Shy Violet

Shy Violet was quiet,

more thoughtful than active.

Pale in appearance, her colorful side hidden to most,

The morning sun would show her loveliness

To those privileged to be allowed near.

Shy Violet had

Rainbows on the walls of her small room.

Only those who woke early enough

could enjoy an acquaintance with the inner beauty of

Shy Violet.

When I moved into my final dorm room my senior year in college, I found a small handwritten note in the desk that said "This room painted in Shy Violet." The walls appeared white except in the day time sun, when the violet shade would deepen. This was strongest around noon in winter when the sun would shine through the leafless branches of the trees on the riverbank outside my window. Midday was the only time that my hanging crystal would get enough sun to make rainbows on the light purple walls.

Beauty in simplicity

My garden isn't lovely
in the conventional sense.
It is home to vegetables, not flowers.


Shades of green
With an occasional spot of color:
Golden squash blossom, yellow bean, orange and red tomatoes


But the real beauty
Among the deep green of the spinach or the deep rich brown of the composted soil
Is hearing my kids call out, with complete honesty,

"Mom's playing in the dirt again!"

Spring poems and photography

Please visit Spring, a creation of a fellow gardener and poet.

Blooming Field Drive has neither
Fields
nor blooms.

Foxglove Lane is a lane,
maybe
If a lane leads to a strip of condominiums
where the closest thing to a foxglove
is the digitalis in a medicine cabinet.

Who had the brilliant idea
to replace a Blooming Field,
a thriving prairie
of diverse and beautiful grasses and flowers
with large boxy houses painted gray
and name it after the previous tenant -
the Field,
with its lovely, now deceased,
Blooms.

Thanksgiving in Haiku

Turkey, stuffing, rice
Wine and coffee to wash it down
Then it's time for pie.

Preparation means
Several days of cooking
Cleaning and and the rest.

When we're done eating,
The leftovers in the fridge,
The coffee beckons.

Stinky HTML.

That HTML

Keeps on running my Haiku

Series together.

I put paragraph

Breaks in between each stanza

But they still stay stuck!

So, HTML,

When will you let me do this

Right without cursing?

Spring Break R & R

Relaxation is

The true meaning of spring break

Sit down and relax.

Renewal can be

The other part of this time

So get to work now!

I cleared the garden soil,

Moved the cages and trellis'

Enough for today.

Back to relaxing.

Reading blogs, Plurk, and Twitter;

Laptop is my friend.

Battle

The invader is armed with
Viral strength
Gripping power
Knowledge of my vulnerabilities and
my stress-weakened immune system.

My defenses are limited.
Waterbottle mixed with Airborne.
Neti pot.
Extra vitamin C.
A nap.
Determination.

Heating pad for my aches,
Anti-inflammatories to lessen the fever and soreness
Apple cider with cinnamon stick for comfort and hope --
Hope for a good night's rest to re-energize and fight the invader again tomorrow.

Spring Fever

When will spring break come?

My students are ready now.

So, also, am I.

Where I'm From

(inspired by a post at The Little Egg Farm)


I'm from city sidewalks, the kind that need shoveling in winter and grow hot enough to blister bare feet in summer.

I'm from four distinct seasons. I'm from vehicles with heat and air-conditioning, in a climate where both need to be in working order.

I'm from trees of all sizes, giving shade in summer, giving leaves in autumn and if we're lucky, maple sap for sugar and syrup in spring. I'm from climbing thick branches, seeing old behemoths fall in storms to become fuel for the fireplace around which we gather.

I'm from snowmen, snow angels, and dangling icicles, spreading rock salt and litter and sand when walking becomes precarious. I'm from mittens and boots, gloves and scarves, lined jackets thick enough to withstand any wind.

I'm from earth such rich, dark brown it's almost black, grass so very green when it rains, and flowers of every hue; fresh vegetables in August, rhubarb from the freezer in January, and homegrown basil and thyme in pots on the piano all year round.

