Crimson...

My first memory is red;
a dress my mother wore
as she kissed me good-night
in crimson twilight

Red tulips danced in our garden
that spring, swaying
on spindly stems in the breeze
I danced, too
for the mindless joy
a child has
when the world is new

The world is old now;
I have seen too much
Still, I take joy when I can
Singular moments in the evening
when the light slants just so
I dance
in crimson twilight

Happy New Year's Eve! Play nice tonight!

Two Horses...

My friend Marypat sent this to me yesterday:

Just up the road from my home is a field,

with two horses in it.

From a distance, each looks like every other horse.


But if you stop your car, or are walking by,

you will notice something quite amazing.


Looking into the eyes of one horse will

disclose that he is blind.


His owner has chosen not to have him put down,

but has made a good home for him.

This alone is amazing.

If nearby and listening,

you will hear the sound of a bell.

Looking around for the source of the sound,

you will see that it comes from the

smaller horse in the field.


Attached to her halter is a small bell.

It lets her blind friend know where she is,

so he can follow her.

As you stand and watch these two friends,

you'll see how she is always checking on him,

and that he will listen for her bell and then

slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she

will not lead him astray. When she returns to the

shelter of the barn each evening, she stops

occasionally and looks back, making sure her

friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.


Like the owners of these two horses,

God does not throw us away just because

we are not perfect or because we have problems

or challenges. He watches over us and even brings

others into our lives to help us when we are in need.

Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by

the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives.

Other times we are the guide horse, helping others see.

Good friends are like this .

You don't always see them,

but you know they are always there.

Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours.


"Be kinder than necessary,

for everyone you meet is

fighting some kind of battle".


Here's hoping you all have a least one friend like this...

Names...

Wild Iris

a single wild iris among the sagebrush
soft lavender – its petals
flopped delicately outward,
revealing secrets within

resisting the urge to pluck it
from where it stood – to have
it for my own

I only stood and watched
this gentle jewel of the meadow
as it danced in a sunset breeze…

When I started putting together this blog, the first thing I was asked to do was give it a name. Couldn't go any farther in the process until I had a title. I hadn't given it that much thought, but I knew I wanted the name to reflect something of what the content of the blog would be.

I'm also the kind of person who gets a song lyric stuck in my head and it won't go away - which can drive one demented, depending on what song it is. Imagine going around all day with "The ants go marching one by one - hurrah... hurrah..." racketing around in your mind... Anyway, the song I had in my mind yesterday was "Auld Lang Syne." The last line in the first verse (did you know there was more than one verse to this song?) is "We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for Auld Lang Syne..." Presto! The idea for my blog title was born - something somewhat catchy, that also reflects what I want to focus on here.

I write poetry, and sometimes I enter poetry contests. Many of them require that the poem have a title. I don't always name my poems, especially if it's evident from the content what the poem is about. The poem above didn't have a name in its first version, but now it does.

A couple of my friends were having a discussion the other day about whether it was OK to call me "Senorita" or not. One maintained that because I am unmarried and not a widow, it was appropriate. He is from the Basque country in Spain, and maybe that's the way it's done there. The other friend didn't agree - he said that even though I'm not married now, I'm still a "Senora." (I know there are supposed to be accent marks in these words - just don't know how to do this yet!) The discussion was getting a bit heated, and before the two of them came to blows, I told them to just call me Joanne. It's my name - married or unmarried.

I hope this day finds your cup full of peace and joyful things!

Welcome to my world...

Hello! I don't do New Year's resolutions, but at the beginning of each year, I make a list of things I'd like to try to accomplish in the coming months. Last year my list included quitting smoking and going to Ireland, and I did both those things. I don't know if I'll be able to do anything as big and grand in 2007, but one thing I would like to do is write more than a few dashed lines of poetry early in the morning (the only time I've made time for writing up until now). Hence, this blog...

I'm not sure what direction this thing will take. There will be a little poetry, a little talk of gardening, and a lot of random blathering, I'm sure.

Here is a garden poem I wrote a few years ago:

Legacy

Maybe it’s a legacy from my grandfather,
this urge to work the soil
To nurture young seedlings through wind and heat
To stand in the sun and revel in life created -
or mourn its loss
To harvest, as days grow shorter,
the fruits of summer’s labor,
and share and preserve them
against long winter’s night
To await the warm breath of spring
and begin again, as he did,
this enterprise of hope.

The picture is one I took in Ireland when I was there in August. It's at Glendalough, where St. Kevin lived. I didn't get to spend nearly enough time there, and someday I'm going back...

Talk with you soon!