Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Poem: Crosses to Bear


 Crosses to Bear

People have crosses to bear,

Weighty,
Unwieldy,
Onerous,
 Crosses,

Crushing spirits,
Squashing dreams,
Dashing hopes,

Crosses,

Invisible burdens,
So hard to share

Except through prayer,
An outreached hand,
A listening ear,
A hug, a tear,
Thoughts sincere,

Crosses
Are there,

Look closely
At others
And care,

Then share
The crosses
They quietly bear.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Poem: Saying it All

Thanksgiving 2011 © Rita Bourland
 
Saying it All

Defining family
Is like defining love,
No words can
Adequately express
The depth of feeling,
Essence of remembrance,
Taste of happiness,
Or warmth of affection,
Yet somehow we know
The very words
We can’t explain
End up
Saying it all.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Poem: Giving Thanks


 
Photo by Rita © Vermont 2009

Giving Thanks

The earth grows so cold
As winter draws near,
The flowers and plants will soon disappear,

The days are too short,
The sun hides from sight,
And shadows turn quickly to darkness and night,

But thankfulness comes
In the midst of these hours,
I dream of rebirth and precious spring flowers,

I dream of the life
So precious and true,
The life that God’s given to me and to you,

I thank God for you,
 I thank God for me,
And thank Him for all of the goodness I see.


A rerun of my Thanksgiving poem.  Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Poetic Book Review: You Remind Me of Me


Lost in the Pages

I’ve been lost the past few days,
Buried in the pages of a book,
Immersed in a tale
Of choices made,

A young mother
Sent to a home to birth her babe,
Gives it up for adoption,
Later bearing another,
But always wondering about the other,

Where might he be?
Who might he be?

The sons later meet,
It’s hardly discreet,
Mayhem ensues,
Lives get screwed,
Damage is done,
Kidnap, remorse, prison, release,

But nothing can fix
The loss that began
Back when the children were young,

A young mother’s choices,
Not good enough
For the two that she bore,
One she gave up,
The other she kept,

What if, what if, what if?


A poetic book review. 

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Turkey on the Lam Limerick

 Turkey on the Lam Limerick

Tom Turkey was in great dismay,
He knew it was almost ‘that’ day,
He hopped on a plane
And flew off to Spain,
He packed for an extra long stay,

Plus the ticket he bought was one-way.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Poem: Remembrance

Vermont 2009 ©  Rita Bourland

Remembrance 

I sat at the river’s edge

 Watching water cascade

Over rocks

And remembered you,

The ebb and flow of you,

Sometimes rippling

Around obstacles

With unfettered abandon,

Sometimes caught in an eddy,

Or snagged by

Tangled

 Roots and twigs,

Pushing free

With uncommon strength

Like a giant oak

Flexing its branches,

Spreading a canopy over

Dangerous waters,

Protecting others

From sudden rapids,



I sat at the river’s edge

And remembered you,

The beautiful, profound

Ebb and flow of you,

And knew you

 Lived in a place like this,

Where the reflection

Of truth could be captured

In the movement of water.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Poem: A Taste that Lingers

 
A Taste That Lingers 

I love fall,
the crisp, windy, 
color
kaleidoscope of it,
the canvas of painted trees,
the smell of air
so sweet
you might pause
mid-step
to savor it like
a cup of exotic tea,
or a sip of
fine wine
made from grapes
ripened in the chill air
on a day just like
this day,

or maybe
it's the crunch of leaves
that conjures up thoughts of a
crackling fire
built in the middle of a field,
with children gathered 'round,
and marshmallows roasted
to softened perfection,

or maybe
it's the crisp apple
just picked from a tree
laden with fruit
fruit that tastes like fall,
a taste that lingers
long after the last bite,
and stays in your memory
long past your youth,

a taste that brings you back
to the days of fall,
when all was good,
 and all was right with the world,

back to now,
 when all is possible,
and life is clear and perfect and crisp
with possibility.


