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.

What Man Hath Put Asunder

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What Man Hath Put Asunder

The venerable queen of the whole Pacific Ocean
sat upon her Mermaid Throne toying with the notion
that the creatures of her realm should make an application
to create an underwater independent nation

to make their world more stable, in short to try to foil
those who drilled into its depths, searching for more oil
with which to poison both the world above and here below.
Already, she had seen them disturb the status quo

and flood her realm with poison thick and inky black,
destroying things that afterwards they had not put back.
Those creatures of the middle world between the sea and air
thought they were entitled to all that flourished there.

What nature had reined in they nonetheless felt they could alter,
wild horses freed from stables without benefit of halter
or reins or any saddle with which they could control
the forces that once gone unleashed began to take their toll:

gases leaking into air, oil inking up the water,
ice caps at Poles North and South beginning to totter.
There seemed to be no help for it, for humans seemed inept
at maintaining order in a world so loosely kept.

And so the seabirds washed ashore and the dolphins perished
because creatures of the middle world had not maintained and cherished
 that miraculous balance which nature had established
and were loath to change their course ’til all of it had vanished,

thus wiping out all humankind so Nature could start over
reinventing sea creatures, then blossoms, bees and clover
that those feckless humans had sought to kill in vain,
as this time she’d leave humans out of Nature’s chain.

Prompt words today are venerable, mermaid, application, entitle and stable. Gas, help and ink are the words for the TTC challenge #608. Photo of oil slick by Daniel Olah on Unsplash.

Bricks and Bougainvillea: FOTD May 24, 2021

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I love this photo of the bougainvillea spilling over my wall into my lower lot with Jose in the background, erecting a ladrillo border around the boulders spilling down from the corner of the lot. He is such a cheerful worker and we’ve found project after project for him to do over the past year.

For Cee’s FOTD

Highlights of Travel for Sunday Stills

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Please click on photos to enlarge and read captions.

When I was little, life seemed like one long summer day,
Mom and Dad in Australia. He finally got to travel–to come visit me.
Singapore Tiger Balm Gardens with silly friends.
1973, Sri Lanka
With Andy in Ethiopia
1986
With new friends in Bali.
With Blue in Peru
With Pasiano and Yolanda and families in Tapalpa, Mexico
With Gloria and Rachel in La Manzanilla, Mexico

For me, the best travel memories always involve people. Here are some of my favorite people in some of my favorite vacation spots of my life. I could have gone on with this all day, but had to stop. Other memorable vacation spots but too little time..

 

For Sunday Stills: Favorite Vacation Spot

Old Wall, New Flower: FOTD May 23, 2021

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Old Wall, New Flower

(Click on flowers to increase size of photos.)

When we cut back the huge wall of greenery against the wall, it revealed the need for a new paint job, but our view of Mt. Garcia was restored. I had forgotten that I even had a view of it from the ground floor. This beautiful hibiscus then photobombed the view, but we don’t mind.

For Cee’s FOTD

Ascension Dementia.

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Ascension Dementia

When it comes to penthouse parties, I’m an equivocator
if it is a building that lacks an elevator.
Lately, my flair for climbing stairs seems to be out of whack.
When it comes to floor ascension, I do not have the knack.

My gumption seems to flag a bit as I reach the brink,
for as I run short of breath, I simply cannot think.
Thus, I’m an oxymoron, for when I climb the stair,
my mental acuity simply isn’t there.

At the bottom I am boisterous and have a lot of pep
that vanishes too quickly as I take step after step.
I try to remember what I climbed nine stories for,
but I can’t for the life of me remember anymore.

 

(According to poetic lexicography, an oxymoron is someone who loses mental acuity due to oxygen loss to the brain.)

Prompts today are flag,  gumption, oxymoron, whack and boisterous.

 

“Flutter” : The Surrogate

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After seeing the green moth in my last blue/green post, Forgottenman directed me back to the time many years ago when I first posted the photo of the green moth that lit on my screen, causing me to write a poem around it and then photograph the result. He encouraged me to reblog it, so here it is. I hope you enjoy it. It was such a unique experience forming a poem around an actual creature clinging to my screen. I can no longer remember why I named it “The Surrogate.” Any ideas? I invite your comments.

lifelessons's avatarlifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown

Surrogate w pic 6

The Prompt: Sounds Right—This is clearly subjective, but some words really sound like the thing they describe (personal favorites: puffin; bulbous; fidgeting). Do you have an example of such a word (or, alternatively, of a word that sounds like the exact opposite of what it refers to)? What do you think creates this effect?

I’ve always loved the word “’Flutter” as it applies to a butterfly or moth.  What better word could be used to describe the motion of their wings?  The moth described in my poem, however, was noticeable because of its lack of flutter.  It landed upon my computer screen like a magnetized object to metal and remained there for over two hours.  The moth pictured in the poem is the actual moth.  Tiny and green, it became part of my writing experience. Since it had chosen to remain in one position, directly on my screen, I was…

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Looking Green, Feeling Blue

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Open Wings

For Lens Artists Challenge: Cool Colors, Green and Blue.

Sad Movies

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Sad Movies

This movie’s so sad it should come with a tissue
and  a spare one as well with the first one they issue.
I blush to admit how my tears are just gushing. 
I’m surrounded by neighbors complaining and shushing.
It’s uncanny that I’d pay good money for this.
Nine dollars for me and nine dollars for sis.
I don’t need the mood swing. I don’t need this sadness—
exchanging for tears my earlier gladness.
If they’re going  to produce such sad entertainment,
a least they could provide adequate containment
for all of the tears and the blowing of noses.
Entertainment this year was no bed of roses!

Prompt words today are swing, uncanny, blush, issue and spare.

Camaron Plant, FOTD May 22, 2021

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Camaron Plant (Shrimp Plant)

For Cee’s FOTD

Silver Sightings

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Click on photos to enlarge.

For City Sonnets May Colors and Letters: Silver Birch