What is a poem not?

I like to read and write poetry, but I know a LOT of people that just throw up their hands at the very word---POEM. At our writer's workshop this week, we talked about poetry, what it is and what it's not which must have inspired me enough to write the following poem. I hope it'll help some of you, who find poetry nauseating, to see that it can be fun! 

WHAT IS A POEM NOT?
by me

A poem is not a how-to manual
A poem is not an artificial stance
nor a convoluted puzzle to decipher

A poem is not a rhyme
although it might like to rhyme
A poem is not a recipe guaranteed to delight

A poem is not fraught with ulterior motives
A poem is not mysteriously profound
And those are some things poems are NOT

A poem IS a collage of words
bumped up against one another
some simple words--some absurd

Most words are ones most have heard
A poem is made like a child's bouquet
of random thoughts one's observed

A poem is just what a poem IS
Oh my gosh--this might be one!

Quiltmaker...wish I'd written this

Poem by Luci Shaw:

QUILTMAKER

"I make them warm to keep my family from freezing;

I make them beautiful to keep my heart from breaking."

--From the journal of a prairie woman, 1870

"To keep a husband and five children warm,

she quilts them covers thick as drifts against

the door. Through every fleshy square white threads

needle their almost invisible tracks; her hours

count each small suture that holds together

the raw-cut, uncolored edges of her life.

She pieces each one beautiful, and summer bright

to thaw her frozen soul. Under her fingers

the scraps grow to green birds and purple

improbable leaves; deeper than calico, her mid-winter

mind bursts into flowers. She watches them unfold

between the double stars, the wedding rings."

Quoted from Moving Into Light, Poems by Luci Shaw

"Truth shall make you free..."

Are these guys free or what?

“Truth shall make you free.” John 8:32

In Writer's Road Workshop last night, J.J. talked about how “as women” we are so prone to having to justify everything we do for ourselves. We will do for others without making excuses—it’s the norm, but if we do for ourselves, we have to justify our reasons, or name ourselves selfish.

An example. E said she likes to sleep in on a Saturday morning, but feels guilty if she does. I said, “It’s okay. Your body probably needs the sleep.” J.J. pounced on that statement (thank you J.J.) by explaining we don’t have to justify a simple sleep-in by saying our body needed it. What if we just slept in because it’s pleasurable. Now there's a unique thought. Why not revel in the luxury? Be grateful to God for the opportunity?

I thought again about all the negative self-talk I exercise. Why do I do that? One of many reasons is because it’s a cop out—gets me off the hook for not measuring up to my own unrealistic standard, or to someone else’s expectations.

It may be absolutely true, that on occasion, my writing is not as good as a fellow writer’s. Though that may be an honest evaluation, where does it take me? Do I berate myself for not being as clever as another, diminish my own ability and value, or do I let the other’s skillful work inspire me to keep at it, and assure myself if they can do it, then so can I? I'm learning the latter.

Thank the good Lord I am not like another and that no one is like me. I believe in the unique individual God has created me to be. I purpose to let go of every speck of self recrimination, and move toward the light God has given me for my journey. I won’t try to veer onto or share another person’s path.

This honesty, these truths leave the sin of negative self-talk writhing in the dust. My new story propels me out onto a new level of confidence, rest and joy. It sets me free to be the outrageous, the serious, the authentic self (and writer) I’m designed to be. It gives me power to choose freely.

My judge, my only Judge is my heavenly Father who has put His seal of approval on me because of Jesus, my Savior and Lord, Who long ago freed me from condemnation.

Yah God!!

From the desert...

The variety of dead-looking, thorny configurations growing in our arid landscape (some which are so weird that we have to stop and marvel at their odd features), utterly amaze me. They present a threatening exterior--DON'T TOUCH ME, they announce, or I'll poke you good, and yet yearly they yield stunning blossoms. Do you know any people like that?

This magnificent creation, in our friend's yard,  is still not quite finished blooming. This one stops traffic.

Look at this thorny little critter.  It stands only about two feet tall and it's multiple flowers were as much as eight inches in diameter. This guy's been working overtime!

Here's a species of prickly pear cactus about ready to present us with a grand show of magenta blossoms.

And then, we see God's humor in plants like the ones below. These blooming stalks stand about 12-15' tall and are made up of tiny yellow flowers...not sure this close-up does the flowers justice. They are a rich shade of golden yellow. 

I've been showing you the native desert plants, but I'm also amazed at how well some of our imports adapt to our desert soil and rock yards. These are a few we enjoy in our backyard. These magenta beauties surprised us when they bloomed out of a small patch of ice plant we recently planted. Can't wait to see them next year. Can you see their smiles?

This is another favorite of mine that thrives in this landscape both winter and summer. It's a type of Hibiscus (thanks Diane)...another shade of  purple. I like purple. We have two large bushes covered with these flowers. I thought I took a photo of the bushes, but guess not. You'll have to trust me...they are covered...

Bird of Paradise are happy here also and present in different colors. We have a yellow one in our yard, but I can't put every plant in the post...how frustrating!

I hope this sneak preview whets your appetite to consider a little wander out our way to enjoy the sunshine and interesting desert landscape. In May, the grand Saguaro cacti will put out their golden crown of flowers, not to speak of the poppies painting our hillsides along with desert sage plants' colors and bright pink bougainvillea lining our freeways.

