Category: Uncategorized

no one reviews a book ere it is read

or a movie before it is over

or a dinner prior to eating it

so how to review a year after only

a quarter of it completed

a challenge for certain

where will we go from here

the year started out promising

2020 rolls over the tongue

a fine sounding year

anticipations at high level

before diving into novel coronavirus

COVID 19, scary words

fear abounds, jobs lost

families devastated, left weeping

where do we go from here

there are always positives

coming out of negatives

water is cleaner, air is purer

a note to powers in high places

will you let go of your greed

will you bring in safer ways

keep the earth healthy

let goodness overcome money

let remaining peoples live

true progress is in your hands

a challenge for certain.

as i stand in front of a blank canvas

brush in hand, palette on the other

crepe myrtles in bloom outside my window

my mind turns inward, dreaming of

a gentle, rainy day, glistening lilacs in blossom

along the bricked lane leading to home

my Queen Anne, brilliant in various shades

of peach, burgundy, and dark green trims

the turret proudly upward, announcing

welcome from round windows i love

my travels are ending, at least for a time

graffiti seen on the wall in Brussels

shouted to me Go Home! in big letters

taken as a personal sign to me, listen

my heart told me, listening i am

after finding a shiny penny in the park

a sure sign of a loved one, passed over

sending me a message, listen, listen

like lyrical music filling my soul

a letter received only yesterday

left me mournful, anxious to leave

the joys and treasures of traveling,

forever yours it was signed, told me

unhappiness lay ahead, answers needed

could not be found here, time to depart

and now i am here.

Day 25

I Need a Book to Read   arlene s bice

(French Pantoum)

i browse the bookshelf for a book to read

waiting for one to pull my hand

any Jane Austen book  is a yearly visit

like going to where Grandma lives

waiting for one to pull my hand

maybe a British cozy mystery is better

like going to where Grandma lives

in an old village full of books in Wales

maybe a British cozy mystery is better

any Jane Austen book is a yearly visit

in an old village full of books in Wales

i browse the bookshelf for a book to read.

Let’s Go Bananas!  arlene s bice

bananas are a versatile fruit

great for eating that’s true

full of potassium, healthy

easy to grab one

slip it into your tote

to take on your route

wherever you’re going

why is it the butt of a joke

does anybody know

it is elongated, slender

greenish turns to yellow

as ripened, not a funny color

easy to peel, give it a poke

slice it or dice it, eat it whole

let’s go bananas some do say

meaning to let loose

let your hair down

let it all hang out

whatever is good for you

at night or during the day

just do it, eat bananas!

The Letter U ~ arlene s bice

this remarkable letter embraces you

yet leaves space to breathe

it’s lucky, like a horseshoe

holding all the good luck in

not tipping to pour out

it’s a complete word, you

pronounced with just

one letter

if you filled it with liquid

you could drink from it

like a cup

you can hold it in your hand

like a tulip

bringing beauty to you

how lucky can one letter get.

Can’s See ~arlene s bice

frustrating, it’s frustrating

to not see what someone else

is saying

my focus is strong

i’m so intent

zeroed in

nothing else exists

it’s easy to not see

what someone else

is pointing out to me

when showing someone else

what i see

and they cannot

i wonder

it’s so obvious

how can they not see

what i’m showing them

it just glares at me.

Day 21 

It’s Time ~ arlene s bice

the world has reduced in size

since i was a child

even more since the pandemic

began

people in countries foreign

to the USA

speak multiple languages

easier to share friendliness

offer hospitality

regardless of a language

unknown

it’s time our children learn

languages

other than English

we are One in the world

let us erase misunderstanding

communicate

with all.

it took many years; much practice

to receive a gift graciously

most of my life, i’ve been a giver

it’s just who i was; how it was

i accepted that

a sage teacher wisely told me

it is important to allow someone

else the pleasure of giving

wow

i never thought of it like that

recently two gifts were given to me

one i cherished the other i ate

after i cherished it

both personal, handmade

a notecard showing a friend

reading my latest book

definitely cool

original

thank you Sandra

the other in a quilted jar

delicious strawberry jam

handmade with care

even one taste conjures up

wonderful feelings

memories from my past

thank you Tammy

both handmade gifts

given with the love of friendship

received with the love of friendship.

 released this week. This book is so exciting. The book is about women by women. Women, 42 in number, many telling their stories for the first time. Women coming from all directions of life, aflame to reveal who they are and how they came to be today’s woman! Some purr like a kitten, others bellow a lion’s roar refusing to hide the scars they survived. Women’s narratives are aired for the first time, in print, defiantly, daring you to challenge their choices in life whether they continued a contented life at home tending a happy family or strike out into the wilderness.

Archive Walking ~ arlene s bice

i took a little stroll

all through my house today

noting all the items collected

over the years, so dear to me

sitting out, none put away

these odds n’ ends

make my house a home

each one has a story to tell

warming my heart to remember

only a few here to form a poem

nothing expensive or special

to anyone but me, book included

this particular one is on friendship

carried around in my tote with others

friendships too, are special this i alluded

enjoy my little pile of goods shown here

they traveled distances far and wide

from the Caribbean, a mud doll 50 years

the newest, nearest, and dearest is the book

a pleasant foundation for Teddy’s hide.