Monday, December 31, 2012

Plastic Rose

Incongruous
Orange flower of
Faded plastic
Drinks in winter sunlight
Waiting through the cold outside
Alone, still bright.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Mum

Whiter than a dove's wing
Touched with palest green,
Winter flower, you are a
Tea cup of spring's promise.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Sea Shell

Curves and curls,
Pearled and striped with brown
Spiral record of ocean time
Counting years like tree rings.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Boy in Snow






Smile in Dad's eyes sparkles
And the grinning of his son. 
Brighter even than the sunlight
In joy at his boy's fun. 

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Dove

Noah watched and waited
At the window of the ark

Would the dove he'd sent
Return to him that day?

Then a flutter in the morning
Caught his ear, proved

To him God remembered. 
Healing had come. 

In his beak the dove carried
A green olive twig

Flood over; life back
Earth dry. White dove -

Messenger of peace
Carrier of hope

Tomorrow's restoration
New beginning.


Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Holiday Colors

Red and green
Christmas colors
Pine boughs and candy canes
Poinsettas and ivy
Glass balls, blinking lights
Fir trees, mistletoe
Ribbons, cherries
Little girls in velveteen dresses
Packages swaddled in bright paper
Tied with red bows
Christmas colors
Red and green

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Wreath

Even the tiniest wreath can say
Welcome to our house Christmas Day.
Scent of forest come inside
Lures us to the countryside.



Monday, December 24, 2012

Christmas Eve

Colors and lights
Sparkle and spangle
Shimmer and glimmer
Christmas tree.

Glass and wood
Plastic and metal
Shimmer and glimmer 
Christmas tree.

Joy and delights
Good tidings and cheer
Shimmer and glimmer
Christmas tree.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Winter Sky

Sky,
Blue as a baby boy's blanket

Winter sky,
Azur like an ocean
Filled with rolling white breakers
A seascape awash with clouds,

Sky,
Lit with cool daylight.
Tree branches bare themselves to you
Sunbathing on your 
Earthy shore.


Saturday, December 22, 2012

Light Show

Whirly,
Swirly trails of light
Orange, red, blue, 
Yellowey, green;
Strings of incandescence
Waves of musical brightness
Twirls and curls
Of 
Shimmering 
Shining show!

Friday, December 21, 2012

My Own Front Door

Home 
Front door 
Welcomes in
Neighbor and friend,
Stranger and vagabond,
Welcomes
When I am far away
Calls to me,
Beckons me home.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Joy

Little lamb
Jesus
Come to earth
Born in a stable
Little lamb 
Little lamb
Jesus 
Precious lamb of God
You bring
Joy!
 Joy! Joy! Joy!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Pomegranate

Pomegranate
Mysterious fruit 
Whose shape graced 
Ancient temple walls
Whose skin, shiny and thick,
Hides brightest red crystals
Bursting with tangy juice
And bitter seeds
Pomegranate.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

December Flowers

Flowers of winter
Blooms 
Whiter than snow
And crimson
As red as cardinal wings!
Gold like the dawning light
Green as a fir tree.
December blooms
Chrysanthemums. 

Monday, December 17, 2012

Christmas Candiy

Chocolate fudge,
Pecan pralines, peppermints, 
Divinity in sweet white fluffs,
Candy canes, creamy caramels,
Lollipops, truffles, sugar plums,
Ah, the treats of the season!

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Watering Can

Wood is ready for the fire
But still not needed
Today the sun is warm
The watering can still out 
From summer days
Is blue, sad, unneeded,
Firewood is happy for the reprieve!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Gray Barn

Past your prime, 
Weary and bedraggled,
Barn, you once were the talk 
Of the countryside.
You were the jewel of the farm,
The envy of neighbors. 
Bright and new, efficient,
Well-designed and nicely appointed
Convenient, warm and loved
You once housed cows and horses
Chickens roosted in your rafters.
 Piglets were born 
Behind you in the pigpen.
Your loft held sweet summer's hay 
And a place to play on rainy winter days for 
A farmer's children
 Later for his grandchildren.
Your big double doors opened wide
 To warm summer days, 
Held out sleet, snow, and icy wind on 
Frosty December and January nights
Old barn, now you sit resting from your work,
Aged with the work,
 The weather, and the years.
Your farmers are gone on 
To their rest 
Before you.


Friday, December 14, 2012

Winter Berries

Winter berries 
Brighten the brown and gray world;
Splashing the drab page with orange paint
Singing the color of autumn pumpkins, 
Summer zinnias, 
Shouting the orange of spring tulips 
All winter through.



