I find it fascinating that the sky can be bright blue with puffy clouds behind me, and pale blue with wisps of clouds, including some gray ones ahead. I’m facing East toward the sunrise. My sweet pup was up at 4:30 a.m. I wanted the rest if my family to sleep a little longer. We’ve been enjoying a variety of birdsong in the backyard. It’s 6:00 a.m. now. Blue’s had his breakfast. I’m ready for mine. Coffee is a necessity today. May 25, 2012 is the first day of Summer Vacation, my niece’s second birthday and one year to the day since my husband’s diagnosis. The day life changed. ~ Janean

he bought me daisies last night
the colorful kind
minus the crazy
such a surprise to see them
in the flower spot
by the kitchen sink
when the children and I
came home last night
my smile widened
at the vase he chose
for it was the easiest
to reach
my margarita pitcher
a college graduation gift
from my aunt in New Mexico
my margarita days are past
what a lovely vase
I didn’t know I had
until he bought me daisies
last night

last night was for fireflies
the first ones of the year
this mornin’ is for pink clouds
and a crescent moon
still hangin’ in the sky
fireflies remind me
of my childhood summers
pink clouds are for my grandma
she painted some on canvas
and the teacher said,
“There is no such thing.”
Grandma wouldn’t budge
knew she was right
as she’d seen pink clouds
from atop the bluff
time and time again
so while I’m not a pink girl
I love pink cloud mornings
and greet them with a grin
as memories of my grandma
fill me up within

the sky is crazy cool today
cotton ball clouds lined up in rows
neat and tidy
like a field with furrows
to the left I see but brilliant blue
where the clouds are few
they are all in the right sky
on this Mother’s Day
makin’ me smile
all the while
as they float, merge and blend
different now than they were then
the sun shines upon my face
soon at church we’ll sing of grace
and read of the Lord God high above
who made the firmament
which is crazy cool today

This morning I drank my first mug o’coffee in the backyard with my sweet pup, Blue. Just a few more weeks of school day morning rush before summer vacation begins. Once it does, I can lollygag in the morning to my heart’s content. Not today though. Children to wake. Breakfast to eat. Lunches to make. Notebooks to sign. A drive to make. I’m almost ready for that second mug o’coffee. Though it might have to be To Go. ~ Janean

reflections

today I found myself wondering
what was Poe like as a child
was he all moody, broody darkness
from an early age
or did he have an impish grin
and a way of laughing at his own joke
before saying the punch line aloud
what did his mother think
did she worry
did she fret
or did she love him a little more
and stand between him and the world
lookin’ for a fight
if anyone dared hurt her little boy
for it’s all right to be different
to not follow the crowd
but it’s not all right to tease and belittle
those who see the world through poet’s eyes
today I found myself wondering
about Edgar Allen Poe’s mother