Thursday, May 30, 2013

Do Your Children Let You Sleep?

This week's poetry prompt from Robert Lee Brewer at Poetic Asides:
"For this week’s prompt, write an unplugged poem. The plug could be attached to computers, but maybe it’s a metaphor for relationships that need the plug pulled. Or a phase of your life. Or a way of thinking. Or a toaster. Just a toaster."
Tired Mother
I’ll Charge it in the Morning
At bedtime my darlings wake
up to the world, show off pictures
of multiple litters of mice, point
out cars with facial features
for front ends, raid refrigerator,
cupboards, and secret sleep stashes,
run laps around sitting-room furnishings
with flapping eyelashes as though
they had stolen the coffee from table.
At bedtime, when rest of the planet unplugs,
my darlings recharge with hyper-
speed energy, renewed and refreshed for the day
we’ve not yet said hello to.
Unplug, my darlings, unplug. Let mother rest.

*****

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Chasing the Moon


I dreamt all morning that I was running with my son from a tornado. We were going to get into my car, but then I decided there wasn’t enough time for us to get away. Instead, I looked for something sturdy for us to hold onto.We wound up finding a hole in the ground to hide inside and I woke up before it hit.

Perhaps I have tornado mind; thoughts that jump around from one subject to the next. Or maybe it was the lullaby of Santa Ana winds that brought on my dream.

In any case, it helped get me back in tune with nature. I tried again this morning to get a photograph of the moon; was it the wind that blew it out of my reach this time?

The other night I was driving and the clouds shifted into what looked like a profile of a face with the moon in the eye position. By the time I pulled over, it was gone.

I like the way this shot lined up though. Can you say "Moon Man"?

Moon Becomes Man

Some people chase tornadoes,
I run after the moon, playing
hide-and-seek at twilight
with giant eyeball in the sky, he looks
down on me then hides behind ruffled
mountains, clouds dissipating from face
to eerie darkness. Days pass
and he thinks I have forgotten.
Yet morning routine brings me back
to his pursuit, a hint of that guy
hiding in the light, too many
missed shots until finally I catch
him, the man and his body, posing
just this once. I turn away
and he is gone again.

*****

This photo was taken in response to Rebecca Barray's photo prompt.

*****

Monday, May 20, 2013

Homemade Vitamin Water in a Cup

This is the drink I carry around with me, pretty much every day, homemade fruit water. It's always in my favorite reusable Starbucks cup.

Reusable Starbucks Cold Cup



From where I sit, water, sea
of green sofa, animal remnants scattered
here and there, sunshine rains
down through open windows, 
thoughts swirl, a tornado
in my brain


This was written in response to Rebecca Barray's photo prompt at Wordsmith Studio.


*****

Look Deep Into My Eyes (And How Not to Judge a Book By Its Cover)


If eyes are the windows to our souls as the saying goes, are you letting your soul be seen? Or do you hide behind clothing and adornments, or even habitual body language, to protect yourself?

On the other hand, do you allow yourself to see past the exterior appearance into someone’s soul to get to know them as a person?

In my case, my coloboma makes my eyes so light sensitive that I am hardly without my sunglasses. (No, I don’t normally wear them indoors though.)

I came across this photo of my eyes while my son was finishing his science experiment last night.

My Coloboma Draws Strange Reactions
In case you're all wondering what a coloboma is, Genetics Home Reference states that, “Coloboma is an eye abnormality that occurs before birth. Colobomas are missing pieces of tissue in structures that form the eye. They may appear as notches or gaps in one of several parts of the eye, including the colored part of the eye called the iris; . . .”

Anyway, my son studied geodes to determine whether the outside color influences what the inside color of the crystals will be. During formation, a variety of minerals carried in water pass through the rock bubble. This process creates the crystals over time.

In the end, the life application for his experiment was that you can’t judge what color the inside crystals will be based on the outside color of the geode.

This life application was perfect timing.

Perhaps you cross paths with someone who looks different than you. Maybe they dress too conservatively or even too wild for your taste. Do you judge them by that appearance and cut yourself off from the opportunity to get to know them on the inside?

Do you hide your eyes from uncovering their truth as a person?

Imagine that their life experiences up until the time you met them are the minerals passing through their discomforting exterior.

On the outside you may feel they are bumpy and rough, but on the inside they may be full of amazing crystals, the hollow places surrounded by shades of purple, blue, some of them glowing in black light.

Take off your sunglasses, allow yourself to look through their windows, try to learn to appreciate the beauty inside.

Once you have done that, their exterior may become beautiful as well.  


*****

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Obsession With Old Books

Last summer I was browsing in one of my favorite thrift stores in Seattle and came across a book in the glass case at the register. I wasn't sure I wanted to pay the $25 asking price, so I put a note inside my phone notepad with the intention of checking for it again later to see if the price had dropped.

But then I forgot to go back before leaving town.

Fast forward to Christmas when we were out shopping and looking for unusual items. I took my husband to this store where he looked around. He wound up buying that bookand later giving it to me as a gift.

He had no idea I had fallen in love with it six months before.

I guess the book was meant to be mine. When I flip through its fragile pages, I am in awe of the beauty inside.

The Child's Book of Fairy Tales - 1860 First Edition

It's a reminder to me that things that are meant to be together will eventually find their way to each other.

p/s This photo was taken for Rebecca Barray's book-themed photo prompt at Wordsmith Studio.

*****

Love on a Tray - The Joy of Being a Mother

I woke up this morning to love on a tray.

Breakfast in Bed
Here is a magnet made by my son:

A Message About Life
I love the way he thinks.

But wait, there were flowers, too.

Mother's Day Bouquet
Talk about pampered!

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!


*****




Wednesday, May 1, 2013

What Does Rain Mean? (A Photo Prompt)

This post is a response to Rebecca Barray's photo prompt, Rain.


Like people, raindrops come in all different shapes and sizes, many clustered together in groups, like families, while others stand off to the side on their own.

And like people, some are beautiful as they are, while others distort our reality of what stands behind them. The water may cause problems such as making the road slippery or decreasing visibility forcing those who try to see through it to sharpen their focus if they want to get to where they are going. 

Still, no matter the appearance, rain's ability to wash away dirt and oil that has gathered on the road from countless tire treads is refreshing. 

And like people, rain comes and goes, leaving us with only a memory.

What about you? Do you like the rain?

*****