Author Archives: lifelessons

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About lifelessons

My blog, which started out to be about overcoming grief, quickly grew into a blog about celebrating life. I post daily: poems, photographs, essays or stories. I've lived in countries all around the globe but have finally come to rest in Mexico, where I've lived since 2001. My books may be found on Amazon in Kindle and print format, my art in local Ajijic galleries. Hope to see you at my blog.

7 A.M.

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Waking up Mom

 

7 A.M.

Their rebuke is most benign.
Cats yowl protest. The dogs all whine.

As outside dogs slip into gear,
Zoe wakes up and bites my ear.

Their stomachs are a timetable
that I will meet if I am able.

I drag myself out of my bed.
If only I could sleep instead!

The hour that I hit the hay
I fear was not so far away.

Three hours of sleep or perhaps four
were all I had. Surely, not more.

Just as I thought to jump sleep’s hurdle
I remembered, “Daily Wordle!”

Grabbed computer, filled every square,
weeding out vowels my only care.

Wordle in five or four or three?
I cannot sleep until I see.

But later, morning comes too soon
as animals begin their croon.

I move to kitchen to feed cats,
open the door, put bowls on mats,

fill with kibble and with wet 
catfood, and they still their fret.

Move to back door, feed each dog
different portions, mind in fog.

Zoe inside, big dogs out,
fends off pilfering and pout.

What I gain in remuneration
is their ceasing excitation.

Whines replaced by scraping beat
of metal dishes on concrete,

clicking jaw and lapping tongue
as cats and dogs both old and young

enjoy results of their design.
Then, back to bed as they all dine!

Prompt words today are concrete, remuneration, design, rebuke and timetable.

,

Fuchsia: Happy May Day, 2022: FOTD

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Again, what Mexicans call the Earring Plant or Arete. A variety of Fuchsia.

For Cee’s FOTD

Fauna Fashion

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Fauna Fashion

Fox in sox and cats in spats.
Dogs in clogs and rats in hats.
When pigs are on sabbatical,
they’re rather acrobatical,

so they depend on spandex suits
as well as stretchy rubber boots
to make sure they don’t skid and fall
when they’re performing in the mall.

In urban settings, it’s a blessing
that there’s more reason to be dressing
formally. Of course that means
a negative on cut-off jeans.

Cool cats are not satisfied
until they have been spatified,
and sequined tops and silken slacks
are de rigueur, as are scoop backs.

But, perchance, have you been  guessing
the one bird not fond of dressing?
(His response you’ll find less quirky
when you hear that it’s the turkey.)

Prompts today are fox, sabbatical, negative, urban and satisfied. All illustrations are free images from the internet.

Mexican Petunia: FOTD April 30, 2022

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This plant grows like a weed along all the borders of my garden. It has been identified for me at least once, but I can’t remember what it is. If you know, you’ll score points for filling me in on it. The flower is about 2 or 2 1/2 inches wide. Several people below guessed it was a petunia and I was sure they were wrong, but turns out I’m wrong. Its popular name is “Mexican Petunia,” even though they are not closely related.

For Cee’s FOTD

Found Poetry for NaPoWriMo 2022, Day 30

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The prompt for the 30th day of NaPoWriMo 2022 was to write a cento–a poem made up from the lines of other poets. In my poem above, the lines are numbered. The sources are given below:

I listed Hilda Morley as a 4 in two places  in my poem because although both lines were from the same poem,  they were not sequential, but were in different parts of  her poem.

Pet Peeve

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From a chair

Pet Peeve

My children’s new pet terrapin
retreats into his lair again,
anxious to don his disguise
away from queues of curious eyes.

No password does their pet provide
allowing them to see inside
the house he carries on his back,
and so they do not have the knack

to see what all he keeps in there
within his snuggly turtle lair.
He takes in neither guests nor renters.
Not one smarmy salesman enters.

Thus he’s reached the pinnacle
of being curt and cynical,
for we all know very well,
you can’t live life within a shell.

Perhaps we’ll take the turtle back
to trade for pet with purr or quack
that we can walk around the block,
or one that we can teach to talk—

a parrot or a tiny pup,
who when food spills, will lick it up,
who does not own his own chalet
and so is always up for play!

We’ll never again have to stare
into a turtle’s private lair.
We’ve learned our lesson very well.
Eschew the pet who wears a shell.

 

Prompts today are smarmy, pinnacle, terrapin, queue and password.

First Plumeria Blossoms: FOTD Apr 29, 2022

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The plumeria tree finally bloomed this week and transformed itself from a bare sculpture to a fully leafed-out and flowered bouquet.

For Cee’s FOTD

Zoe’s Doppelganger

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Kirk and I saw this incredibly well-behaved dog in a restaurant. She sat upright on this chair for an hour and never moved or begged for food. As far as I could see she never blinked. But, she looked exactly like Zoe would look if she were twice her present size. What do you think? When I remarked on her behavior, her human said that she had not been feeling well. She is a rescue and one of 12 dogs he and his partner have. And 54 cats!  I now feel less a martyr to my 3 dogs and two cats. The second shot is of Zoe a couple of weeks ago. The first and third  are of her doppelganger. Zoe would have been in the middle of my plate in seconds.

Eating the plants?

Family Links, for NaPoWriMo 2022, Day 29

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Sturdy Dutch stock,
Grandma Dykstra
Grandma and brother
Mother with her sisters. She’s lower left.
Dad and cousins, his mother, her sister Susie and my oldest sister, Betty Jo. This must have been taken around 1940
Dad duded up
1949
Mother
Family Christmas–Grandma, Dad and me.
Thanks, Mom, for all of those early rhyming sessions
Mom and Dad, 1970
Mom and Dad in Australia. He finally got to travel–to come visit me.
With Mom and sisters, at my wedding.

Family Links

These are the gifts I was given at birth:
my father’s high cheekbones, my auntie’s wide girth.
Legs that are solid and a brain that is sound,
a head that’s too big and a stomach too round.

From my mother, a funny bone and a fine wit
in sharing my life by writing of it.
A talent for rhyme and a need to be telling
stories original, tight and compelling.

A thirst for travel, squelched in my dad,
allowed me adventures he rarely had.
A love of babies and a wicked humor
that didn’t go wasted in this baby boomer.

I’m forever grateful that I came to be,
thanks to those genes that created me.
With both foibles and talents, I’m not perfect for sure,
but all that I am, I have come to endure.

I’ve lived to an age where I appreciate
all of the gifts that I’ve come to relate.
 Here I am, the next link in the family queue,
and what they shared with me, I now share with you.

 

Today’s NaPoWriMo prompt is “to write a poem in which you muse on the gifts you received at birth.”

Misnamed

21 Replies

Misnamed

I admit my name seems to lack a certain beauty.
I’ll never be an eponym. Who wants a town named Judy?

It’s clear that my name never makes it into poet talk.
No unfortunate child will be the chip off my old block.

Interlaced with second names —Agatha or Jeanette,
still that silly first name is as basic as you get.

The reception that it gets in lists is surely less than fine.
Somehow I always end up being sent to last in line.

It’s not correct to grumble over names, but all the same,
why give a perfect child such a clearly imperfect name?

 

 

Prompts today are interlace, correct, reception, eponym and chip.