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!