EVERYONE

It is just so irritating

the way that they speak

one word at a time.

Or is it simply

their race, religion, or orientation?

Their looks –

sloppy, dumpy, dirty?

Maybe it seems that

they always have to be

right there

in front of you.

That absolutely rubs you

the wrong way.

Politics?

Let’s not go there.

It is just so easy

to mock, to ignore, to ridicule them.

That is ~

until

you hear their story.

Then you find

that their story

tugs a little

on your heartstrings,

and it’s not so easy

anymore.

Did you know that

everyone

has a story?

 

 

 

 

DAILY GIFT

Wakening

from sleep

Each morning,

I am greeted

By a bird’s song.

It ushers in

My new day.

Such a delightful

Bestowing.

Creation.

Such is –

The Mind of God.

 

 

 

 

WORDS

I grabbed the darkness

Of the night,

And took it with me,

Knowing ~

That it would lead

To daybreak.

I plucked them

And seized

Merely the brightest

Of twinkling stars.

I caught them ~

Only the gentlest

Of raindrops,

Because of their softness.

And then,

I took them home.

Words ~

Spilling them

Altogether.

They mystically find,

Their Freedom,

Their Magic,

Their Potential,

On paper.

 

 

 

Reading posts on social media is an eye-opening experience, especially when you think that you know someone, and their post seems a bit shattering. But this shouldn’t surprise me. I feel that I have much to learn about myself and know very little about those closest to me.

This is how Perception emerged.

 

PERCEPTION

 

How is it

That I see

A beautiful, bright butterfly

Dancing among the wildflowers

And you see

An angry mosquito

That is wanting to bite.

I don’t understand –

One sees a wrinkled old man

Another – a portrait of wisdom.

Patriot?

Protestor?

Why do I hear the crashing of windows?

And you –

A distant roar of thunder?

How is it

That he is chained

To his circumstance,

Pulling him down

Into a bottomless pit?

And she?

She is pulled

To the mountaintop

And marvels

At where she has been.

See that money-sucking,

Dirty, lazy, vagrant

Who always has his hand out?

There sits the lonely vet

With an explosion

Of body parts

Haunting his mind

Let each

Live in

Their own perceptions.

Let all

Rest

In the breath of God.

 

 

 

 

Besides writing the haikus for Secrets of The Toad, it has been a while since I’ve spent much time writing poetry. While waiting for Play Ball to be completed, I’ve had difficulty getting back into the third book of the series, of which I have a meager start. So, I’ve decided that getting back into poetry would be suitable for the wait. It may also be a welcomed distraction for those stuck times while writing the third book.

Here is what I’ve come up with. I hope that you enjoy –

 

WARNING

Look at them.

Their silky soft complexion

and their manicured nails.

Minds filled

with dreams and schemes.

Meeting with friends.

I want to scream

to all of them.

Look at me.

See me

wrinkled and gray.

I am

standing here alone,

while wondering

where did today go?

Wanting to warn them –

That they

Will be standing here

Tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

There is a time for everything…

I was hoping that Secrets of The Toad – Play Ball would be here by Christmas, but that’s not going to happen.

I’ve come to learn that it all happens on Tobias’s schedule.

Maybe by New Years!

Wishing All a Christmas that is filled with love, peace, and happy memory-making moments.

Stay safe –

 

 

 

 

 

This Christmas season began with more questions than usual. Do I send Christmas cards? Should I bother with decorations? How about Christmas cookies? I usually make seven or eight different kinds and give them to family and friends. Would anyone want them? How about shopping? Maybe I should cut down on my gift-giving list? Christmas services? Can our family celebrate together and do it safely? There was one question after another.

I was enjoying the musical The Grinch. It was nearing the end of the performance when the lightbulb suddenly flashed on. I know why I’m watching this production, and it’s not just for entertainment! This story is relevant for this time in history. It was at that moment that I decided that nothing would steal my all-time favorite holiday. Yes, Christmas lives on –

Merry Christmas to All, and please be safe.

 

 

 

As one door closes, another one opens. I am confident that most of us have heard of this idiom before, and I believe that many of us have lived it. I know that I have.

It has been just a little over twelve years ago that the small private school where I was teaching closed its doors. I taught there for twenty-three years, and it became a second home to me. I felt devastated when it closed!

So, after the school closed, I took on substitute teaching positions, tutoring, and even worked for the Town Hall. I enjoyed each of these positions, and I still love tutoring. Yet, nothing is more fulfilling than writing SECRETS OF THE TOAD. It is the door that I was meant to enter, and it has given me a sense of purpose.

I have learned much since entering that door. I have found that writing seems more effortless in the wee hours of the morning when most of my world is asleep. It just feels different, and I am grateful that there is no place that I need to be by eight AM.

Another important lesson that I’ve learned is that all words matter – even the tiniest of them. When writing, I continuously weigh my words. This is a lesson that I wish I had learned long ago.

Also, I have learned that self-publishing is an expensive pursuit. I may never recoup my investment, but I trust that SECRETS OF THE TOAD is a series that contains valuable messages for both children and adults alike. For me, it is fulfilling to be able to act from this sense of purpose.

Is there a new door opening for you?