A Writer’s Way

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Discovering words with something to say

Penning poems and stories every day

                                                             

Draining cups of coffee, right on cue

Feeling emptiness, like singing the blues

 

Holding on to thoughts, waiting to give birth

Sailing onward, words waiting to unearth

 

Painting with dazzling textures, shapes, and hues

Viewing sketches, filling these eyes with clues

 

Searching for future poems, like twinkling stars

Linking verses while traveling to Mars

 

Crafting words, really not science you see

Navigating this writer’s mind, feeling free

 

Seeking prose, lost deep in this writer’s soul

Uncovering a few, making each day full

 

Looking for stories, over each rainbow

Finding inspiring words, eager to flow

 

Drinking more coffee, than one should consume

Creating endless text, now ready to bloom

 

Grasping this pen, creating one more tune

Drafting a masterpiece, ready by Noon

 

Writing encounters monumental quests

Hoping these words will always pass all tests

 

Honoring these writing moments, so sweet

Dreaming of fashioning each splendid treat

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Darkness in War

Eve Conant interviews her mother, who was born in 1934.  Her National Geographic article, “Caught between Hitler’s troops and Stalin’s:  How one family escaped,” captures vivid memories of her mother living in Kiev when Germans invaded the Ukraine in 1941.  This poem attempts to capture the darkness of war, then ending with the light of freedom.  This May marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.

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Memories of war, never fading

Dreadful darkness, haunting many lives

Living as refugees, now homeless

Caught between nations, bloody war thrives

 

Millions facing harsh deportation

Never to return to their homelands

Surviving in freezing factories

Providing labor in foreign lands

 

Escaping from a train, fate calling

Always moving, life stays on the run

Sleeping outdoors, sometimes in cold barns

Blistered, painful feet for everyone

 

Witnessing death, in deserted fields

Scars of war, visions never ending

Eyes and ears skyward, fearing warplanes

On the run, danger not pretending

 

Surviving life’s dark, brutal escape

Recalling this journey’s final trek

Arriving on American soil

Drawing freedom’s card, from life’s new deck

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Haiku Series #76 (Life)

Survival

Monday morning blast

Inundated, overwhelmed—

Is it Friday yet?

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So Rude!

Blissful morning dreams

Road closure . . . detour ahead—

Alarm clock ringing

accurate alarm alarm clock analogue

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Hoping for More

Businesses open

Light traffic, just a few sales—

Most staying at home

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Monday Memories: It Takes a Village

Many of my teaching years were spent in Montana where the entire community took pride in their schools, and everyone shared responsibility in raising and educating their children.   Some of my stops included Plevna, Corvallis, and Circle.

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A child is born into a world foreign and new

Arriving today with a brighter future to view

 

Long before a child enters school year number one

Blessings come from many for a daughter or a son

 

Parents bring the beginning of learning home each day

Offering nurturing love and teaching with plenty of play

 

Others step in to provide valued assistance along the way

Teaching from grandparents and others with much to say

 

A book becomes a timely, precious, and vital gift

Learning to read will open up a life—never adrift

 

The pre-school years finally arrive and go

Seeking ways to seek, discover, and grow

 

A Sunday school teacher speaks of God’s love

Enriching a young heart with Spirit from above

 

Kindergarten and elementary school now await

Inspiring and faithful teachers remain at its gate

 

Yes, it always takes an entire village to teach a child

Educating a young mind each day, makes God smile

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In the News

I read The Columbus Dispatch every Sunday, and I appreciate its objective reporting and coverage of local and state issues as well as national news.  Using some headlines from the past couple of weeks, this poem is crafted to give you a glimpse of life.   A similar post, New Flash, was posted about a year ago.

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Learning to survive, food cart vendor relocates to new place

Sights, sounds, smell–remaining the same at his new space

 

Playing accordion from his apartment’s stoop

Neighbors appreciate, spirits no longer droop

 

Growing a family’s vegetable garden this spring

Fresh air, saving money with a harvest to bring

 

Parking silent airplanes at far too many airports

Not so friendly skies viewed in shocking reports

 

Scheduling virtual medical appointments for next week

Telemedicine brings seismic shift with new techniques

 

Facing uncertain fall semester, colleges standing by

Hiring freezes and furloughs deliver agony and cries

 

Adopting distance learning challenges America’s schools

Some students missing special help and technology tools

 

Switching over to virtual college visits this summer

Zoom becomes social distancing’s new drummer

 

Appreciating entertainment from comedy superstars

Virtual comedy shows now sharing laughs from afar

 

Missing daily routines, spring sports coaches feel sidelined

Life without athletics, coaches alone and missing the grind

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Elfchen Series #15 (Life)

One of a Kind

Ford

Fastback pony

Classic sports car

Steve McQueen drives “Bullitt”

Mustang

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Never Forget

Memory

Which file?

What’s his name?

Calling secretary for help

Fallible

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Celebrate

Losing

Stubborn pounds

Clothes too big

Time for shopping spree

Winning

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An Elfchen is a German-inspired form of poetry.  A total of eleven words are contained in the poem with a pattern using one, two, three, four, and one.

Infinite Road

This poem is inspired from viewing one of the posts from Alex Markovich Art.  His Watercolor Sketch 43 stopped me in my writing tracks.  Check out his site for further watercolor sketches, Russian postcards, and much more.  There are plenty of incredible images.

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Walking this lonely road

Losing count of each step

Packing life’s hefty load

Careful not to misstep

 

Miles of infinite road

Where will it finally end?

Life scanned, like some bar code

What lies around the bend?

 

Few answers on this road

Walking day after day

Needing life to reload

Feeling like nature’s prey

 

Danger lurks on this road

Always staying alert

Life delayed in safe mode

Old, worn boots kicking dirt

 

Life resembles this road

Challenges come and go

Heavy, infinite load

Never walking too slow

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Rosa Parks Quote

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If you want to be respected for your actions, then your behavior must be above reproach.

From 1 John 2:3-6:  “Now by this we may be sure that we know Him, if we obey His commandments.  Whoever says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ but does not obey His commandments, is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; but whoever obeys His word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection.  By this we may be sure that we are in Him:  whoever says, ‘I abide in Him,’ ought to walk just as He walked.”