Poetry

I was an early reader, so I could read the words when I stood by my grandma in church singing the hymns from the large Methodist hymnal shared between us. Yes, I could sing the words, but what did “pavilion in splendor and girded with praise” mean to a six-year-old? For that matter, what do […]

Having a baby is a genetic lottery. A couple of my kids have  inherited a gene from myself and one from their father resulting in a genetic disease. They caught it in  time but found others on the internet who hadn’t. How many folks in the  past have contacted strange maladies for no apparent reason. […]

If I could give to you one only gift To hold forever, in remembrance of me, It would be the peace that enters in the heart When love comes there to dwell, all silently. I’d wrap it in the silver of the moon. And tie it with the distant purple haze;  I’d seal it with […]

Sleep, little baby, the daylight is fading; Dim yellow stars the dark heavens adorn; Once, long ago, in a Bethlehem manger The little Lord Jesus was born. Lullaby, lullaby, sleep, little baby, sleep. Sleep, little baby, my arms are about thee, A circle of love which enfolds thee secure; So Mary cradled the wee baby […]

It was a beautiful afternoon the day before Christmas. The house was colorfully decorated, the cafeteria dinner ready for the family of children, grandchildren and friends. The tall stately tree was glimmering with silver and colored light. The air was full of  mystery and joy. All day little feet as well as larger ones were […]

When my second child was perhaps five she would present me with “which would you rather?” Such as, being eaten by a hungry grizzly bear, or having my hand nailed to a board with black widow spiders swarming on it? I would answer I really didn’t want either! She would reply, “Yes, but what would […]

All silences are not silent: most are filled with meaning. One, whose nothingness is pregnant, comes after the end of the introduction to “Handel’s  Messiah”: A long, waiting silence: I hold my breath. When the silence can last no longer, the voice of the tenor comes: “Comfort ye, comfort ye, my  people.” And the music […]

I try not to think of my childwho took her own life. Butsometimes I dream. Last night I dreamed she came to me, age maybe sixteen.And said, “I have to leave for a while but I will be back.”I walked with her across the creek and through the backpasture. I saw that she had her violin case in her arms. Good, […]

I have visited the Bronte homestead in Haworth England many times, with classes and with my daughters and have seen the portrait on the landing of the famous Bronte sisters who surround a painted-out blob in the middle of the circular frame. Did Branwell Bronte paint himself out? Or a sister? Or someone later? I […]

How can anyone be blamed for dancing the “Shimmy” when even a cockroach can’t resist it in the face of jazzy music? Dr. Helen Clark, head of psychology department here, is authority for the statement: “The Shimmy is fast becoming the popular indoor sport for cockroaches.” She has proved to her students that soft, tuneful […]

From an old newspaper clipping: Indianapolis authorities went on record against the “Shimmy,” “Camel Walk” and the “Bunny Hug.” The Board ordered superintendents to ban these dances from city parks and community houses. “Some form of modern dances, such as the Toddle, Shimmy, Camel Walk, Bunny Hug, and  Cheek to Cheek dances are coarse, vulgar, […]