mama

time gone by
in the blink
of an eye
can't stop
thinking missing
holding on to
old shredded memories
as they hold me
so many so much so long
fragile lives so fragile
teardrops caught
inside raindrops
earths rivers
shredded mirage days
windswept dancing wishes
mama said eat the cool edges
of hot food first
mama gone so long
lives still
in my hearts song

Wanna

wanna do it
really wanna do it
honest
I wanna do it
it would be great
it would be good
it would mean so much
it would be fun
a learning experience
if I don't do it
what will I ever do
I never finish anything
what if I fail
fall flat on my face
what if people
laugh at me
leave me behind
turn away from me
tease me
bully me
make fun of me
why do I
think like this
too much chocolate
I wanna think
this will go away
if you kiss a mirror
with bright red lipstick
get it?

Woods Critters

you might say
us woods critters
live in the boondocks
you might say
we are not
on the beaten path
a gravel road
leads you
to our cabin
in the woods
where whispers
are heard
where sunlight through
the trees
finds its own shadows
simple things
few things
solitude
peace
joy
shade
old world things
the new hurried world
passes us by
best of all
us woods critters
know why

That Certain Sigh

there was a certain sigh Gypsy made
when she was saying several things
as she settled down
on her red leather chair
for a long winters nap
she knew she was lucky
to be where she was
not cold or hungry
she knew she was loved
and needed
as the sugar plum fairies
began to dance in her head
she always gave that
totally contented sigh
its a cold winter morning
here at the cabin
it is not the same with out her
I miss her still
as I think I heard her sigh
just one more time
it caught my heart
just like it use to

His Hand

a quiet place within me waits
where God and I have often met
His hand in mine has led me there
so often as I searched
for what I knew was to be
an earthly haven
devoid of fear and sorrow
hate and evil
full of His love and joy
where He tells me to write
about His heavenly bounty
away from the lost world
where we will find
and do not know
what we so desperately seek
what the world does not have
it cannot give
He tells me others will build
on my peace and find His Hand

Lightnings Promise

lightning is flashing
in the pitch black darkness
promising thunder and rain
as new light finds the day
wet drops dot the dust
answering prayers for rain
giving new life again
giving new hope again
as promised

A Christmas Wish Gift

wishing you happiness and joy
contentment and peace
that you may seek
not to be loved but to love
not to be understood
but to understand
to let those in your life
be as they are in their own way
to hear the music of your vision
as you travel its path
rejoice in our differences
find beauty in being
a link in Gods life chain
following His son born for us
who so many need and never find
ask and you shall receive
believe with faithful faith
His Christmas Wish Gift for you
He will always be there
mend a broken heart
with answered prayers
seek and peek this Christmas
is my wish for you

You and Me

can this be
you and me?
so
amazing
unique
special
wonderful
intelligent
beautiful
can this be
you and me?

Amazing

Norma

Normas had an unforgetable smile. It was like a burst of sunshine. You never failed to see it when you saw her. The years we knew each other when John and Dean were working together house some of my best memories. John and I fishing with them at Reelfoot lake, canoeing a river somewhere or just at the lake with our families. I remember asking Norma if she would go with me to the hospital for the birth of our first child. She said she would. Things did not go well. Her expertize started the baby breathing and she gently placed him in a rock-a-bed incubator. That baby is now 47 and a doctor.
She gave those who knew her more than they could ever give back. Even as she finished her life she did all she could to make those about her comfortable. She always said things are fine when we knew they weren't. Her smile was always there. She was always involved with her family. Dean and Amy and Beth were the joys of her life. Her girls smiles found some of their mothers. Their lives reflect a mothers love and devotion.
Norma had courage and grit.
She was special.
She will be missed.

