50 Strands of Gray

Life is not promised, we get what we get.

Use every precious moment without regret,

Not worrying about people, and what they might think

Relationships are like a big skating rink.

Some I’ve skated by, without even a care,

Other’s I’ve challenged, and taken the dare.

Life is a lesson I’ll learn new every day,

Creating on my head, a new shade of gray.

No one is right and no one is wrong,

But because of pride, we won’t all get along,

One thing is certain, people will disagree,

It started with Eve in Eden, and that damn tree.

I’ll live my life to the fullest, and never back down

And smile every day, because it’s more fun than a frown.

I’ll live in the moment, and love friends of today

‘Cause things change quickly, like another strand of gray.

Today I celebrate the half century mark,

These last 50 years, just a stroll through the park.

Mistakes most definitely, I’ve made more than a few,

And painstaking trials, I was lucky to live through,

Regrets there are none, there’s nothing I’d change,

I am who I am, for God prearranged.

I’ll experience everything as it comes my way,

Earning rightfully each strand of gray.

© Crackerberries 2015

Ageless Love

An old memory comes to mind

A love letter left unsigned

Undisturbed and hidden in an old wooden box

Tucked down between a pair of woolen socks

Scribbled in ink on parchment paper

Begging her to join his adventurous caper

“Leave with me, we’ll take this truck,

“Never to look back, let's try our luck.”

The letter goes on confessing his love

He even calls her his sweet turtledove

Without a care for who might read

Professing his love in this vintage creed

Near the end of the letter the words start to fade

T’was concealed for decades until today

Unanswered questions of this pair overwhelm me

Did she take the truck, go away, and marry thee?

No names, no dates, just an old-fashioned confession

Love forever remains constant, in modern world progression

Summer

Summer begins

Graduation celebrations,

Weddings

Family reunions and BBQ’s

Fill the month of June

Vacations, and days at the beach,

Summer camps, and fireworks,

Such a shame

When they all end too soon

How will you spend your summer retreat?

Cooling by the pool, to beat the heat.

Maybe picnics in the park are more your style,

Or visiting relatives afar, for a little while.

A cabin in the mountains, a bungalow at the lake,

What favorite pastime do you care to undertake?

Lemonade stands, and sprinkler baths

Long hikes through green wooded footpaths,

Red, white, and blue marks July 4^th parades

And quarters galore for the local arcades

Body surfing an ocean wave

Leaving flowers on the kinfolk grave

Fighting mosquitoes, and brook fishing

Catching fireflies, and shooting star wishing

Fairs, and carnivals, and old home days

Simply sunbathing, on a comfortable lounge chaise

Photos snapped

Festivities saved

Treasure all those

Summer days

Such a shame

It ends too soon

But memories

Last for always

Missing You

Time apart makes us strong

Sing the lyrics from an old love song

You’re on the road, driving truck

I’m at home, feeling stuck

People say they’ll be supportive

Without action proves abortive

Time apart makes us strong

Resonate the lyrics from an old love song

Our new adventure we commenced

Material things are now condensed

New roads, new friends, new way of life

Leaving behind the problems and strife

Time apart makes us strong

Hum the lyrics from an old love song

Those who can’t fathom it, never will

You only live once, so seek out the thrill

Deliveries to places, and parking lots we’ll dwell

On the road together, for us bodes well

Time apart makes us strong

Chant the lyrics from an old love song

It won’t be long that blue rig will appear

And we’ll embark on your new career

Life is good, and God is superb

Trust in Him, heed the proverb.

Time apart makes us strong

Croon the lyrics from an old love song.

A Garden

Leather gloves tossed aside

Hard day’s work incomplete

Moistened with the nights dew

Soon to dry from sun’s heat

Garden grows to the beat

Tossing rocks, pulling weeds

Enhance the herbs to grow

Maintain the garden’s needs

Bask among the beauty

Trowel, spade, rake and hoes

Beneath a sky of blue

In the garden straight rows

Leather gloves tossed aside

Forecasting chores at hand

The work is never done

Beautifying the land

A Letter

Dear Mom:

I debated on writing this letter to you,

You never pay attention to anything I do. 

