To My Fellow Poets

Posted on May 26, 2017 by admin

 

To my fellow poets

 

To My Fellow Poets:

Here’s to you

Sometimes I hate you guys!
You are just that damned good.
But then, on the bright side,
You spur me on to be “gooder.”

Your poems come in all sizes, shapes and formats;
You write stuff so much better than I do.
You have such great, inspiring ideas,
Ideas I wish I’d arrived at before you.

Sometimes I think you stole my ideas…
So similarly had we written that verse.
But that only shows how great that idea,
That from a sow’s ear you’ve made a silken verse.

But then Poetry is not a competition;
Not in its creative composition.
So above all else, my fellow poets,
You write so extraordinarily well
That you do inspire me to excel.

— —

I Wish

I wish I could afford everybody’s book.
I wish I had time to read them all.
Books are treasures, as you all well know;
They hold the secrets to the writer’s soul.
Books inform and entertain,
They educate, amuse, bemuse,
They rouse you up, they comfort, and reassure.
They make you laugh, and they make you cry.
They inspire, and they can help to heal.

To my fellow poets - beat poet
Books are Love

L – literate
O – on tap always
V – viable for all
E – elevate

I love books; books are love.
They communicate,
They help to form community.

I wish I had the time…
I wish I had the money to buy…
I wish I could afford them all.

B – Books are my treasures
O – Own what you learn from books
O – On penalty of death, never damage a book
K – Kisses to the gods of books
S – Satisfaction

I wish I could own them all
I wish I had time to read them all.
Pour your heart into your books,
My friends.
I await your next with eager expectation.
I will love its looks, its smell,
Its contents. Write another one
For me.

— —

Just a bit of doodling without the philosophy.

A few lines to my fellow poets by way of a break from the relentless specter of Alzheimer’s. 

Books Photo by H. W. Bryce

CREDIT: Beat Poet – https://sites.google.com/a/pleasantonusd.net/amador-resource/home/poetry-unit

Posted in author site, Books, Helping, Inspire, Owing, Poetry, Tribute | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Gotta Gottas

Posted on May 22, 2017 by admin

 

The Gotta Gottas

THE GOTTA GOTTAS

How I wish the gotta gottas would jest get up and git,
Making me so mad I just gotta spit,
Oh to have a break in the relentless gotta dos,
Why I tell you, it’s enough to drive a guy to booze.

Gotta do, gotta do, gotta do

Gotta clean the kitchen, gotta do the clothes,
Gotta do the laundry, pay the ones I owes,
Gotta do the dishes, gotta sweep the floor,
Gotta do so many things there’s no time to bore,

Gotta do gotta do gotta do

Gotta tend to business, gotta pay the bills,
Gotta phone the dentist, gotta churn the mill,
Gotta meet the doctor, gotta answer phones,
Gotta keep within the loop, keeping up with Jones.

Gotta do gotta do gotta do

Gotta keep the job, gotta pay those dues,
Gott pay the taxes, keeping up with the news,
You never know what’s gonna come and hit ya,
Or what is is that came back and bit ya.

Oh weary me, gotta do, gotta do, gotta do

Gotta finish up the chores, feel I’m in the wars,
Gotta patch the roof before the sky downpours,
Never gonna catch me up with the gotta gottas dos,
I’m working so hard I got the hotta hottas hues.

Gotta do gotta do gotta do

Busy busy Gotta, Gotta Gotta be doing,
Don’t even have the time to do the boo-hooing.
Tell me Mother why I’m on this earth,
Five-minute breaks are certainly a dearth.

Gotta do, gotta do, gotta do

You Gotta come there, and you gotta go here,
Got so darned busy you’re drinking warm beer.
Gotta listen to the rumours of a thing called rest,
From all the accounts I hear, rest is the best.

Gotta do, gotta do, gotta do

Gotta jump the hoop, gotta ‘tend a meetin’,
So many folks there I have to be a greetin’,
So many faces to be a-memberin’,
So many smiles my face is agrin’in’.

OH
How I wish the gottas would just get up and git,
Making me so mad I just gotta spit.
Oh to have a break in the relentless gotta dos,
Why I tell you, it’s enough to drive a guy to booze.

