EXCUSE me, have you noticed the motto on Canadian car plates, JE REVIENS ? I was reminded of same as the local ambulance returned me on a bodyboard to a familiar hospital about two months ago. Even the blaring siren did not interrupt my reverie ! Perhaps I was in a state of shock, lying there flat on my back in the middle of Washington Street across from City Hall at lunchtime in 26 degree weather. Imagine that ? I think the cold dulled all sensations ! Due to local construction there was a delay in the arrival of EMS. Between police, medics, onlookers, strangers and new friends, I toughed it out, not easy at 84 ! Thank you Martha for staying with me the entire time, I never saw your face but if we should passagain please tap me on the shoulder and introduce yourself. Well here I am, eyesight recovering and assorted parts of my limbs slowly returning to varying degrees of normalcy thanks to docs, treatments and rehab in that order ! As I was rolled into the ER that day, I saw my retired doctor and longtime friend, Y.Y. Lee, fresh from his condo in Miami visiting the facility’s staff, how great ! We go back almost 40 years, that’s some history ! There was Jennifer, Dan, Genesis, Lena, Vince and Dr. Safran and not one broken bone, a blessing ! For me this has been a time of miracles, thanks to my Pentecostal angels Ralph and Rosie, their congregations and many prayers along with all the others who have kept me in their daily thoughts and deeds ! With kudos to 7th floor rehab, Anna, Missy and the rest. God bless you all. I can still laugh at myself in spite of my frailties ! Sincerely, Claire B.
MAKE A WISH ( 2015 ) 2015/02/19
Of all the dreams I’ve ever dreamt
And all the wishes I have spent
Together with my best intent
Will this one be life’s last event ?
SEARCHING ( 2015 ) 2015/02/18
There was a story that I’d heard
So long ago it seems absurd
About a man who lost his way
He couldn’t tell his night from day.
He wandered far across the land
Through mountainpass and desert sand
He crossed the waters wide and deep
He travelled on without much sleep.
Until at last he stopped to rest
And found the object of his quest
An ancient town and tiny gem
By name it was called Bethlehem !
THE BIG FREEZE ( 2015 )
The snow still falls upon the ground
Is there a furnace to be found
We need to turn the heat up high
And bid the cold a quick goodbye !
Just as it was long time ago
We saw the beauty of the snow,
The time’s now past and all we’ve done
Is complicate what was great fun !
Tis sad to think there seems no way
For us to try to warmer stay
Where is it that we will belong
The freeze is here but much too long !
A MATTER OF TRUST ( 2015 ) 2015/02/17
When I was but a child of three
I napped upon my mother’s knee
The time that I was turning five
Her stories made me feel alive
And as I reached the age of ten
She turned into my one best friend !
All through the years she held my hand
And showed me that life could be grand
When I arrived at sweet sixteen
She taught me how to be a queen !
Now I am old, I’ve lost my way
I wish I knew what she would say
I’d put myself into her place
If only I could see her face !
THE SNOW FAIRY ( 2015 ) 2015/02/16
I’d like to think that there might be
A creature known as snow fairy
With streaming silver hair aglow
That blows and flows mid winter snow
And sails the clouds above the wind
Where storms and flurries do begin !
While frost that edges all around
And permeates most of the ground
Can have no mercy till the spring
When warming winds do comfort bring !
I must admit that I’ve not seen
Some cold and heartless icy queen
Clad in her cloak of ermine hue
It is no sight I’m psyched to view !
DESOLATION ( 2015 ) 2015/02/15
A gentle thought tugs at my mind
Where is the peace we’re meant to find
Where is the joy life promises
With love for all the reward is ?
Who makes the rules and carries out
The consequence of fear or doubt
Who rends the earth or tears apart
A mountain top or broken heart ?
While all of this continues on
Is there a force to wish upon
Perhaps a dream we’ll never see
Or paradise that cannot be ?
A WINTER SONG ( 2015 ) 2015/02/14
Oh little ones do you hear this song
If you know the words, please sing along
Greetings to you on this brand new day
How I wish that we could meet and play !
Do you think the morning sun will show
Or shall we have one more day of snow ?
Perhaps you might add an extra prayer
Please save us from this chill winter air !
We’ll be so grateful to greet the sun
And free at last as we gaily run,
We can stretch our legs and laugh out loud
And savor the joy of springtime’s cloud
If we are lucky the sun will shine
To leave the cold and our cares behind !
CYCLE OF LIFE ( 2015 ) 2015/02/13
Life is a giant mystery
All twists and turns, no victory
A winding path that’s gone astray
And often seems it’s lost its way.
