Random Image

decco dolly

Owner:
Welcome to Seniors & Friends. Please login or sign up.

March 29, 2024, 07:33:21 AM

Login with username, password and session length

Shoutbox

2024-03-22, 14:15:18
Domestic Goddess: Pollock Fillets seasoned with Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper, Bush's Best Brown Sugar Hickory Baked Beans, Green Grapes and Chocolate Chip Cookies that my husband prepared.  Sorry about the previous type error with my last post.

2024-03-22, 14:03:04
Domestic Goddess: Pollock Fillets seasoned with Mrs. Dash

2024-03-22, 09:31:45
Domestic Goddess: Is this correct, if one would like to post/share a recipe, we do so here?  If so, was searching to see if there were separate recipe categories?

2024-02-21, 22:30:59
Oldiesmann: The chat can be accessed from the menu but I don't kow how often anyone is in there

2024-02-20, 23:18:48
alpiner1: Is the chat live ?

2024-02-19, 23:20:20
junee: Junee

2024-01-30, 11:45:01
Astro: Periodically I use it.

2024-01-29, 20:17:44
mycheal: Love the chat  off and on

2024-01-14, 21:12:20
Oldiesmann: Just curious. Does anyone still use the chat? It doesn't make any difference to me since it's a free service. Just wondering

2023-11-28, 19:23:29
JeanneP: Stiil trying to let Julee know that my EM is   gmjeannep2@gmail.com  and that the  old Comcast on is no longer work, it was to old and they dont do EM anymore


avatar_Jeanne Lee

Poetry

Started by Jeanne Lee, April 02, 2016, 01:56:33 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Vanilla-Jackie

The World Has Need of You by Ellen Bass

everything here seems to need us…
â€"Rilke

I can hardly imagine it
as I walk to the lighthouse, feeling the ancient
prayer of my arms swinging
in counterpoint to my feet.
Here I am, suspended
between the sidewalk and twilight,
the sky dimming so fast it seems alive.
What if you felt the invisible
tug between you and everything?
A boy on a bicycle rides by,
his white shirt open, flaring
behind him like wings.
It’s a hard time to be human. We know too much
and too little. Does the breeze need us?
The cliffs? The gulls?
If you’ve managed to do one good thing,
the ocean doesn’t care.
But when Newton’s apple fell toward the earth,
the earth, ever so slightly, fell
toward the apple as well.
" There is no present like the time "

Vanilla-Jackie

OLD AGE AND MEMORIES

When shades of night begin to fall,
And shadows lengthen on the wall,
My thoughts roll back to days of yore;
Like waves that gently lap the shore.

The youth I lost, so long ago.
Just where it went, I do not know.
Too soon, a young man took his place.
Then, age replaced that smiling face.

The child I raised, from very birth,
Has gone to find his place on earth.
He, too, will find that time flies by.
'Tis but a twinkle of God's eye.

I live my memories, o'er and o'er,
And wonder if I could have done more.
Not one of those days were perfect spent.
And yet, the next was duly sent.

I tried and tried, with all my might,
But never did get one just right.
I've lived for many thousand days;
A testament to God's patient ways.

And now, my memories, good and bad,
Remind me of the chance I had
To live my life the way I should;
To shun the bad, embrace the good.

And yet, I trod the time worn road.
I walked alone, with heavy load;
Too proud to think that God would care,
My many burdens to gladly share.

And then, one day, I was wholly spent.
So, down from heaven, His Son He sent.
Not only did He lift my earthly load,
But put me back on the narrow road.

So now, my mind is full at ease,
No longer tossed like heavy seas.
Whatever life, now, has in store,
I have a haven on yonder shore.

It's not a prize that I have won,
But the gift, from God, of His precious Son.

© by Robert Winters
arwin@comteck.com
" There is no present like the time "

so_P_bubble

 [attachimg=1]


Who Are You
E. T.

Who are you
Figment of my mind
Ghost with no breath
Who haunts my dreams?

Who are you
Half remembered
Half imagined
But always there?

What are you
To cling to me
Taking no rest
And giving none?

Where, would you
- would it be safe -
Pull me through, tug
And take me, where?

