Protecting Our Pack

Have you ever noticed how women like to
Publicly preen their men and their young?
Anyone else who tries to approach them
Is in grave danger of getting stung.

It is a woman's way of saying
This is mine; don't try to touch;
I'm the one who cares for
These people so very much.

Many men strut and flex,
As if they are the ones who are strong,
But, knowing that, if challenged,
Their strength wouldn't last very long.

I have willingly traded
Strength of body for strength of mind.
I feel protected by his quiet courage,
Preferring that my mate be smart and kind.

Many people travel in packs,
Rather than stay and protect their own.
It doesn't seem to me that
Their adolescence has been outgrown.

There are other men and women
Who seek a society of friends
That are pledged to protect each other
Until all of their lives end.

Because we have chosen new family,
We are blessed with such a society
Of faithful long-time friends,
Who know my man, my children, and me.

We rejoice with each others joys,
Share in each others' passion and pain.
And when we lose our way, they are there
To help us find our right path again.

Missing My Children

Oh, how I miss my children and their children, too;
The summers used to be filled with so many things to do.
But, now we're faced with the occasional short visit,
As the time allotted to each adult is so carefully split.

I'm tempted to take in children of some other folks,
But the truth is that so much parenting is now a joke.
Parents who want no responsibility seem to be
The first to blame the people who agree to set them free.

In order to secure our future finances, we must say no
To many who would like a place for their children to go.
We live in a society that wants everything with no price,
We can't afford to have only a few who are willing to sacrifice.

Those who want something for nothing are the first to bring
Lawsuits and slander that can ruin us while they sting.
"No good deed goes unpunished," is a saying that seems true.
It does put a damper on the deeds we'd like to do.

A "Granny Camp" would be a pleasure if children knew respect,
But authority is now something all children feel free to reject.
Being "the cool one" doesn't cut it in a life-threatening emergency
But it seems the only value that the young people are willing to see.

While I know of the many abuses of unquestioned authority,
There must be an alternative to all the children running free.
I would love to bring inner-city children to learn to farm and preserve
But I can't get past the sentence that any mistakes may cause us to serve.

Life's Love Story

In a former life, I was the kind of wife
Who did lunch with the ladies in waiting.
When my husband became a man out of the game,
I felt my independent spirit abating.

This situation was fine to a point,
But we began to lose our spark.
If neither of us had much to do,
About what of interest would we talk.

I tried gardening, cooking, canning;
We even did these things together
The changes we're making aren't because
The togetherness gives us no pleasure.

It just that we believe that
Love should expand and spread to others,
Starting with our close community
Of chosen sisters and brothers.

Many people choose a church
To create this community of the heart.
We believe that shared human passion
For good is a natural way to start.

I don't mind freely admitting that
What I am really ready and hoping for
Is the younger generation to learn from us,
And take up our many physical chores.

I would like to sit back and bask
In all the shining reflected glory
Of the compassionate, competent young families
Who are the fruits of our love story.

People in the Pool

I could probably make friends with the people in the pool
But in order to do so, I'd have to act the fool.
The deeper people delve into my personality,
The more they seem to have the sudden urge to flee.

It's not that there is nothing for them to like;
It's simply that I make their blood pressures spike.
I accept nothing and nobody on the value of its face,
And surface small talk is what fuels the human race.

So, for now, I'm safest observing people from afar;
That way, my mistakes won't leave any scars.
It is clearly time for me to find a job
And someone other than myself with whom to hob-nob.

Richard has rejoined his old friends;
I think I am finished making my amends.
As soon as I'm healed from my surgery,
I'll start the adventure in the renewed me.

Pondering Pleasures of Paradise

Maybe I already made it to heaven right here on earth,
With cheerful cherubs surrounding me as I lay upon my berth.
My guardian angel pays my bills and holds me in his arms;
He keeps me feeling content and safe from facing any harm.

The sea and sky so still, they could be walked across.
We could get to eternity, as they touch each other, of course.
There's an angel cleaning out the leaves that have fallen in the pool,
And another snipping off the vines with which the palm trees are full.

