Reading regularly expands the mind.

Fearing my canine brain may explode

I try to eat all the books I can find.

My diet’s approaching fiber overload.

Mistress continues to teach

Classics from Marlow to Shakespeare.

Unable to improve my reach

Of difficult scratching locations I fear.

A bone buried between those pages

Would peak my curiosity for said content.

But all the wisdom of the ages

Won’t increase my capacity to invent

The next great life saving device

Or even help me catch my footing

In the winter on the snow and ice.

I hope this doggerel is not off-putting.

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Lifespan

2010-01-05T10:32:00.000-08:00

Into lifespans we delve

930 years Adam was alive

Seth lived to 912

Enosh lived to 905

Kenan lived to be 910

Mahalel lived to 895

Jared lived to 962 then

Enoch lived to 365

God took him to heaven.

Methuselah lived to 969

Lamech lived to 777

The Lord said at the time

My Spirit will not contend

Forever with mortal man;

By 120 years his life must end.

A quarter of this lifespan

Will restore life never ending

If given by my one and only Son.

Unto the earth I’ll be sending

A Savior to die for everyone.

Scripture NIV
Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

POUTY WEATHER

2010-01-04T07:32:00.000-08:00

Why is my face frozen in a pout?

January’s frigid wind with arctic cold snap

Keeps my body from attempting to go out.

All I want to do is take a long winter’s nap.

Even my brain cells feel in need of a thaw

I can’t seem to keep a single thought going.

Viewing crystal precipitation leaves me in awe,

But does it have to continue snowing?

If I was an outdoor girl I could be skiing

Getting exercise and plenty of happy endorphins

But freezing benefits I’m just not seeing.

Snow pants in my closet are treated like orphans.

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Howling Wind

2010-01-02T12:18:00.000-08:00

The wind howls down the hedgerow

Like a subway train pushing air through the tunnel.

Rusty hinges moan as air bursts against the deck gate.

Hibiscus shrubs in the garden shimmy in the chill.

Metal chimes ring and clatter a blustery tune.

Maple branches shake their buds off.

White rimmed grey clouds sail over the naked tree tops.

Pale blue splotches peek through as they pass.

Trembling fir trees thrash their needled limbs.

Patches of snow spot the ground refusing to melt.

The window screens rattle in their metal frames.

I shiver under my blanket

Like a shadow phobic groundhog.

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Writing Resolutions

2010-01-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

Write four hours each day.

Finish before attempting to fix

Each thought you wanted to say.

Metaphors do not mix.

Finish all projects that you begin.

Focus on one thing at a time.

Take no rejections on the chin.

That you’re working it’s a sign.

Write and rewrite again and again

Kill your darlings and apply the polish

Before to publishers you can send

Personal misgivings you must abolish.

Perfect the skill of constructing a query

Don’t let fear of failure get in the way.

Of easy and quick publishing schemes be leery.

Always remember tomorrow is a new day.

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Give Peace a Chance

2009-12-29T17:06:00.000-08:00

Give peace a chance

Please don’t bury it.

Take a second glance.

Work and don’t just sit

Saying I hope or I’ll pray.

Unless we do something now

Make the effort today.

With those who know how.

The earth will be destroyed

We’ll be left with nothing

Except the original void

Use by the Supreme Being

Who created the land and sea

And everything that had breath

But in the end nothing will be

Except for destruction and death

So try peace for a while

Right where you are

Start it with a smile

And watch it sail your way.

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Warm Wishes

2009-12-24T11:15:00.000-08:00

http://russian-crafts.com/nesting-dolls/history.html

Warm wishes this season

When cold winds blow severe

From weather or any reason

Find solace in one so dear

As the Christ whose humanity

Paved the way for peace

Within each mind inner sanity

That no evil intent can breach

Find his wisdom in time of confusion

His comfort in hours of pain

Encouragement in the face of derision.

Forbearance when you want to complain.

His kingdom is hidden in plain sight.

In the spirit of every believer

Who chooses to fight the good fight.

And therefore defeat the deceiver.

He’ll overcome your unbelief

Now at last find relief.

Text &
Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Dogs In The Snow

2009-12-21T20:11:00.000-08:00

I wonder why dogs love snow.

It’s cold and wet.

You’d think they’d know.

My precious pet

Might get frost bite.

Mine would stay out

Way past midnight.

Deaf to my shout.

To come in out of the cold.

For a biscuit.

Playing games is getting old.

If I risk it.

Leaving her out longer than I should

The fence she’d hop.

Terrorizing the neighborhood.

