Poetry | Telling the Truth

weather-beaten house

weather-beaten house

empty nests brilliant blue sky–

what songs lined your walls?

* * *

Music was huge in our home: piano practice, singing grace before each meal, old phonograph records played over and over. Mother taught us to sing in three-part harmony while she accompanied us on the piano or a small portable electric organ. She also played and taught us children’s songs from the old Childcraft songbook for kids, and silly kindergarten songs with all the motions.

Three memories come to mind when I think about music that lined the walls of my childhood homes. Read the rest of this entry »

9 Comments

September 26, 2014

Thank you, Old Soul | Part 2 of 2

Alas! The second half of George MacDonald’s sonnet is as tough as the first. When I first read it years ago, it sounded like 100% Bad News. Especially for me. Read the rest of this entry »

6 Comments

September 24, 2014

morning haze of smoky dust

morning haze of smoky dust
gives way to cool breezes
dancing over crystal blue
icy waters of the vast caldera
lined with cliffs rising precipitously

pure waters shimmer
beneath reflected clouds Read the rest of this entry »

2 Comments

September 19, 2014

Thank you, Old Soul | Part 1 of 2

Years ago I fell in love. Not with a man, but with his writings. George MacDonald and I share at least this: He too was deeply connected to the church and struggled with depression. In addition, he was a Scottish pastor, sometimes at odds with his church. He died believing himself to be a failure. Read the rest of this entry »