Gotta do, gotta do, gotta do

CREDIT: http://cartoonsmix.com/cartoons/frazzled-lady-cartoon.html

— —

Posted in Alzheimer's, Busy busy, Care Giving, Frantic, Humor, Overwhelmed, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Win, Place, or Lose

Posted on May 19, 2017 by admin

 

picture for Win, Place or Lose

WIN, PLACE OR LOSE

You give your all, you give your best,
You strive your strongest, without rest,

But like the fastest gun, in the west,
Two guys beat you out with, “You lose!”

Why does it have to be that way?
Losing is not the worst, okay?

The worst is being an outcast
Because you haven’t tried, or quit.

You break your record, so be proud,
Do not hang your head in shame,

You tried, and you will try again,
And you will have preserved your name.

Your heart and soul remain the same,
Still you love and work and play,

Your will is strong and it will stay,
So go, walk tall, you’re doing well.

And if you lose, you’ll learn a thing,
And finishing itself’s a win;

And if you place, you’re in the mix,
Look back to see from whence you’ve come;

And if you win, you owe no one,
The scoresheet’s clear, there is no sum

They say it’s lonely at the top,
But if you win, invite them all.

Win, place or draw, you did not lose
You’ve excelled at what you choose,

Win, place or lose, love is not a race
Love is constant, love is to embrace.

You’ve kept your loved one sound and safe,
Whatever score, you’ve won your place.

It’s a thing of heart, not of size,
In the giving, you win the prize.

To my fellow care givers, whatever the illness or accident.

CREDIT: https://pixabay.com/en/meadow-heart-love-luck-pair-man-81208/

 

Posted in Advocacy, Alzheimer's, Care Giving, Dementia, Faithful, Poetry, Service | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I’m Gonna Love You Anyway

Posted on May 15, 2017 by admin

 

I'm gonna love you anyway

I’m Gonna Love You Anyway

I’m gonna love you like the good Lord Jesus
You may not be ready, you may not be braced,
But I’m coming at you for that loving embrace,
And I’m gonna love you even if Hell freezes.

You may have spurned me, rejected my love,
You might even have treated me with scorn
And you have sorely tried my patience, it’s torn,
But I’m interceding like a pure white peace dove

You say I don’t love you, but how do you know?
You’ve grown ever so bitter, forgotten our past,
Remember we vowed how our love would last,
Taking your scorn now is a bitter blow.

But come as you please, or come what may,
I know it’s not you that is putting me down
It’s this damned disease that wears the frown
And I’m gonna love you anyway.

Yes I’m gonna love you any way.
Our love I swear is here to stay.
I’m not giving up, nor should you,
For I’m loving you so don’t be blue.

I’m here for you darling in every which way,
I’m staying here with you in spite of it all,
I’m staying because I’m in for the long haul,
Trouble or not, I’m gonna love you anyway.

You may be fading, your love may be lost,
You may not remember but, lover, I do
I’m loyal as ever for all we’ve been through
And what we have had just cannot be tossed.

Yes I’m gonna love you any way,
’Cause I see what is you’re going through..
Believe it or not I’ve always been true,
So bet yer boots, I’m gonna love you anyway.

CREDIT: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-presenile-dementia.htm#seated-older-man-and-woman-at-table-with-coffee-mugs-looking-worried

Posted in Alzheimer's, Care Giving, Caring, Faithful, Love, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Living in fear of

Posted on May 12, 2017 by admin

 

Living in fear of

LIVING IN FEAR OF…

I recently met with another good friend
One with whom we had vowed
That friendship never would end.
But there were twists in my life
That turned the talk to
What was happening at home…
And That, my friend was living in fear of…

He appeared to be scared
When I told him my new job.
He had no idea what it involved,
So he told me you’re fine,
You’re doing a great job.
Then he walked far away
And was busy when called.

But I was worn out
And I needed some help
The hours were long
And sleep was disrupt,
I was always on call,
No respite at all,
And my friend was not there now, ever at all.

Then depression came calling,
And he settled right in,
And nobody noticed
Nobody at all that
I was losing the fight
And my job was at stall.
Nobody helped, no one at all.

