Always Greener

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

 

On the other side of me and now
verdant pastures sweep up to the sky
greener than the new spring boughs.
I count each grass blade with a sigh,
for the hills over yonder I am sure,
are lusher than these I sojourn by;
and they gleam emerald with allure.
If I had choice, to them I’d swiftly fly!
And yet something whispers, Stay
the grasses there have much to belie
and the meadows near are not so gray.
And when I cast my eyes about I see
green aplenty on all sides of me. 

Everything's Confetti

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

Yesterday was truly the same as today

I saw you then; I see you now

Yet yesterday was a plain vanilla day

And everything’s confetti and sprinkles now

Then - you were with me, now inside me

A tiny matter, not hefty at all

You are still you, I am still me

Yet the stars shine brighter one and all

Somewhere in time’s curious clockwork

You and me become always together us

It really didn’t take much work

Just a lifelong labour from both of us

Yesterday was really just where today left off

In an explosion of fireworks as life takes off

Directions

Photo by Brianna Santellan on Unsplash

This way to your life, my friend

Go straight three blocks to the bend

Turn left there and slowly wend - 

No! Not to the right, come back!

Didn’t you hear a word I said?

Don’t you see this map I’ve got?

Better follow it to the end.

But now since you’re at the beach

To keep life’s goals within your reach

Go buy a ticket for the boat,

The boat I said, not the ferry!

No one gets anywhere on a ferry!

Once you’re there don’t set up camp

Don’t you know what the weather’s like?

Oh, very clever, you’ve brought a tent

A sleeping bag, a camera, and a lamp

But listen, you can’t stay here

You’ve got to live your life my dear!

And yet you’re living without a map

How do you do it without mishap?

This is not to say that all life advice should be ignored. But I'm sure we all have people in our lives who wonder if we even know where we're going.

Written for the Poetics Aside prompt Dicrections.

Shared with dVerse.

Thyme

Photo by Gabriel Jimenez on Unsplash

she planted a garden of many hues

to weed and to hoe

reaping and gathering

what her own fingers grew

peaches, raspberries and sage

pumpkins, garlic, lettuce and tomatoes

basil and mint and rosemary

for she has time

and bliss

Early Mother's Day

Photo by Dominik Vanyi on Unsplash

Whether ten thousand miles or a whisper,

measures the distance of how close we speak,

you hear my words like a rooted anchor

every sorrow and trifle of my week.

When I’m baffled by my cookbook

it’s only you who has the answer.

Can it be possible for me to cook

without calling you, Kitchen Master?

You taught me all I couldn’t learn from books

guiding thread and needles through my hands,

and showing me the use of crochet hooks;

it’s thanks to you my mind expands.

Though I’ve flown from the safety of the nest

it’s you who pack my bags when I voyage. 

Point the way to new harbors where I rest;

when I waver, on I go with your courage.

Whether ten thousand miles or a whisper,

measures the distance of how close we speak,

you hear my words like a rooted anchor

every sorrow and trifle of my week.

Grandma

Photo by Devin Justesen on Unsplash

The ghosts of you

Walk throughout my life

Painted on the walls in watercolor

Stitched in strawberries with a peterpan collar

Planted in rows

And rows

Tulips, grapes, currants

Trees of apricots and apples

From you my inheritance comes

She taught me and you taught her

Passing threads that tether us

Beyond the slippery sands of time

Inherited

From your head to your toes

my finger gnawing baby

with the chubbiest of cheeks

I seek the mirror

of me

Whose eyes stare back at mine?

Are these my fingers here?

Or your grandfather’s chin

or my grandfather’s nose?

Do you speak with my voice

write with my pen

reach out to pet the yarn

and the cat, with my same joy?

Or do you introduce yourself

in a kaleidoscope of colors I don’t know

singing a song I’ve never heard?

Hourglass

Try to stop the falling grains of time

As they slip through your fingers

This past you cannot change

The words unspoken

Deeds undone

What if

With a flip

What sowing of joy

Would leave no regrets

Coating the past with golden dust

That shines forward into a future day?

Written for dVerse

Cobbler

An hour here; five minutes there

Cobble together the time

It’s still not enough

Between busy shades of life

Between musts and shoulds and

Cannot-do-with-outs

Time flying away in ragged swaths

But catch them, stitch them

They just might add up

Faith

Blindfolded with gossamer threads

With my eyes wide open

Seeing the swells, the wind 

Danger

No pathway through a raging ocean

But a whisper, like a dove

Flying steadily leads me on

Through the impossible

Past the tempestuous sea

Emerging on the far shore

Feet planted in the golden sand

Free from the storm; turning back

I see

Each link in the bridge that carried me

Looking Ahead

Away in the distance
The path curves
Bending round the pines out of sight
I’ll only walk it once
With braced nerves
Yet ready for the mountain’s height



Shared with dVerse.


Prompt: Distance.