poetry

Open It

October 15, 2019 By Annette1 2 Comments

My mind was going in several directions as I considered this word open. I’m thinking on this word as part of the Write 31 days challenge. As I pondered I started wondering what would happen if a person was given a gift and how to Open It wasn’t immediately apparent. And if what your attitude was as worked to open it mattered.

Open it
Go on, just crack it open
Just a bit.

Can you see just a glimpse it?
Any ideas of what’s inside?

I know
it might not seem like much
But really, it’s in there.

The more you look for it
The more you will see.

Give it some time though
Because as you crack it open
If you don’t expect much
Sometimes you don’t get much.

And yet other times
The more that you trust it is there
Greater is the reward.

It’s a funny thing
Getting a gift and receiving it
Opening it

The gift could be material
It could be experiential,
Or possibly one that
Causes the mind to expand
To glimpses of something more.

So be careful
Be prepared
Open it.

Finding Your Voice

October 14, 2019 By Annette1 2 Comments

It is the 14th day of the Write 31 days challenge. Today’s word challenge is Voice. I thought I’d write about finding your voice as a writer.

Go: Finding your Voice.

By being myself,
As scary as that is.
Revealing my heart,
To others online.
I found this elusive thing.
My writer’s voice.

It rings out some days
Clarion clear
Calling out for the world to hear.
Me, a writer,
A lover of verse.
Lover of family, thought, and choice

Homeschooling shouts out
But not only that.
Think of where you’ve been
And where you are at.
Look to the future see it there.
God calls to heart.
Meet me here.

Share these words
Let others see.
And before you know it
A audience you will see.
Write for them, but also yourself
Lose not yourself in them.
But let them see you
Let them hear your voice

And you will change
Your corner of the world.

Keep on writing,
It’s simple, it’s true
The only way from me to you.
Read yourself.
Read all others.
Grow and change,
Metamorphosize yourself and others.

Let the words spill
One by one
Over the page,
Into the heart.
Know your audience
And know yourself
Decisions in writing
Give them your heart.

And you will change
Your corner of the world.

Stop

Deep runs the well

October 11, 2019 By Annette1 12 Comments

The well runs deep or you could say Deep runs the well….

I’ve pondered this word for much the week.
Wondering how to talk about a well run deep.
Figuring out.
The words to say.
Thinking I’d wait for a more alert day.

This week I showed my lad a gift.
From the church we attend.
RightNow Media, biblical teaching
In video form.
Chan, Wallace, Strickland and more.

The lad was intrigued.
Can I listen too?
Old phone, now his own.
Loaded. Lad listens.
Asks “Can I have my own account?”

A mother’s heart smiles.
This lad loves to learn more
Drinking deep at HIS well.
Seeing God more clearly.
Growing in faith.

And so I think
As imperfect as I am.
Not as stringent as many moms
With a believing Dad.
Somehow, this lad knows.

He sees God.
He talks and prays.
He listens and
Of his own accord WANTS to
Drink deep from the well.

And I am thankful.

It took a while for the words of this poem to run through my head, and even so, then ran poorly for a while. 🙂 I managed to stay within five minutes though it was much broken up over the morning. I’m taking part in a write 31 days challenge, I hope you’ve been enjoying the run! 🙂 OH! I”m going to include this as part of the #abcblogging post as well! 🙂 Letter D this week, are you blogging for them as well? Or what would you choose for your letter D?

Define Join

October 9, 2019 By Annette1 2 Comments

Today, as I join with 50+ members of the write 31 days challenge group, I think on this word join and realize my thoughts could go in many different directions.

Merriam Webster gives me these definition of join.

As Transitive Verb:

to bring or put together in order to form a unit
to connect by a line
to put or bring into close association or relationship
to come into the company of
to associate oneself with
to enter into or engage in

Or as an intransitive verb

To come into close association or relationship
To become a member of a group
To take part in a collective activity
To Form an alliance
To come together so as to be connected
To form an alliance

Join can also be used as a noun but honestly that definition made no sense to me. 🙂

Defining Join, Go

Warning, as I write this poem I have a tune running through my head. So I”m working with it to get rid of it as an ear worm.

Join, join, join
Join, join, join, join
What can we do with the word join?

We can consider what join means
Defining it now, just as we please.

Today I chose to join a group of youth.
With six rabbits in tow, I joined then.
I helped them see,
To really look
Define what a rabbit is.

Wafer was mobbed by several kids
Parents joined in
To keep her safe.
“She’s a big girl”, the comments were.
Smiling I just set her loose.

The children followed this flemish cross
Joining in a game of tag.
Wafer hopped, and hopped some more.
She connected well, with the floor.