I continue to revel in God's blessings in the midst of our corrupt and wayward world. I marvel that He can take dried-up thorny bushes (and people), and produce such richness and beauty in spite of their inherent deficits and hostile environments. Glory to our Creator God!  

Guess who this is?

You know, photos are the BEST aren't they?  To freeze a moment in time...to wonder what is going through the mind of the photographed at the moment the shutter recorded the expression?  I found a few more photos I decided to share with you of...guess who?  See any resemblance to the rest of the family here?  I'm guessing a year old here, but not sure exactly...never mind what year that would be.

Here she is again...a few years older. Love that new tooth coming in. Wearing pearls? Don't remember that! The dress was red and white and I know she liked it.

This is my personal favorite. I do wonder what's going on in the head of this child. I think she had the flu this day but went to school anyway. Not her usual sparkling self. Dress was in pastels. Yes, girls wore dresses to school.

Recognize her yet?  Don't know what happened to third grade. There's a ponytail back there somewhere.

Oops....a few years have gone by here.  This is her engagement photo taken in 1965. Note the carefully teased hairdo...stiff as a board I can tell you!

 

Okay, here she is today...hmmmmmm....She loves being "blond".Still smilin' y'all and blessed!

I really enjoyed doing this blog. (smiles)  It's ALL about ME today!

Happy Birthday Babies!

April 8, 1973 our first baby daughter was born around 10:30 on a Sunday morning. We named her Anna Jaylene (Anna means "gracious one") and Jaylene is a girl form of her daddy's name. Here she is at about 4 months old. Is that the sweetest little face ever?

Then ten years later to the day, God blessed Jay, me, Vance, and Anna with a second baby girl.  The four of us named her Lindsay Kay.  (Kay after Jay's sister) Another sweet face. Can you see the fire in those eyes?

What a beautiful family God has blessed us with. Here we are in the 80's just before Vance married Katie and four of us were about to move to Australia.

Back to the girls...motorcycle mama's on a camping trip in Mojave desert.

What have we here?  All ready for Easter Sunday church, Casa Grande, AZ.

 

This is just TOO CUTE! Wha happened to your two front teeth Lindsay? 

Perms were in---what can we say! First time in front of a computer at Vance's house in the early 90's.

Graduation came too quickly for mom and dad...Anna, 1991

Lindsay Graduation, 2001

Our beautiful, inside and out, girls.  It's all about you two today.  Dad and I are so proud of the women you've become, the wives, moms with babies of your own now. We love you so much and thank God for allowing us to be your parents.  God bless you and yours real good!

Love, Mom and Dad

"Good Friday" Meditation

I copied this poem from John Stumbo's blog--couldn't resist posting it here. John is a Christian Missionary Alliance pastor in Salem, OR. whose blog address is on my list. He has suffered extremely the last couple of years with some unidentifiable, debilitating disease. He has made some progress back, but is still needing further healing. I'm assuming John wrote this poem, it as he didn't give credit to another. If I find out different, I'll let you know. I pray it will bless you wherever you are today.

The Friday We Call "Good"
When we wish someone a "good day," we don't wish for their death.
How then dare we call this Friday, "good"?
If we had lived in Jerusalem that Friday, we would have only called this a good day
if we had been Christ's enemies.
The protectors of the status quo, the fickle mob, the demonic forces and Satan himself,
they thought it a very good day indeed.
But those who followed Him, those who loved Him, those who knew who He really was,
thought it the worst day of history.

Good Friday is good only if God Himself is truly good.

After all, what is good about betrayal, mockery, abuse, beatings, torment and blood-thirsty violence?
All of these were suffered by Jesus.
What good do we possibly see as evil is victorious, injustice rules and hatred overpowers love?
What good do we find in death?
Death is our enemy. Death is feared. Death is avoided at all costs. Death is a tragedy,
especially for someone so young.
How do we have the audacity to look upon something so tragic, so heinous and horrific
and declare it "good"?

Good Friday is good only if God Himself is truly good.

Everyone in our culture today wants to believe that if there is a God, He is good.
No one wants a "bad" God.
But the great weakness of our culture--Christian or not--is that we want to be the ones
who define "goodness."
Health, prosperity, long life, harmony with others and the world…these are all good.
Anything less is not.
We will define the term, we will act as judge, we will determine good and evil.
We shall be as God.

But Good Friday is only good, if the God of Good Friday is good.

Our reasoning continues: since we know what is good, we know that a good God would only give us
what we consider to be good.
Certainly if suffering or hardship enters our lives, it comes from the hand of another,
but never His.
But what if we're short-sighted? What if His definition of "good" looks to a farther horizon than ours?
What if we're blind?
Could it be that God is indeed very good--that He, in fact, is the definition of goodness--
but He is utterly different than we expect?

Good Friday is indeed good because the God of Good Friday is good.

On that day when the sky became a shroud, the earth trembled and the righteous wept,
God knew what we could not:
Suffering was necessary, bloodshed mandatory, evil temporary
and death the entry to life.
The Definition and Definer of Good revealed that His power is so great, his authority so complete,
that even the cruelest of this world is redeemable.
The worst day of all of human history became good because God is good...
good beyond our imagination.

May His goodness bring new hope to your suffering today.