Update

Spring's first day was covered with six inches of very wet snow.   Less than two weeks later, Easter Sunday was crowned with 80 degree temperatures.   Welcome to spring-time in Oklahoma.

April is National Poetry Month - so read and share your favorite poetry and poets.  Poets and Writers is a good place to start, http://www.pw.org/.

If you like to write, check out Poetic Asides, http://blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides/,  where there will be a prompt for each day of this month. 

I've been catching up on my reading, looking back through some fiction pieces and working on some poetry.  I hope everyone made it through the winter and is beginning to enjoy some spring  - a time of rebirth, renewal, and fresh starts.

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An Honor and an Anniversary

Recently I was informed that Dancing with Pens has been named to the 100 Best Poetry Blogs by Accredited Colleges Online.  It's a wonderful honor, and a great anniversary present as March 2010 is the one year anniversay of my blog!  I'm listed at #84 under Emotional and Inspirational poetry.  Woohoo!

If you are interested, you may find the article, here: 
http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.com/blog/2010/100-best-poetry-blogs/

I also wanted to take this time to express my gratitude and appreciation to everyone who has visited over the last year.  Your support and comments mean the world to me.  Whenever I have a down day, or feel that my writing is working, I read the wonderful words you have left and am inspired all over again.  Thank you for a fabulous year, and here's hoping that 2010 is even better.

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As Least As Much

When my life counts down
to that final time – that final hour,
what will I wonder; what will I wish
I had not left yet undone?

I would wonder why
my “someday” never came,
why I left so late (was it too late),
the dreams of my heart -
to visit the birthplaces of my ancestors,
to create beauty wherever I could;

I will wonder for what
I shall be remembered -
a good friend,
a beloved child
a loving heart?

I will wish
for someone special
to hold my hand and guide
my journey homeward;

and, I shall hope
the passing of my life has meant
at least as much
as the flutter
of a butterfly’s wings.

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Spring 2010

Spring arrived in Oklahoma with a flock of robins and a snowstorm.  The robins took shelter under the carport, snuggling under the leaves next to the house and would fly out into the storm whenever anyone walked out the front door.  You could see them take shelter under the cars parked in the drive, puffed up to about twice their normal size, looking for all the world like a bunch of grumpy old men in brown suits and red waistcoats.  The expression on their faces looked so much like Walter Matthau in the movie, Grumpy Old Men, that I had to laugh every time I saw them. 

Fortunately, the snowstorm only lasted about 30 hours.  The last gasping breath of winter expired on Sunday.  Everything started melting, and now I'm surrounded by a sodden marsh that once was yard.  But, the robins were out in force, bouncing across the ground, scratching for food and looking much happier. 

I guess even the birds get fooled by the weather sometimes!

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Quote for the Day:

To live in this world, you must be able to do three things:  to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, to let it go.  ~Mary Oliver


"Considering the ways in which so many of us waste our time, what would be wrong with a world in which everybody were writing poems? After all, there’s a significant service to humanity in spending time doing no harm. While you’re writing your poem, there’s one less scoundrel in the world. And I’d like a world, wouldn’t you, in which people actually took time to think about what they were saying? It would be, I’m certain, a more peaceful, more reasonable place. I don’t think there could ever be too many poets. By writing poetry, even those poems that fail and fail miserably, we honor and affirm life. We say ‘We loved the earth but could not stay." ~ Ted Kooser, The Poetry Home Repair Manual

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The White Peony

Most people say that peony bushes
are difficult, growing well only
for those special few.

My grandmother possessed
that special touch,
her peony bush was enormous,
nearly blocking the back door.

Its flowers rippling
like curtain-lace, contrasting
stark white splashed
against the aged ochre brick

of the old house, much higher than my childish head, waving
in the summer wind like an emerald banner
dotted with riotous blooms.

Grandmother would pick through
the blossoms selecting a few,
industriously searching
each for the rider inside.

When found, she plucked
it from its fragrant home, deposited
it upon an unfurled bud.

People complain about the ants, she said,
but without them, the flowers won’t bloom.
Just make certain you pick them out
before bringing the bouquet indoors.

Then she looked over at me
to see if I was listening,
understanding the wisdom she imparted.

Now whenever I smell the spicy-sweet scent
of peonies, I remember her smile,
then seek what’s special inside
that makes the world bloom.

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Quote for Today: A Reason, a Season, or a Lifetime

"People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON . . . It is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are! They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrong doing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die.
Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.

What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered. And now it is time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON . . . Because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn.  They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh.  They may teach you something you have never done.  They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons; things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant."

~ Author Unknown

 
(Recently, my family has had some difficulties - ill health of aging parents.  That experience really started me to think about what's to come in the future, of a time of loss that may be closer than I think.  Suddently, I came across this quote.  I had discovered it about a year or so ago and loved it.  So I copied it down and filed it away.  Today, there it was.  It brought me comfort, so I decided to share this with all of you in the hopes that it will strike the same cord.  I hope you enjoy it.)

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