It prowls the street when darkness falls
And answers when each morning calls
It spins itself into the winds
To where all life again begins !
THE OPEN DOOR ( 2015 ) 2015/02/12
There are so many ways to say
Good Morning World, have a great day
Remember always to be kind
Never leave good manners behind.
Too often we are quite remiss
And bid farewell without a kiss
Or slam a door on the way out
With hurried gesture or a shout !
Please stop and think before you go
What kind of love is it you show
Can it be like care God gives you
Unselfish, fair both just and true ?
I’m guessing this is not the case
There are issues need be embraced
Solutions we are praying for
With caring hearts and open door !
TOO HUGE TO FILL ( 2015 ) 2015/02/11
Today’s a day that I recall
When I was young and oh so small
My father took me by the hand
He hoped that I would understand.
We talked of God and varied things
And whether angels do have wings
He had so very much to say
We walked and chatted all the way.
In those remaining years we knew
My dad and I much closer grew
He tutored me, I was his clone
That’s how I learned to stand alone.
I thank him now for lessons taught
And all the strength his wisdom bought
I miss him still and always will
The gap he left too huge to fill !
GOD’S GRACE ( 2015 ) 2015/02/10
Among the wishes that I made
When I was young and unafraid
The one that I remember best
Is that I vowed to not possess
A jealous heart or unkind thought
In keeping with the lessons taught
Stick to the rules obey the Lord
Accept His grace with true accord !
ENDLESS WINTER ( 2015 ) 2015/02/09
The morning wakens with each dawn
And tiptoes round with trepid yawn
The air is chill and blows intense
Against this frost we’ve small defense.
When Mother Nature throws a fit
We always get the worst of it
She is a force beyond the will
Of those who fight her cold and chill.
I cannot wait till she moves on
And we succumb to springtime’s charm
A welcome change to all we’ve seen
This endless winter’s snowy scene !
SHOW AND TELL ( 2015 ) 2015/02/08
If I were an angel above the world so high
I’d fly from cloud to cloud so I could learn to spy
And seek out all the secrets of the earth below
Searching rivers for their source watching how they flow.
To touch each mountain top where no one dares to live
See the ocean’s ebb and flow acting like a sieve,
Imagining what happens underneath the seas
Or hillsides by the millions lush with assorted trees.
God’s world is such perfection like a magic spell
All He does is perfect, this is His show and tell !
LAST RESORT ( 2015 ) 2015/02/07
When I was small I was not tall
In school I placed the third of all
We had to stand up every day
Beside our desks to pledge and pray !
That’s how our schoolday would begin
“Stand up erect and do not grin”,
We wrote in ink with nib and pen
And studied with our texts open !
We raised our hands to speak out loud
There was no chaos in that crowd
For discipline was number one
We studied hard and still had fun !
I miss the ways we used to learn
Each grade we got, we truly earned
While now the grades have no import
They’re given as a last resort !
THE WINTER FROST ( 2015 ) 2015/02/06
A crystal glaze now hugs the ground
And covers all the streets around
Each glossy surface seems to be
Surrounded by infinity.
It stretches out before the eyes
This world of white shines with surprise
One cannot see the end of it
No edge or seam, no not a whit !
Too soon today will greet the night
While morning will renew the sight,
The silence reigns with each new day
Oh winter freeze, please go away !
WITHOUT A DREAM ( 2015 ) 2015/02/05
Why is this world so very blind
So anger filled and too unkind
A study that is worst of all
With joy when evil does befall ?
Is this the manner of our fate
And why our lives remain ingrate
Denied our human dignity
And bathed in man’s iniquity ?
What kind of life is left to us
Where God is deemed inglorious
How shallow is the purpose seen
It leaves this world without a dream !
KNEE HIGH ( 2015 ) 2015/02/04
When I was but a little girl
Each word I learned was like a pearl
Infused with wisdom I would learn
Throughout my life and in my turn.
The words were short and to the point
Have faith in truth don’t disappoint
Trust in the Lord with all your soul
And keep your eye upon the goal !
Now that was very long ago
Things haven’t changed that much you know
Sometimes I wish I weren’t grown
And that my seeds had not all flown
But this is true I can’t deny
God rules my life since I’m knee high !
FAMILY BUSINESS ( 2015 ) 2015/02/03
My Pop he was my mother’s dad
In life he gave it all he had,
My Pop he was so ever sweet
He was a favorite on the street.
“Hey George” they’d call with hearty voice
“What’s new today, what is our choice ?”
He knew that they would come to eat
He’d nod his head and tap his feet.
