As Lu// God Would Have It

Catching up on prompts for the poem-a-day challenge:) Busy weekend.
 Day 11: For today’s prompt, write an unlucky poem. 

Whether you believe in luck or not, 

you can still write a poem about a situation that others might deem unlucky.

"Oh, lucky you", we sigh, 

moved by the bit 

that eyes behold

While skin can veil a world of scarred

halls marked

with stories 

never told

Unlucky you, we wail

moved by the

scale of circumstance

Still, always at the

mercy of

Love's Blessing-laden

nail-scarred Hands

Janet~

As Luck God Would Have It

Toronto

PAD Challenge day 13: For today’s prompt, pick a city and make that the title of your poem;

 then, write your poem. 

The poem doesn’t have to be about the city…but it can be.
You can pick a big city, small city, medium-sized city, city that exists today, city that existed in the past, city that only exists in fiction, city that you create.

Beneath still-life street-lights

Spread like a shawl of stars

Above the hustle-bustle

Of city buses and cars, and cars

She does not know

As she comes and goes, and goes

She holds a part

Of her mother’s heart of hearts

Beneath silver-studded dome

Where stars dangle intangible poems

Above the quiet swell

Where field, hill and dell

Cradle the timbre of home, sweet home

She knows there is a door

Ever slightly ajar, ajar

To welcome her home from afar, from afar

© Janet Martin


the line with 'like a shawl of stars' was inspired by and is credited to one of my Gr.1 Sunday School students. He described, as he looked out of the plane while flying home from Germany…the stars like a quilt!
Way to go, Joshua D. Can't wait to see where your pen will take you!

Going Somewhere after This?

PAD Challenge day 10: For today’s prompt, write a going somewhere poem.

 nothing is ours to keep soon all things melt like snow

an intangible echo-heap of living's come and go...

Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, 

the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed;  

then the dust will return to the earth as it was, 

and the spirit will return to God who gave it.

 Eccles.12:7

nothing is ours to keep 

still we, merchants of dust

 harvest, harbor, have-hold and heap

 hands and hearts with its Must

whispers of wanderlust

turn into wonder when

we pause to marvel at what God

entrusted to mere men

...then we should choke on boast

and humbly call to mind

the thing we should remember most

in mere moments designed

...that after this we go

To God; there is no doubt 

that this is simply the intro

To what life is about

© Janet Martin

Of Fall's First Snowfall

While it was dark the Artist’s brush

Smoothed autumn’s tarnished sweeps away

The world soft-swaddled in white hush

Where winter’s pristine shadows splay

While wond’rers slept the artist swept

Earth clean of weary grays and brown

And what seemed brooding and bereft

Is redressed in a dazzling gown

We flock to gawk, wowed and wide-eyed

Like tourists in a foreign world

To marvel at a countryside

That Artist After Dark unfurled

© Janet Martin

Good-bye Forever...

I would love you longer

But time must have its say

It steals you from my grasp and turns you

Into yesterday

Sometimes I overlook you

In living’s to and fro

Until the hour took you, love

Where I can never go

Forgive my jolly folly

While you are sweet and kind

I, footloose, dance upon a path

We always leave behind

And on those bluer days, love

I start to realize

How often you have come to be

Life’s beautiful surprise

…and I would love your longer

But Time seems to deem fit

To always whisk you from my arms

After we dance a bit

Goodnight and fare thee well, love

We will not meet again

But thank-you for the sweet sorrow

That comes with parting’s pain

© Janet Martin

Epitaph for Flowers

I snared a few final flower-shots yesterday after hearing the forecast...

Farewell to thee of faithful post

That never waned thy blaze

And dids't many a glad sigh host

From worship's wond'ring gaze 

May beauty's echo linger where 

Thy well-earned rest is sweet

Where oft you stunned our downcast stare

With heaven at our feet 

Thou, laughter of the land, goodnight

And thank-you for each smile

Though winter tucks thee out of sight 

'Tis only for a while

With tender love,

Janet

Spending Habit Summary

Tonight's moment's ended our somewhat summer-like extension...

...so we celebrated with a supper in the dining room with some extras, 

the whole family minus hubby plus some extra boys!

Sorry, I was going to take some dinner-photos but we were having such a nice time I forgot!:)

Can't wait to begin 'spending' tomorrow!! G'night

For all the moments spent

Where ardor's good intent

Passed through time’s flue then went

To where spent moments do

Heaven’s pendulum grants

Unspent and second chance

To love, laugh-learn and dance

Like we were going to

That gasp of hours exhaled

Filled with guesses unveiled

Waits now to be regaled

With present sentiment

Then we should keep in mind

That the Past is designed

With what we leave behind

When the unspent is spent

© Janet Martin

I Would Be Careful If I Was You

PAD Challenge day 9: For today’s prompt, take the phrase “(blank) If (blank),” replace the blanks with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles include: “Run If You’re Being Chased,” “Animals Are Cute If They’re Not Mine,” “I Am Ready To Eat If There’s Food Around,” and “Poem If You Need To.”

May we treat each day and each other as we treat those most precious to us...

(like 10 mo. old grandbabies:)

I would be careful if I was you

and you should be careful if you was me

Because we are always caught between

What was and what still waits to be

...and what still waits to be who knows?

Then we should both be careful; why?

Because we never know when love

Or life insists upon  'good-bye'

Janet~

So much happens every day to remind us of how ephemeral 'This' is!