The Value of TIME

Even though the days leading up to Dad’s death had some tears along the way, the laughter and the honest moments discussing the fine arts of bodily business got us through what could have been much sadder times. My brother and I found such humor in Dad’s way of putting things. He was a man of words, often high-brow words that no one else in the room knew, but every now and then he’d throw out a zinger of a word that left no question about its meaning yet still raised an eyebrow because it was so unexpected. The Reverend Dr. Wilson Felix Haynes, Jr., our dad, was a man who could talk backwoods Georgia slang and discuss the finer points of art by Michelangelo with layered meanings in scripture in the same 5 minute conversation, in which we also discussed the value of TIME.

Today, I share an acrostic poem inspired by the recorded conversation above.

On the Sculpting of David

T here’s an angel

I n this rock,

M ichelangelo

E xplained

SHINE

In Dad’s final days, he shared stories with us. I recorded them, and my brother and I are celebrating these memories and stories throughout the month of July. In today’s audio clip, Dad shares an acrostic he has written in the middle of the night using an acrostic from the Bible verse Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men……” using the word SHINE. Here is Dad’s middle-of-the-night acrostic poem:

Dad’s SHINE Acrostic

Set goals

Hang tough

Invest wisely (it’s not money….it’s time)

Nurture others

Empathize

He says the Jim Valvano speech is the best ever, and that we should all listen to it, so I’m linking it here: https://youtu.be/HuoVM9nm42E. Today, in memory of Felix Haynes and Jimmy Valvano, let’s all go out and laugh and think….and cry.

Felix Stories: Peace that Passes All Understanding

Dad shares words of wisdom in his final days of life, and my brother and I captured many of his stories by audio recording so that we could return to the nuggets of wisdom again and again as we work through the grief process. Today’s poem is an acrostic, where each beginning letter of each line spells the word PEACE vertically – – the pursuit of peace is where he was in these final days, and he shares more about this in today’s clip, which you can hear below:

PEACE

Peace that passes all understanding

Ever Dad’s pursuit in his final days

All in all, I am totally fine

Carefully sorting the complete picture….

Eventually, he explains, you must release it

Day 4 of the August 2024 Open Write at www.ethicalela.com

Today’s host for Day 4 of the August Open write at http://www.ethicalela.com is Jeanie White of Missouri, who inspires us to write postcard poems. You can read her full prompt here.

Jeania encourages us to think of ourselves as a sock in a suitcase and somewhere we might find ourselves, or to write from a place we have never been. She encourages us to use one of the short forms – a form that would fit on a postcard.

I’m choosing an acrostic, in which the place I most want to visit reads vertically and each letter starts a new line.

Travel Fever

I want to pack my bags, go where it’s

Cold – to soak in thermal springs, to

Explore an ice cave in the

Land of Ice and Fire

Aurora Borealis dancing as the

Northern Lights

Delight the eyes and soul

Facts retrieved from: https://www.trafalgar.com/real-word/facts-about-iceland/

Day 4 of #VerseLove with Jennifer Jowett, inspiring us with Alphabeticals

Donkeys on the south side of the Funny Farm

Today, Jennifer Jowett of Michigan is our host at http://www.ethicalela.com for our fourth day of #VerseLove 2024. She offers a spectacular Alphabeticals prompt, using letters of the alphabet to create a poem. You can read her full prompt and the poems of others here.

My mind went straight to the farm as I looked at the letters on the keyboard. There’s a whole world of things to see if you let your eyes see what is held in each letter. Donkeys belonging to someone in our area keep getting loose, and my sister in law and I helped some other neighbors for two hours on Tuesday trying to trailer them, finally herding them into another neighbor’s fenced pasture. When they turned up in her yard again Wednesday, we decided to just make friends with them – they’re not halter trained, and we think they are lonely and seeking the companionship of humans.

They know they’ve found folks who are friendly. They’d rather live here on the Funny Farm, where things are amusingly quirky.

