So excited to have this poem shared on The Drabble today! 🎹
Grandma’s Piano
— Read on thedrabble.wordpress.com/2020/02/16/grandmas-piano/
Tag: poetry
Grandma’s Piano
The image remains
Though faded
Old and upright
Tall, black, majestic
Eighty-eight keys in a row
Sitting on the bench
Beautiful patterns
Come into focus
Two-three-two-three
A perfect guide
For little hands
Learning to play
Roll knuckles up
Tap twice
Repeat
Roll knuckles down
Tap twice
Repeat
I dropped
My dolly
In the dirt
A love that began
With simple melodies
Played on ivories
Prominently placed
In Grandma’s
Dining room
How I wish
I could play
Those simple melodies
One more time
For my Grandma
On her old piano
Together
A sea of faces
Beautiful and diverse
Pass by each day
Smiling, even though
They lack necessities
I take for granted
Bravely coping
With a life
Filled with holes
Left empty by the
Choices of others
Not of their own
Too many holes
For one person to fill
On their own
Others see the same faces
Recognize the same deficits
Ask the same questions
What is the need?
How can we help?
Where do we start?
Encouraging each other
We begin to repair holes
One at a time-together
Mountain Morning
The mountain stands strong
In my sightline
Majestic, unmoved
Its chalky cliffs
Warmed by the sun’s rays
Clouds drift slowly by
Gracing the mountain peaks
Persuading no response
They continue their journey
Across blue skies
Trees sway, leaves flutter
Moved by a gentle breeze
Water rushes over rocks
As mountain streams
Travel to the valley below
Humming birds chatter
Flitting back and forth, up and down
Hovering, they sip red nectar
Perching only a moment
On pine branches
Chipmunks scurry
Over smooth stones
Across pine needle beds
Cautiously approaching
Searching for seeds
I sit-motionless
A quiet observer
Hopelessly searching for words
Adequate to capture the beauty
Of this peaceful mountain morning
Around the Table
When the kids were younger, part of our routine included eating dinner around the table. Time not only for food but also for conversation. School happenings and family news topped our list. There was always lots of laughter.
As they grew older, as with all things family, dinners changed. Busy schedules and kids being away at college did not allow for meals together. Laughter and conversing continued, just at different times, and not always in person. Complete family dinners, with everyone present, became rare.
Last evening, our table was once again full. All the kids home at the same time-Robert, Rachel, and Ryan. Which truly is rare considering our oldest, Robert, now lives out of state. Not only were our three sitting around the table, but also Robert’s sweet fiancé, Erin.
Every seat was filled. And with Dad grilling steaks, so was every tummy. We ate, talked, and laughed at Dad’s jokes. The air filled with the contentment of family. And just like that, the table was cleared.
I do not take these times for granted. They are precious. For moments around a full table leave me with a full heart. ❤
We sat around the table
Not one chair empty
Meal consumed; bellies filled
Smiles gracing each face
Laughter flowing freely
As each narrated their part
In this present moment
We visited the past
While creating the future
Sitting around the table
Inside my Head
Memories
Reminders
Fears
Prayers
Occur in a mere
Sixty seconds
Images
Lists
Problems
Answers
Circling thoughts
Take control
Whirling
Spinning
Crashing
Linking
Hypnotic space
Easily lost
Wake up!
Eyes wide
Ears open
Life surrounds
Be still
Fully aware
Face reality
Move ahead
Be engaged
Time's too short
To remain
Inside my head
Teachers in May
The school year is ending
How can that be?
So much left to do
I can barely breathe!
Tired, walking slow
To my room down the hall
My thoughts start to wander
Does my job matter at all?
Deep down in my heart
I know that it does
But right now, I’m weary
My brain feels like fuzz
Bring on the coffee
Some chocolate, too
For the next few days
That will get me through
Reflection will come
There’s no time today
I’ll wait for the sun
And a clear summer day
Driving
Blades of grass
Perfect motion
On a windy day
Swaying in unison
Rolling up and down a hill
Laughing and playing
Waving as I drive past
Smiling, I wave back
Keep driving
Breathe
Too much time and energy
Spent fretting over things
Far beyond my grasp
Tension…all it brings
Why such a battle
Between control and trust?
Learn to embrace the latter
Learn to ignore the first
There is a bigger picture
One I hope to see
If only I will let go
Allow myself to breathe
The Nest
Do you find the word nest interesting? I do. Appearing in a wide variety of phrases, it easily connects with the idea of home. These phrases bring images of feathered friends as well as our own lives as parents. I thought it would be fun to make a list.
- Love nest
- Nest egg
- On the nest
- Nesting
- Hornet’s nest
- Empty nest
I recently noticed a bird gathering supplies to build their nest. Twigs it would weave into a home. This lead to memories of various nest observations from the past. Tiny blue eggs one day, newly hatched chicks the next. Baby birds with their mouths wide open, clamoring for tiny bites of food from their mom. Little chirps silenced only by the care and protection of parents.
Memories of deserted, empty nests followed. Sometimes seen in trees or found on the ground. Both sad and beautiful at the same time. Intricate weaving still intact. Leftover fuzzy feathers stuck inside the twig walls. Reminders of the former flurry of activities. Now quiet.
Much like parenting…
What brought on these notions concerning nests? It certainly could not be the fact that our youngest graduates high school in less than a month. 😉 We feel the empty nest rapidly approaching. So before our flurry of activities has come and gone, here is a little poem from this mama bird.
