In the stillness of the morning, before day has ere began
The fog fill the tress and hangs heavy across the land
The moisture covers thickly and drips heavy from the trees
No sounds of life among them, not even birds or bees
One dare not be the first, the break this eerie sound
In the stillness of morning, there is no sound around.
Anita Neal
Go Dog Go Cafe has this fun Tuesday writing prompt that I enjoy, I just like adding pictures to help inspire me. Devereaux Frazier and Beth Amanda are currently hosting the Tuesday Writing Prompt Challenge which was started by our star writer Christine Ray. The prompts are designed to be quick challenges that can be written in 10 to 15 minutes, inspire you creatively, are fun, and get everyone interacting.
Today’s prompt: Write a poem or piece of prose around the words “in the stillness”.
As you read the many who play along, remember the stillness of the new day and try to always start with kindness. It will make your day be filled with imagination and love.
Cee’s fun Flower of the Day prompt challenges us all to see the beauty on nature. My post today takes this a step further in showing the cycle of life in a day lily. They are called day lilies as their bloom last only a day to a day in a half but the life cycle of that bloom is well over a week if not two.
The Life Cycle
The life cycle is not long for those like me
for we start very small as you can see.
My siblings and I, we number at six
On the same long shoot that looks like a stick.
With each passing day we grow to our size
Stretching our pods with goals to maximize.
The sun is so warm and helps us to grow
We all hope to open and put on a show.
Some of us grow slow and some grow fast
But the life of our bloom is one that wont last.
First bloom of the season
The life cycle is short, but shed not a tear
For behold we will come back year after year.
For those of us who so enjoy your flowers, it does get sad at the end of the season when they go to sleep or die. But we are renewed in hope knowing when spring returns they also will return.
Enjoy the beauty, love and peace of flowers and remember to share their beauty and kindness with others as they share theirs with you.
I tried being kind to squirrels but they kept eating holes in my feeders, so I got rid of the peanuts and put nails in the tops of the boards so they cant jump to the feeder from the fence. The feeder pole has a slinky on it to keep them from climbing up. Sorry guys.
But we must always try to be kind as much as we can.
I have but one day to live, that is all I can give
As I stretch out my petals with stiffness like metal
My stamens stand tall, reaching for the bright ball
As my life shines in light, a journey worthy to fight
For we come to this light, with hopes of it’s great might
Carelessly spending our life, without regard to any strife
If we waste the beauty of great light, we will live in the darkness of the deep night
Beauty can create emotionless gall, for petals will wither before they fall
Enjoy the beauty of the great light, soak up its warmth before it comes night
I have but one day to live, that is all I can give.
Anita Neal
Check out Cee’s post to see the other flowers she took while playing with her cameraand remember the beauty of nature around us. As beauty of nature makes you smile, remember the kindness of the smile comes for you and share that kindness with others.
The brightness of the full moon as it sneaks through the trees
Breaks open the cocoons of these sapphire blue beauties
Their life span is short, lasting only the cycle of the moon
Leaving much to do, for their time will end too soon.
If you are lucky enough for one to light softly on your fingers
You then will have a chance of wishing while it lingers
For once the wish is proclaimed and the butterfly is set free
It flies off to the Spirit where all wishes will come to be.
Anita Neal
This is a fun Monday prompt that Sadje is sponsoring and since I am a fan of butterflies, I just had to play along. Come join along with What do you see? and tell us what all you see.
And remember as with the beauty of nature, the beauty of kindness can also bring an inspiring moment. Try to always be kind.
While visions of hugging danced through their heads
I rose from my bed for more movies of old
Must take the dogs first, get me jacket, its cold
I open my door and what do I see
But three inches of snow on the ground just for me.
I run back inside for proper clothes for snow
For the craziness of lock-down had taken its toll
With silliness and laughter I roll in the snow
The dogs looked on…do I to stay or do I go
After a brief moment they piled in too
As tensions was released with a loud yahoo.