RELAXing on the Funny Farm

R hangs out in the
barn, his back against the wall
relaxing cowboy

E stalls two horses
or goats or donkeys or mules
safe from elements

L stands firm, holds reins
hitching post for keeping us
right where we belong

A swing for sweethearts
porch side sunset views, sweet tea
two-strawed Mason jar

X makes a manger
to feed all of God’s creatures

Gratitude for Felix – Stafford Challenge Day 27

Tomorrow is my father’s birthday, and he’ll be celebrating eight decades of this journey. He loves his Schnoodle, Kona, and takes her to the dog park so that she can socialize with her friends while he socializes with his. Here he is, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day red, talking over the big dog/little dog fence to a fellow canine enthusiast. 

Happy Birthday, Felix! 

Father's birthday tomorrow, so
Everyone join me in wishing Felix a
Lovely day
In all his favorite
Xenial dog park conversations!

Gratitude for Mallory – The Stafford Challenge Day 9

It’s my daughter’s 37th birthday, and I wrote an acrostic poem for her today. She’s celebrating on a trip to Arizona with her boyfriend, and they’re enjoying their time together, exploring the sights! 

My daughter’s birthday

Arizona gift trip

Loving the cactus desert weather

Living the good side of life

Out for adventure

Rock-hounding enthusiast

Youthfully energetic

*She sent me this picture of a random cactus with this explanation: “We stopped for a wee and a fill up. This cactus was at the gas station. We’re 20 minutes from Tucson.”Classic Mallory text. I’m so happy that she is celebrating her birthday today!

Christmas 2018

Gratitude Acrostic: Sawyer’s 9th Birthday

Sawyer

Our second grandson was born on this day nine years ago, and what a blessing he is in our lives! Each time he finishes a Harry Potter book, he is allowed to watch the movie. His parents are teaching him the timeless truth that the book is almost always better than the movie! Today, he’ll spend his birthday in Harry Potter World, and he has no idea that this is part of the surprise.

His mother and I were texting last night, and she said he thought he was going to a state park to hike and explore, and was so excited about that, and it seemed almost at first as if he was a little disappointed, since he is an outdoor-loving adventure kind of kid. Then, once they got into the park, he said it was the best birthday ever, despite the throngs of people. She reminded me that they are not used to crowds at all beyond their family and the grocery store, so this is a cultural awakening for them. “We are not in any way, shape, or form ‘crowd people,’ ” she texted.

“Tomorrow is going to be different. He won’t be able to contain himself with all the happiness of Harry Potter World,” she added.

We can’t wait to hear all about his birthday with his family in Harry Potter World.

Happy birthday, dear Sawyer!

Scientist

Adventuring kayaker

Water-loving fisherman

Youthful energy

Every day homeschooling, learning

Rock and mineral enthusiast

World is his family, his priority

Interesting question-asker

Loves Harry Potter and Jurassic Park

Spending today in Harry Potter World!

Our grandson

Never a dull moment

Moment-savorer

Extends his heart, spends time

Yard out back is marsh and river

Extroverted eldest sibling of five

Reader

Gratitude: Ansley’s Birthday

Today is my youngest child’s 30th birthday, and I could not be prouder of her! Happy Birthday, Ansley! Here’s an acrostic poem to celebrate you on your special day, using the letters of your name vertically to begin each line!

Ansley Claire Meyer

Artistic gifts galore

Nonnie – your nickname

Soloist extraordinare

Lloyd writer the on bathroom wall??

Expressive and sincere

Youthful spirit

Cherished daughter

Lover of coffee and books

Aunt of 6

In inches – 59 – (4’11”)

Restorer of furniture

Eye for fashion

Musically talented

Ever the quietest baby girl

You, child: coolest urban kazoo player EVER

Enthusiasm for life

Rock solid believer in God

September Poetry Marathon – Day 2 of 5

Today for the September Open Write, our host at http://www.ethicalela is Stacey Joy of California. You can read her prompt and her poem here and see the amazing Diamante form generator that will help you write your own Diamante poem. Today’s topic is food, but as I was reflecting on last night’s dinner, I chose Riesling as my topic.

