Poem: Crosses to Bear

 Crosses to Bear

People have crosses to bear,

Weighty,

Unwieldy,

Onerous,

 Crosses,

Crushing spirits,

Squashing dreams,

Dashing hopes,

Crosses,

Invisible burdens,

So hard to share

Except through prayer,

An outreached hand,

A listening ear,

A hug, a tear,

Thoughts sincere,

Crosses

Are there,

Look closely

At others

And care,

Then share

The crosses

They quietly bear.

Poem: Saying it All

Thanksgiving 2011 © Rita Bourland

 

Saying it All

Defining family

Is like defining love,

No words can

Adequately express

The depth of feeling,

Essence of remembrance,

Taste of happiness,

Or warmth of affection,

Yet somehow we know

The very words

We can’t explain

End up

Saying it all.

Poem: Giving Thanks

 

Photo by Rita © Vermont 2009

Giving Thanks

The earth grows so cold

As winter draws near,

The flowers and plants will soon disappear,

The days are too short,

The sun hides from sight,

And shadows turn quickly to darkness and night,

But thankfulness comes

In the midst of these hours,

I dream of rebirth and precious spring flowers,

I dream of the life

So precious and true,

The life that God’s given to me and to you,

I thank God for you,

 I thank God for me,

And thank Him for all of the goodness I see.

A rerun of my Thanksgiving poem.  Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Poetic Book Review: You Remind Me of Me

Lost in the Pages

I’ve been lost the past few days,

Buried in the pages of a book,

Immersed in a tale

Of choices made,

A young mother

Sent to a home to birth her babe,

Gives it up for adoption,

Later bearing another,

But always wondering about the other,

Where might he be?

Who might he be?

The sons later meet,

It’s hardly discreet,

Mayhem ensues,

Lives get screwed,

Damage is done,

Kidnap, remorse, prison, release,

But nothing can fix

The loss that began

Back when the children were young,

A young mother’s choices,

Not good enough

For the two that she bore,

One she gave up,

The other she kept,

What if, what if, what if?

A poetic book review. 

You Remind Me of Me by Don Chaon.

Turkey on the Lam Limerick

 Turkey on the Lam Limerick

Tom Turkey was in great dismay,

He knew it was almost ‘that’ day,

He hopped on a plane

And flew off to Spain,

He packed for an extra long stay,

Plus the ticket he bought was one-way.

Poem: Remembrance

Vermont 2009 ©  Rita Bourland

Remembrance 

I sat at the river’s edge

 Watching water cascade

Over rocks

And remembered you,

The ebb and flow of you,

Sometimes rippling

Around obstacles

With unfettered abandon,

Sometimes caught in an eddy,

Or snagged by

Tangled

 Roots and twigs,

Pushing free

With uncommon strength

Like a giant oak

Flexing its branches,

Spreading a canopy over

Dangerous waters,

Protecting others

From sudden rapids,

I sat at the river’s edge

And remembered you,

The beautiful, profound

Ebb and flow of you,

And knew you

 Lived in a place like this,

Where the reflection

Of truth could be captured

In the movement of water.

Poem: A Taste that Lingers

 

A Taste That Lingers 

I love fall,

the crisp, windy, 

color

kaleidoscope of it,

the canvas of painted trees,

the smell of air

so sweet

you might pause

mid-step

to savor it like

a cup of exotic tea,

or a sip of

fine wine

made from grapes

ripened in the chill air

on a day just like

this day,

or maybe

it's the crunch of leaves

that conjures up thoughts of a

crackling fire

built in the middle of a field,

with children gathered 'round,

and marshmallows roasted

to softened perfection,

or maybe

it's the crisp apple

just picked from a tree

laden with fruit

fruit that tastes like fall,

a taste that lingers

long after the last bite,

and stays in your memory

long past your youth,

a taste that brings you back

to the days of fall,

when all was good,

 and all was right with the world,

back to now,

 when all is possible,

and life is clear and perfect and crisp

with possibility.


