Memories of the Mountains

The air is clear and cool today at our condo on the lake,
But the fall-feeling nip in the air, make no mistake,
Has me missing our fireplace at our home in the woods
Richard keeping it stoked on autumn days has always felt so good.

It's a rather luscious longing as I anticipate our next visit;
We have many varied chores that need doing, and yet
I think that we will take the time to luxuriate
In the warmth of the wood fire behind the fireplace grate.

Perhaps friends will come to talk and enjoy a meal or two;
Maybe some will even come to be part of our work crew.
And the times around our table eating meals and playing games
Making marvelous memories, that for all of us long remain.

It is always a great pleasure to work with our hands,
Maintaining and improving our forested plot of land.
It seems that it has been too long since we've seen our mountain friends
Maybe there will come a time when our two lives truly blend.

Smiling Through the Storm

The storm has passed leaving behind some damage, but also some healing;
It has finally extinguished the marsh fire that had asthmatics reeling.
The lesson I have learned from loss is that nothing on earth is permanent,
And we usually don't know all the answers for why the scary is sent.
I have never understood why people pray for certain weather conditions;
What may be a blessing to me, may destroy the dreams of a friend.

I do know that if I look hard enough, I'll find something to celebrate;
The rain has moved to our Tennessee home, giving that drought a break.
There was nothing to be done by us in our rental condo unit;
Watching the wonders of nature, cooking, and games was how our weekend was spent.
The most important lessons I've learned are that life is give and take,
And learning when all we can do is to hunker down and wait.

Silencing the Storms

Whitecaps on the water are a joy for me to behold
They lead me to think about stirring up the old,
Making way for new water and new water life
That seem to appear after the terrible strife.

I don't like to ride these waves;
Of capsizing and drowning I'm afraid.
But I can, in my perch above the fray,
Feel like a captain most brave.

I greatly admire those who can
Bravely ride out the storm,
With visions of a future that's worth
Subjecting themselves to harm.

I think I may have been one of them,
In a long-past time in my life,
But I can now relax a little bit
As a moral and brave man's wife.

Males and Moms

I've spent much of my life riding shotgun on other people's lives,
Thinking that mothers with small children needed help to survive.
But it has come to my attention that in this modern world,
Daddies are as capable of child care as any of us girls.
They're expected to change diapers and come running when baby calls,
Not simply to take them out for the occasional game of ball.
Those who bemoan that there are so many outside-the-home employed moms
Don't want to admit how many of us, as full time mothers, bombed.
There are those who have a talent for understanding baby talk,
And others who, at the constant crises of children, balk.
If we can now have male nurses in the hospital wards attending,
Certainly men are capable, of children's boo-boos, mending.
The trick is in defining who possesses which skill sets;
On moms being the better stay-home parents, I'm not taking any bests.

Flash Flooding and Flashbacks

The storm is bringing back memories all across town
Of Hurricane Katrina, in which our pasts were drowned.
Everywhere we go, people are reliving the terrors
That, in many cases, were caused by human errors.
Levees were built poorly and not properly maintained;
The pump operators were sent home, so the city wasn't drained.
There were lives lost; amounts of property lost is untold.
Those brave enough to come back aren't feeling very bold.
These winds, thankfully, won't become hurricane speeds,
And, to quench a marsh fire, this deluge is what we need.
But, we know that, in a blink, it could happen again,
As we count the inches of the pounding rain.
We feel a bit safer perched on the second floor;
The furniture isn't ours, so we'd leave and lock the door.

One Fine Little Family

I'm in love with the little family
That lives across the way,
Even though we have never
Had any words to say.

The tall, pencil-thin mama,
The barrel-shaped grandma,
Supported by the short stout daddy.
Is that his mother-in law?

They so obviously love their children
And enjoy them immensely
I guess they would think it creepy
That they share it, unseen, with me.

Most days they are in the pool
Outside my living room window,
But this morning in the teaming rain
Mama and daughter had places to go.

The tiny girl in a pink tutu,
Perched on her mother's hip,
Protected by her mother's arms
With their strong, sheltering grip.

I guess that grandma was inside
Sitting with the precious baby boy.
Watching all this love in action
Gives me untold, silent joy.

Being Nice and Real Life

I had lunch with a close friend last week
Who shared a quote she had heard on life.
She said, "Home is where we go
When we're tired of being nice."

I guess I must have skipped this lesson
In the things one learns before marriage.
I have been thinking all along
This would be married love's miscarriage.

I thought if there was no peace at home,
The marriage was doomed to end.
At sixty, I'm learning life's lessons
From some of my oldest friends.

My seventh grade teacher visited;
She was married sixty-four years.
She's widowed now, and shared with me
Her family's laughter and their tears.

She told me that she left him once,
But he followed her to win her back;
Never in their marriage was there
A spirited discussion lack.

My other mother gave me a quote
As we were a bit of wine drinking,
"If a couple never fights,
Someone isn't thinking."

She allowed that she and her husband
Were the thinkingest couple she knew.
And in their long life together
Their friends numbered more than a few.

They brought up two children who
Both spent their lives as nurses.
Clearly dynamic tension in marriage
Isn't the worst stress there is.

Both of these women are
Strong in their own rights.
I think this is the secret to
Having productive fights.

We all need to hone our strengths,
And learn how to work hard,
Learn what's important to fight for;
Moral children may be our reward.