Don't Trust the Wind

october orange
blush of day
pumpkin morning
daily chores
north wind
unsure buck
moving closer
corn again
yellow swirls
held in the wind
finally settling on
dry dusty ground
hungers need
wind covering scent
like an invisable cape
cautiously he comes
to the promise
so often waiting
in the silence
its hunting season
don't trust the wind

Father ( words from an email from a friend)

I don't think you ever met my father
but I wish you could have
before he had his stroke
in 96
he was always the life of the party
(glad I didn't take after him)
he didn't always treat my mom too nicely
and there were times
when we didn't see eye to eye
but when he passed it was like
your a kid again
I kept saying
I would not get emotional
he died when we put him
in a nursing home
but like I said
its different when he died
couldn't imagine how it would be
all the angles and turns
that got us here
in the end
still my father

Charlie

about half way to the
greek orthodox monastery
where I walk in the morning
early to beat the heat
charlie an old chocolate lab
found me and now we walk together
he is uaually waiting for me
somewhere on the road
perhaps close to his home
we are happy to see each other
he is marked by circles
of white callouses
from wear and tear
he is old but still young
he is wonderfully delightful
and fills an emptiness
left behind when my
old hunting dog gypsy died
we stop to look
at the blooming desert orchid bush
and the blooming sage
buzzing with bees
at the gate of the monastery
and we have tense moments
occasionally with other dogs
our walk ends
after he has immersed himself
in the big tub of water
for all visiting critters
by gypsys angel play patch
we say goodby at the cabin door
as I scratch his old brown ears
we know all we need to know
about each other
we are friends

Liz

Fog and Clouds
Library of The Mind
John
Love
Sigh of the Times
Stoplight
Dad

lizard

a rather large lizard
has taken up house keeping
in gypsys angel patch
it rapidly ran over my foot
yesterday while I was watering
probably there because of that
I will watch for him
as the drought continues
as does the watering

what do you really think?

how do you like my
new dress
new car
new house
new friend
new boyfriend
new book
new computer
new husband
new job
what do you
really think?
how do you like
this poem?

jailed mind

daytime thinking
jabbering junk
cell crap
texting boredom
nighttime thinking
private thoughts
drifting up
to the stars
held tightly
in a fist
secret truth
cleansing tears
wash sleep
daytime cell
jailed mind

Questions?

questions
no answers
unfinished thoughts
not connecting
a weaver with no thread
a needle with no eye
hanging memory clouds
holding onto the wind
stacking raindrops
on a rainbow
color me
where do I go
from heaven?

Rainless in Spring Branch

walking in our woods
sounds like
walking on new fallen snow
crunch crunch crunch
so dry the entire
woods crowd
shows up at the water
deer fox crow turkey
peacock jay bunting
woodpecker titmouse
chickadee dove cardinal
bluebird oriole finch
blackbird vulture
and jenny wren
we work busily
on these rainless days
feeding and drawing
ice cold well water for them
wanting to fall asleep
listening to the soft rain falling
on the metal cabin roof
in the darkness
of the night

liz

Library
Mother
Little White Dog
Oh say can you see
New Rules on Gypsys Porch
Save now
Hummingbird Chili
Sinking Down
Not If I can Help It
Sweetness
Ball Glass Jar Families
Mom
o my love is like a red red rose
Northern Ohio Winters

Rudolph Valentino 1922

a motion picture
camera is rolling
a man stands behind it
turning the crank
someone is at a piano
playing music
scripted for this
Rudolph Valentino
black and white
silent film
he is young
he is handsome
maybe breathtaking
you will not
hear his voice
or forget his eyes
you might swoon
you will swoon
the scene is set
frame after frame
the lighting blinks
fades and flashes
as the story unfolds
with nothing but
a few words on a screen
separating scenes and actors
matching their acting
to the piano music

Poets Epitaph

before I die
I am going to lie down
on my copy machine
and turn it on
I need to leave
something of myself
for those who
never knew me
maybe my words
will find their
quicksand dictionary
and maybe they won't
I will watch and see

Save Now

the time has come
to run away
and begin to live
the rest of your life
the whittling world
is relentless
taking pieces
of self worth
until you look
into a mirror
and see a stranger
the world treasures
that which has
little or no value
cultivate that which
will go with you
at the end

Ocean Beaches

ocean beaches
waves goodby
life rolls away
leaving behind
invisable branches
hummingbirds
sit on invisable branches
showing us the impossible
is for believing
finding our imagination
held by lonely waves
on deserted ocean beaches

New Rules on Gypsys Porch

there are rules
in number 1 feral cat
bobtails world
these rules change
everyday
it is up to
the other 13 cats
to make note of this
she knows all the ways
to enforce her rules
I watch her as she executes
her ritualistic performance
those receiving her wrath
sneek quick looks at her
as they cautiously depart