When you're near,
With your embrace,
Your heat and light
Combine in me.

But why am I
So filled with dread,
Shiv'ring and lost,
When you aren't there



Illustration:
by Frank Benson

© E. T.
All Rights Reserved
© 2005

so_P_bubble

The Sleeper in the Valley

  It is a green hollow where a stream gurgles
crazily catching silver rags of itself on the grass;
where the sun shines from the proud mountain:
it is a little valley bubbling over with light.
 
A young soldier, open-mouthed, bare-head,
his neck bathed in cool blue cress,
sleeps; he is stretched out on the grass, under the sky,
pale on his green bed where the light falls like rain.
 
His feet in the gladiolis, he sleeps. Smiling as
a sick child might smile, he has a nap:
cradle him warmly, Nature: he is cold.
 
No scent makes his nostril quiver;
he sleeps in the sun, his hand on his breast,
at peace. There are two red holes on his right side.

Arthur Rimbaud 
October 1870

LE DORMEUR DU VAL (The Sleeper in the Valley)

C'est un trou de verdure ou chante une riviere
Accrochant follement aux herbes des haillons
D'argent; ou le soleil, de la montagne fiere,
Luit: c'est un petit val qui mousse de rayons.
 
Un soldat jeune, bouche ouverte, tete nue,
Et la nuque baignant dans le frais cresson bleu,
Dort; il est etendu dans l'herbe, sous la nue,
Pale dans son lit vert ou la lumiere pleut.
 
Les pieds dans les glaieuls, il dort. Souriant comme
Sourirait un enfant malade, il fait un somme :
Nature, berce-le chaudement : il a froid.
 
Les parfums ne font pas frissonner sa narine ;
Il dort dans le soleil, la main sur sa poitrine
Tranquille. Il a deux trous rouges au cote droit.

Arthur Rimbaud 
October 1870

Marilyne

bubble -  The first forum I visit every morning is Leisure Activities.  What a wonderful surprise to see two lovely poems waiting in the Poetry Corner.  The first,  "Who Are You" is thought provoking!  I have been visited in my dreams by someone, but who was it, and what is this person trying to tell me? "Half remembered, half imagined, but always there."

"The Sleeper in the Valley": I can see him. So hopeless and sad . . . time passes, but wars will never end.     

Marilyne

#65
I saw this poem mentioned in a couple of other forums this morning, so thought I would post the entire thing here in the Poetry Corner.  One of my favorites.  Very hopeful and comforting.

A Parable of Immortality ~ Henry Van Dyke

I am standing upon the seashore.

A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze

and starts for the blue ocean.

She is an object of beauty and strength,

and I stand and watch until at last she hangs

like a speck of white cloud

just where the sea and sky come down to mingle with each other.


Then someone at my side says,

"There she goes!"

Gone where?
Gone from my sight . . . that is all.

She is just as large in mast and hull and spar

as she was when she left my side,

and just as able to bear her load of living freight,

to the place of destination.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment
when someone at my side says, "There she goes!"

there are other eyes watching her coming . . .
and other voices ready to take up the glad shout . . .

"Here she comes!"

maryc

Marilyne,    That is a beautiful poem and a favorite of mine.    I first read it quite a while back  in a pamphlet about The Dying Experience given out by Hospice.   As we have gone through the losses of various family members and close friends this poem is ever so more meaningful.   Thank you for sharing it here. 
Mary C

Vanilla-Jackie

To my darling Benji.......5.40pm....exactly 24 hours ago....08/02/2003 - 03/11/2016.....

The Last Battle
Author Unknown

If it should be that I grow weak,
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then you must do what must be done,
For this last battle cannot be won.

You will be sad, I understand;
Don't let your grief then stay your hand.
For this day more than all the rest,
Your love for me must stand the test.

We've had so many happy years -
What is to come can hold no fears.
You'd not want me to suffer so;
The time has come, so let me go.

Take me where my needs they'll tend
And please stay with me until the end.
Hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.

I know in time that you will see
The kindness that you did for me.
Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I've been saved.

