originally published by me in july 2014 on Bubblews

Sunny lakeside days
Coconut oil in the air
Grainy sand between my toes
Tanning bodies, skin to bare
Live bait and fishing poles
Conversations with my dad
Evenings angling at the lake
Some of the best I had
Afternoons at my country home
In the sun, with a book
Baby oil and iodine
To achieve that Coppertone look
Baseball games fill the night
To watch or to play
KC Royals on the radio
In their Eighties heyday
A symphony of cicadas
Sweet sounds of the night
Spiders and grasshoppers
Giving me a fright
Farmers with their tractors
Golden bales of hay
Working the fields of their livelihood
Every sunny summer day
Though the memories are hazy now
And the details have begun to fade
The stories I must tell to mine
My childhood happiness conveyed
Photo Credit: my own
+Poetry +Jillybean1222

An Ugly Soul, A Poem

A body submerged in anger
A soul teeming with hate
A head with thoughts so ugly
A virulent storm unwilling to abate

Why has this beating heart
Become so bitterly cold
Why has the kind spirit decayed
Why is the goodness rotting with mold

The warmth that once persisted
Evaporated with all of life's good
Replaced with such intense hatred
Unable to understand or be understood

Loving others seems improbable
Loving self is impossible
When did one become despicable
In this world so unpredictable

originally published by me on bubblews in October 2014

A Goodnight Poem

The room is finally quiet so I can finally think
Yet my brain seems to be sleeping or on the brink
A poem deep and meaningful I wanted to write
Instead I'm yawning in the dark of night

My creativity must be waning along with the moon
As the clock ticks, I see it will be morning soon
The peaceful time coincides with the time I must rest
So this goodnight poem may not be my best

Perhaps tomorrow I'll become inspired
I'll write something lovely before becoming tired
In the meanwhile, I think I am done for the day
So this goodnight poem is all that's left to say
Photo Credit: My own +Late-night-ramblings +Jillybean1222-poetry +Poetry

I originally published this in Bubblews in Sept 2014

Nolan's Wish

This was originally posted on Bubblews in September of 2014.

My son Nolan always had a desire to help those in need. If he saw a little kid at the park, he would help him get on the swing. If a puppy was running loose, Nolan would try to find the owner. If he saw a homeless person, he wanted to give them money or food.
When he was around eight years old, he decided that he wanted to be a barber when he grew up. His reason for this? He wanted to give free hair cuts to the poor. This kind-hearted boy believed that to be his calling in life, to help the poor.
Around the same age, he became acutely aware of the needy that we passed throughout our day to day routine. We live in an urban area where beggars stand outside bookshops, on street corners, within our view on a daily basis. He always wanted to help. He started asking us if we would drive around so he could give bags of food to them. He would put together a bag with a granola bar and an apple, perhaps something else. If he had spare change of his own, he would give it to them. It didn't matter that he didn't have much of his own money.
When Nolan died, we included the name of a charity organization in our city that's mission is to help the homeless and others in dire need. Many friends and family donated in Nolan's name. I've also had several friends tell me that they have given a meal to a homeless person to honor Nolan's memory.
Although Nolan's life was much too short, I do feel like he touched the lives of many including strangers who will never know his name.
I was inspired to write this post about my son after reading a post by &jmichaelvaughn this morning. Here's his post.
http://www.bubblews.com/news/8144874-a-homeless-veteran
Photo Credit: my own +Nolan +HOMELESS +Afternoon-ramblings

Poetry on the Fly

This poem was originally posted on bubblews in October of 2014.

So many times I sit down to write a poem. So many times the noise from my children prevents me from actually completing the poem. I'm sitting here with about five minutes to kill. It is not quiet, but it is quieter than usual. So I thought I'd write a quick poem.

The sunshine is resting today
As the clouds do their thing
Hazy, lazy, gray day
Drizzling, misting, rain

Dreary, a bit, but cozy too
Chilly outside, but toasty in
Jackets and boots and hats
The smell of fire burning

The sounds, sights, and scents
A resounding announcement of fall
Sleepy, restive weather
As I hear my blankets and pillows call