Jean and Dana

This poem was inspired by the photo above... but I thought I'd wait a couple days to post it so that it would show up on Dana's birthday.  Happy birthday, cousin!

Both blond heads shine

With the same sunny glow
Two sets of white teeth
Between matched cupid's bows
These sisters aren't twins--
They might look like it, though
Blue eyes complement
Navy uniforms twain
Freckles and tattoos
Will let you ascertain
Who's stationed in Virginia
In earthquake and hurricane
And who's Master at Arms
On a base in Bahrain
But one thing is sure:
Both Dana and Jean
Are pretty and smart,
With wits that are keen.

Freckles

Two spots of brown upon her nose
More upon her cheeks
But freckles do not stop there
They spangle arms and feet
Signs of summer on fair skin
Dear freckles, thee I'd not spurn!
Yet however much sunscreen I use,
I don't freckle or tan-- only burn.

The Last Day of Summer

It's the last day of summer
For jumping in pools
For tomorrow we all
Must return to the schools:
The teachers, to planning,
Instruction, and grading;
The children, to science,
Math, and essays persuading.
So we'll all linger
Late into this night
Trying to wring a last gasp
Out of our summers delight.

Allergies

When the trees first show new leaf
As from winter's cold we find relief
Tis then my sinuses inflame
Early pollens are to blame
 
When the hay is newly mown
Or when the sweet corn is full-grown
When the ragweed's in the air
Tis then my allergies do flair
 
But when in the house I choose to hide
My allergies do not subside
With dust and chemicals all around
For me, there's simply no safe ground

Summer Is Over

Summer is over; school has begun:
Return again
And learn again
Don't let yourself be outdone!
 
Summer is over; school time is here:
Do experiments,
Add dollars and cents
And make sure your essay is clear.

Peach

If it'd been me in Eden
The snake would have been holding
A peach
Not an apple
 
Apples are hard
Crunchy
 
Peaches are tender
Dripping and running down your arm
Juicy-sweet
With an aroma
That makes my mouth water
 
I can eat just one apple
 
But when I see a peach tree
Hung with golden-pink fruit
Turning to burgundy
At the peak of ripeness
I’ll eat two, even three
And still I want more
 
Yes, indeed,
For me,
Temptation is no apple
It’s a peach

I Need Some Help From My Computer Guru

So,
Being the smartypants that I am,
I thought that rather than reformat
Each of my poems separately,
I would just copy and paste them
Into the first one I reformatted
And save myself a bunch of work. 
Only I clicked Save
Instead of Save as.
And I erased one of my favorite poems.
Now WHAT do I do?
 
Is there any way that I can retrieve that poem--
Maybe find an earlier saved version?
Can I do that?
How would I do that?
If you can think of anything I can try
Other than my
COMPLETELY worthless backup CD-ROM,
Please let me know.
I'm begging.
On my knees.
Please, please,
Give me back my poem.

Lullaby

Sleep; let happy dreams come your way
Sleep, and in your dreams go and play
Sleep, my child, with nary a fear
You are safe, for I am here.

Shabti

I am Shabti
Made of earth
Bound for a tomb
My only purpose
My master's wishes to fulfill
 
Graven with His name
So that all will know
I belong to Him
In His place, I go
 
I am a servant
For this life
And the next
This is what I'm here for;
Why Shabti exist.

I Am Not Alone

This song is a duet to the melody of Tangled's "Healing Incantation".  If you haven't heard the song, here it is on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRVqh3U73MQ.

While the melody is Disney's, the words are my own, and I'd like to dedicate them to all of the servicemen and their families who are currently separated by distance but together in thoughts.

 

Voice 1:
I am not alone
You are here with me
Always you remain
In my memory
 
I am not alone
You shall return again
And when you come home
I will be here, my friend
 
Voice 2:
I am not alone
You are here with me
Wherever I roam
I take you with me
 
Your love shines a light
To guide me home again
Back into the arms
Of family and friends
 
Together:
We are not alone
However far apart
For you shall always
Deep within my heart
 
Within my heart

Worn-Out Words

It's hard to write, sometimes
Because the words
Are all worn-out
 
They've been used so many times
So many ways
And they've lost their meaning
 
How can I use "amazing"
To talk about being bewildered or perplexed
By something that's so >out there< I'm astounded by the concept
When the word's be used so tritely
In detergent commercials and "Reality" TV
 
How can I use "marvelous"
To describe the supernatural, the miraculous
The jaw-dropping, wonder-causing, astonishing
When I've written it across so many homework papers
That were none of the above?
 