Please do not grieve - it must be you
Who had this painful thing to do.
We've been so close, we two, these years -
Don't let your heart hold back its tears.....
" There is no present like the time "

Marilyne

Jackie - I'm sorry to hear about your sweet Benji.  It's so very sad when our dear pets leave us, after giving us so many years of happiness and love. The time comes too soon, when we must say goodbye. 

The poem, "The Last Battle" is just right for those of us with pets.  I'll save it to read again, when the day comes that I have to say goodbye to my 18 year old cat, Winnie.

Vanilla-Jackie

#69
THE ETERNAL SOLDIER

I am the eternal soldier; I’m there when you need me
Fighting for your liberties down every century
Standing on the front-line, bleeding for your cause
Just a name on a stone, at which you never pause.

Yet all I ask is wages and three square meals a day
To lay my life upon the line, to live in harms way,
But it’s the same old story, when your victory is won
Then I’m just an embarrassment, with a loaded gun.

And the debt is soon forgotten, when the nightmares come to call
When each night I hear my best friend scream and watch my comrades fall,
But I’m told to snap out of it and I’m told, warriors don’t cry
And I’m left to drink myself to death on a cold street to die.

Well I march on your decision, anywhere in this wide world
In places where our flag had no right to be unfurled,
And I’m not asking for riches, I want nothing for free
The only thing I’m asking for, is a measure of dignity.

Cos’ I halted the Armada, stood my ground at Marston Moor
I was in the line at Minden and I heard the Zulu roar,
I was in the square at Waterloo and I fought the fearless Boers
I was gassed in the trenches of the war to end all wars,

I piloted a Spitfire, stormed the beach at Normandy
Fought hard in Korea and I yomped to Port Stanley,
I was bombed to hell in Basra, under fire in Kabul
I am a deadly exocet, I’m just a politician’s tool


~ Author....Mark Vine
" There is no present like the time "

Vanilla-Jackie

WE THOUGHT OF YOU WITH LOVE TODAY....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We thought of you with love today,

But that is nothing new.

We thought about you yesterday,

And days before that too.



We think of you in silence,

We often speak your name;

All we have now are memories,

And your picture in a frame.



Your memory is our keepsake,

With which we will never part;

God has you in his keep,

We have you in our heart.



It broke our heart to lose you.

But you didn't go alone,

For a part of us went with you...

The day God took you home.


{Author Unknown}
" There is no present like the time "

JeanneP

Jackie.  Lots of people use that one when putting Memorials in our Paper.
JeanneP

Vanilla-Jackie

JEANNE P...
....oops, thank you for telling me, I only spotted it yesterday on my other forum, thought it was a freshly written poem...It is one I have never come across before...but yes, I can see how it would be a popular choice...
" There is no present like the time "

Vanilla-Jackie

A little light Christmas Holiday humour....

The Twelve Days of Christmas ( Or the Everlasting Turkey)

On the first day of Christmas my true love said to me:
I`ve bought a big, fresh turkey and a proper Christmas tree.

On the second day of Christmas much laughter could be heard
as we tucked into our turkey- a most delicious bird.

On the third day of Christmas came the people from next door.
The turkey tasted just as good as it had done before.

On the fourth day of Christmas came relations, young and old.
We finished up the Christmas pud and had the turkey cold.

On the fifth day of Christmas, outside the snowflakes scurried
But we were nice warm inside â€" we had the turkey curried.

On the sixth day of Christmas, the Christmas spirit died
As the children fought and bickered â€" we had turkey rissoles fried.

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love he did wince
When he sat down at the table and was offered turkey mince.

On the eighth day of Christmas the dog had run for shelter
He`d seen our turkey pancakes and the glass of Alka Seltzer.

On the ninth day of Christmas by lunchtime Dad was blotto
He knew that bird was back again, this time as a risotto.

On the tenth day of Christmas we were drinking home-made brew
As if that wasn't bad enough, we were eating turkey stew.

On the eleventh day of Christmas the Christmas tree was moulting.
With chilli, soy and oyster sauce the turkey was revolting.

On the twelfth day of Christmas we had smiles upon our lips.
The guests had gone, the turkey too â€" we dined on fish chips.....

