Classic Virginia
winter scene: fire chasing
fire, wings aflame;
cardinals darting between snow
laced cedars as deer look on.
JDG
~~
Our dog Jimmy tries,
we all know he does,
to warn us about outdoor perils,
but it seems his warnings
fall on ears grown deaf
as my sister dons her winter coat
and our dog Toby plays Eskimo.
It looks like Jimmy and I
will be the only ones today
to curl up with a bone or book.
Kodi Wells
The red morning sky announces
a storm is in
the wings, waiting
to take the stage.
That sunny warm-up act will fade.
Treacherous Sleet
will follow, joined
by Icy Rain.
If we are lucky, Snow won’t show
or will quickly
leave, not having
been well received.
JDG
Long ago I dreamed
of the school bus stopping at
my door and children,
full of stories of their day,
coming home to cups
of steaming hot chocolate.
Trite perhaps, but fresh
for me. What I didn’t know
then was that the dream,
realized or not, would end, but
would live on in memory.
~
SAME POEM, SECOND VERSION
Long ago, before marriage
and before kids, I dreamed
of school buses stopping and kids,
full of stories coming home
to steaming cups of rich hot chocolate.
The dream and the parenting ended there
with stories and hot chocolate.
How much easier it all was back then
in my adolescent imagining.
JDG
Hard words spilled forth,
all about how you ruined
a day that could have been different.
There’s truth in that.
What’s also true
is that I, too, ruined a day
that could have been different.
You are ten.
I am seventy-one.
On that day there wasn’t a dime’s worth
of difference between us.
JDG
As those ravens shift
from sun to shade, their wings shift
from iridescent
black to a more somber hue.
Like the ravens, we
shift too as we go from bright
to gray and then back again.
JDG
Just a little tweak or two, maybe more
will set things right.
It’s now or
never,
I
say
and dive
right in, though
much more often,
when I do, things go very, very wrong.
Would the world end
if I learned
to put
my
trust
not just
in myself
but in much more?
Fixing has gotten me into a fix.
JDG
Those red signs outside
my office warn, suggest, advise
the use of caution.
The slope might be slippery
and we may fall.
I slide into reverie and catch a wayward thought –
where would we be if Adam
and Eve had only heeded such signs?
JDG
To
be or
not to be
really is the
question when for so long we’ve been valued
not for being, but for what we do. Much
unlearning must
be done to
simply
be.
JDG
Nearly every day
wild turkeys, twelve or so,
gather on that grassy hill
and lift their heads as we drive by.
We wonder why they picked that hill
and not some other.
Perhaps they look at us and wonder too:
“Can’t they find themselves a hill,
stop this endless search, and come to rest?
Surely we turkeys know what’s best.”
JDG
(A Guest Post By Dr. Linda Markwardt)
I have chosen a Mantra to focus my journey
As I strive toward the goal.
The goal is the same for everyone,
But the paths taken and the methods used
Vary widely according to one’s free will.
~
I must learn how to SEE;
Not merely observe that which is visible,
But look into the eyes and see the soul.
I must not judge what I see,
for I can only see the fall while
God sees the struggle.
~
Do I have the ability and will to TRUST?
If not, and I falter,
Will I be able to ask for help?
Can I swallow my pride
And admit how hard it is for me
To ask for help?
I can and I will –
I will trust. I believe.
~
And I must learn to BE.
The Indian Nations had reverence for all
Things created by God.
To them, even a simple rock was holy
Because it fulfilled completely
All that it was meant to be.
So as my journey continues,
I will learn to be
Honest, authentic, open, vulnerable,
Unselfish, and tolerant.
~
My journey started some years back,
And will continue until my life is over.
And during that time I will continue
Using the mantra to stay focused
And have God’s purpose for my life
Fulfilled.
– Linda Markwardt