Trying to stop,

Her from chasing all the deer

Going too far

But getting hit is what I fear

By a fast car.

Keep your pets at home I say.

Live to play another day.

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Cornsilk Dreams

2009-12-14T08:52:00.000-08:00

The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of God stands forever.
Isaiah 40:8

I dreamed my hair turned the color of fall corn.

A maize shock against azure sky, unshorn,

Streaked with burnt umber flecks, spots and lines.

Unkempt, tangled in rye grass and trailing vines.

Occasionally washed in cool afternoon rain showers,

Leisurely sun kissed in the dawn under russet bowers,

Soft corn silk flowed brushed by an autumn breeze,

Accessorized in a kaleidoscope of cascading leaves.

Suddenly entered the reaper like a thief in the night,

Who altered what appeared with first morning light.

Winter cold blows over stubs cropped army style

Buzzed beige spikes, cuttings swept away in a pile.

Scripture NIV

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

Ilex Verticulata

2009-12-03T14:55:00.000-08:00

Ordered holly from a catalog.

Perfect for a wetland yard.

Planted seven in the bog

Drought hit them hard.

They produced not one berry.

I planted a male close by with hope.

My lack of garden skills is scary.

Did they produce any kind of fruit? Nope.

I spied in the woods while taking a walk

Several holly bushes fruiting like mad.

Where squirrels chomp and bird squawk.

God’s got the gardening skills I wish I had.

All the planning in the world

Will not any garden make

Even when the fern has unfurled

I feel like a horticultural fake.

Text and Photos
© 2009 Reggie

RACE

2009-11-30T12:11:00.000-08:00

I set before myself a goal

To run with all my strength a race.

The effort will become my role

Read by all upon my face.

I know not where it will lead,

Through which neighborhoods.

I can’t carry what I’ll need.

Dependent on other’s goods.

I can’t look back whence I have started

Lest I stumble and fall to defeat.

I must not run at all half hearted.

Or discourage fellows in the street.

I struggle toward a place unseen.

Yet I know by faith it’s there.

I’m spirited on in every gene

To a highway in the air.

Grandma's Napkin Holder

2009-11-27T19:49:00.000-08:00

A napkin holder on grandma’s table.

Said from some old tale or fable.

”Please fill my mouth with worthwhile stuff

And nudge me when I’ve had enough.”

I think of granny at Thanksgiving each year

As Christmas holidays draw near.

Like the old woman whose shoe overflowed

Granny’s homemade courses never slowed.

Family and friends filled every chair.

Music of silverware rang through the air.

After consuming each culinary wish

Kids crowded the sink washing each dish.

Cousins took turns staying overnight

In bedrooms lit by electric candle light.

Cherished the place we had won

Until the holiday was done.

BARNS

2009-11-23T06:22:00.000-08:00

Taken for granted myriad surroundings unseen each day.

The city streets, buildings, cars, the country barns, horses, hay.

In rushing through the check list of everything one needs to do.

Every day art fades into the periphery until none of us has a clue

Into the world of what constitutes beauty in shape, line or form

The devil is in the details. Ignoring them becomes the norm.

An unaccustomed eye frames the object once ordinary

Draws our attention into attributes suddenly extraordinary

Times speeds through the daily agenda with opportunities missed

Frozen by the camera’s lens. Re-evaluate the photographer insists.

Text and Photos

My Leaf Collection

2009-11-21T21:47:00.000-08:00

Scouts hiking through grass past tall trees

Collecting colorful autumn leaves

Pressing between sheets of wax paper

Sealing with hot iron to save for later

Gluing each specimen to a cardboard square

Keeping them from aging in the open air

Preserving the beauty of changing seasons

Photographing God’s art for beauty’s reasons

Sharing across millions of miles and people

Leaving a legacy before I am too feeble

Creator of universe made himself known

What he made shows we’re not alone.

God loved and sent not just the beauty

He sent his only son to die for sin - his duty.

Text and Photos

Reggie

2009-11-19T10:02:00.000-08:00

My aching bones feel the rain.

Rain drops cling to holly berries.

Winter crouches at the door.

Cold misty fog shroud the morning.

Red hawk hesitates to soar.

Nestle down into the shelter.

Keep the seeping chill at bay.

Near the roaring fire go swelter.

Rest and blow off waiting day.

Rise at last the noon is calling.

Shadows shift upon the dial.

Though my resolution’s falling.

I can wait a little while.

Chores call out for me to venture.

Past the threshold to the cold.

I hear words I’d like to censure.

Life is hard when you are old.

FALL FORWARD

2009-10-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

Light shifts. Airs cools.

Details emerge.