He’d do a jig to make them smile
Still taking orders all the while,
He swept that sidewalk every morn
And worked that store from early dawn.
My Nana she came in at noon
It seemed that never was too soon
And after lunch was almost through
He made the bank by half-past two
He never was a minute late
And walked with happy spritely gait !
One little man in woolen cap
He’d head on home to take his nap.
When Nana died in sixty-two
We thought his storekeep time was through
It came as one complete surprise
He joined me in my enterprise !
SEAFARER ( 2015 )
I do not think I’d like to be
A great big fish who lived asea
Or even just a liitle one
Who swims around a tiny pond
I might consider alternates
Without the use of fishing nets.
Perhaps glass bowl or maybe tank
In which the chest and diver sank
To sandy bottom rich in shells
Midst pirate tales each sailor tells,
Oh what a treasure there must be
Of stories spun about the sea !
INTO THE FRAY ( 2015 ) 2015/02/02
Excuse me but I need to say
That all I hear are lies today
Please tell me how the truth got lost
And what will be the total cost ?
Is there one person who does know
Which way the winds are apt to blow
Who can define the final goal
Can it be true we’ve sold our soul ?
This must not be a bartered thing
For honor soars on vaulted wing !
AT HEAVENS GATE ( 2015 ) 2015/02/01
We’ve lived our lives, our golden days
We’ve overcome our wayward ways
We’ve learned to plan for peace at hand
Ere we shall seek the promised land.
We’ve watched while men do values slay
Crushing all who stand in their way
Destroying things not understood
No tolerance for kind or good !
Those qualities which they exude
Empower the false, the harsh, the crude
How much longer must we all wait
To catch one glimpse of Heaven’s Gate ?
FUTURES ( 2015 ) 2015/01/31
I’m not lonely, how can that be
Since there is no one here but me
I am my own good company !
I’m sure the Lord’s forever there
He always answers every prayer
And whisks away life’s dark despair !
I know His love is there to give
To teach each one how to forgive
And help us all our lives to live.
The lessons learned there at His feet
Become the goals we need complete,
Fulfill our hopes and futures greet !
HEREDITY ( 2015 ) 2015/01/30
In homage to my dear grandpa,
I know his grave’s not off too far
But going back won’t help at all
My memory is still enthralled
I was a girl of twenty-five
When grandpa he just up and died
With wrinkled face and gentle eyes
Too late for us to say goodbyes.
Who ever thought that I’d recall
Those yesteryears when I was small
When I was young I used to sit
On grandpa’s lap and rock a bit.
I can remember that old chair
It sat beside the fireplace there
Like some carved wooden rocking thing
With all the joy those mem’ries bring
And when my children were so small
That rocking chair could hold us all.
My grandpa built that rocking chair
With his own hands and love to spare
Now that was very long ago
The time has flown but this I know
All that I am or hoped to be
Are part of my heredity !
IT’S PERSONAL ( 2015 ) 2015/01/29
I am that simple grain of sand
Who tempest tossed waits His command
Sometimes I tire, impatient grown
Where is the fruit of seeds I’ve sown ?
How long must I endure this pain
And when may I relief obtain,
So many questions fill my mind
Where is this peace I yearn to find ?
A gentle voice I seem to hear
It whispers softly in my ear
“This God alone can truly know
He will be there whene’er you go !”
MASTER PLAN ( 2015 ) 2015/01/28
I search about this world I see
And find so much catastrophe
Life travels down this lonely road
That bares an extra heavy load.
We need some help along the way
If we expect to win the day
We need to dig so very deep
If we have dreams we plan to keep.
We’ll brush the cobwebs from our eyes
Increase our efforts, compromise
And do the job we know we can
As part of God’s great master plan !
THOUGHTS TO SHARE ( 2015 ) 2015/01/27
A misty morn does greet my eyes
The snow capped rooftops seem surprised
White carpet covers everywhere
The streets appear all stark and bare
This bleak facade that I now see
Lies still in ice cold harmony.
A likely thought that comes to mind
As winter winds have grown unkind
It’s time to host a fireside chat
‘Bout pleasant themes or this and that
There cuddled up in some huge chair
With warm and happy thoughts to share !
DIGNITY ( 2015 ) 2015/01/26
A lonely man with head cast down
I saw him pass with puzzled frown
His shoulders hunched his step was slow
It seems he had nowhere to go.
I wonder what can be his grief
His burden’s great without relief
How weak the old appear to be
Bowed down by our society.
Perhaps if I could make a wish
That with God’s help their pains vanish
I’d pray so hard that they might be
Allowed to keep their dignity !
Claire V. Bogdanos 