Revisiting

For today, I thought I'd recap some things I put on FB but didn't put on my blog.  Some or many may have seen and read them, but I am trying to stay focused on a few projects at the house at the moment.  Every time I think we are caught up, another thing comes up and says "He--lo-o?" or "HELLLLLOOOOOOO!!!"
and then we have to respond.  Come November, and I will let you know a bit of what we've been up to.

So I am kind of cheating in a way (in my world anyway) by putting on my blog, things that I've posted recently on FB or other posts for today's Poetry Friday. 

Generations

Why can the eyes

of my granddaughter

see into my soul?

Why can I hear

her quiet thoughts

as if they were my own?

How is it that

I feel hurts and joys

of my daughter and my son?

How can I see

my image in

the lives that they’ve begun?

Why do I hear

my mother's voice

when I open my mouth to speak?

Why do I feel

my grandmother's laugh

between my own lips leak?

by ©Donna JT Smith ©10/6/2018

Who Goes There?

I wonder if a little Fawn

might come and softly,

lightly tread

to nibble on

a mushroom head,

or might a creature small

like squirrel

scurry-hurry

windy-whirl

stop to eat

with tail

acurl?

I think I’ll sit awhile

and see

if maybe,

maybe

Fairies

Be.

By Donna JT Smith ©10/10/2018

How Long?

As we grow up we clearly see
Mistakes our fathers made
And see the cost to all of us
That still we’ve not yet paid.

There is no doubt there will be more
Accrued to our account
That never have we done ourselves
Debt owed that none recount.

I’m tiring of accepting loads,
Some misappropriated;
And kindly ask that you would think
To whom you are related.

Your closet may have skeletons
You’d rather were not there
Perhaps you cannot see the past
Ancestral sins you bear.

I try to start each day anew
With clean slate and clean plate
And do my best to live and learn,
Improve some sad estate.

It wears me down and brings a tear
To think of such and such
But everyone has someone’s past
We wish no one would touch.

So keep your words more kind to all
They’re doing all they can
To keep their heads above the flow
And be a better man.

by Donna JT Smith, ©10/8/2018

Fall

Dragonflying 

over maples'

"last hurrah" - 

the end in sight;

it was good

while it lasted

by Donna JT Smith ©10-11-2018

Cry My Last

I’ll cry my last cry
Be done with the grief;
Take in waves of new air
And pray for relief.
Please, God, give me comfort,
Let my soul and mind rest
In the truth that you know
What works for my best.
I’m reaching with hands
Atremble with doubt;
I’m calling your name,
My words want to shout!
Don’t leave me alone.
I’m scared and I’m weak.
I’m listening, Lord, to
Each word that you speak.
I know in my heart
I must stop the bleeding -
You bled for me once,
That’s all that I’m needing.
There’s nothing gone right
Since I went my own way,
Ignoring you, Lord,
And neglecting to pray.
The leaves have turned old
And have fallen to ground,
But before winter rises
I want to be found.
I want to rejoice in
My rekindled life;
I want to have laughter
Unburdened by strife.
As I take to my knees
Before the Lord’s throne,
I’ll cry my last cry and
Groan my last groan;
Renewed and rejoicing
For the miracle’s free;
Step for step with the Lord
Right where I should be. 

By Donna JT Smith, 9/29/18

Why sit we in wonder?
How can we not?
When the wonder is that
He created each spot.

Donna JTSmith

Hope you found a poem or two you enjoyed.
Have a wonderful Friday and try to stop by and read more poems linked at Laura's place: Writing the World for Kids

Could be the last ride of the fall here...temps are dropping now.

Little Lovely Leggings

Poems below if you are in a hurry! But this is a bit of background story.

My granddaughter dresses herself, and has for quite some time.  She is, after all, 4 years old.  She reminds me so much of my daughter - her mother - in so many ways.  The most obvious way is in her choice of clothing.  She has her own fashion sense, as many little girls do.  I enjoy seeing what she will pick out to wear when I am visiting.  She often changes clothes once or twice a day, which also reminds me of my daughter, and actually my grandmother - one outfit is not a "one moment fits all" kind of thing.  It could be tutu time.  Shopping is a different thing and may require different clothes from eating supper or coloring.

