Of Lions and Snakes

...playing catch-up! 

I got so caught up in Monday's 'favorite things' prompt I neglected Tuesday!

For yesterday’s Two-for-Tuesday prompt:

1. Write a love poem.
2. Write an anti-love poem.

Love Poem

The body is a lion-cage

Where rage and passion scars

Its bars; who knew a flesh-blood stage

Could hold such holy roars 

Or how across the room from me

You rouse, without a touch

The part of me no one can see

But you love, very much

..and where the cage, to other eyes

Seems quite common, I guess

Beneath the cloth of Bearing lies

Love's pacing lioness

Janet~

anti-love poem

there is no hope in hate

revenge cannot appeal

....the fangs of cruel word can cut

what a lifetime won't heal

the mouth can be fiend

when fueled by pure spite

where dust of skin cannot repel

The venom of hate's bite

be careful what you say

lest in the end you grieve

what forgiveness won't soothe away

the scars; those never leave 

the god of self, it seems

is never satisfied

as it replaces love with lust

humility with pride

...it fills this skin-bone shell

with bitterest of fruit

if, where the hurt of harsh word fell

we let revenge take root 

Janet~

For 'Weathered' Winterlings

Don't be too blue, love

Though it is still cold

Earth is a big bud

About to unfold

Don't mourn the moments

We cannot retrieve

Spring gives good reason

To simply Believe

Spotless track-record

Though Her feet may stray

Springtime has never

Forgotten the way

Sooner or later

Green-gold-purple-blue

Will run like a river

Where winter passed through 

Janet~

Part Four;Of A Few More of My Favorite Things

Eeks...one more?! Cause this poem is a little like this winter... it just keeps on giving! but,

I’m gonna stop now…

Jim/hubby told me when I called him tonight, I’m worse than a long-winded preacher!😊

And that gave me the line I was looking for at the time…a sunset that preaches!

Anne of Green Gables

And picnic tables

Heaped high with freshly picked

Beans to preserve

Stratus-cloud artistry

On a blue heaven-sea

Beauty unrivaled

Purely undeserved

(listen for the crack of an aluminum bat near the end...some children playing ball in a field:)

April woods ringing with

Spring-peepers singing

Crack where a ball

And the bat’s sweet spot meet

Bird-feeders granting

Delight so enchanting

Rainbow of feather-friends

Squabble and eat

Home-sweet-home’s Comfortable

Sense of belonging

Old granite dishes

A soak in the sun

Hard work, soft zephyrs

Wide, worn verandas

The feeling you get

From a job well done

Forget-me-not fairylands

Waking girlhood again

Wildflower wander-lanes

Like a postcard

Sisters being silly

An orange tiger-lily

The face that you made

When you ate raw rhubarb

Books without covers

Because they were loved so

Hummingbird hov’ring

At a nectar-fount

Wonder that renders

That blund’ring tongue speechless

 …too many blessings

To begin to count

Antique alarm clocks

Smooth, wave-washed river-rocks

Sassy-faced pansies

Of purple-gold swirls

Maple-sweet drizzle

On pancakes still sizzling

Bengal spice tea

For us ‘middle-stage’ girls

Foxy fedoras

Deep red gladiolas

Wispy half-willow leaf

Quilts spread on green sod

A sunset that preaches

A toddler that teaches

A whisper that reaches

From us up to God

Big yellow hello

Filling east-faced windows

Russet-leaf cartwheels

From summer-song spent

The end of the couch

That they knows is ‘mom’s corner’

Family all home

Her heart fully content

Woodpile replenished

Roads home from the dentist

Campfires, snow-tires

Stored in the shed

One second diamonds

As they jump off the dock-end

Moon on the water

And me in my bed

© Janet Martin

#3, And Last But By Far NOT Least of My Favorite Things (and not all of them, by far!)

Hand-me-down faith

Of our fathers and mothers

Imagine living

Without More-to-come’?!

Comfort and courage

In Hope’s Rock of Ages

God Abides always

In both storm and calm 

Crock-pot creations

Slow-cooked into dinner

‘Helpers’ that hop up

On step-stools to see

As they join the ranks

That we all are a part of

… beautiful, wonder-full

Discovery

Pudgy-foot pit-pat

Of sweetie-pie toddlers

Feet wearing mittens

Or mom’s high heel shoe

Cuddle-bug kisses

And breath-stealing innocence

Keeping us humble

And gentle and true

Kettle-bells, kick-boxing

Kitchen-gym workouts

Rekindling zest for

Life’s best; ah, routine

Spotify playlist

Piano-Guy serenade

Makes peeling potatoes

A chore, fit for a queen 

Front row seat hilltops

Listening to 'show' tunes

Where Longshadow Sundown

Strums barb-wire guitars

As twilight’s slow motion

Rolls in like an ocean

Until every hilltop

Is covered in stars

Girls in white dresses

And boys being boist’rous

Love learning lyrics

That ‘hold’ cannot know

Ear full of echoes spilled

Where yester-voices

Drift through a Doorway

From long, long ago

Living as if joy

Was not hinged to sorrow

Writing as if there’s

No tomorrow there

Laughing in spite of

Longing’s knife-like hunger

Dancing as if

I was Fred Astaire

Slow flip-flop amble

On dusk-dusty rambles

Taking the time to

Forget about time

Collecting colors

And kisses and whispers

That will fit finely

Into timeless rhyme

Warm homemade muffins

With grand-babe’s approval

Second-cup Saturdays

Once, every week!

I love grocery-shopping

The sound of corn popping

And raindrops plip-plopping

On garden and street

Sun-warm tomatoes

(ah, heaven will serve those!)

Summer siestas

At half-past three

Happiness finding

Old-new ways to happen

Beneath sprawling wreath

Of a black-walnut tree

Swallowtail chases

Unexpected graces

Like finding a flower

In a sidewalk crack

Making the most

Of this forward-faced journey

Because we all know

There is no going back

Driving for hours

Without destination

Taking the long way

To where? we don’t care

As long as it’s you

In the driver’s seat, darling

Gordon Lightfoot on the radio

And wind in our hair

By-and-by... we’ll be back

But don’t come looking

Too much to do

For two people in love

Glad for the ‘have’ we had

But here’s to hoping

We will always feel

Like it’s not quite enough

© Janet Martin

As I hunted for a pic under the 'simple things' label

I was reminded again

Simple Things are life's Best!