Thursday, December 13, 2012

Cider

Apple cider like caramel 
From a tree; every drop
Beautiful and sweet
The juice of windfalls,
Over-ripened red and golden beauties,
Gathered and pressed
Salvaged like hidden treasure.
The taste of autumn's sunshine
Bottled up to be enjoyed 
Again on cold winter days.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Tea Time

To share a slice of sweet cake
Still buttery warm from the oven
And a cup of fresh hot tea
With someone you love,
Makes a wintry day a celebration
Of home, family, and friendship

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Name Change, Please

Startling colors for winter
Your leaves brighten days and lift spirits
Your curls and swirls amuse me.
Croton, your name doesn't fit you;
It isn't playful enough.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Ginkgo

Ginkgo leaves, like tiny fans
In the hands of proper southern belles, 
Wave and flutter in the trees. 
Soon they will lose their grip, then
With no more sound than a whisper,
Drop into the golden circle 
On the grass below
To become a part of the past.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Mosaic

The pieces of our lives 
Arranged in rows and lines
By months and years.
In groupings
The light and the dark,
The bright, the colors,
The textures of
Happy and sad,
Of lonely times,
Of family times,
The touchings of friendships
Glued to each other with love's mortar.
Each piece large or small 
Fits together, like a patchwork quilt;
Makes our unique picture
Our humanity
Our stories 
God's design for our days.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Definition

What men can create, craft, design,
Becomes your art when you play 
Light and shadow on it.

I see this iron fence in rain;
Droplets running down each curve
Like the surfaces of country roads in spring.

I imagine it with whitest snow 
Along the top bar and the spaces of the lower edge
Filling the lower curves of each circle.

I know it in summer with hot sun
And shade of towering oak trees, 
Making shadows dance there to silent music.

A gift you give to the sons of man 
To let him create objects of beauty and usefulness
You made us like you in this way. 

You add the crown of change
To that men makes, builds, grows
You define beauty.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Savannah River Bridge

Like another ship 
With wind in its sails,
The river bridge straddles the river.
In the afternoon light.
Blue sky with wind-whipped clouds
Is another ocean of crashing waves
A sailor longs to cross.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Decorations

Lights and chimes
And nursery rhymes
Christmas's dreamy side.

Satin wisps 
And candle drips
The heady scent of pine.

Spick and sparkle
Tinsel and twinkle
Christmas sure is fine.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Morning Flowers

Cups to hold sunshine,
Color and dew
What would my morning be
Without you?

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Paris Roses

One busy day
 I rested
In a small shop
Sipped a French Soda
At a round marble-topped cafe table
Sweet and simple pink roses
In a fluted silver vase
Sang to me
Smiled at me
Joy, simple, sweet!
God's hand in every place
Gives me flowers.


Monday, December 3, 2012

Praline

Sweet confection
From sugar cane growing
Tall in summer heat,
From groves of spreading trees,
To my waiting mouth.
Who imagined you?
Who created your mix of butter, sugar, and pecans;
Who boiled and stirred; 
Who beat and stirred and spooned you 
A puddle of wonderful sweetness?
Praline


Sunday, December 2, 2012

Savannah

Aged city crouched waiting above the river
All rivers run to the sea
All rivers run to the sea

Port city where laden ships come and go
All rivers run to the sea
All rivers run to the sea

Brick city weathered by time and salt
All rivers run to the sea
All rivers run to the sea

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Camellia Sisters



Sisters growing close and looking alike
The shy one standing a bit behind the other
Feeling safer in the shade of the brighter 
And more outgoing personality.
Sisters together, strengthening each other
Holding tight, needing each other,
Staying close, upholding each other
Sisters cheering each other on
Sisters, taking a bow. 




Friday, November 30, 2012

The Greeter

Funny little donkey,
What makes you so cross?
Your tone is quite demanding,
Who made you the boss?

Hee haw! Hee haw !
Hee haw! Hee haw!  
Hee haw!

Children run to pet you
You frighten them away
Your head raised up, your ears back, 
Belt out your throaty bray

Hee haw! Hee haw !
Hee haw! Hee haw!  
Hee haw!

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Nest

Robin, your nest is as disarrayed
A home as mine feels some days.
Your sticks a hasty clutter
Sighing against order
Battling precision
Fighting organization,
Just finding shelter,
Sweet peace.
I know you loved this leafy retreat
Where spring's green grew around 
You and shaded your family
Where voices were close by
Still you could hide;
We are not too much different
You and I.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Pampas Grass

Wave in the autumn sky
Your plumes like feathers
As I pass by.

Sweep summer from the air
Erase the dust of heat
And webs of care.  


Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Sweetgum

Beauty of the autumn
Ah, sweet sweetgum tree,
Bearing pointed star leaves
And prickly spheres of seed.

They're the bane of every lawn man
And still yet it seems to me 
There is no greater beauty
Than the sweetgum tree!

