Our Glorious Here (by a Child Caregiver:)

PAD Challenge 27: For today’s prompt, write a story poem. ...
or in this case, little stories posted after the poem that helped inspire it.

Once, upon a fond time and place

Which soon swift season-tides erase

They graced her life; her heart and arms

Run through and through with child-sweet charms

A ‘bless this mess’ and ‘my-oh-my’

A ‘share your toys’ and ‘hush, don’t cry’

Days filled with noise from boys and girls

Like oysters filled with precious pearls

…because we know; time proves it oft

With touch so commonplace and soft

How soon we wear love’s tender hurts

In loss of little shoes and shirts

They leave amongst strewed toys and such

The innocence we love so much

That tunes our laughter with life’s best

And makes so worth it all, the rest

Where, though a wee girl’s ‘loudest weep’

Might wake the baby just asleep

Where though ‘it was an accident’

Wears thin the grin of good intent

And though the crumbs that stick to feet

Might make us cringe and groan abit

And though the joys of girls and boys

Might weary us with fuss and noise

...The time will come (oh yes, it will)

When home-sweet-home is clean and still

The cheek kind-kissed with wistful tear

For what is now our Glorious Here

© Janet Martin

"I sure wish we had your house"

 Little Boy sighed as he marveled at a freshly-filled bathroom-tissue holder ...

 Little Boy: (after I noticed he's not eating the mozzarella cheese at lunch)

 "I only like yellow cheese"

Me: but the only 'yellow' cheese I have is old and I'm not sure you'll like it"

"Oh no!" he said, "I only like new cheese"

Me: "my old cheese is new...but my new cheese is old..."

(so we all tried a piece and and they decided Janet's new, old cheese is delicious!:)

Kids, don't you just love 'em!

...and to top it all off:  this morning, this sign at the end of my cousin's driveway!

Can't you just picture the painstaking 'pride' that went into making the letters big and bold enough
for drive-by reading!

A 'Darling Day' To-do List

Let’s say the words we like to hear

And be the guy we want to meet

Give what we like to get, my dear

And not take more than we can eat

Then, when this darling day is  done

And all its brimming moments spent

I think that we will find, dear one

That we are happy and content

© Janet Martin

Wonder-full Wander-pull

...first she lamented the shrinking snow-mountain...

... then, after a pause she said, "Actually, it's quite spwingy today ...

I don't weally want it to be wintow anymoh (winter anymore)!"

And I heartily agreed!!

 (The same girl who lamented in January 'what kind of winter is this?!!" at the lack of snow:)

Oh, doesn't it give you an adrenaline rush as you contemplate 

what waits with the turn of the next calendar page!
(no, not the 'whole-lotta-work...the wonder!)

A world of budded wonder waits to wow the one who wanders where

A loom of green-gossamer lace breaks soft upon the dreamy stare

And mist of pink-kissed cherry tree and puddles of forget-me-not

Draw we of footloose, fancy-free proclivity to wooded lot

The daffodil with dapper grin delights us with its yellow duds

And suddenly somewhere within we feel a little like the buds

That brim with beauty’s Magnum Opus where too long gales held at bay

The sanguine song and sunbeams dancing in a ballroom we call May

Like plump gold pillows, primrose clumps are tossed to grass-lounge riverbanks

We cannot help but pause a bit and revel in the thrill of ‘thanks’

For winter past and summer’s mast raised on a massive flower-yacht

For luxury of sweat and dust and long June days and garden plot

The best of life seems better after we have weathered winter’s ‘Worst’

The zest of laughter sweeter in bare feet dandelion immersed

And oh, that first full burst of color; tulip-lilac promenade

Makes everybody fall in love with Nature and her fine parade

© Janet Martin

 PAd Challenge day 26: For today’s prompt, write a relationship poem. Of course, there are human relationships, but there are also plant-animal relationships, animal-animal relationships, and even mathematical relationships. Good, bad, healthy, and not-so-much. Dive deep today.

 

Role-Call (before the Roll Call!)

Waiting for Victoria's bus...

Wake up, wake up, the cup that tips and spills time’s quintessence

Pours morning’s glory-tide across the yard, brook, field and fence

It rushes through the downtown square and skims the heaving sea

A holy invitation from heaven to you and me

To break the bread of life where joy and strife their portions mete

To give the whole of heart and soul to every crumb we eat

To return to the Giver with our simple say-and-do

A hearty, humble labor that manifests love’s “thank-you”

© Janet Martin

 Bye-bye, Victoria!

 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might;

Eccles.9:10

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Col.3:23-24 

Poetic Peregrination...

PAD Challenge day 25: For today’s prompt, pick an intriguing and/or seldom-used word, make it the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. 

Be Careful what you pray for. 

It might just lead you on a poetic peregrination
 

( Re-sharing to new readers what I shared almost four years ago on Nov. 12, 2014)

 ...in case you wonder  'does she suffer from a case of poetic insanity?!'

here is my permission slip😉

I really felt a need to know if writing poetry was Time well spent 

and was it really what God  wanted of me or simply something I chose.

On my knees I begged God to please, please

 somehow, reveal His will/blessing regarding this!

 (full story here)

After praying and deciding to wait to write again until I sensed His 'yes'

 I picked up a book on my night-table, purchased the week before at a Thrift Store;

a compilation of poetry and prose by many authors.

I flipped through wondering where to start so I chose The Preface (not something I normally did)

This was the first line I read; it felt like God stood in the room holding the book open to this page!!!

 Here is the full page...(click on image to enlarge)

 ...so then and there I vowed to be faithful to The Call for as long as He provides 'ink for the quill'

There are evenings when I am CERTAIN the well is parched

but then He flings out a fresh misty-marmalade morning full of 

...poetry waiting to be written! 

By the grace of God for His Glory, (some days better than others)

 hopefully we all go with this in mind...

...As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use  

whatever gift he has received to serve one another. 

 If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God.

 If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God supplies, 

so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, 

to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. 

Amen.…

1 Pet.4:10-11 

Permission thus, to all of us

To give the Best We Can

Not to glorify Self

But to serve God

and fellowman

Permission to enjoy the view

Be it in sun or shade

One thing we have in common

is this day

The Lord has made

Each high and low of 'yes' and 'no'

in Erst-while's entourage

Is but the grace whereby

you-I 

commit to His 'Because'

The Giver of our live-laugh-love

In due season will ask

If, with the gifts He granted,

Were we

Faithful to the task?  

Janet Martin~