Insecure or terrible writer; it’s your choice,

I’ll never be as good as my sister’s voice.

It certainly is hard to write down a rhyme

for a mother who never devotes the time,

to read a letter I’ve written before,

I guess reading for some, is such a chore

I know you have quite an eventful life

and it’s always filled with some sort of strife. 

If I could help change it, you know that I would,

but you’re quick to point out my bad, not my good.

I know that moving many miles away,

upset some family, who thought I should stay

in a situation that never was going to be good

all my feelings were overlooked and no one understood.

Even though we talk each and every day

And try to sweep all those old heartaches away

You’re always distracted with some kind of thing

Talking with me is never all that exciting.

Some days I wish for a mommy’s hug

All warm and snuggled like a bug in a rug

I’ve tried so hard to gain your praise

And waited for approval for so many days

You love my sister more than me

I know it’s true it’s plain to see

You try to cover saying it’s not that way

That I was the strong one back in the day

I could handle things she never could

So I handled the things no one ever should

Grew up learning a false sense of trust

Ended in relationships that were nothing but lust

Something went wrong and I thought I died

Changes had come and I finally realized

I can’t blame my parents for any of my past

I pulled up ‘em up hard, my boot strings, at last.

I asked for God to help me through

To give me insight for what I misconstrue

I’m not the daughter that I used to be

And it doesn’t matter that you can’t see

You won’t even know I wrote this letter

Most likely that will work out for the better.

I’ll still do my best at everything I do

And continue to grow in my love for you.

Love,

Your daughter

Scents of Spring

I just love the smell of these!

A twining bine, grows into lengthy vine.

Hummingbirds come from afar 

For the ever sweet tasting nectar

Oh, yes, humans can enjoy it too,

Not only a beautiful landscape,

But also a tasty sweet treat.

A-Z Just Having Some Fun Pun On Words

Abcedarian accommodate alphabet with acclaim

Bartenders baffle and bamboozle the blame

Callow cacophony creates candid capers

Distasteful descriptions do deploy dopers

Eclogues express ending; epic explains expeditions

Fables flaunt flirty flings and fun fabrications

Gather gay groupies to gravitate and graze

Haphazard handwriting heaps headaches and haze

Idioms illustrate ideology including incidental information

Journalize jocularity and joyfully justify juxtaposition

Keep keen knowledge; kickback kitsch

Learn lexicology lettering; legal and legit

Magnificent metaphors multiply masterpieces

Negotiate nihility to necessitate niches

Obligatory observance obtains obsolete offers

Pleasurable palinode pleases pantaloon puffers

Question quatrains and quaternion quizzically

Roundly raconteurs rant rainbows radically

Satisfactory scribbles scratched on scraps

Transforms tachygraphy to tangible taps

Ultimatums’ unite unwritten ulterior urges

Vehement verbalism vehicles vexing verges

While writing wonderfully wisecracking words

Xerox the X-ray

Yank out the Yah-hoo

Zig-zag the zombie zoo

This blog was not signed up for the A-Z Blog Challenge but thought I might have some fun with it anyways. Check it out if you are so inclined.

Sentry Pillars

Raising shoulders gradually poke through

And point out toward the ocean blue

Crustaceous centurions guard the shore

In memory of the days before

No beach-goers leaving trash behind

Or landscape the condominium towers blind

No amusement rides or gamers boardwalks

Nor tourist campers and traffic gridlocks

Blanketed in salt water, the rocks are covered

Breakfast waiting seagulls, above they hovered

Crashing waves of water rolls

Greeting the rocks, they’re long lost souls.

Tide rolls in, tide rolls out,

Sentry pillars stand tall with clout.

Spring is in the air....

Remember to set those clocks ahead this weekend.

Conclusions

Conclusions

A small child sits quietly reading a book

The mother is outfitted with a meager look

No ring on her finger, no man by her side

She’s carrying herself with ego and pride.

“Mommy, I’m cold,” the little girl says with a cry

The mother looks back with certain evil in her eye.

Her skimpy tank top is cut way too low

Flaunting her cleavage for some naïve young beau.

The child not dressed for the too cool air

Mother oblivious, sits with a blank stare

How do I know what goes on in her life?