~ Anon...
" There is no present like the time "

Jeanne Lee


Click for Corinth, New York Forecast

JeanneP

Jeanne. I am not that happy this morning. Darn Car will not start.  my fault as I didn't drive it for 3 days in this freezing weather. Need to finish getting it charged up and drive out over the Interstate for awhile. Hate this weather.
JeanneP

Marilyne

Jackie - That version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas", is clever and funny!  I've already copied and sent it along to a few friends and relatives, who will get a good laugh this morning.  Thanks for posting! ;D

Vanilla-Jackie

Didnt I do well?.... :dancingdog:

Christmas Dog

Tonight's my first night as a watchdog,
And here it is Christmas Eve.
The children are sleeping all cozy upstairs,
While I'm guardin' the stockin's and tree.

What's that now---footsteps on the rooftop?
Could it be a cat or a mouse?
Who's this down the chimney?
A thief with a beard---
And a big sack for robbin' the house?

I'm barkin', I'm growlin', I'm bitin' his butt.
He howls and jumps back in his sleigh.
I scare his strange horses, they leap in the air.
I've frightened the whole bunch away.

Now the house is all peaceful and quiet again.
The stockin's are safe as can be.
Won't the kiddies be glad when they wake up tomorrow
And see how I've guarded the tree.

(Written by Shel Silverstein)
" There is no present like the time "

Vanilla-Jackie

EAT UP, EAT UP....

Eat up, it is Christmas time, food is going amok:
Turkey, peas, potatoes, and dressing perhaps even a duck.
It’s OK, eat away:
Corn, gravy, cranberries, ham.
Eat up, it is Christmas day:
Salad, rolls, butter and jams.

Eat up, it is Christmas time:
Chips, bean dip, carrots, peas.
You must do it, it is the season.
Grape juice, milk, teas and coffee.
You can not refuse; there is no reason:
Cake, gum, chocolate, candy.

The year is ending, never fear.
New Years Eve will soon be here
All resolutions will be listed in play.
A diet awaits you the very next day....

~ Anon...
" There is no present like the time "

Vanilla-Jackie

Full Of The Christmas Spirit

Come Christmas day
I will be full of Christmas spirit
Buck fizz with my breakfast
Is only the start of it
Then a sherry with the vicar
After the candles have been lit
And aperitif before lunch
Maybe Vodka or a Gin and it
Wine with every course
Brandy when the pudding is lit
Liqueur with coffee
Then more brandy as we sit
Then when the day is over
I whish shoe a ferry Hacky Fhrismit

~ Anon...
" There is no present like the time "

Vanilla-Jackie

" There is no present like the time "

Marilyne

Jackie - Thanks for the cheerful New Years poem!  I have a couple of poems that I usually post every New Years Eve, so I'll do that later on tonight.  One of course, is Auld Lang Syne!   

Marilyne

~ The Passing of the Year ~
   
My glass is filled, my pipe is lit,
My den is all a cosy glow;
And snug before the fire I sit,
And wait to feel the old year go.
I dedicate to solemn thought
Amid my too-unthinking days,
This sober moment, sadly fraught
With much of blame, with little praise.
   â€¢   
Old Year! upon the Stage of Time
You stand to bow your last adieu;
A moment, and the prompter's chime
Will ring the curtain down on you.
Your mien is sad, your step is slow;
You falter as a Sage in pain;
Yet turn, Old Year, before you go,
And face your audience again.
   â€¢   
That sphinx-like face, remote, austere,
Let us all read, whate'er the cost:
O Maiden! why that bitter tear?
Is it for a dear one you have lost?
Is it for fond illusion gone?
For trusted lover proved untrue?
O sweet girl-face, so sad, so wan
What hath the Old Year meant to you?
   â€¢   
And you, O neighbour on my right
So sleek, so prosperously clad!
What see you in that aged wight
That makes your smile so gay and glad?
What opportunity unmissed?
What golden gain, what pride of place?
What splendid hope? O Optimist!
What read you in that withered face?
   â€¢   
And You, deep shrinking in the gloom,
What find you in that filmy gaze?
What menace of a tragic doom?
What dark, condemning yesterdays?
What urge to crime, what evil done?
What cold, confronting shape of fear
O haggard, haunted, hidden One
What see you in the dying year?
   â€¢   
And so from face to face I flit,
The countless eyes that stare and stare;
Some are with approbation lit,
And some are shadowed with despair.
Some show a smile and some a frown;
Some joy and hope, some pain and woe:
Enough! Oh, ring the curtain down!
Old weary year! it's time to go.
   â€¢   
My pipe is out, my glass is dry;
My fire is almost ashes too;
But once again, before you go,
And I prepare to meet the New:
Old Year! a parting word that's true,
For we've been comrades, you and I --
I thank God for each day of you;
There! bless you now! Old Year, good-bye!

