Creature Concert

 All those outspoken night creatures chanting out there! 
What ever they are, I really can't tell.  

From their chirping and whistles and frog sounding croaks,
Their whirrrs and their trills lullabying us folks.

It's a night time recital we hear going on
As we try hard to slumber till birds fill the dawn;
With a new day of concert -
A new day of song.

Oh there's much more to life than just our goings on.
Yes, there's much more to life than just our goings on.

Tales of Crows

Those big ol' crows up in the tree 

Have more to do with you and me
Than you or I would 'er suspect,
(because we haven't learned it yet.)

But I've heard tell of tales you see
Of crows who pose as still can be
To watch us - every move we make
And then their information take
To someone - who?  We do not know
Because we cannot fly like crow.

Away they go as quick can be
To tell a tale on you and me.
What they must see from way up high!
No wonder that they quickly fly!

So kids, be careful what you do.
Those big ol' crows are watching you.
And they won't keep it to themselves -
They'll fly away your story yell!
I've heard those squawks and caws of crows.
I'd love to hear how their story goes. :) 

(written while looking out of the hospital window in Evanston IL, holding our new little baby boy.)

Icycles

 

Some crystal hanging towers
From my window eves I see
With sparkling crystal beauty
Like the sun upon the sea.

Growing by the hour as 

The winter winds still freeze 

Yet the vibrant warming sun rays 

Roll the droplets down with ease.

Natures beauty flowing

       Sparkling droplets rolling

                Crystal 

                      Towers 

                    Growing

                        Winter 

                            Chills 

                             still 

                            blowing.

(Written while looking out of the hospital window in Evanston IL after Aaron's birth.)

A Speck of Sparkle

                                    

                                               I am a speck of sparkle

A gentle wind blew me from my world of no evil-

The world of encircling love and understanding-

The world without mistakes or confusion-

The world where I was a sparkle.

I am a speck of dust in a very large world.

The wind blows me from place to place

where I try to sparkle once again.

Will my world of no evil see my feeble attempt
to sparkle...so far away...so small?

Will they notice me-

a speck of dust in a very large world-

thinking of them and dusting myself off?

I am one small speck hidden in the multitude.

My sparkle fails me amidst the tall towers.

I reach up with all my might-

but still, the towers loom.

Towers of brightness

that shine upward,

losing me in their shadow.

Towers of darkness

that shower glares of disdain upon me.

They try to step on my sparkle,

to snuff it like a smoldering cinder.

I cry upward to The One with great light

to shine down upon me and illuminate

and rekindle my glow.

Why am I a small speck of dust?

Chapter Two

Towers of Brightness

I am a bright tower.

I grew from a small speck of dust

hidden in the multitude

of a very large world.

I stayed in the shadows of the bright towers.

There, I discovered that they sheltered me

from the dark towers as I stayed close and 

watched them reach upward to

The One with great light.

I listened to them and tried to be like them.

They spoke of me and the others

hidden in their shadow.

One day, The One with great light

Shined down upon us and we sparkled joyously!

We'd been found!  We were noticed!

The bright towers lifted us out of the dust.

I sorrowed as many on the edge of the

protective shadow were blown away by the

winds into the world of dark towers who

shower glares and try to snuff out light.

I rejoiced in the One with great light

and the bright towers, who lifted me upon their

shoulders and we became one!

I became part of them.

A new sparkle on the bright tower.

On their shoulders I prepared to go back.

Back to my world of no evil.

To the world of encircling love and understanding.

The world with no mistakes or confusion.

The world of The One with great light

where I was a sparkle.

A Light for All Mankind

I'm thankful for the morning sun
Which or' the distant hill doth rise
Amid the myriad choirs of song
To greet the brilliant glorious one.

To fill the ends of earth with light
For all mankind with eyes to see
The beauty of the earth by day
A light to guide me on my way.

                                                     And through the light when darkness comes
                                                     And choirs of song, their tune doth fade
                                                     Reflected light of lesser hue
                                                     And whispers softly guide me through.

                                                     I'm thankful for the Eternal Son
                                                     Who or’a distant hill did rise
                                                     Amid angelic choirs of song
                                                     To greet the brilliant glorious One.

Ageless

I will always remember my grandmother dear
Sweet memories she made for us year after year.

She's been so much older than I here on Earth
But only because of the time of her birth.
For someday I shall stand by her side once again
Not as youth next to elderly, but long time friend.

See we're all young in heaven,
That's what I've been told.
Though there's something so special
                                                   About a person who's old.

                                                  We shall leave age to other worlds planning to be
                                                  As we all take on immortality.

                                                  I can't wait to see my sweet grandmother dear,
                                                  We'll be youthful together - year after year.

Nothing

 

When you turn out the light at night
What do you see? Nothing, Nothing.
But it looks like fright has gathered all around
And it looks like a spook in the closet with a frown
Is lurking and looking at you.

You get up out of bed and you turn on the light
There's nothing.  No nothing.
It appears that the fright has vanished with the light
And there's nothing in the closet But the things you've always liked.
Your thought were deceiving what's true.
Your imagination fooled you.

Nothing - Nothing - There was nothing!
Nothing!