Rhine grapes
light, refreshing
flavoring, fermenting, fulfilling
German white wine perfection
dinnering, relaxing, reading
citrusy, aromatic
Riesling

Continuing with Friday’s poetry marathon that I began sharing yesterday, here are some more poems from the 24 poems in 24 hours. I had other writers contributing as well. The first one was written by my stepson, who chose the word laughter to write an acrostic. I love his creativity and his random example of laughter right at the start!

1:00 pm hour – Andrew Johnson, Acrostic Poem – a poem in which the first letters of each line spell a word vertically, often defining or explaining the acrostic topic.

LAUGHTER

Little spontaneous

Alien pajamas

Universal expression

Good times had

Human experience

Topic of discussions

Emotion of healing

Right kind of feeling

2:00 pm hour – Shadorma – Kim Johnson – a Shadorma is a poem that has six lines with this syllable pattern: 3,5,3,3,7,5

Shaving Cream 

shaving cream!

not just for shaving

but also

for cleaning

when little fingers write words

into the lather 

3:00 pm hour – Abecedarian Poem by Boxer Moon – In an abecedarian poem, each line or stanza begins with the first letter of the alphabet and continues with letters in successive order, or the poet may take creative license and use the stitch-up feature that Boxer used, stitching the ends back to the beginning.  I think he created a whole new form – a Circular Abecedarian! He not only wrote it forward, but also back up from the bottom, starting with A and working back up to Z. The man shows his genius in this Halloween poem.

Photo by Pedro Figueras on Pexels.com

All alone, Zombie of Me

Before Dawn, Your life will be.

Crackling bones, Xanthic Demon!

Demonic Songs, Why have you Chosen Me- Dreaming?

Every Breath a stone, Vicious Song!

For Here my Creature roams, Ugly rightful wrongs!

Gleaming with blood, Tomorrow I’ll retrace.

His eyes yellow with crud, So fast-paced.

Inside no love, Retreating from my space.

Just as teeth chatter, Quietly, I leave my place.

Keynotes of feelings matter, Pathogen thoughts infected.

Leave, oh please leave,—- Rejected!

My heart punctured and deceived- Neglected!

Neglected- My punctured heart grieved- dejected!

Or rejected- Leave, oh please, leave in the latter

Pathogen thoughts, Keynotes of life do not matter.

Quietly, shhhhhh! Justify my chatter…

Running, Ruining, my face! Inside without love

So fast-paced, His eyes yellow stained with crud!

Tomorrow I’ll retrace, Gleaming with blood.

Ugly vicious wrong! For my creature roams

Vicious, ugly, song. Each breath a stone

Why must we repeat this Demonic song?

Xanthic Demon, Crackling bones!

Your life is mine, Be.

Zombie of me, A me of Zombie?

– Boxer Moon

4:00 pm hour – Kim Johnson – Limerick – – a humourous rhyming verse of three long lines, then two short lines, with a rhyme scheme of aabba.

Goofy Schnoodle

A schnoodle who sleeps upside down

Is a goofily-schnoozing nap hound

He contorts in my chair

Chasing rabbit dreams there

Ollie chases those hares ‘round and ‘round!

5:00 p.m. hour – – Kim Johnson – Decima- a ten line poem with 8 syllables in each line, having rhyme scheme of abbaaccddc

Monster and Robber Spray

we used to have a can of spray

when you were but a wee youngster

to rid bad robbers and monsters

to keep those things of fear at bay

and chase those horrid scares away

together we would fill the air

of Lysol-labeled love and care

you thought it did the magic trick

better than any billystick

come near us? No monster would dare!