Bread & With It

Happy Poetry Friday everyone! Michelle Kogan is our host this week. Her words and beautiful photos from the Yoko Ono art exhibit were so inspiring. So much talent on one brief page! Be sure to stop by. This week, I have been inspired by a variety of poetry coming into my feed or catching my eye in a book. More and more the brevity of words that poets use to convey emotion and story is just the "little potato chips" of text," I like to nibble on each day. I thought I would

Do you remember a time when someone said something affirming to you and how amazing it felt? Or when someone's harsh words created doubt or fear? Words shape our world. They influence how we think, feel, and act. Words affect our relationships, decisions, and even our mental health. It's so important to choose the right words. Words carry emotional weight that lingers long after they are spoken. A kind word can brighten someone's day, while harsh words can leave lasting scar

If I sit quietly, and go back to my living room in Des Moines—to the red velvet club chairs, black couch and homemade stereo cabinet, I can still hear the music that played like a score through my childhood,—Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass's "A Taste of Honey," Andy Williams's "Hawaiian Wedding Song," and numerous Firestone Christmas albums that were the score to my young life. Our living room in Iowa was always filled with music. The notes curled through the living room wh

To me, the enjoyable thing about writing is seeing what words, experiences, images or sounds will send a poem my way each day. It seems the more I find them, the more they show up. Like many of you I was making a pot of homemade Turkey soup the other day and pulled out a bag of baby carrots, and to my delight, this sweet little pair of "carrot pants" fell out. "Look," I said to my husband... there's a poem here." He just laughed. I guess he is getting used to this now." This

The dishes are sloshing in the dishwasher. The tablecloth, with bright colored evidence of our gathering, waits to be put in the dryer. And I have been enjoying walking through my house, seeing memories of grandchildren, laughter, and delicious food around every corner. I hope your Thanksgiving was as lovely as ours. The inspiration for my poem today. Today is Poetry Friday, and I was lucky enough to have a poem land on the branch outside my window this morning. I did what a

When you think about it... Hugs are a simple thing. Eyes catch the glance of another. We move toward one another. Heads move to one side, arms wrap, holding close for a brief second or more. Words may follow…. “It’s so good to see you.” “I’m so sorry for your loss.” “I missed you so much!” “You got this.” “I love you.” “Thank you.” Or not… The hug may have said it all. Then the pull apart— a step back, arms slide down to cradle hands, or just letting go. And if the e

There's something magical about trucks that takes my grandson, Ronan away in his imagination. Mail trucks, construction trucks, garbage...

Behind my art table, tucked in a grocery bag, I found them— no longer needed, but still holding the memory of the object they protected. ...

Forty-four years ago, I looked into the eyes of my beloved, and said "I do" to everything; the known, the unknown, the laughter, the...

Throwing your hat in the ring takes courage and it often feels quite vulnerable to do so. But as they say, a turtle never gets anywhere...

Deep into carving pieces of packing foam, to eventually become a bank of snow, I had a light-bulb moment. Art is Math. That's all it...

I don't know.... Maybe it was seeing both my son's gardens each time we visited, and going away with hands full of their bounty and a...

Shock, Denial, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. We went through them all and then some... sometimes more than once. First when my...