Snow in Autumn

Photographed by Judy Olsen

Creation bursting as leaf leaves
in Platinum solitaire cuts
on ordinary spaces
Lives of a single soul twists
The Mystery of color on veined souls leap
Energy expended in imagery
love tales, affectionate expressions, noble sentiments
Remembrance of things atomized
Rhythm, whispers, lovely smiles
The promise of the unfinished
A precious sentiment – snow in Autumn

Poem Written by Brenda L . McCartney

I Love You More Than Rainbows

“I Love You More Than Rainbows” when I heard (singer/songwriter) Ryan Bingham say this phrase to his wife at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards my first reaction was that it evokes images of someone who is rare and precious. It is more than a phrase it is a book by Susan E. Crites. My daughter has a similar book by Sam McBratney called “Guess How Much I Love You.” It’s about a hare and his son. He is telling his son he loves him and always will love him.  It is so amazing to think that these animated characters and simple poems can express so much love. Poems can express so clearly our emotions, from sadness to anger, from joy to boredom, we who write know how easy it is to put our minds and souls in text. Yet we also know that no words can ever convey how we truly feel. Maybe we can compare a poem to a snapshot from a black and white camera, and a book based on a poem is like a snapshot taken with high-definition Technicolor clarity. I do love my family more than rainbows and I’m glad that books – however brief can capture that reality so eloquently. This is an excerpt from Susan E. Crites’ book:

I love you more than rainbows and beautiful skies.

I love you more than buttercups and wings of butterflies.

I love you more than ice cream with sprinkles on the top,

Or jumping in the pool with a great big belly flop!

Lost

Have you ever been looking for something you needed, you disrupt your entire house and still can not find the item? (like Luke 15:1-32) Then you pacified yourself with “may be I did not need it after all” then when you are looking for something else as my daughter would exclaim”there it is!” This is how I felt today when I came across two articles I have been searching for. Today whatever it is you are looking for just relax and move on to something else, because surely it would find you.

Only a short distance

I retraced my steps

Fallen Behind

Stripped

Limbs entwined

Sigh; rise above yourself

Quelled my displeasure

It will be

Found on the table in time

-

Poem by Brenda L. McCartney

Sentiment or Principle

Photograph by Alison Hixon

Marse Tarm whey de ole settee

Dat share so many story

It bruk me heart fu hear

Miss Mattie people tek every ting she lef roun here

You tink dey ha every ting fan Englan

And leave de tings dey use to call hand me down

I had a great grand aunt who died at the ripe old age of 99 years of age. What a strong lady! I recall her jumping out of the window of her wooden house at the age of 95 saying she is going to look for her baby, even at that age she had no cuts or bruises. Her only – then adult – son whom she used to boast about; he lived in America but came home to take care of her in her last years. A few years after he returned home she passed away. Some well respected family relatives came by and took her four poster bed. I remember it was the talk of the village. Her son was enraged at the disrespect.

When I got married I wanted a four poster bed myself, a friend laughed at me and urged me not to make such a purchase in view of the fact we would be expected to relocate often. She said teasingly Brenda imagine carrying round a four poster bed on the boat to the islands.

Well this must be a dream or custom in my family because my cousin called me all proud of the four poster bed she purchased when she bought her house. She is now divorced, but guess what, she took the four poster bed!

Sometimes I guess subconsciously we may choose things because of what was inculcated in us or what we grew up thinking.

Now that I am older I understand that it was not the want for the four poster bed or the settee (as I mentioned in the poem), it was the sentiment of it but…