Seasonal delights wait around every corner.

Colors. Fade, brighten, mottle.

Lime, forest, Kelly, spinach.

Gold, lemon, mustard, banana.

Rust, scarlet, fuchsia, berry.

Brown, suet, umber, walnut.

Patterns push forward.

Dots, spot, blobs, sprinkles.

Stripes, slashes, dashes, streaks.

Swirls, circles, loops.

Textures pop to the top.

Autumn is in fashion parade.

Bark, shredded, furrowed, peeling.

Grasses dry and stiffen turn to hay.

Ferns fade and speckle.

Flowers spit out seeds heads.

Trees undress one millionth at a time.

Wildflowers stand strong until last frost.

Leaves drop, brown, drag into piles.

Tree trunks shiver bark naked.

GRATEFUL

2009-10-23T16:36:00.000-07:00

I am grateful for creation all around me.

My heart aches with its wonders.

From the weeds that push up through sidewalk cracks

Blooming in defiance of the pressure of their concrete prison.

To the wide open spaces filled with

bouquets of rust, gold, and crimson leaves.

I envy the blond tint of dried corn stalks

Standing stiff as a hair sprayed bouffant against the wind.

Houses dwarfed by the agriculture

peek out of the vegetation like turtles basking in the sun.

Who’s responsible for this riotous display of beauty?

Thanks be to God the One who created it all.

STILL LIFE

2009-10-22T14:11:00.000-07:00

A vignette. A still life.

Objects invoking memories.

A quiet place to rest and read.

A chair to doze off in.

A warm spot by the fire.

Somewhere to put your feet up.

Let your hair down.

Be yourself for a while.

Sweep your worries under the rug.

Contemplate favorite things.

Brainstorm, remember.

Plan trips, projects.

My best friends are here.

Photographs, letters,

Books, chatchkes.

Bottles, pebbles,

Jacks, ribbons,

Poems, fables.

Cats resting on the tables.

A library of thoughts

Evoking feelings

Evading reality.

Such a small corner

Holds the stuff of life.

It could fit on a flash drive.

FLOWERS AGAIN

2009-10-20T16:34:00.001-07:00

I was mowing the lawn like a wild woman.

I just finished putting the tractor into the shed.

The dog was barking and I shushed her.

Suddenly a man called out and appeared

From around the side of the house.

Flowers for me?

Unbelievable. Pink roses and red carnations.

What did I do to deserve this?

Can’t believe it’s been thirty years.

Who thought we’d still like each other?

What a nice man sending me flowers again.

He’s so huggable.

What a guy!

Flowers for the two week anniversary

Of our Thirtieth anniversary?

What?

How surprising!

I feel so special.

CURTAINS

2009-10-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

It was curtains shred in darkness.

Thunder and earthquake.

Split from top to bottom fabric thickness

Worldwide souls at stake

Under the burden of shouldered sin.

Torn by supernatural hand,

Sanctuary opened in the din

Almighty salvation plan

Forgiveness flowed

Head, hands, feet, side.

Cancelled sin debt owed

Put aside divine pride

Heart broken for love.

Displayed between thieves

Postponed kingdom above

For ransomed hearts grieves.

Willingly submits to strife

For those who one day profess

No last act on the stage of life.

Beginning legacy of righteousness

Going ahead Jerusalem way

Forty days, then ascension

Throne and footstool waiting.

And the curtain in the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

Mark 15:38

RECTORY

2009-10-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

Dark rectory, electric candlelit windows.

Shadowy figures at bedside stand.

Eleven years old, bound fingers, toes.

Cringes at touch of priest’s hand.

Nightmare of silence kept thirty five years.

Trust relationships shattered, broken.

Fear, anxiety dissolve into tears.

When truth of molestation finally spoken.

Appointment for healing one Jerusalem day.

God supplied priest for me to forgive.

So anxiety attacks would go away.

And I might begin to fearlessly live.

Anger still rushes in like tide.

I need most to fall on my knees.

Where I’ve learned from God’s word to abide.

And look at thing the way God sees.

RAIN

2009-10-15T20:02:00.000-07:00

Rain is not the same here.

Life among drops grey and cold.

Paradise mist sparkles with amber sun glow.

Smells of freesia, sulfur near the volcanoes.

Dry trees shed skirts. Green up.

Hula in the breeze. Shimmer diamond

Kamikaze whitecaps. Red liquid boulders

Slide into azure waves. Outside in. Inside out.

Tsunami warning. Run to the volcano. Silent lava fields

Buried luxury developments, roads, singe trees.