How can I use "awesome"
To describe the fearsomeness of my God
To describe His ultimate holiness and authority
And how He can strike me dumb with amazement
When so many times I've used that word
As a synonym for "cool"?
 
I don't think I can
And you might understand
If I say I can't "like" anything, anymore
 
The words are all worn-out
Shriveled up and dehydrated raisins
Soulless husks whose meaning
Has been leached away
By their constant overexposure

Greatness

Chain haiku variation: 3-5-3s rather than 5-7-5s.

Everyone
can have a moment
of greatness

but not all
will achieve greatness
legacy

who gave more--
Einstein or Fleming?
Which was great?

great does not
equal famous or
rich or smart


I thought about dropping more names in this, trying to make it more of an actual comparison between relatively ignored people whose work has bettered large portions of the human race (such as Norman Barlaug, John Snow, Henry Bethune, Ignatz Semmelweis, Vesalius, et al.) and people whose contributions to the world have made them famous, even though those contributions might not have bettered mankind (Oppenheimer, Fermi) or whose only claim to greatness is a genetic fluke that allows them to be faster or better at a sport than others and whose achievements do little of value for humanity, unless it is to inspire us to find that at which we excel and pursue it wholeheartedly (Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt).  But in the end, I decided to leave it more open-ended; I think it's better without the names.  In fact, if I could devise a way to make the comparison without any names at all, but still be concise and understood, I think I might prefer that.

Beloved

Beloved
Even now,
The word conjures
Gruesome images
Rape, whipping, infanticide
And a crawling-already baby
Though the I only read the book once
Fifteen years ago

And somehow
That word's become tied
Somewhere deep in my psyche
With the horrendous, the grisly,
With things that want to make me want to puke

Because the only other
Beloved
I know
Is the one My Savior said to me
When he chose to suffer and die
Whipped, tortured, crucified
To save me

We're Gonna Take Wo-Fat Down

Okay, just one more filksong and then I swear I'll cut it out for a bit.  This one is actually several months old, maybe even a year old (as though of you who watch Hawaii 5-0 can probably tell), I just figured I'd inflict all the fanfic poems on you at once.  And in case you can't tell, this one is to the tune of "Kung Fu Fighting".

We're gonna take Wo-Fat down
Kick his butt right outta town
Though he's the perfect villian
Soon jail's where he'll be chillin'

He's the Yakuza boss from far-away Japan

He'll stab his mentor in the back, he's really not a frien'

He's a man of few words, hardly ever says a thing

But his taser really bites and those bullets sure do sting

So we're gonna take Wo-Fat down
Kick his butt right outta town
Though he's the perfect villian
Soon jail's where he'll be chillin'

Now you won't see him on the golf course or in a restaurant

Even though his wealth and power, he's always loved to flaunt

'Cause Kono's kung-fu fighting, and Chin's got his shotgun

Jenna'll analyze, Steve'll take him down, Book Him, Danno's the only sound

 

As we take Wo-Fat down
Kick his butt right outta town
Though he's the perfect villian
Soon jail's where he'll be chillin'

Let's go take Wo-Fat down
Kick his butt right outta town

Soon justice will prevail

Then we'll let him rot in jail...

My Yesterday Was No Easy Day

Ah, another filksong.  This one is new lyrics to the general tune (but not necessarily melody) of the Kingston Trio's "All Of The Hard Days Are Gone"-- but I wrote this one for Hawaii 5-0.

The only easy day was yesterday
At least that's what Steve likes to say
But when we go for drinks, he never pays
My yesterday was no easy day

My partner drives me insane
Recklessly risk-taking, no thoughts of my pain
Getting me shot on my very first day
My yesterday was no easy day

The only easy day was yesterday
At least that's what Steve likes to say
But when we go for drinks, he never pays
My yesterday was no easy day

Using sharks as interrogation aids
And smashing down doors by lobbing grenades
Using my car for every chase
My yesterday was no easy day

The only easy day was yesterday
At least that's what Steve likes to say
But when we go for drinks, he never pays
My yesterday was no easy day

Procedure's just a joke to Steve
He thinks he can do whatever crazy shit he pleases
And just leave me to clean up his mistakes
My yesterday was no easy day

The only easy day was yesterday
At least that's what Steve likes to say
But when we go for drinks, he never pays
My yesterday was no easy day

Haiku: Tomato Buds

Tiny golden buds
Adorn the green vine: Promise
Of fruit later on.