Robert W. Service

   

Vanilla-Jackie

A little light humour....

( This Take the Biscuit........A poem by Pamela Trudie Hodge....)

*****************************************

Have Wagon Wheels fallen off wagons?

Are Jaffa Cakes biscuits in drag?

Why Don't Jammie Dodgers keep dodging

about instead of just lying in bags?

Are Hobnobs the most sociable biscuits?

Does a Happy Face ever feel sad?

Do Iced Gems just long for a sunbed

And does calling Time Out make them sad?

Do Rich Tea have poor relations?

Do Ginger Nuts need to be cracked?

Why is Jack in a Flap and are Brandy Snaps cross?

Do Oaties feel they're sassenached?

Do Digestives not suffer from heartburn?

Does a broken Kitkat ever mend?

Do frisky Date Slices meet up after dark

and do Cereal Bars never end?
" There is no present like the time "

so_P_bubble


For Women's day...


He has two women:
one sleeping in his bed
and the other sleeping in his dreams.
He has two women who love him:
one that  grows older next to him
and the other  that offers him her youth
hiding soon after.

He has two women:
one in the  heart of  his house
and one in the house of his heart.

(MARAM AL-MASRI)
Syrian woman writer

Marilyne

bubble - thanks for posting the poem by Maram Al-Masri. I enjoyed seeing it here first thing this morning.

It's only a little past 8:00 AM, but it looks like it's going to be a lovely day. Maybe Spring has arrived at last?  I've been thinking of posting some Spring poetry, and the first thing to come to mind is this verse from The Song of Solomon.

For lo, the winter is past,

The rain is over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth;

The time of singing has come,

And the voice of the turtledove

Is heard in our land.

The fig tree puts forth her green figs,

And the vines with the tender grapes

Give a good smell.


Rise up, my love, my fair one,

And come away!
O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,

In the secret places of the cliff,

Let me see your face,

Let me hear your voice;

For your voice is sweet,

And your face is lovely.

Catch us the foxes,

The little foxes that spoil the vines,

For our vines have tender grapes.


Song of Solomon

Sato

I read your new postings, Marilyne, Bubble, Jackie. Thanks a lot.
Photos and Videos are my Hobbies. (S.Sato)

so_P_bubble

Hello Sato - great to see you posting!  I hope strength is returning and you will be able to get more active :)

Vanilla-Jackie

SATO...thank you...

You've Got A Friend

When you’re feeling stuck,
And don’t know what to do,
Remember you’ve got a friend right here,
That’s always there for you.

Whether you need a hand to hold,
Or someone to lead the way,
Don’t think for a second that you’ll impose
Because “Real Friends” are always there
To help you through the day.

Friends are the flowers in the garden of life.
They help you through times of trouble and strife.

There's nothing like friends to make a heart sing.
True friends will share with you most everything.

They will not abandon you in times of need.
They aren't overcome by envy or greed.

Friends are icing on life's great big cake.
Real friends will give and allow you to take.

I don't know how I would survive without friends.
The applaud my beginnings and mourn my sad ends.

Tell me, please tell me, what would I do.
If I didn't have a garden full of friends just like YOU!

~ Anon...
" There is no present like the time "

Sato

Bubble, Jackie, thanks so much.  Read them to tears.
Photos and Videos are my Hobbies. (S.Sato)