Anita Neal
I was expecting flurries last night, not inches so I was surprised to see what we had. Last week’s temps were in the 70s. Old man winter’s one last hurrah I guess. Ground was too warm to be an issue there so that was good for the heroes that needed to get out. I pray you are all safe and snug in your homes as we wait out this crisis that has covered the entire world. I could think of a lot better ways for us to connect with one another than a pandemic. Be safe everyone and remember now more than ever – be kind.
Fandango asks “Why don’t you reach back into your own archives and highlight a post that you wrote on this very date in a previous year?”
I have many photographers I follow and Irene is one of my favorites. She posted this picture, then I posted it again and wrote a poem about it. I actually had two posts on this day but this one got the most likes so I hope you also enjoy it or remember it.
Fun With Poetry
As I play with my blog, I enjoy what others say, write and photograph. Today I saw a photograph that so inspired me that I thought again I would write about it. I have done this in the past and it is relaxing to me. After the wonderful day of 48 degrees (before it plummets back to single digits) I was able to get out and enjoy the sun so I think more fun is good thing to do. Irene of Heaven’s Sunshine takes lovely and fun pictures of nature and things around nature and today she posted a Leafy Heart. Do drop by her blog and enjoy her photographs. So below are my words to go with Irene’s Leafy Heart.
The Leafy Heart / The Autumn Leaf
The Autumn Leaf
The audible sigh of the leaf in fall as it begins to die
Drops slowly from trees above like tears when you cry
We wait for them all winter as they quietly rest and sleep
Popping out at spring and stretching to soak up warmth so deep
As summer comes in to brighten their worth, they create abundant shade
For we sit and rest under them and block the heat that is made.
As changing season turns again once more to cooler fall
The leaves display their dying hues that are admired by one and all
The leaf hangs tight to its dear life as long as it possibly can
But winds of fall will toss them down to be crushed by steps of man
As other lives rush over them when preparing their own winter deeds
A spider crawls around them to see if there is anything he needs
But alas he leaves as nothing was found for him of the leaf to give
And he heads towards home and other things in hopes of his life to live.
-Anita Neal-
And always in closing I remind all of the extraordinary value of kindness and how if we can share that kindness with others, even when we don’t feel like it, that may be the only kindness shared with that one person on that day.
Fandango Friday Flashback gives you the opportunity to see what you were doing a year ago, you get to share it with new friends and you get to remind old friends of the post. A hats off to Irene of Heavens Sunshine as she was the one who brought this poem to life for me. I hope you enjoy it for the first time or again if you remember from a year ago. It was probably one of my favorite poems. See post below:
TO THE TOP from THE BOTTOM
One of the most enjoyable things about blogging is the amazing photographers, professional and non-professional that share their photographs for all to enjoy. A lot of the photographs that are shared are due to various challenges as the one I will be sharing with you today, well technically it’s night (2:30 am)but I couldn’t sleep so I am writing.
Irene from Heaven’s Sunshine was following the challenge for stairs from Pic And A Word by Patrick Jennings. Her picture was so inspiring to me, I told her I was going to write about it, so I did. I hope you enjoy it and do stop by Irene’s blog for some wonderful pictures.
Bailly Cemetery – Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
THE CLIMB
I see and maintain it still is not fair,
I have nothing to lay at the top of the stair.
It’s not my fault, I did nothing wrong,
Well, maybe I did, it’s just been so long.
How long has it been since I climbed to the top,
I remember it’s relief, Why did I stop?
How can a symbol of such astounding grief,
Be given to us to bring so much relief?
With love so amazing, to the cross did He die,
To flood us with gratitude that still makes us cry.
The burdens we carry don’t always seem fair,
Always we can lay them at the top of the stair.
The first step looks brittle, can it carry my weight?
This burden is heavy and may seal my dire fate.
As I touch each step and climb ever higher,
Is this what I should do, is this really my desire?
As I clear the last step, the cross is before me,
I question my worth, did He also die for me?
As my knees get bent, I am smothered by His grace,
And I lay all my burdens at the accepting cross base.
– Anita Neal –
Always remember there is a burden carrier and it isn’t you. Scripture tells us repeatedly that He is there to carry our burdens for us, we just have to be willing to give them to Him.
And as always, I remind everyone the much loaded value of kindness. Carry it with you where ever you go and share it as much as possible.
For the Love of 