Your foliage turns a yellow
Then orange as pumpkin rind
Red like candied apples
Then purple as fine wine.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Bushel Basket

Bushel of bounty
Pecans from the leaf-lovely ground
Nuts for Thanksgiving pies,
For Christmas candies,
For caramels, fudge, and divinity
Pecans for banana bread, 
For brown sugar pound cake
For cookies and ice cream
Sundae toppings!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Red Flower

Late bloom
Afternoon light
Shines yellow through
Your red petals
Makes you glow
Like flame
Like heat left behind
By summer is inside.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Picket Fence

White picket fence 
A housewife's dream
Shut the traffic out
But let the light,
Let friends,
Let sweet wafts of fragrant air,
Let leaves, and summer, 
And flowers, and sunshine, and wonder 
Stay.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Fallen Tree

Once towering above the sand
Once waving a leafy head above the water's edge
Now the tree lies resting. Retired? No, still busy providing food, refuge, shelter
Providing windbreak and helping hold the sand 
from erosion in the wind
Making a seat for a traveler, 
a balancing beam for happy children,
Still ready to be wood for a fire, fuel for cooking. 
Tree-- ever a servant, a gift, a joy.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Dinner Setting

On a day we've set aside for giving thanks
To God for our plenty, I notice
He gives us a huge dose of more plenty.
Our thanks turns into more blessing for us.
Are we confused? Have we missed the point?
Or is that the point?
We serve a God who provides for us.
We serve a God who shares instead of demanding.
We don't bring bowls of food to set out for Him;
He gives bowls to us instead.
Thank you, Jesus,
Thank you for being you.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Violets

Atop the green of leaves 
Flowers sit like beauty queens
On the open tops of convertibles
Though the air is cold,
Though the parade-goers rowdy,
They smile.
They wave, never ruffled
In their sparkly sequined dresses.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Bread

Bread - the food of the world
Every nation,
Every tribe has a bread
Bread
Swedish loaves dark with rye
American white loaves of sourdough,
Tortillas in Mexico made of corn.

Bread - the staple of every clime
Every country;
Every village has a bread.
Bread
French baquette, English scone,
Middle east pita and Jewish challah,
India's chapati and Irish Soda.

Bread - A food of life,
Ever eaten
Where people find comfort
Bread
At humble kitchen tables, in richest homes,
Served in the soup kitchens, carried in the streets
Jesus served his friends bread and spoke of life.



Monday, November 19, 2012

Autumn in the Air

Between the rails of the garden fence
Leaves have lodged to peaceful sleep
The winter through, quiet, waiting,
For spring rain and warm sun
To replace them on the branches overhead
 And grant them leave to
Return to the soil.




Sunday, November 18, 2012

Glass

Mosaic
Work of glass
Light plaited 
Candy apple red, 
Rose, rust, 
Amber, blue, 
Green, orange,
White, pink zig-zags 
Woven ribbons
Arrows shining 
Colors inside and out

Saturday, November 17, 2012

November Rose


Winter bloom,
November rose,
Red and glowing in the sun.

Sing our hearts 
To the year's end
Cheer us on till spring comes.


Friday, November 16, 2012

Dancer in Red

Skirt of red
Flying,
Ballerina pirouettes 
On tiptoe
In a setting of blue
Violet and green,
Flower, leaf, 
Light
Sunset, 
River
Sky.



Thursday, November 15, 2012

Far from Home

Sycamore leaf
Far flung from home
Alone now,
Without your kin,
Among strangers.
Free at last, you roam.
Caught, not by binding stem
To the home tree;
Caught in a new place
Low in the lowly grasses.
Sights are foreign.
Life is crowded still.
You fluttered before;
Fought furiously
Fought free; 
But you didn't know 
How to fly.
Come rest against 
The wall, the house, 
The garden gate
'Till you find family again.



Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Football Flower

Mums make me recall 
Cold nights and stadium lights
Lettered sweaters and 
Concession stand hot-dogs 
With Coco-Cola.

Mums remind me of homecoming,
Of scoreboards flashing
Home versus Visitors,
Of the Star-Spangled Banner
Sung by Betty Sue White

One look at a mum and
I see N.H.S. in silver glitter.
One look and I hear voices cheering
A runner down to the end zone.
Touchdown!

One look and I hear the band take up 
Its victory song, see them march
In black and red lines, 
Waving flags, beating drums, 
Piping flutes and trombones.

One look and I see cheerleaders, 
Pompoms and megaphones.
I see children climb,
Children play on the
Concrete steps of the bleachers. 

Mums make me feel
The autumn chill in the air.
Make me shiver. 
Mums take me back to those 
Glorious fall game nights

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Grandma's Dolls

Now I am Grandma.
Starting into my sixty-first year,
I am still my Mama's child.
These pieces of simple life
Cornhusk dolls
One a bride in green,
One an angel in blue,
One a girl wearing a dress with puffed sleeves
Speak to my little girl inside
That I will never be too old
Never need give up play and joy,
Will always be Daddy's girl.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Kansas


Like a wheel 
Of one of many covered 
Wagons which
Once lined this old town's streets
Before bricks paved them
Before substantial buildings 
Took up residence and 
Stores opened
Along them
Snowfake 
Heralding Christmas
Snowflake
Never falling, never melting
Snowflake
Sparkling blue at night
Blue starburst
Snowflake
Above a dusty Kansas street
Holding up the bold blue
Sky.