Equatorial blossoms drop like autumn leaves.

Treasure lei pathways of ivory and fuchsia.

A changing gem in a pool of liquid velvet.

Hours and dreams away on a Pacific tide.

Hard rain reality returns.

BLOSSOM

2009-09-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received a gift of orange roses,

beautiful but closed tightly.

They are even more beautiful after opening - a lesson to me.

Rather that remaining close minded, I must be open to possibility

Appreciating the unique creation of each individual.

Fear darkens thinking and blocks enlightenment.

Clinging to petty differences keeps buds from blossoming.

The full potential of a life well lived is then never realized.

My life could be so much more if I would only loosen up.

Open up and let the Son shine in. He would never close his heart.

Neither should I close mine.

YOGA LOGIC

2009-09-24T15:41:00.001-07:00

Bent V shape in downward dog looking at my bent toes I contemplated this yoga thing. Flexible yes. Strong no. Balanced sort of. Some of these poses I don’t understand. Virabhadrasana III defies logic. I can’t do it at all, not without holding on to an object in front of me. I wonder if weight loss would facilitate this. Can’t take credit for flexibility as it is a God given physical trait. I remember my mother was flexible, standing with one foot on the floor and the other one in the sink washing her feet at the age of 80.

AUTUMN HEAT

2009-09-23T21:14:00.001-07:00

Today the autumn breeze heated up the day like a sauna. Even in the normally cool basement I felt cooked. My face turned red and my heart raced. I lay on the carpet with the air conditioner on full blast, a glass of ice water sweating in my hand. Fall is usually my favorite time of year, because it’s cool and sunny, great time to bike and hike without getting all sweaty. It hardly feels like the end of September. Leaves and walnuts are dropping, but not the temperature. 88 degrees is just too hot for this time of year.

RABBIT TRAILS

2009-09-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

Looking at Facebook, Twitter, IMs, or e-mails feels like going down rabbit trails. My time disappears and I end up nowhere very useful. It’s like gossip, you get a whole lot of information that you probably should never use. I read a bunch of interesting articles on writing, an answer to a prayer request, and lots of comments on Facebook that I’m not sure were even really important in the lives of the people who posted them. It may be time to put a limit on this kind of activity, unless of course someone wants to pay me to continue.

STUNNED

2009-09-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

Sparrow fly. Glass reflecting,
Trees, shrubs, sky, sun.
Miscalculated optical illusion.
Soar toward mirrored world.
Glide. Thud. Hit the window.
Falling. Thud. Hit the deck.
Woe. What a rush. Just be still.
Stunned, laying cold, motionless.
Downy white breast rising, falling.
Pale grey body, dark wings sore.
Tiny legs drawn in twitching.
Eyes flutter open, close shut.
Someone comes, watches, leaves.
Help returns. Draws closer.
Something white, fluffy soft.
Coaxing, scooping, wrapping.
Lifted. Higher, safer, warmer, softer.
Resisting, flapping wings.
Acquiescing, accepting, resting.
Sleeping, healing, restoring.
Standing, thinking, waiting.
Looking, testing, feeling better.
Alert, adjusting, getting ready.
Flying. Grateful. Gone.

OVERCAST

2009-09-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

Overcast, drizzly, non-committal day
Snoring mongrel stretched, controlling sofa.
Crowded yoga bent damp loosened joints
into fetal position. Gaze glued to mystery tome.
Wind rustled foliage wept. Moisture fell earthward.
Mist dissipated. Wildlife crept closer.
Heard hidden in slippery rain rinsed leaves
Blue jay out shrieked cricket song.
Cardinals whistled. Crows usurped canopy.
Buntings, finches, sparrows sounded
peter peter, sweet sweet, purty purty purty.
Frogs joined. Grassy chorus grew louder.
Trio to chamber to band to orchestra,
Symphony crescendo rose andante until
Downpour drummed final beats of last movement.
Driven toward rising forte decrescendo to fine,
Drenched day whispered done.

WIND

2009-09-16T17:37:00.000-07:00

Blowing in the wind. My words are here, but going nowhere. They sit alone on a cyberspace park bench feeding invisible pigeons. People speed by paying a little bit of attention while they stuff a chip in their mouth for lunch.
“I’m on a diet,” they say. “I can’t have too much rich food or I might get fat.” “You wouldn’t want to be satiated with substance,” I say, “that might be too much fiber in your cerebral diet.”
So while there is a plethora of tweets perused every minute, there is a paucity of meaningful exchange. We are doomed.

