After all the years of abuse — Forgiving the Old Man You look so old lying there tucked under the pristine white sheets. What am I doing here after all these years and after all the pain? The pain that lingers in mind, body and spirit long after the bruises are gone. You have pain now, too, they say. One that…

A single minute contained in a poem — Just a Minute News spews endless atrocities every minute of every day of every week wars and politics and wars about politics and countless voices vying for attention with urgent needs and opinions while speeding cars and trucks race like rats away and back again. But I wasn’t created for this. I don’t…

History and haiku poem — The Purpose of a Garden To give us delight refreshment of mind and a heart of gratitude. I grew up as a mid-century West Yorkshire lass of working-class parents. We didn’t have the vast manicured gardens and manor house that you see on popular tv shows. Although, I love to watch those shows and remember…

When my mother washed the dishes — I remember my mum singing Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley when I was a little girl. She sang it often as she stood at the kitchen sink, washing the dishes, while I drew pictures of ballerinas and dreamed up stories for them. …

What is humankind to the Creator? — “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” — (Psalm8:3–4, NIV) The Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt when Moses said God…

Learning poetry with my pet — “S.M.O.K.E.Y” Sometimes affectionate Most times not Once in a while, a purr Knows how to cause trouble with Express runs across furniture but Yes, we love you anyway An acrostic poem is written from a vertical word about a specific topic, as I did in “S.M.O.K.E.Y.” Each letter in the…

A tanka poem about life after life — I’m exploring some new poetic forms. It’s fascinating to me how long sentences can be shortened into poems. I originally wrote this piece as a paragraph when contemplating a friend’s passing from this life to the glorious life to come. The style of a tanka poem The tanka is a thirty-one-syllable poem, traditionally Japanese. Tanka translates…

A frightening life lesson on perspective —

Elements of writing short stories — I’ve been writing for a few years and tried many forms of writing, including a novel and a book of poetry. But I’ve learned something about my work recently. I don’t enjoy reading or writing long pieces anymore. It could be that I get overwhelmed easier now, or it could…