Over and Over and Over Again (Psalm 139)

I'll sing it over and over and over again:
There's nowhere I go that I can't feel Your hand
Making me, guiding me, holding me close
If there's one thing I know, it's You'll never let go!
 
If I go to the darkness and hide in the night
You'll see me just like I'm still in the light
If I swim to the bottom of the Marianas trench
You'll be there too; it's not even a stretch
 
I'll sing it over and over and over again:
There's nowhere I go that I can't feel Your hand
Leading me, teaching me, holding me close
If there's one thing I know, it's You'll never let go!
 
If I rise on the wings of the dawn and I fly
To the end of the world, to the edge of the sky
Still You will see me and be with me there
Not one thing I do could make You not care
 
I'll sing it over and over and over again:
There's nowhere I go that I can't feel Your hand
Touching me, catching me, holding me close
If there's one thing I know, it's You'll never let go!

Nature's Symphony

I have my window open
At twelve twenty-five
Just so I can hear
My favorite lullaby
Drip-drip-dropping
Occasionally plopping
A whisper in the trees
A tink on the gutter
Trick-trick-trickle down the roof
Punctuated by the blinds' stutter
Tonight, it's not loud at all
There's no thunder timpani
No rushing, gushing madness
Just singing raindrops for company
And the only way that I can hear
Nature's mellifluous symphony
Is lying quietly in bed
With nothing to distract me
From the tra-swish, tra-swish above
And the tih-tuh, tih-tuh sound
As raindrops become ripples
On the wet, unseen ground.

Stalag 13's Heroes

And as long as we're detouring into fanfic to scrape the bottom of the inspiration well, why not a filksong?  Although I think I like this one better than the last, even if it is to the tune of "10 Little Indians"...  And if this isn't your cup of tea, I guess you'll just have to "hear nothing, noth-ing!"

One is Newkirk, Two's LeBeau,
Three is Carter, Four's Kinchloe
Fearless leader is named Hogan
Stalag Thirteen's Heroes

For picking the locks and opening safes

Playing cards right to keep guards away
Popping car tires with a pencil sharp'ner
Choose the British magician

Mending socks and sewing costumes,

Planting flowers and parachutes,
Cooking up pizza, strudel, and dinners
The French get information

Blustering madly as Adolf Hitler

Diving for lost code books in the well
Blowing up trains and bridges and tunnels
But this Indian's bow is useless

Sitting and waiting patiently

For the next message to come in
On wire tap, phone, or radio
Call the Prince from Detroit

When London asks, he makes a plan
If it's impossible, he's still your man
You think you're smart, Kommandant, it's true
But the joke's on you!

Olsen speaks German, so he works outside
Garlotti, Slim, and Walters know how to hide
Thomas is the man to help sabotage
And Wilson is the medic
 
There are more, who go unnaméd
Medals unawarded, go unclaiméd
But these diggers and metal-shop workers
Keep bus'ness running smoothly.
 
One is Newkirk, Two's LeBeau,
Three is Carter, Four's Kinchloe
Fearless leader is named Hogan
Stalag Thirteen's Heroes

Ode to SG-1

And now for a little diversion into fanfic... or should this be crackfic?  Not my best work, that's for sure...


Colonel O’Neil, Jack
He’s got your back
And always a wisecrack
 
Samantha Carter
Ain’t nobody smarter
And nobody works harder
 
Daniel Jackson, PHD
Really knows his history
Somehow understands ev’rybody
 
Teal’c’s my main Jaffa man
With zat and staff in his hand
Trying to end the slavery in his land

My Reality TV Hell

and an oldie, because I'm behind in posting....

I Went Home.
I turned on the TV.
I watched a nanny
Walk into a stranger’s house
And start telling them
How to raise their kids.
 
She yelled.
She screamed.
She demanded
That the whole family
Do everything
Her way.
Only her way.
And they thought she was
Wonderful.
 
I went into preschool
Calmly, quietly suggested
To my student’s parents
That their potty-trained girl
Shouldn’t have to wear diapers.
And they thought I was
Rude.
Wrong.
 
 
Terminated.

My Life

now for a bit of hard rock...

You can tell me what to do

But I don't have to obey
You can make the rules
But I'll still get my say
 
Because
 
It's my life
It's not yours
It's my life
Forever and always
Whatever you do
Whatever you say
You still can't take my thoughts away
And I'll be free, free, free
You can't stop me from being me
'Cause it's my life!
 
