Beautiful Weeds on a Spring Walk. #poetry

(c) Pamela Schloesser Canepa

Their yard is unkempt and rough,

The daisies are pretty but tough

But the lavender daisy, in light purple glory

Dares to tell another story.

My dog sniffs about, to him they’re all the same

Though of different color, they have the same name

And I wonder, what sparks their colorful claim to fame.

“I dare to be different, ” they say….

“I’m a genetic mutation,” they say…

Or ” I’m in a particularly fertilized patch of soil,” they might say.

Why are flowers talking to me?

It’s their color that shouts out, you see.

They grow as wild flowers, unpruned and free.

Daring to be different is beautiful to me.

(c) 2023

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Poem to My Pain

(c) 2022

Yes, I know you’re there.

I’ve read different theories on

Why you’re still there,

And none of them agree.

Maybe you’re telling me

I work too hard,

Trying to keep me from

Pushing it too far….

Do you want me to stay away

From volatile situations,

Warn me to stay away from

Unsavory places?

You seem to want to slow me down,

And some say I should thank you.

I’d like to say it’s over,

But that doesn’t seem to be happening.

So, today I’ll just remind you…

You are not going to stop me.

By Pamela Schloesser Canepa

Zero Carb Revenge!

(c) Pamela Schloesser Canepa, 2013

She knows she has achieved it

When she reaches for a third slice

Of pizza piled with toppings, garlic, and sauce

Such an indulgence! What a rebel I am!

Fully deserved after zero-carb chicken pot pie for lunch,

She deserves and relishes an extra slice of pizza.

She ignores the fact that it’s served on thin crust,

That it’s piled high with only veggie toppings,

That she avoided the fat in beef, the sodium in pepperoni, the excess dairy in real cheese, the swelling, the aching, the stomach rumbles…

And she relishes in each garlic explosion that comes with a bite of her veggie pizza.

Boy, the things we call indulging sure do change with time!

Paper Stars and Green Fizz, #amwriting

From a prior prompt at https://puttingmyfeetinthedirt.com/2022/03/01/march-2022-writing-prompts/

She taught me that it was okay

To give my brain a break

And let my hands take over.

When I failed the goal,

We laughed, and I tried again.

–

I didn’t notice my brain working,

I only heard it humming

As my fingers danced

Along the paper folds, then shook up

The bottle, creating a mess.

–

She helped me clean it up

And make it beautiful,

Trusted me to create, and praised

My creation that I insisted she keep.

–

The next day, I listened

With pencil poised,

Ready to do equations…

But I’d already learned

The most important lesson:

I could do whatever I sought to do.

(c) Pamela Schloesser Canepa, 2022

Weekend Coffee Share

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. It is getting to be that time of Summer where these hot hot days and/or the lack of structure in my schedule have led to me not really knowing what day it is!

Luckily, it occurred to me that this is Saturday. Today’s morning Brew is a donut shop blend, most delicious! I had a breakfast date with a friend yesterday morning, and drank my cold green tea before leaving. Some decaf coffee at the breakfast shop left me wanting the real thing, so today, I will reward myself. Sit down, grab your favorite coffee or tea, and let’s chat!

Having slept in a little early, I found that a quiet (but growing more impatient by the minute) Bixby needed a walk right away. So, I’ve already tended to that, and my coffee cooled off while I was gone, which is a good thing today. While it is quite hot out, the sun is not in full force, but the humidity is in full effect.

It would seem that the summer heat and humidity tend to help mushrooms flourish, as we have a lot of new crops of them around the neighborhood. I love looking at them, maybe that’s just me.

It has been an unproductive week in the area of writing. I went to a chair yoga class at the library this week, and the type of stretching we did was great for my shoulder, which is not completely back to normal but felt so good after the class. I plan to go back in the next couple of weeks before school starts. We’ll see what happens with the shoulder!

I did write a poem entry this week in response to the Ragtag Daily prompt, Toys. I think I was all over the place with that one, or perhaps you just notice a change in tone as you read to the end of the poem. Check it out: https://wp.me/p7aqV2-30u

I got a haircut with a little more emphasis on bangs. I think I’ll like it if it’s low maintenance! I won’t really know until I need to style it for myself.

We have my sister-in-law visiting this afternoon, since she is in town. I haven’t seen her in a while, so that should be fun. Bixby I’m sure we’ll be excited, because it’s one more person to give him attention, and since it has started to rain outside, there is not much else for him to do.

I hope you all are having a great weekend and enjoy your week ahead!

Weekend Coffee Share, a Word

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. I haven’t drunk coffee all week, so today I’m having my half-caff hazelnut. What’s your favorite beverage for a chat with a friend?

Due to a temporary issue with focus ( yes, despite the coffee), I want to do some wordplay. I am a middle school English teacher, after all . So, using today’s prompt from Ragtag Community, here is what I have, using the word ‘plate’:

Today

I feel like a car run out of gas

And I just want to pass the plate

It feels good doing nothing

And sleeping in late

I just want to put my feet up and rest

To realize I’ve tried my best all week,

So I’ve earned this right to not overthink,

To breathe in the sunshine and soak in

The cool breeze and warm rays.

The Day Spring Rolls in. #poetry

Spring greets us in the morning

With bright sun and singing birds at 50 degrees.

It rolls into our left open doors calmly,

Then screams it’s arrival at warm noon,

Though Spring never comes too soon,

With reminders of a lost love

Or childhood games in a state far away,

Of clover and grass once again green,

Of sunburn and beaches and fish in the cooler to clean

Time outdoors, with family , with friends, and steak on the grill

Or music in the air at a festival park

While the sun changes shades many times before dark.

When the sun slowly slips away,

We are still warmed by the hum of that day.

Photo by David Bartus on Pexels.com

Perplexed, #poetry #RDP

(c) 2022 by Pamela Schloesser Canepa

I’m feeling just slightly perplexed

My thoughts are a jumbled mess

In the middle of the night

My mind is afright

Why must I wake before the light?

Posted in response to the one word prompt posted daily at Ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com

Thankful for Each Turn, #poetry

(C) 2021, Pamela Schloesser Canepa

When the leaves fall

Is it the dying of a tree?

Or is it merely a sign of change

And what one day shall be?

Ghosts of yesterday

Get trampled into the ground

They willfully move on

For something new to come round…

When leaves fall, oh so brittle,

Yet colorful and bright

A reminder to grab hold

Of our spark before

The descent of night.

Every change brings something new

Every night brings morning dew.

Every moment holds its gifts.

I’m grateful for those I didn’t miss.

In A Wave. #RDP #poetry

Photo by Emiliano Arano on Pexels.com

Today is where we live,

but yesterday is a place we visit

quite often, as mental time-travelers

in a wave of nostalgia or memory

of a little child’s hand in yours,

or a wave of fear

of the threat heard in a voice,

or of screeching tires,

or the shared memory

of being wedged between two other cars.

A wave of nostalgia could bring

a memory of young love

that was new, or

of climbing trees

in springtime,

scraping our knees and

running onward anyway, no care

but for the present moment.

We travel to remember

Why we don’t go certain places,

if we can trust a certain person,

or in moments we need to feel

our life has meaning.

We can forgive in ten seconds

but remember years later;

Love, regret, and fear are automatic.

But, just like swimming through the waves,

living in the present must be learned.

~~~~~~~~

**These thoughts inspired by the music of Still Corners’ song, The Trip. Comforting, yet slightly haunting.

***You may visit today’s RagTag Community prompt and challenge at https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2021/10/02/rdp-saturday-wave/