Photo by Rita Bourland © 2010

Poem: Someone Needs to Know

 Someone Needs to Know

A trusted mentor

Takes a hand,

Says come with me

My dear, young friend,

Let’s take a walk,

Share secrets,

You and me,

No one needs to know,

Time goes by,

More secrets told,

Lies take hold,

The trap is set,

The young boy snared

By ill intent,

His mentor in control,

No one needs to know,

Damage done to

Body,

Soul,

Forevermore,

Yet secrets told

Cannot unfold

To those they swore

Should never know,
 

The shame’s so very cold,

Yet someone needs to know,

Be still young boy,

You’ve done no wrong,

Your mentor

Now must stand alone,

He’ll pay the price forevermore

For what he’s done

To you,

Who only

Wished to find a trusted friend.

Poem: Out of the Blue

photo by Rita Bourland © 2011

Out of the Blue

A blue ribbon day delivered to you,

A pumpkin in blue – can it be true?

As true as the grass moistened with dew,

Or roses and rainbows

To name just a few,

Once in a blue moon comes something so true,

Appearing to you in visions of blue,

Vibrantly hued; serenely imbued,

Touching your soul; calming your mood,

Out of the blue you feel something new,

Maybe a different version of you,

No sadness or heartache; nothing to rue,

Just clear skies above - shimmering blue,

It’s a gift on this day; a gift just for you,

If a pumpkin is blue

Then what other things might be true?

The Glass Garden - Photo Tour

   
Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio is currently hosting an exhibit called Hungry Planet: Local Food – Global View.  As part of the larger exhibit, there is an installation of glass art in the Courtyard.  The glass fruits and vegetables were created by Michael Cohn and Molly Stone of Cohn-Stone Studios in Richmond, CA.  I toured the conservatory yesterday and was transported by the exquisite beauty of the artists’ creations.  Come join me for a walk through the garden.

The Glass Garden 

Come see the bounty of the earth

Nestled in the garden,

Glistening in the sun,

Catching golden rays,

Drops of rain,

Morning dew,

Casting light,

 Creating illusions so grand,

So evocative

Of rich harvests

We’ve known,

So luscious to taste,

Dripping with the juice of the land,

A sumptuous feast

In artist’s hues,

Colors truer than true,

Tempting you

To taste, touch, smell,

This bountiful crop,

But the eye has been fooled

By this garden of glass,

Stirred by

The richness

Of the crop

That feeds the body,

Yet the soul has been fed

By this gift of art,

This glistening garden of glass.

 I would love to frame one of these photos. Do you have a favorite?

Glass Garden Photos © 2011 - Rita Bourland

I've Been Promised a Miracle

Halloween Rainbow - 2011 - Photo by Rita Bourland

I’ve Been Promised a Miracle

Here’s my horoscope from the Columbus Dispatch
on October 30, 2011:

 Leo (July 23-Aug.22):  Someone recognizes your deep, soulful desire, even though you never said out loud what it is.  This is no small coincidence; it’s a sign of an unfolding miracle.

I don’t read my horoscope every day, but find that it sometimes hits the mark or rings true in a particular way; occasionally it stops me in my tracks.  The idea that someone understands my deep unstated, soulful desire and that this is a sign of an unfolding miracle was an attention grabber. 

Not only have I never said out loud what my deep, soulful desire is, I’m not even sure I know.  Is my deepest desire to make a difference in the world, to write a book, to live and love in an ethical, selfless way or to do something no one has ever done before?  And who is this person who recognizes this desire within me?

Putting that aside, I’m wondering even more about the unfolding miracle.  On Monday, a day after the horoscope, there was a downpour at 5:00 p.m., but the strange thing was that the rain only fell in the front of our house.  The back yard was totally sunny and dry with a brilliant rainbow arching across the sky.  This occurred on Halloween which only added to the awe-inspiring moment. 

I’ve always considered rainbows to be a miracle of sorts – certainly one of nature’s most profound and glorious gifts.  But was there a reason the rainbow occurred on the day after my horoscope?

So, here’s my takeaway.  My life is an unfolding miracle, as is yours.  My deepest, soulful desires are also unfolding as I continue to learn more about myself each day.  If someone out there recognizes that in me and wants to help me along my path, then I guess that’s a bonus.  I don’t plan to do anything different over the next few weeks, except possibly be more alert to magical rainbows and interesting horoscopes.  

Because I do believe in miracles and I have been promised.