You can beat me up
But you can't keep me down
You can kick me out
But I'll still be around
 
Just because
 
It's my life
It's not yours
It's my life
Forever and always
Whatever you do
Whatever you say
You still can't take my thoughts away
And I'll be free, free, free
You can't stop me from being me
'Cause it's my life!
 
My life, my life, my life, my life!
Not yours!

Migraine

Inside the silence
Seconds seem hours
Every voice unkind
Every light harsh
Every movement nauseating
 
I’ve wrapped myself in stillness
Yet with every slight movement
The rustle of clothes
Screeches like nails on a blackboard
And I cringe with the pain
 
I’d roll over
And cover my ears with the pillow
But then I’d have to roll back
Just to throw up
In the ice cream pail
 
Every headlight
Every ray of the sun
Pierces my drapes
And stabs its serrated edge
Into my throbbing head
 
I try to be still
But how can I not move
When it feels like
Bombs are exploding
Inside me
 
Rocked to the core
I clutch my head
Don’t want it to burst apart
I’m seeing stars through my eyelids
And it’s no cartoon
 
Within the pain
My thoughts echo
Overlapping in confusion
Between so many
Explosions of pain

Para Cristo- For Christ

For Christ
I would die
 
But
Am I living
For Him?
 
I live
Because of Christ
By the blood of Christ
Through the grace of Christ
In the power of Christ
 
But
What is my reason
For being?
 
Do I live
To exist?
To enjoy myself?
Or, Do I live
To adore?
To serve?
 
I should live
In Christ
With Christ
In me
Living
Moving through me
Doing His will

Para Cristo

Para Cristo
Moriría
 
Pero
¿Estoy viviendo
Por El?
 
Vivo
A causa de Cristo
Por el sangre de Cristo
Por la gracia de Cristo
Por el poder de Cristo
 
Pero
¿Que es mi razón
De Ser?
 
¿Vivo
Para existir?
¿Para divertirse?
O ¿Vivo
Para adorar?
¿Para servir?
 
Debo vivir
En Cristo,
Con Cristo
En mí
Viviendo,
Moviendo por mí,
Haciendo su voluntad

Monday

What a day:
 
Car got a flat
On the interstate
On the way to work.
Went to call my boss;
Phone was out of minutes.
 
O, joy.
 
Got to work, sold really well
But the customer's paycheck
Doesn't come til Friday,
So my boss'll get the commission.
 
O, yay.
 
Forfeited lunch
To find out my car
Needs new brakes, too.
And filters and struts
And shocks and stuff.
 
Happy day.
 
I can get a ride
To get my car
And my fifteen-hundred dollar bill
Two hours after my shift is done.

Lucky me.
 
Is Monday over yet?

A Bit of Heaven

You know what makes Heaven what it is?
Getting back everything you've lost that matters.

It's replacing plastic with stained glass
When the window is shattered

It's trading wine vinegar
For refeshing cool water;

Trading hardtack and gruel
For the feast on a buffet platter

It's the smile of a friend
Instead of the orders of a boss

It's the hug of the grandpa
You haven't felt since he died

It's your choice too;
Will you bring a bit of heaven to someone today?

Why I Sing My Prayers

When I stand alone, amazed
And the words get tangled
On my tongue
Or my awe prevents me
From forming new phrases of my own
 
That’s why I sing my prayers
I let a composer prime the pump
Until my words flow forth on their own
That’s why I sing my prayers
For while I hold a note
The feeling behind keeps flowing,
Growing, going to God

Worship

We come before You,
            Wanting to spend time with you, but
            We struggle to subjugate our own selfish desires
Our focus belongs on You
            Only You
            Our great king, loving Daddy, and saving grace
Real worship is more than church on Sunday, more than
            Respecting You, because we know
            Reverence is only step one
S inging is good, too, but mere words are not enough
            Service is also necessary
            Seeking to show love through our actions
Humbling ourselves as You did
            Hearing Your call and replying,
            "Here I am, Lord, send me--
If You want to-- even though
            I screw up everything
            I try to do on my own."
People may not understand my faith
            People may calll me "Bible thumper," but
            Please fill me, use me, change me

            Until I am changed into Your likeness

Haiku: Garden

Leaves are gilded,
Blossoms fall; yet there is no
Fruit in my garden

Haiku: Water in Cups

Various cups, vases
May hold the same water and
Yet look different