Eventually I saw her face
She saw the doors,
A chance to escape.
Quickly moving, I blocked her way.
Hands joining to lift away.

Once again her travel cage
Lid joined to the base again.
Sad childrens’ faces
As Wafer left
To go back home to
some peace and rest.

Stop, Join Defined

Listen well

October 4, 2019 By Annette1 3 Comments

Sometimes I think we have lost this ability to listen to those around us, to deeply hear the spoken and non-spoken words around us. At times, it feels like we spend too much talking past each other. When will we listen well to what is being said?

Go

“Can you let me finish?”
I questioned my lad.
“Allow to me say everything before you answer.
Listen to what I am actually saying.”
I’ve learned the importance
of having my lad STOP and actually hear me.

Giving him that “you have to stop” moment
Seems to give him permission to not rush ahead
To ponder my words and
not worry about my gaps as I collect all my thoughts.

I’ve also needed to learn to
Stop, and as I listen to consider
the words beyond what he is physically saying.
To ask questions of clarification.
My lad often assumes that I know
what he hasn’t told me.

And so, as we pause in our communications
we discover something interesting.
We are enabled to listen well to
each other.
And in practicing that skill,
we are surprised to discover the depth
of knowledge and insight that each other has.

Conversations are wonderful
when you take the time to listen well to each other.
To catch glimpses of a heart.
To consider ideas that previously
weren’t there.
and so we learn as we listen well.

Stop

This post is part of the Write 31 days Challenge. Find a list of the rest of my posts here.

Gift

October 2, 2019 By Annette1 2 Comments

Today’s word in the 31 days challenge is Gift. Just what is a gift? According to merriam-webster as a noun gift means

1: a notable capacity, talent, or endowment

2: something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation

3: the act, right, or power of giving

But gift as a verb, or more precisely as a transitive verb means

1: to endow with some power, quality, or attribute. For instance: She’s been gifted with a beautiful voice.

2a: to make a gift of. For instance: It makes an excellent choice whether you’re gifting one bottle for the honeymoon or a case to be savored for years, or even decades, to come.— Robert Taylor

b: to present. For instance: gifted her with flowers.

Keeping those definitions in mind, where would this four letter word take us?

Go: Gift

A fine gift of oratory my husband has.
And he loves it as well.
This gifting he has of
Presenting God’s word to others.
Temporarily laid aside in his working career
Now his fine abilities to pay attention to the details
Is being exercised.
Can he safely make feed?

His original love remains.
But positions are few and far to be seen.
So on a temporary basis he finds himself
Stepping into a role
Much loved.

I miss this.
Listening to him preach.
Being glad when opportunities arise.

A small church in Westfeld
Calls him in summer months.
Once, sometimes twice a month.
Gifts used. One in preaching.
Another in a church member
Making a meal to feed 10.

Then comes Goderich, Guelph.
London and Clinton too.
Occasionally farther away
Stevensville, Kingsville
“Can you come? A pastor is needed”.
And so, my hard-working husband
Goes again.

Preaching, sharing, using a talent
A skill in him that I adore.
A gift that fills his heart.

I wonder if, those calling churches,
Realize the gift they give to him?
Not only the pay cheque
but more importantly, the filling a need
That floods his soul.
To articulate, to speak out,
the truths of who God is.

Stop: gift

Miss Kate is running this 31 day challenge, to find a list of all the words used, check back to this post. 🙂

Success

September 27, 2019 By Annette1 4 Comments

My son came home today from a day out with four of boys from his army cadet cadre. His comments about what made the day a success made me smile within. He’s learning success is all in how you look at things. It is SO good to see this growth.

How it is Measured

Success is what we look for
Day after day.
Perfection, being the best,
Winning the game.
Finishing the list.
Doing the job without mistakes.
These things we measure as
Success.

A lad comes home.
“How’d it go”? The question asked.
The answer comes with a grin
“We sucked. Mom, we did so bad!”
“Yeah?”
“But mom, it was GREAT!
I want to go again!”
I asked “Why”? Adding
“The day didn’t go as planned”.
“It was fun! I learned a lot”
This was the measure of
Success.

Not the win,
Not necessarily the loss.
The friendship and camaraderie.
The learning.
Location that surprises.
“Oh, and mom, that place is HUGE.
We had to run everywhere.”

As the night went on,
the lad expounded
The events of the day
fresh in his head.
He talked of helping.
Laughter at foolish mistakes.
Orienteering better understood.
Success.
Even in the midst of complete
Failure.

Join the Community

Miss Kate posts a word prompt almost every Friday. This week the word is Success last week it was Challenge. So take five minutes, tell me what the word success has to say to you. It would be great to hear!

poetry

Open It