Flowers everywhere are in bloom that I didn't have to plant,
Though a cutting garden would be nice, this I will gladly grant.
This is not meant as complaining; it's just an observation.
I'm really very happy not trying to control creation.

My favorite neighbor family to watch will soon appear at the pool.
This oasis in the sub tropical clime is the best way to stay cool.
Mama, grandma, little girl, baby boy, all splashing happily
It is nice to have no responsibility, and yet I share their glee.

Is it a valid purpose, simply singing songs of gratitude?
Are some of us meant simply to be, and not do any good?
I seem to be surrounded by so many more competent that I;
Is my only job to express joy for the world I see passing by?

What to Do

Today, I decided to rise from my bed,
Before my darling thought I was dead.
I made him a sandwich to take for lunch
He's been missing this, I had a hunch.

I'll send out my thanks to all my sitters,
Letting them know I'm not a quitter.
I have enjoyed being lazy, it is true,
But there are many things that I can do.

I've been contacted by a new editor;
I can, once again, publish, I'm sure.
It's time to get my brain back in gear
If we don't use it, we lose it, I hear.

I still can't exercise, but they don't mean my brain;
It's the more physical forms from which I have to refrain.
For writers and readers, the library 's a resource,
And all of it's paid for by our taxes, of course.

While I have free time, and no binding employment
I may become a volunteer and seem heaven sent.
There are probably many for whom I could cook
I'll begin this week on an effort to look.

I would probably prefer to rock sick little babies,
But when I inquired, I was looked at like I'm crazy.
I could teach pre-teens and teens how to cook,
But they would probably give me "the look."

For now, I'll only seek opportunities
Where the people I help will be pleased.
This way, the situation is always win-win,
But I am rather tired of beginning again.

Watching and Sharing Wisdom

I have often said that we don't know whether we've succeeded in parenting
Until we observe the parenting skills of our grown offspring.
What has happened to the elders? Many want to be eternally young.
I am proud of my grandparenting, though the glories may never be sung.

Their are many lessons that can only be learned by living every day,
Because every child is unique in so many different ways.
I've never liked the know-it-all grandparents who have nothing to learn;
We like to support and learn from the young parents as they take their turns.

We do like to pass on survival skills because we want our grandchildren to be
From the tyranny of those who pretend to know it all, forever be free.
We stay at the ready to step in when we are called to teach or assist,
But we believe that help is only welcomed when we allow ourselves to be missed.

I also have never gotten used to grandparents who buy and buy;
It seems to me that this creates children who won't even want to try.
I share my time listening and also teach them things I know,
Like how to make lasagna and put on their own talent show.

I don't think we can be too careful with the family that we choose;
I have only a friend or two who, I think, share my basic values.
These are the people I like to ask about their home rituals and rules,
And add their wisdom to the experiences we use as our grandparenting tools.

My nephew and his wife are expecting a baby, my sister's first grandchild;
I have been anticipating this event for more than a little while.
I don't know that my sister and I can ever see eye-to-eye,
But a relationship based on shared wisdom, I would at least like to try.

Time spent watching her son parent while she dotes on the new little boy
Is something that, I think, would bring us great amounts of joy.
I have heard so many stories of the Cajun fais-do-do
A community dance where even the youngest children were invited to go.

I suspect that there was much drinking, but probably only by the men,
As the women folk were expected to, all the children's needs, attend.
I'd like to have a version of this concept that is g-rated,
Were everyone shares in the joy and laughter that is, by the children, created.

There are many things to which children don't need to be exposed;
The adults who want to show how cool they are create many family woes.
The parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents should keep a watchful eye
To make sure the children aren't being led astray by those who may try.

I think that it would be wonderful to watch the new generation of women and men
Sharing parenting responsibilities and truly being partners and friends.
The old folks could sit and wait for a baby to be tired out and need a lap,
Or for a teen to need some boundaries or knowledge that they naturally lack.

My youngest grandchild is a pre-teen, my oldest getting ready for college.
When I was having babies, my friends were acquiring knowledge.
Sometimes it just gets lonely being a granny by myself;
It is nice when I get to share this part of me with someone else.