LURKING

2009-09-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

A multicolored feather duster coated me with ten years worth of two parrot's dander while I cleaned the basement of papers, software and PC magazines from 1999. I understood why the average person moved every seven years. It’s the only way anybody ever cleared their house of junk. Closets exploded showering every surface with gift boxes, orange tissue paper, gold lame ribbon, used spiral notebooks and five inch floppy disks. So far two drop offs at the thrift store, three overflowing trash barrels and eight empty 28 gallon Rubbermaid totes. I feel like I’ve made the whole matter much worse.

MOLD

2009-09-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

Line cracks. Water sprays unseen in the wee hours. Seeps under studs. Trickles along tile and cement. Foot slips. Bone breaks. Black mold creeps. Consumes sawdust, glue and drywall paper. Moisture lingers hanging in the air like a mountain fog. Scary dark blob sucks breathable air from the building. Repairs fail. Bolt shatters. Basement floods. Hysteria. Water stops. Help comes. Wet vac sucks. Carpet stinks. De-humidifier runs for days. Line splits. Backwash soaks walls insidiously. Help returns. No hose. Unplugs conditioner. No water. Valves repositions. Water flows from the ground. Wait. Replacement differs. Bill duplicated. Payment waits. Mold damage continues.

SCREAM

2009-09-13T15:22:00.001-07:00

A blood curdling scream issued from deep inside me. I hate spiders, especially big fat hairy ones. Why do they always reside in something I have just picked up with my bare hands? Can’t they eat insects where I don’t have to look at them? I don’t mind the little ones, like daddy long legs or ones smaller than that as long as they aren’t crawling on my skin. I hate to admit it, but it looks like I have arachnophobia. Oddly, if no one else is home to take care a spider problem, I’m suddenly very brave. Go figure.

RUNNING BUNNY

2009-09-10T08:13:00.000-07:00

When time was not a factor my playthings crossed the heavens on invisible wings. I lay in the cool green grass staring into space, imagining a world beyond nuisances like bedtime, shoes and toothbrushes. The airy landscape teemed with cotton candy creatures. Horses galloped over blue hills. Fluffy alligators chased pale grey squirrels through azure seas. Elephants lost their trunks to the wind. Scenes changed in the breeze creating a movie show of wispy delights. Until the sun went down the spectacle continued unencumbered by viewer critique. Then icy friends drifted off into nothingness. Did you see the running bunny?

TURN LEFT. THAT'S RIGHT.

2009-09-09T08:15:00.001-07:00

I longed to produce a substantive work. I was in my right mind, not my left brain. Changing viewpoints drove me to scuttle ideas from the previous day, which seemed contrary to the wise use of time. Revision often improves communication, but doesn’t always produce superior thought. Disparate plans created a conceptual cacophony in my head. Playing referee between right and left brain drained me of creativity. There had to be an easier way to re-cogitate without losing all the results of my efforts. Perhaps I should save all my revisions until everything is completed. My left brain needs re-organization.

WHAT ? A PAIN ?

2009-09-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

My desire to stay healthy and fit eluded me. The last three times I began an exercise program, I sprained the same ankle twice and finally sustained a oblique fracture of the fifth metatarsal. Thankfully I liked swimming and Pilates which are easy on the feet. My body was in conflict. Rest was great. Flab frustration was not. All those months sweating were a distant memory that could no longer be visually proved. I started over. I was determined not to repeat the cycle of workout, injury, and rest. Stretching morning and evening now became essential for pain free fitness.

LOVE'S LABOR'S COST

2009-09-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

A dilemma presented itself on labor day. Rest or volunteer to pick up family at the airport? Be selfless or self-centered? I had few gallons of gas, fewer dollars and even less time to spare. Acts of kindness improve relationships don’t they? Any investment into family reaps intangible rewards. Right? I opted to meet the airplane. I added a traveling companion who possessed the resourced I lacked, except for the time which dissolved into the ether. Smiles and hugs received for my efforts were a worthwhile exchange. This love language nourished the affection in my heart sustaining my soul indefinitely.

ZANY DAYS AND MONDAYS

2009-09-06T14:51:00.000-07:00

From the moment the sun hit my pillow until my eye-lids fluttered closed I endured the cognitive dissonance. Processing with a Democrat brain and Republican heart, my body was a house divided. I longed for peace, instigated controversy, stood for everything, and championed nothing. I devoured books, deciphered puzzles, and digested factoids at five minute intervals before jumping to the next stimulating adventure, unable to arrest myself. My brain’s primary directive was cogitate without pause. The daily constant mental and emotional turmoil drove me and everyone else crazy. At some juncture I’d be forced to swallow a mind numbing pill?