I didn’t believe that
I had changed all that much,
But he seemed to think that
I wanted to use him as a crutch.
I wanted no such of a thing,
And I assured him as much,
But he was living in fear of…

How I managed to fight on
I really could not say
And nor right onto this day
I do not have the answer
To the absence of friend
Except that he suffers
From the very fear of…living in fear of…

For the very fear of…
Scares the many away.
They fear they’ll be asked
To do what I do day in and day out
So they assure me I’m doing a good job
And they think that I look well.
But it is not I who is living in fear of…

CREDIT: http://cros.land/2010/10/five-hard-truths-you-need-to-accept/

Posted in Alzheimer's, Care Giving, Choices, Dementia, Fear, Friends, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Living with a lesser light

Posted on May 8, 2017 by admin

 

picture for Living with a lesser light

 

Living with a lesser light

Living with a Lesser Light is a Quick Poem written off Guest Blogger Serena Sinclair’s

 O is for One Perfect Moment, #AtoZChallenge

of APRIL 20, 2017

This is the poem that prompted Friday’s guest blog One Perfect Moment.

Serena Sinclair

 

after the hourglass has filled

with time-worn sand

turned dusty and coarse

after the air has settled

still and stagnate

after the weight

of disintegrated decay

that plagued the mind

after the realization

that change is inevitable

after the faces

streaked with saline

after the anger

hot and unbridled

after denial

after rage

after acceptance

afterafterafter

after everything

comes one perfect moment.

—

Then, after comes….

—–

Living with…a Lesser Light

H. W. Bryce

(a hasty not written as it were between care giving calls)

 

After a lifetime together, One falls ill

And that One’s light begins to dim;

The Other one has to shine that much more bright

For the Other is now living with a lesser light.

 

So the Other one gathers his shining light beams

And learns to deal with what life seems,

He shines his light into the dark

And he guides the One right back towards the light.

 

The Other’s light gradually gains in strength

Building upon the challenges;

Unlike the moth the One gravitates to the dark

And bit by bit the darkened light fades to a spark.

 

But the love that was the light of their life

Is still guiding both, man and wife,

And whichever one it is, one is the guiding light

While one is living with a lesser light.

 

CREDIT: Serena Sinclair’s guest poem: https://serenasinclair.wordpress.com/2017/04/20/o-is-for-one-perfect-moment-atozchallenge/

Picture: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rays_of_light_in_St._John.JPG

 

 

Posted in Alzheimer's, Care Giving, Dementia, Guest, Loss, Love, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

One Perfect Moment

Posted on May 5, 2017 by admin

 

picture for One Perfect Moment

One Perfect Moment

A Guest Blog by Serena Sinclair, a wonderful writer at 
https://serenasinclair.wordpress.com/.
Serena took up the challenge and wrote an alphabet blog, 
mostly chronicling the family struggle with her mother’s 
Alzheimer’s. 

Today’s blog is P is for Picture

#AtoZChallenge

One Perfect Moment

I went home for Christmas this winter thinking it would be the last time I saw my mom.

My flight back to California was ridiculously early so I had to say goodbye the night before. I asked my dad to tell me when it was time to say goodnight and he let me know when Mom was finally ready to go to bed.

I went to her and tried to stay really happy and positive, giving her a hug and saying goodnight. It was quick because I didn’t want to think too hard about the situation, but as soon as I left the room I realized I forgot to tell her I loved her.

I had to go back in, I knew I needed to tell her in person because it might be the last opportunity I got to do so. My sister came in after and while I was hugging my mom on one side, my dad hugged her on the other side and she took this perfect picture. In it we all have genuine smiles. We are holding onto each other and although the practical reason is we have to hold on to Mom to help her keep her balance, in the picture it just looks like a warm embrace (which it also was).

When I look at the picture I can’t tell my mom has Alzheimer’s. I see happiness, love, family. That’s why I was inspired to write the poem that I did.

I don’t like to talk about perfection, because I think it’s generally an unobtainable and unrealistic goal. I see this picture though, and it really is one perfect moment.

— —
Thank you Serena. This is a very touching story. We wish you and your mother serenity.

Posted in Alzheimer's, Care Giving, Caring, Dementia, Helpless, Hope, Love, Memory | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments