31 Days of Halloween!

31 Days of Halloween!

Beginning tomorrow, October 1, 2011, I will be posting a Halloween related entry every single day until October 31st.   You might find a poem, short story or one act play.  I hope you will join me for this Halloween marathon.  I'll see you tomorrow!

Poem: We Are Different yet the Same

We Are Different yet the Same

 We are different yet the same, 

You believe in one thing,

I believe in another, 

You like to sing,

I like silence,

You’re fond of coffee,

I prefer tea,

You like Fox,

Or CNN,

Or CBS,

Or NBC,

Or NPR,

Or I don’t know

Which one tells the truth,

Which one knows the truth,

Do they care about what’s real,

Or only what sells?

Does anyone care about us,

About real people

With real problems?

I want to turn the dial

And find the truth,

I want to find politicians

Who’ll put aside ego and greed,

Looking for something more,

Something sound,

Something lasting,

Where are the people who’ll lead?

Maybe it is you,

Maybe it is me,

Maybe it is yet to be,

As you slumber at night,

The truth may emerge from your dreams

And tomorrow you’ll know the answer,

Do not be deterred by what you see,

What you read,

What others say,

Hang onto your dreams,
I'll hang onto mine,
Together we might find a way,

We are different yet the same
In so many ways.

Poem/Lullaby: Precious You Always Will Be

This is a lullaby/poem for a small child

Precious You Always Will Be

I love you today,

I love you tonight,

I love you under

The brightest moonlight,

Precious my child,

Precious to me,

Precious you always will be.

Poem: Stomp and Splash

 Stomp and Splash

Sadness drops in uninvited

sometimes,

hanging around like a wet raincoat,

dripping on the floor,

puddling at your feet,

making a mess of things,

sadness

here’s what to do,

pull on galoshes,

plant your feet,

stomp and splash

‘til nothing’s left

‘cept a small reflection

of your smile

in a tiny drop 

of sadness.

Children's Story: A Dog Named Muttal

 A Dog Named Muttal

My Robot Dog Kit arrived today.  It said in the catalog it was just right for kids eight to ten years old.  I’m nine   I’ve wanted a dog for years and years, but my folks said, “It’s a lot of work.  You’d have to walk him.  He’d be messy.  He’d bark.”

And so I never got a dog.

But now I have my Robot Dog Kit.

The directions look easy.  I follow all the steps one by one and pretty soon I have a robot dog.  He even has ears and a shiny metal tail.  He’s perfect

The last step is the programming.  It’s a little harder.  I have to choose what sounds I want him to make and I have to choose a name.  I decide I want him to bark, pant, howl and whine, and I give him the name Muttal.  I think that’s funny because it sounds kind of like metal. 

The box includes a leash.  I take Muttal outside, attach his leash and we go for our first walk.  He makes noises only when I give him the command.  If I say bark, then he barks.  I have him bark at another dog.  I have him bark at a car.  I have him howl at a cat.  I have him pant when it gets hot outside.  He flaps his metal ears and wags his shiny tail and we are the talk of the neighborhood. 

Mom and dad are proud of me for being so smart and finding the perfect pet.  

When I go to bed that, Muttal sits by my nightstand, but he doesn’t do anything at all.  He just stares at nothing.  I say bark and he barks and then I turn out the light. 

In the middle of the night, the smoke alarm goes off.  My sister starts screaming that her curtains are on fire.  My dad runs to get the fire extinguisher.  My mom gets a bucket of water.  The firemen come and make sure the fire is out.  They discover the candle my sister had lit in her room.  My dad sighs and my mom cries.  We are lucky.  One fireman says it’s great we have a smoke alarm but it also might help to have a dog.  He says dogs can be trained to sniff tiny amounts of smoke and alert people to danger.   

I go back to bed and stare at Muttal.  What good is a robot dog if he can’t even bark when there’s a fire?  A real dog would have barked and howled until everyone was out of bed.  Muttal would never do that.  Not ever. 

So, the next morning I tell my parents what I've been thinking about.  Mom says that’s some pretty smart thinking.  Dad nods in agreement.  My sister says she’s sorry and will never light a candle in her room again.

After work, my dad comes home with a beagle puppy.  He says she will be the perfect pet.  That night when our new puppy snuggles with me under the covers, I’m sure my dad is right.     

THE END

Poem: Paris Scarf

This scarf was a gift from a friend who just returned from Paris

 

 

 Paris Scarf

Spun of silken hues,

floating

on a hint of breeze,

tied ever so lightly

‘round her neck,

catching the eyes

of passersby,

conjuring thoughts

of romance,

mystery,

foggy nights,

misty mornings,

quiet talks

while sipping wine,

catching the glint

of moonlight,

colors that dance

with limber shades

of grace,

a Paris scarf,

a mood, a song

in

silken hues

of blue. 

Poem: LIfe is Like Biking

Mike - Bike trip in Alaska 1971 - Stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base

Poem written for my husband's 60th birthday - 2011

Life is Like Biking

Looking at maps, setting a course,

checking the tent and rain flaps, of course,

airing the tires, testing the brakes,

greasing the chain, checking for shakes,

life is like biking in so many ways,

you plan and you plan for so many days,

then one day you know without any doubt

things will work out on your well-chosen route,

surprises will come like leaks in a tent,

a spoke might get bent, your frame gets a dent,

but no need to worry about this and that,

you can’t stop the rain; that’s a known fact,

yet life can be grand on days just like this,

when riding a bike is nothing but bliss. 

I promise to go the distance with you;

the route has always been better with two.

Poem - Just Let Me Laugh 'Til I Cry

I ran this post sometime last year after another school shooting had occurred, but it came to mind this week when I was thinking about the 10th anniversary of 9/11.  It seemed to fit the way I was feeling.

Just Let Me Laugh ‘Til I Cry

It was outrageously funny,

I wish you could have been there,

People were rolling in the aisles,

I’m tellin’ you it was hysterical,

The guy told jokes like

They were goin’ outta style,

Jokes so funny

Your sides felt like splittin’,

Oh it felt good to laugh,

Really laugh,

I laughed so hard

 I cried,

You know that feeling?

I’m tired of crying

Over tragedy,

Over bullets and madness,

Just let me laugh ‘til I cry,

I’ll take that any day

Over the other.

Poem: All in Good Time

All in Good Time

Her wrinkles furrowed deeply

into her ancient brow,

proudly she walked with measured steps

toward the grocery doors,

the cart

was her walker

she had confidence,

standing tall,

looking carefully left to right,

using a measured eye

 to assess

the ripeness of fruit,

the age of meat,

the price of beans,

taking time,

she studied magazines,

unsettled by images

of now,

when she only remembered then,

wondering how

now came to be,

she missed the days

of yesteryear,

unloading her cart,

writing a check,

signing her name in perfect script,

the line stood behind,

tapping feet,

clearing throats,

waiting their turn,

silently cursing the lady in front,

she took her time,

realizing time was all she had,

they too would learn to appreciate time,

all in good time

she thought,

all in good time.

E.T., Phone Home

  E.T., Phone Home

I was flipping through the channels tonight and happened upon the last hour of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.  It had been many, many years since I had seen this charming movie.  Filmed in 1982, it captured the imagination of the American public and quickly became a classic.  Our youngest son, after viewing it at age five or six (1992), developed a fear of E.T. that included seeing any stuffed image of the figure.  The movie, indeed, had powerful imagery and elicited powerful emotions from its viewers.  After viewing it again, I had a strong yearning for my very own E.T. to drop into the backyard.

Toward the end of the movie, five or six young boys take E.T. away from the meddling scientists, put him into a bicycle basket, drape him in a white cloth, and take off at high speed to help E.T. meet his spaceship.  When they run into a blockade of police cars, E.T. uses his supernatural powers to lift the boys above the fray.  They fly to the reconnaissance point and E.T. boards the U.F.O. for home.  

As the boys lifted into the air, I felt such exhilaration.  As I am wont to do, I wondered why I was feeling that way.  

Without getting overly dramatic, I would have to say it was because I would love to lift above the fray sometimes.  Imagine watching the nightly news, the latest jobs forecast, the stock market figures, the ongoing toxic political scene and then being able to just float above it.  Looking down from E.T.’s vantage point, the world would look serene, bucolic, inviting and together.  

That’s what movies do best.  They take us away from our human worries and allow us to disappear into a bit of fantasy for a couple of hours.  Making the feeling last is more difficult. 

 E.T., if you’re out there, just phone home.  We could use you about now. 

Poem: Syllabic Delights

 Syllabic Delights

 I love words,

Big rich vocabulary words,

Cascading, promenading

Off the tip of my tongue,

Multiple syllabic delights,

Enticing,

Enriching,

Enlightening,

Exuberant words,

Rolling forth

With languorous ease,

Meant only to please

My sensibilities,

Deeply resonant, harmonic words,

Fetchingly glamorous,

Glistening like crystals,

Smooth as fine porcelain,

Shimmering,

Vibrant as the stars at night,

Scintillating,

Tantalizing,

Boisterous, commanding,

Appeasing, pleasing,

Words.