Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Iris

Her name was Iris,
Not Daisy,
Not Violet,
Not Jasmine, 
Not Rose,
Nor Zinnia
She sprang suddenly in the spring
At the first warmth and rain
She came a surprise, a fragile delight
So we named her Iris.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Oak Tree

Oak tree, stay with us
Another year. Give us another 
Summer of sweet shade.

June when day lilies bloom orange
Around your trunk,

July when bees make sticky honey
In your hollow,

August when a red-tailed hawk roosts
In your upper branches,

September when wind makes music
With your drying leaves,

You will be glad with us,
Old oak, for having given another
Year. You'll be glad you stayed.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Snow Hydrangea

Sunlit blooms—
Green spring song!
Like dozens of snow-white butterflies
Blossoms burst 
Wild on the unsuspecting day,
Smelling like honeysuckle, 
Lilacs and brook water, with
Southern breezes
And superlative sunshine.

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Windowsill

Spring comes inside
To the windowsill
In installments
Pinks and purples,
Whites and yellows
Reds and oranges
Bright blooms.
Eager children come 
Bringing these
Clasped in sweet fists
Behind their backs.


Friday, April 26, 2013

A Bug's Life

A caterpillar in a jar,
A mystery.
Such an odd sound
The pink, ponk, punk 
Holes being poked in the metal lid.
Leaves will do for food;
A stick to climb.
Her mind wonders
Will this worm
Build a cocoon? 
When? How? Why?





Thursday, April 25, 2013

Just Like

Pecan pie just like
Grandma used to bake
Flaky crust, custard just like
Mama always made
Toasted pecans, syrupy sweet
Just like—home.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Amish

Wagon wheels roll on by
While time stands still
Progress stymied by religion
Dressed in Black and blue cloth
Under heat-saving black felt hats
Sun shielding bonnets and 
Newly-woven straw hats
Big-eyed boys and babies
Out for an afternoon ride
Watch the world as they go past.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Time Vine

Vine crawls the barn walls
Growing up and someday over
Inside trees have sprouted
Through the dirt floor
Metal rusts
Wood cracks and grays
Bees and wood ants riddle beams
The prairie reclaims its spaces.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Wood Music

Afternoon sun makes long
Lacey shadow fan-flare
Lines and swirls
White light curves and curls
Notes and sonata song

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Blue Bottle

Holds you pretty,
Purple tulip, a blue
Bottle, stem still
Sipping warm spring
Rain up to keep your
Petals unfurled.
Facing the waning 
Afternoon sun from 
A sweet spot on 
The dinner table.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Wind and Wishes

Sunshine and wind 
Spin horse hair on barbed
Wire. Wind whips your brown hair
Too, little girl. Pucker up, blow
Lightly; make a wish!
Whisper. Whistle.
Springtime comes only 
Once a year. 

Friday, April 19, 2013

Yellow

As yellow as sunlight
As yellow as lemons
Symbol of friendship,
Happiness, joy
Light up the lawn like
Bulbs lit from within,
Like laughter,
Like singing,
Like friends.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Flood

Thank you, Lord, for rain
So much rain that it sits 
Misplaced in the pasture.
The yearling heifer watches
As it rises, hasn't
Seen much rain in her day.
She appears to be
Loving the lush green
Spring has provided after
Drought and a long
Hard winter.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Cornbread

Hot from the oven
Tipped from an iron skillet
Unto Mama's brown platter.
Brown and crusty,
Buttery, salty, sweet
Nothing better
Nothing! 
Cornbread.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Day Dream

What will I wish for, 
Wistfully wish for
On a dandelion bouquet, 
What shall I say?

A swing on a star?
A friend from afar?
A perfect summer day?
A ride in a sleigh?

What do I dream of?
A prince for a true love?
A lovely new dress?
Soft, pink, ruffly, yes!

What will I wish for, 
Wistfully wish for
On a dandelion bouquet, 
What shall I say?


Monday, April 15, 2013

Lily

She loves to be petted
This dark-eyed beauty
Comes to the gate
At the sound of children's voices
Comes lively
Comes softly
Comes sweetly
Comes Lily.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Jonquils

Jonquils bloom with the daffodils
On the grassy brow of the greening hills
Sweet the scent on the springtide breeze
Bright with sun 'neath the redbud trees.

Like pale yellow taffeta bride's maids' dresses
On a wedding day I softly remember 
Makes me smile at the reminisces
Those soft creamy buttery blooming kisses

When the jonquils appear so suddenly,
Like that newfound love that shot so strong,
So long ago yet so swift and truly;
It startled us with its lasting beauty.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Iris

Iris fronds like swords of green
Buds of purple in between
Earth and sky so blue
Spring open; show us something new.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Pert and Purple

Pretty little purple tulip
Trampled before your time
Still in a vase on the windowsill
You devise to bring me still
A glimpse of God's design

'Tis so sweet of you to share
What few moments you have to spare.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Cardinal Tulip

                              


A cardinal in flower form
Red and black on wing;
Tulips make me want to sing.


                                                                                                  

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Spring Faces

Do you see frowns on these little faces,
Or winsome smiles?
Do you see grass greening 
Or lawn soon needing mowing?
Do you see nourishing rainfall 
Or canceled outings?
Is your glass half full 
Or half empty?
Mine is full in April.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Pink

I found a tulip the color of plum juice,
The color of cotton candy at the county fair,
The color of the last of a summer sunset,
The color of a little girl's first tutu.
I found a tulip and left it to open
 To the sun's warm rays.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Blossom Time

When blossoms sprout on shrub and tree
When robins hop across the green
When iris sprouts up in between
It's spring, it's spring, it's spring!

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Forsythia


One morning after a rain
You wake and find forsythia glowing
Like streamers of sunshine
On red/gray branches
Like fireworks
Exploding
In all directions
Glowing bright for a few days
Then going green.



Saturday, April 6, 2013

Skeleton

Old barn,
Ghost of your former self,
Skeleton open to winds
That sweep the prairie
Once someone trusted your sturdy walls
Sought shelter from rain and storm
Kept tools, hay, animals inside 
Your generous belly.

Old barn,
Piece of prairie story,
Bones and sinew of yesteryear
When, why did they go away 
Leave you to the weather
Leave you to rot and rust
Winter and summer tottering
To the waiting earth.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Kansas

      Where grass and sky dance
       Wind slips through barbed wire fences
                     Whistles through creaking barn walls
          Whips thistles dry and sends them flying
         Waits in the afternoon heat
         Wanders through the evening's cool
              Waltzes with bluestem to meadowlark song.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Peace

Doves of steel can
Never fly around the globe
The earth and sky
Nor will I ever hear one sing
Life is such a fragile thing.

The loveliest thing 
A man can make,
Can sculpt or paint, design
Only faintly imitates
The wonders that my God creates.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Courage

Fragile flowers
Struggle to pass through
Winter's blanket of brown
Stretching on tiptoe
Pressing, persevering through
To spring's cold sky
Promise

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Sculpture

Laughing horse with
Windblown mane and tail
Playfully listing
Laughing, laughing at the show
Flowers waving to the beat
Of spring's sweet 
Sunshiny music.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Sunshine Girl

Running down the hillside
Sunlight in her hair,
Through the new spring grasses 
And wildflowers singing there.

Innocence of childhood
Free of fear and care
Not a note of worry
Beautiful and fair.