Growing Up

wingless child
adorned by crumbles
of humanity
simple innocence
on the bow string
following chance
shuffling
new wisdom
between tears
and laughter
growing up

Oh say Can You See

your definition
is defined by the sputterng
sopwith f-1 camel engine
and your destiny
flounders in the
embers of the opium den
your hands grabbing
at the smoke
drifting by in
illuminating moments
icicles for sale
on a warm morning
the exit sign glows
nothing is ever
what it seems to be
oh say can
you see

Gypsys Sunshine

cloudy mornings
since gypsy died
the sun cannot
find the rays
of her sunshine
to follow
to her cabin
in the woods
our tears will
plant new ones
and her sun
will shine again

Cairn Building

cairn building
is like
life building
there are no
shortcuts
the beginning
holds
the end

Straggly Child

a straggly child
growing up alone
a weed
in the middle
of a field
of flowers
she saw the flowers
and that has made
all the difference

Foreshadowing

bobtail
the first of my
minx feral cats
here from the beginning
has taken her place
with me on gypsys porch
during espresso ponder time
at dawn
she allows
none of the other 14 ferals
to put even so much as a paw
on the porch with us

Little White Dog

yesterday
I put white flowers
out around
the angel patch
flowers for gypsy
my little white dog

Play

the squirrel came today
it sat in the tree
where it always sat
near gypsys porch
in the angel patch
waiting for me
to let her out
to play

Without You

GYPSY
I am in the cabin
candles burning
sipping espresso
music playing
on my old clock radio
without you
first light
outlining the woods
I feel the cold
I am left behind again
without you
tears don't do it
I will sit
on your cabin porch
as we did so often
I will put my arm
around you
to keep you warm
against the cold morning
your light still shining
my day will begin
and end empty
without you
the tears drip from the leaves
as the woods says goodby
I call your name
in the silence

No Warning

no warning
people caught in the mess
innocent less priviliged
unable to buy safety
from the storm
living off the pacific
living near the ocean
waiting for what
they know is coming

Earth

shaking itself
making holes
miles long
destroying
mans destiny

No Place To Go

the earth trembles
as we build another
house or building
with no windows
to open because
the air is so bad
breathing it
is harmful
mans selfish choices
will be his demise
no place to go
shame at what
we left behind

8.9

the earth is destroying itself
inside out
eliminating mans ignorance
wondering if we
are going to wake up
before it is too late
we may not survive
barefoot boy
with cheeks of tan

Yesterday

yesterday the blue heron came
to tell me you were on your way
snapper was pointing a quail
and you were honoring her point
I am sitting on your cabin porch steps
as we did so often
so alone without you
but today is the day
still yours in every way
the cats are still circling your porch
they don't know yet you are gone
sometimes I can't stand today
I can always find you
in yesterday

Gypsy

she is gone
I heard her today
in every way

3-11-11

gypsy my 13 year old hunting dog
left today for the last time
taking her piece of my heart
nick and I were petting her as the vet
administered her last breath
releasing her from her struggle
our tears tried to wash away our sadness
as they rolled down her soft white hair
and soaked into her soft sheepskin bed
she will be cremated and come back to me
in a white urn where she joins dogs Ike and Indy
and husband John waiting for me
on a shelf in the antique cupboard in the loft
alone in my bed in the cabin last night
the quiet resting my ears and my tears
I ask gypsy to give me a sign
of her happy new life
another pointer snapper long time gone
kept coming into my mind
dawn brought a perfect morning to be out hunting
the breeze was cool and just right to carry a scent
I put on my cap and Johns old jacket
and headed out to the bench by the Cross
the low gray clouds were going by fast overhesd
the sun was breaking through
something caught my eye
a blue heron came flying by
circled just over my head and moved on
there it was gypsy was with snapper
the special pointer that use to point herons
when we lived on lake LBJ
gypsys friends are visiting
three wild turkeys just came by
their visits are infrequent
gypsys life was all about birds
I will keep watch for her next friends
my daughter sarah called from San Antonio
and said the birds were singing louder today
their joy in our lives holds us in its grasp
as we struggle to survive such sadness
and realize how much greater
the joy of having them is
than the grief of losing them
her joyful spirit never left her
I learned much from this
champion of companions
and will miss her dearly

