I have been reading my poetry occasionally on a virtual open mic based in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is called Wednesday Night Poetry, WNP. For almost all its life, it has been live in person in a coffee shop in Hot Springs – until the pandemic struck. Because it is the longest running open mic in the country, Kai Coggin, the host, took it to Facebook to keep it going. We send videos of our ...
Read Post

Anna Jarvis created Mother’s Day in the US in 1907 when she celebrated her mother in a memorial service at St. Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. She lobbied to make it a national holiday, and in 1914 Woodrow Wilson declared it a national holiday to be celebrated on the second Sunday in May. It originally was meant to be dedicated to peace, as Anna Jarvis was a peace activist, but it wasn’t long ...
Read Post

My magnolias are blooming in full! They started a couple of weeks ago during a very cold snap, and I told them I hoped they wouldn’t be disappointed. They carried on, however, and in what seemed to be only hours, they burst open to spring. The air is full of their fragrance, and fallen blossoms carpet the new grass coming up. I guess it was time after all. Every year I marvel at how quickly ...
Read Post

It’s been a year since the Covid-19 pandemic began. I don’t know about you, but it’s hard for me to believe I’ve been wearing a mask, physical distancing and spending a lot of time at home alone for an entire year. One would think the year would have dragged, but for me it has raced on by, and here I am in March, 2021 already. There seems to be hope now, with two, and soon ...
Read Post

A friend of mine and I meet weekly at my house for breakfast, conversation and writing. We have been writing alpha poems for the past few weeks using the word “light.” An alpha poem, or acrostic, uses each letter of a word as the first letter in a line of poetry: Lingering in a spot of sun coming through my window, I ignore work that needs to be done. Instead I Give myself a moment ...
Read Post

Another year has ended and a new one is beginning. 2020 has been a very rough year in many ways, and I hope, as you probably do too, that 2021 will be an improvement. New vaccines have been developed to stop the COVID-19 virus, and essential healthcare workers are getting them first, as well as people living in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. They will be available to the rest of us as ...
Read Post

Is it an oxymoron – quiet and celebration in the same phrase? Maybe not. Maybe it can be done. It is frightening to hear the updated coronavirus numbers every day. We are all tired of the restrictions, and many are ignoring them and doing what they want and going where they want anyway. I wonder why so many people are taking the risks that are spreading the virus, especially at this time of year when ...
Read Post

Regardless of the chaos we seem to be living in currently, the bigger picture includes opportunities to be grateful. Sometimes it’s difficult to find gratitude in our hearts; we have to dig deep to find things, even small things, that enhance our lives. But they are there. For example, the past few days at my house have been cold, rainy and gloomy, but today the sun is out, and it’s a beautiful day. It raised ...
Read Post

Make Your Voice Heard I can hear you. Your voice is clear and strong. Don’t be afraid of how you feel. Listen to your heart; it will tell you the truth. What you know deep within will be revealed. Do what makes you walk away satisfied with your decisions. Oh, don’t give up; there is still time to make a difference. Align yourself with good and honor. Hold your head high, and watch for where ...
Read Post

Fall is coming rapidly, and some days feel like it. Others remind us it’s still summer. But some other things haven’t changed, either. Covid-19 rages on and another black man has been shot by police. But many people are going about their lives as if nothing is happening. I am going through the motions for the most part; I limit my trips into the world to where I think I’m safe, I wear my mask, ...
Read Post