The last time I was there, she donned this outfit as we set out.

This is the same fashion sense my daughter had and has.  They can wear things that don't look like they go together, and then suddenly they do.  It is an outfit.  It looks good and stylish and sweet.  And I love it.

Little Lovely Leggings

Miss Leggings and I
went for a walk
and on the way
we had a talk
A talk of things
quite small
and high
of things quite far
and some just nigh
and learned we lots
of goodish things
of butterfliers
and birdly wings
of toadsome legs
and mushy's cap
and leaves that fall
on cricklet's nap
and when we went
along on home
we whispered to
a friendly gnome
that we would come
to play again -
I think tomorrow
may be when.

by Donna JT Smith, ©10/5/18

And all you need is a braid and a nice warm sweatshirt, in purple, and you are ready to face the world!
I want that outfit.

Play It Again

by Donna JT Smith
****************

the

day

I wear

this outfit

will be the day

they put me away

in a place with neutral

walls and quiet music and

probably no mirrors or anything

else breakable or able to remind me

of how I don't look the way I am picturing

in my mind that has slipped way back to an age

of yore and I am twirling round the floor on tiptoes to

the sounds of violins playing a waltz or maybe The Dance

of the Sugar Plum Fairies more likely and I will have a slight smile

on my face and my eyes will be closed and I will be humming along as

if no one were watching for that is the splendor of being a little girl who is four.

Last week while driving down to visit grandchildren in PA, I realized when I arrived I was making this statement:

I had gotten out of the car at rest stops and walked around like I was all put together.  I wonder if anyone noticed.  I saw no one looking at my feet.  I guess if you act put together, you are.  
After all, I have another pair almost identical still at home to wear next time.

Not a Pair

One doesn't need

two legs the same

I wore two shoes

my teacher's game

They didn't match

One pink one blue

The same for socks

opposing hues

Attention on 

The teacher's feet

Made learning fun

And kind of sweet

Students strove

To spy faux pas

And be the first 

To cry "Aha!"

Some days on purpose

Some days mistake

But always with a

Smile partake

in any fun of 

wrongful shoes

To laugh at self

You never lose.

by Donna JT Smith, 10/5/2018

PS: On purpose, when teaching first grade, I frequently wore a blue tennis shoe and a pink one, with opposite colored socks on each foot (blue shoe, pink sock - pink shoe, blue sock) and often added a pink troll head on the laces for extra pizazz).  Now when I'm mismatched it isn't really on purpose.  Sometimes it wasn't on purpose at school either when I had almost matching flats on.

Here's an example of one of my "not on purpose" times.  I noticed while riding in the car on the way to a meeting, too late to run back and change, of course:

Noticed in the car on the way to a meeting...

More links to blogs with Friday Poems can be found at Tabatha's blog, The Opposite of Indifference

Spiritual First Thursday - Humor

Photo by Kah Lok Leong on Unsplash

Humor helps me put things in perspective, and I tend to find myself looking at difficult situations and thinking "This is going to be really funny someday - maybe even later today - or now!".  I found this clip this week, and it is basically how I like to live my life.  Humor instead of drama...



I may even have a slight problem with humor, seeing it where others don't (that may or may not have been a problem in the past...).   Still my heart is generally merry and sees the funny in many things - though I've learned to keep SOME to myself!

Proverbs 17:22 - A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

I do love funny - especially the kind that makes me laugh till I cry.  I remember my father laughing so hard he couldn't speak.  It was the same laugh his mother had.  Oh, to again hear that laughter as family stories were told!

I like humor like this:



Have a fun day.  Even if it isn't funny... make it fun!

There is no reason not to laugh

at self and situations;

It's like a tonic for the soul

a mini mind vacation.

by Donna JT Smith, 10/4/2018

I'll bet you will have a good start at it by reading the rest of the Spiritual First Thursday posts with Jan at bookseedstudio!