Sneezes are Nothing to Sneeze At

hunting dogs
have extra big noses
you know because
they have to find birds
in areas where
they can't see them
so a nose problem for them
can be a big problem
so it goes
with my old hunting dog
english pointer gypsy
she started making
a strange noise
sort of like snorting
but not exactly
when the vet told me
she was sneezing in
instead of out
what!!!!!
couldn't believe it
with a little benadryl
she is sneezing less
and sleeping more
it is important
to take good care
of a hunting dogs nose
if they can't smell it
it does not exist
a snorting sneezer
rattles the timbers
sleepless in Texas

Sabbatical

conjuring
is like blowing
smoke through
a key hole
no way
wait
be inspired
rest
just maybe
the best
is yet
to come

Mother

no one else like mom
from the beginning
shaping and molding
dusting and folding
spreading her love
as it filled our heartbeats
like butter on toast
she was for sure
we are so much
our mother
her spirit continued
beyond this place
as guardian angels
put her hands in Gods
He closed Heavens Gate
and her shining kind smile
glowed in the Heavenly Light

Forge Ahead

a legend
gypsy
in trouble
old friend
old dog
been together
a long piece
shes gonna have
a for sale sign
branded on her
if she doesn't
stop
eating cat poop
out back
only to vomit
inside
on my
wool rug
13 feral cats
never ending buffet
vicious circle
forge ahead

Ball Glass Jar Families

mom was canning
glass jars of food
from dads garden
that would cool
in our dark basement
neighborhood kids
were playing
all over town
there was a key
that hung around
our necks
on a piece of string
that fastened
our roller skates
to our spaulding
saddle shoes
a white stick of chalk
and a small flat stone
made hopscotch
on the sidewalk
and marked our path
for others to find
playing arrow
you could
walk alone
at night
the ball glass jar
families were
in a row
but the lids
were not screwed
on tightly
like they are today

Unleashed

Daniel Milnor Unleashed
A Fish Out Of Water

10 Cents A Dance

needing someone
her blue eyes wishing
looking for love
in the empty faces
of strangers
dance hall music
promising romance
shimmering lights
dancing around the room
as the mirrored ball spins
sweeping her up again
her choice
of who will touch her
hold her tenderly
closed eyes pretending
music returning memories
as they dance
swaying to and fro
through her dream field
quieting her lonely fear
answering her call
for 10 cents a dance

Bunches

life comes in bunches
like parsley tied at the grocery store
bunches of all sizes and shapes
beginning as a seed
changing with the earth
thriving along the way
not like us
struggling to keep some part of our life
long gone to the past
not rejoicing in the moment
not learning to accept what we see in the mirror
only seeing the past when youth held us
mourning the loss of smooth skin and dark brown hair
of passion put to sleep in loneliness
losing today because we are wishing for yesterday
seeing only our sunrise
never knowing our sunset
each step we take echoing a yearning
for what we can no longer have
bunches of days bunches of years
tie them well

Next time

Next Time


my husband has come to me in visions
several times since he died in 2005
his visits are revelations from the Holy Spirit
we all have assigned angel spirits
and if we can connect with them
they will show us our way
all preparing us to feel safe and joyful
about the merging of our final life time to the next time
my American Indian Sprit also appears often
in visions showing me my way
in one just a few days ago he came
with a revelation
a new friend was sitting visiting
in the cabin with me
she ask if I had a connection with the Indians
I said sort of
I ask her why she ask
she said because there was one with me
I did not know this
I was overwhelmed
there was no way for her to know about my indian
I am sure he is the one in my visions
I thought he would come for me at death
I was wrong
he is already here
he is trying to reveal something more to me
he is connected to my husband in some way
when my time comes
he will take my hand
into the next time
where there is no time
no illness fear war hate regrets unhappiness
only peace love and joy
where we all return to the spirit world
and return to the whole spiritual being once again
together in a space and time
your guardian angel
will meet you at the gate
and put your hands in Gods hands
where the past disappears like rain on the water
the present is heaven
the future forever
you have arrived
at the next time