Feature and Follow - Pets

Currently there are only cats. 

Blaze - a 9-month old rescue

Rudy - the 15 year old

Bit - whose previous previous owner passed away

Oreo - also 9 months old, formerly feral

Rudy

Rudy lies on the patio

His striped coat stirring

Gently in the light breeze.

He rolls his eyes and drolly

Gazes at me, his body

Stretched to its limit.

“It’s hot,” he seems to say

In a languid, fluid way.

I gaze evenly back,

Touch my drink to my

Forehead and agree.

Indomitable, the weather;

Unflappable, the cat;

Back to work, for me.

   

From Observations

Beauty in the Little Things

It has been a very busy few months, starting with the "superstorm" through the holidays and now into the new year. I have to say it has been mostly good with the exciting fun of my first two blog tours and all the new contacts. But it has also been a bit of swirling, caught up in the moment craziness.

This past week I have forced myself to take a step back and take a deep breath. I just love it when I feel the calm oozing through every corner of my body and let the tumult of life give way to a state of relaxation, even if only for a moment.

So, when I was in that, relaxed, quiet, calm state my brain, of course, didn't stay still. I remembered one of my first poems:

Bare Branches

Sunlight falls on bare branches

Pale blue sky over-arches.

Peaceful winter solitude

Waiting beside a city street.

 

Who can see it? Who cannot?

Do you feel it in your heart?

All the beauty all around

Where you find it, if you look.

 

Hustle, bustle, race around.

Deadlines, meetings, have to do.

Time is short, can't slow down.

Too much work, too far to go.

 

But then you stop and look up;

Pause a minute, slow inhale.

Beauty, all around. Just one

Minute makes all the difference.

 

from Conditions 

 

And then I thought of how many little things really make me happy. And they are always there. A loved one's touch or voice. The dappling of the sun on the ground. The patterns of the clouds. The sound of the swirling wind or the patter of rain from safely under cover. The luxuriousness of a completely relaxed, sleeping cat. The twinkling stars on a cold clear winter night.

The devil is in the details. But so is the angel.

Wonder

The wonder comes by, now, in the quiet times

Softly taking its place like some remembered rhymes

I find it now in the glow of your eyes

Or the fascination with a politician’s lies

No longer the thing of everyday

More like a friend once gone away

Who returns to pick up where we left off

Like nothing happened in between, laugh.

I like the wonder of the small things

Things lost before in the thunder of wings

Or the marvel of an immense buffalo herd

Reduced to the glamour of a single bird

The edges of your mouth when it starts to smile

The confusion of a teen when he sees a phone dial

The wonder is all that and more, by the bye

Little things that bring a twinkle to the eye.

from Observations

Guest Review -Observations & Conditions

I thought holding the first copy of my own book in my hands was a pretty exciting experience. But it just keeps getting better. I am making new acquaintances and getting new ideas and things to read. One of those new acquaintances is another aspiring poet with some real life experience, Marshall Armstrong. Marshall hails from southern Minnesota and has his own website: marshallbutcharmstrong.com. He was kind enough to read my poems and send me a very nice review.

What Marshall has to say about my poetry collections:

Painting pictures with words is not something easily done, nor is it often done well. But you have nailed it! That said, I have a confession. I didn't buy your books. I borrowed them... I read them both today and was very impressed. Some of your poems remind me of some of my own. The visuals you create are very real. Everyday things that we think, see and feel are brought forward. I could see the old house with the Asters and feel the pride of the Soccer Dad. I'd like to make one suggestion if I may. In Conditions, the photography is excellent. However, I wonder if it would work better if the photos matched up with the poems a little better. Perhaps a picture of dew on grass for "Dew" or a field of dandelions for "Dandelion" etc.

"Shed" is one of my favorites. It instantly reminded me of places I played and things I did as a child. "Honeysuckle Highway" is another. The use of sight and smell, especially smell, is very powerful. I have never been fond of Haiku. Often times people choose words simply to get the syllables right. I didn't see that in yours. It was very good.

Well, wish me luck. As soon as I have enough material I'm going to look at publishing. My work seems a bit darker than yours. I look at Social Issues that affect all of us, and sometimes those issues are not so pretty. I try to balance it out with stories about my dog or nature but I think some things need to be talked about... I'm glad to have had the opportunity to read your work... Thanks

Marshall "Butch" Armstrong

 

Free Kindle Promotion

Friday, December 7 through Sunday, December 9, my book of poetry, Observations, will be FREE on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Observations-ebook/dp/B009DU8PSM/.

Normally $2.99 in Kindle and $5.99 in Paperback. Our first book, Conditions, which is illustrated with beautiful color photos by Karen O'Malia, is also available on Amazon. Contact me directly if you'd like a signed copy of the paperback for either volume.

Thank you for your support.