Perhaps it’s been filled with heartbreak and strife.

The child is interracial I can tell from her skin,

My mind is convicted from this judgment of sin

Little girl’s finger slides deep into her nose,

I feel so sad, wish I could give her new clothes.

Conclusions we draw from just a short look

Become the characters in the writer’s next book.

ME and YOU

People wish they were more like us

Instead of praise they act jealous

Maybe because we DO more than we talk

Bothersome to many, so they ridicule and mock.

Mother-daughter relationship was put through the test

Only to experience nothing but the best.

Your artistic eye and inventive focused lens,

Creative juices will flow from many inspired pens.

Collaborative imagination from there to here

More talent than them; that is their fear.

No college degrees or fancy awards,

No certificates hanging from bulletin boards

Just using our gifts to the best of our means

I write the words while you create scenes.

She's No Saint

She’s no Saint

Crumpled and discarded,

Cast aside like a piece of trash

Hair disarrayed and tattered,

Clothes over-sized, secured with a sash.

Insignificance illuminates from the eyes deep inside dark holes,

Her lips curl over yellowing teeth, searching for souls.

Thunder cracks overhead causing her to shudder;

Recollecting memories of being left behind, by her mother.

She shrugs it off, for there’s work to be done

A new day of reckoning has finally begun.

Things of the past have been laid to rest

Voices in her head urge it’s for the best.

As rain pelts her face and stings her cheek

She struggles to take cover, but her legs are weak.

What became of her life she wonders?

While rain pours down and the sky above thunders.

Over the rainbow someday she’ll be,

Away from the drama and hagiology.

Valentine

SKY-BLUE PINK

When I’m feeling drained,

He doesn’t let me forget,

Writing discipline is trained,

Inspiration is what I should expect.

He fiddles with my hair (and says)

“It doesn’t matter what they think

Write as if you don’t care,”

And he smiles, with a wink.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We were fifteen when it all began

A homemade Valentine

On the bus, he held my hand

Then answered the question, “Will you be mine?”

Freshmen in high school, we were so young,

Everyone said, “It’s just puppy love.”

We thought it was more like l♥ve, unsung.

If we’d only know the Love from above.

All through high school

We clung to each other,

Some called us fools,

No regards for another.

Then our time came to an end,

Moved to a different city

We were told, “Broken hearts mend.”

Breaking up is such a pity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ten years somehow disappeared,

Letter in mail, reunion for the class

What will be come of it? We feared.

Reminiscent of those memories in the past

Both of us married, spouse in tow

Conversing was uneasy to say the least

Unanswered questions we didn’t know

Past emotions suddenly released

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fourteen more years were tucked away

With spouses we tried to please,

Making the most out of each day

Doing what we could to appease.

It’s true what they say about marriage.

Without respect and trust,

Caring only because of the carriage,

The vows we say tend to rust.

Bad things happen to good people

And sometimes things don’t turn out,

Like the commitment made at the steeple

And then, “I hate you!” we shout.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An email sat in cyber-land,

Four months before it was found

Still he waited for my hand,

His love for me, unbound.

It was like magic to betide

All those feelings emerged anew

Relationships past, nothing to hide,

Suddenly life took on new fresh hue

Talking for hours through chat and phone

Twelve hundred miles, too far to drive

Together we were destined, not to be alone

All those years the love stayed alive

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few months later finally able to meet

Soon after that we were married

This fairy-tale is true and wonderfully sweet

The love for each other through the years we carried.

We give all the glory to Lord God Almighty

We wouldn’t be together if it wasn’t for Him

Made for each other, we know came rightly

It’s was God’s will all along, not just a whim.

This is dedicated to my awesome husband, who puts up with all the controversial, risqué, crap that I write sometimes.  He is my true inspiration and without him I couldn’t do it.  Writing is lonely and hard.  He tells me to stop crying about it and grow thick skin, he tells me to grow up and take it like man (not really a man, but you know what I mean).  True story and I know the rhyme or reason is probably off some, but I wanted to tribute my Tall Cool One on this #TBT and upcoming Valentine’s Day.

Remember the Valentine you found in your locker 35 years ago?