(Written (with a melody) for a roadshow in Northbrook)

A Mirror of Thy Light

 I want to be a mirror of thy light
Reflecting all that's good and true and right,
Shining forth with truth in day and night,
Weaving threads of love, their colors bright.

My grandmother; she wove these threads each day
In kindnesses she did and words she'd say.
Lifting other's spirits by a baked good or a card-
Any act of kindness never seemed to be too hard.

"Doing unto others" is my Mother
As she gives her time to help lift up another.
My Mother's fine example of creativity
Is a thread of brilliant color in my lovely tapestry.

There's no excuse for me to go astray
By all these fine examples everyday.
                      A tapestry of Love -The Saviors way,
                      Lighting other's paths along the way.

Baby Food Blues

 

A tiny bouquet of little pink toes
Wiggled their way through the hole in her clothes,
Laughing and giggling as baby toes do,
Crowned with a bonnet of Chunky Beef Stew.

Yes to eat way up in a highchair is grand!
You can tip your bowl over and watch the food land.
It dances and splatters all over the floor;
The peas spin around and then bounce off the door.

But I think that the best, is to watch mommy race
To my chair when I smear my food into my face!
Then I tip my milk over and stir it around
And watch the white rain fall all over the ground.

Soon I am lifted from my highchair in haste
And the food is all washed from my hands, neck and face.
Then I laugh and I giggle as all babies do
When Mom cleans from my toes the chunky beef stew.

Misc

1972 
Yellow daisy in the meadow standing all alone. 
I feel I want to pick you and take you with me home.  
I'd feel your sun-warmed beauty as I take you in my hand
But then, this field less beautiful would be upon the land.

Resurrections Splendor

We all are simple caterpillars 
Groping on the Earth.
Trying hard to progress
Since our mortal birth.

And when our numbered day has come
The spent life of a bloom,
Our caterpillar body 
Is laid in it's cocoon.

And onward to the heavens
In the spirit world we labor
Anxiously awaiting
Resurrections splendor.

Great surprise awaits us
When this Simple body dies.
In resurrection we'll discover
We've been turned to butterflies!

Go-Round-Rut (describing what a rut feels like)

I used to ride the Merry-go-round, 
and I was free!
We went up and down. Until
One day the horses stopped!
And then they only went round and round.
Round and round upon the ground until
A rut began to grow.  And horses went more slow.
But still around down deeper in the ground until
They stopped.
I had no where to go.
We were down too low.
The rut was made - 
The horses old and me their slave.
The rut my grave.
Though still alive I did not live.
The rut, my master, did. 

1983  
I love to walk in the morning sun
And through the meadow I love to run.
To saunter through the grass bare foot
And every flower to smell and look.  
I love to pretend I'm a bird on the wing,
to fly through the air and then come down and sing.

I'm grateful for this time of year when Jesus rose, our Savior dear.
He gave to us Eternal Life and a fine example for all to strive.
He showed to us the way to go and taught us things we need to know
to reach the highest place of glory when we end our Earth life story.
I'm grateful for the Savior dear who taught the plan of life so dear.
I wish to do the best I can to carry on this Earthly plan.
And I look forward to that day The Savior comes again to stay.

                      
1989  
My mother's purse is handy when we all get in the car.
It's always clean and neat until we drive somewhere real far.

It then becomes a lunch bag for my sister and for me,
And afterwards a garbage bag so that the car stays clean.

My mother's purse holds tissue in case we have to sneeze,
Ribbons from our pony tails and Band-Aids for our knees.

When we're driving into town a mail pouch it becomes.
Then when we take the mail out brother looks for bubble gum.

When it's time to go to church a bank it seems to be,
As all our tithing envelopes are placed within neatly.

Someday I'll have a handy purse, I hope just like my Mom's,
With all it's varied contents when my children come along!

                                                1989 

                                        Living Ancestors

They are not dead.  No one ever really dies.  Their body's in the ground but they're living in the skies.

In the heavens where we came from is where they now reside, with their choicest friends & loved ones gathered close and at their side.

They are serving still the Lord as they always did on Earth and anxiously await our passing as they once looked forth our birth.

They greeted us on Earth when mortal like we entered in and they'll greet us in the heavens when immortality begins.

When we all join hands again in the Eternal world together It will be a glorious, happiest day that will stay forever and ever.

(written when Grandma Pickett died)

                            1997
How wonderful it is when the Lord takes your hand and leads you along through life.
How beautiful it is when with Him you can stand even through all the troubles and strife.
How peaceful it is when you notice He's there. No matter what happens, you know that He cares.
The path He has marked. Directions are clear to eyes that can see and ears that can hear,
'till the Light grows brighter as closer we come
To the Home of our Father and our Home of the Son.

                To Mom and Dad, A note of appreciation

To you, who although you're not wealthy, you give of what you have lovingly.

To you, who with so many events and little spare time, gives of what you have and then you make more lovingly.

To you, who even with disappointments & discouragements, face them bravely with love & understanding.

To you I say

I love you with all my heart.

I thank you for being my parents and raising me to know truth that I may partake of the joys in life.  That I may know someone else has faced challenges and won, so that I have more courage to do the same.

To you I thank

For loving us back when you feel unloved.  

When these times come to me I hope to do the same.

To you I say

I love you.

To you I say

Thank you.