I'm from chalkboards, pencils, and multi-colored pens. I'm from reusing papers and copying half sheets on the back of old pages. I'm from books to read, stories to write, experiments to explore.

I'm from the arts, music, drama, storytelling, and the multitudes of venues for self-expression.

I'm from song and dance, stage and scenery, prose and poetry. I'm from rhythm and rhyme, andante to allegro, opera to jazz, vocal to orchestral to symphonic brass.

I'm from the land of Green and Gold, a home with at least one headpiece made of "cheese," and Sunday afternoons spent with the big screen TV tuned to Lambeau Leaps at the not-so Frozen Tundra.

I'm from a homeland where hearing, seeing, and neurotypical development are never taken for granted.

I'm from a land where all the women are strong, the men are good-looking, and the children are above average. Wait - strike that, it's one state to the west of mine.

But I am from a changing and evolving local culture, a place where family counts, a neighborhood where neighbors share their cookies and coffee. It's a great place to visit, and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

Friday before Valentine's Day

Valentine parties

In classes should be outlawed

Elementary.

Chocolate, sugar,

Lifesavers and nerds and those

Conversation hearts

Make fourth grade students

Resemble bouncing, flouncing

Rubber super balls.

Pink sunglasses on

My outlook becomes sunnier

So I keep them on.

I Eat Pizza (the dreaded IEP)

IEP Season
Fighting for what's right
In education.

Asperger's Syndrome
Doesn't doesn't make
Anything come easily.

Blindness means Braille books
And talking calculators
But Asperger's - What?

Here we go again
On the roller coaster ride
Of an IEP.

Generosity

Loving husband and son

Not wanting to leave me out

Shared their germs; a-choo!

Recipe for an Historic Inauguration

Take one republic, preheated by
War
Poverty and
Health care crises.
Blend worries, industry failures, job losses
Top with slashed budgets and crashing morale.
Mix dedicated candidates with
Intelligence
Experience
Passion.
Nurture from deep grass roots
Seek hope, change, and motivation.
Beat at high speeds until competition peaks.
Organize. Volunteer. Vote.

Set aside to cool.
Season with Knowledge
Insight
Plans and ideas
Fold in global perspective,
Authentic world view.
Ship by train to nation’s capital.
Set atop quality cabinet.

Serve with courage and inspiration.

photo by La Petite at a rally last June

Haiku Friday: weather

Temperatures rising

Might actually reach zero

Unbelievable.

Deceptive sunshine.

Makes the world shine so brightly

Yet warms not a thing.

Grateful to be home
Not worried about car's ills
Just keeping heat on.

Abundance isn't

Always in the pantry stocks

Sometimes it's blankets.

Word Acrostic: Happy New Year

Happy is a relative term. Old or

New, calendars still read one month at a time, all

Year long.

Experiments in Pensieve form

Stranded

I squint through driving snow

Stale engine air provides welcome heat

While we listen to the updated road report.

Cold wind cuts through my thick parka as we take shelter

A styrofoam cup of hot decaf provides welcome relief.

Bells

Silver, gold, or red and green

Bring joy to the voices raised in song

On the smooth leather harnesses or long, rough belfry ropes

Jingling and clanging and ringing out the good news

For unto us a child is born!

Nightfall

At once
With little warning
The sun leaves us, taking with her the light.
Without stopping at Navy blue,
The moon pulls the lavender blanket from the sky,
Cloaking the Earth in black.

school days blues

Got a sniffle, a trickle down the back of my throat
Got a little sniffle, a dry itch in the back of my throat
It's just school starting, on a tired and run-down note.

Pushing all day, feeling like I'm all worn out
Moving and shaking all day, all my energy's drained out.
It's the start of school, and my getupandgo's got up and got out.

I've got the blues
(insert guitar lick here, if I played guitar)
The reach for a vitamin C and a cup of Airborne blues.
I've got the blues (more guitar, maybe a little piano bass)
The rundown immune system blues
I've got lesson plans to write and papers to grade --
And I've got the run-down school starting immune system blues.