Photo by Rita Bourland © 2010

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Poem: Someone Needs to Know

 Someone Needs to Know

A trusted mentor
Takes a hand,
Says come with me
My dear, young friend,
Let’s take a walk,
Share secrets,
You and me,

No one needs to know,

Time goes by,
More secrets told,
Lies take hold,
The trap is set,
The young boy snared
By ill intent,
His mentor in control,

No one needs to know,

Damage done to
Body,
Soul,
Forevermore,
Yet secrets told
Cannot unfold
To those they swore
Should never know,
 
The shame’s so very cold,

Yet someone needs to know,

Be still young boy,
You’ve done no wrong,
Your mentor
Now must stand alone,
He’ll pay the price forevermore
For what he’s done
To you,
Who only
Wished to find a trusted friend.



Monday, November 7, 2011

Poem: Out of the Blue

photo by Rita Bourland © 2011

Out of the Blue

A blue ribbon day delivered to you,
A pumpkin in blue – can it be true?
As true as the grass moistened with dew,
Or roses and rainbows
To name just a few,

Once in a blue moon comes something so true,
Appearing to you in visions of blue,
Vibrantly hued; serenely imbued,
Touching your soul; calming your mood,

Out of the blue you feel something new,
Maybe a different version of you,
No sadness or heartache; nothing to rue,
Just clear skies above - shimmering blue,

It’s a gift on this day; a gift just for you,
If a pumpkin is blue
Then what other things might be true?

Thursday, November 3, 2011

The Glass Garden - Photo Tour
















   
Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio is currently hosting an exhibit called Hungry Planet: Local Food – Global View.  As part of the larger exhibit, there is an installation of glass art in the Courtyard.  The glass fruits and vegetables were created by Michael Cohn and Molly Stone of Cohn-Stone Studios in Richmond, CA.  I toured the conservatory yesterday and was transported by the exquisite beauty of the artists’ creations.  Come join me for a walk through the garden.

The Glass Garden 
Come see the bounty of the earth
Nestled in the garden,
Glistening in the sun,
Catching golden rays,
Drops of rain,
Morning dew,
Casting light,


















 Creating illusions so grand,
So evocative
Of rich harvests
We’ve known,


















So luscious to taste,
Dripping with the juice of the land,
A sumptuous feast
In artist’s hues,


















Colors truer than true,
Tempting you
To taste, touch, smell,
This bountiful crop,


















But the eye has been fooled
By this garden of glass,
Stirred by
The richness
Of the crop
That feeds the body,

















Yet the soul has been fed
By this gift of art,
This glistening garden of glass.

 I would love to frame one of these photos. Do you have a favorite?

Glass Garden Photos © 2011 - Rita Bourland

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

I've Been Promised a Miracle

Halloween Rainbow - 2011 - Photo by Rita Bourland

I’ve Been Promised a Miracle

Here’s my horoscope from the Columbus Dispatch
on October 30, 2011:

 Leo (July 23-Aug.22):  Someone recognizes your deep, soulful desire, even though you never said out loud what it is.  This is no small coincidence; it’s a sign of an unfolding miracle.

I don’t read my horoscope every day, but find that it sometimes hits the mark or rings true in a particular way; occasionally it stops me in my tracks.  The idea that someone understands my deep unstated, soulful desire and that this is a sign of an unfolding miracle was an attention grabber. 

Not only have I never said out loud what my deep, soulful desire is, I’m not even sure I know.  Is my deepest desire to make a difference in the world, to write a book, to live and love in an ethical, selfless way or to do something no one has ever done before?  And who is this person who recognizes this desire within me?

Putting that aside, I’m wondering even more about the unfolding miracle.  On Monday, a day after the horoscope, there was a downpour at 5:00 p.m., but the strange thing was that the rain only fell in the front of our house.  The back yard was totally sunny and dry with a brilliant rainbow arching across the sky.  This occurred on Halloween which only added to the awe-inspiring moment. 

I’ve always considered rainbows to be a miracle of sorts – certainly one of nature’s most profound and glorious gifts.  But was there a reason the rainbow occurred on the day after my horoscope?

So, here’s my takeaway.  My life is an unfolding miracle, as is yours.  My deepest, soulful desires are also unfolding as I continue to learn more about myself each day.  If someone out there recognizes that in me and wants to help me along my path, then I guess that’s a bonus.  I don’t plan to do anything different over the next few weeks, except possibly be more alert to magical rainbows and interesting horoscopes.  

Because I do believe in miracles and I have been promised.