Brrr...

Good-bye October!

Indian summer...

golden hues

of sunlight shadows

against a blue sky.

A crispness

is in the air

lingering while

breathing deep.

You feel refreshed

and energetic,

getting revved up

to do what needs to be done.

Admist floating leaves...

of golden yellow...

fireburst orange...

and fiery reds.

Breathe in!

Breathe out!

Breathe in!

Breathe out!

Alright winter...

bring it on!

@JoSH Poetic Popcorn Poetry

Dismal

It's coming...

The wind howling
through the trees.
The vast grayness
of the cloudy skies.
The cold chill
in the air.
A dampening
wetness all around.

@JoSH Poetic Popcorn Poetry

So remember last year?  We had snow from November through May?  Well, the weather forecast says snow this weekend.  Really?  How is that even possible?  It was only summer not that long ago.  If this winter is as cold as last winter then I am not looking forward to it.  Bleah!

Homework

Homework Haiku

Is it done yet?  What?
Homework!  I would suppose so...
It should be done now.

@JoSH Poetic Popcorn Poetry

It's ironic for as much as you keep on top of your homework, there will come a day when you absolutely do not think of it at all only to realize that you missed a due date.  Argh!  Right? It's like Murphy's Law.  You just have days like that. 

A Polar at Play

A zoo visit...

Walt Whitman

Trees

''Why are there trees I never walk under but large and melodious thoughts descend upon me?''

This quote is from Walt Whitman and it made me think of fall.  Today was a glorious, beautiful day.  The sun was shining and leaves were floating down and all over the ground.  I like the crispness of fall.  Walt Whitman was a great writer of free verse.  

Timothy Keller

The Prodigal God

“A friend who attended a prestigious MBA program once told me about the business ethics course he took there. The professor counseled honest business practices for two reasons. First, if you lie or cheat you may be caught, and that would be bad for business. Second, if people in the company know they are working in an honest business, that will boost morale . . . "Tell the truth--because it's to your own advantage," was the counsel. What happens, however, when you inevitable come to situations in which telling the truth would cost you dearly? What happens when telling a particular lie would be stupendously advantageous to you?” 

The above is a quote by Timothy Keller.  Doesn't this make you ponder why it is that sometimes telling the truth gets you in more trouble than lying?  Have you ever worked in a company that promoted the wrong values?  Some companies are all about looking good with no solid foundation.  They may say that they believe in ethics and doing the right thing but in reality they only care about looking good and talking the talk because they just don't walk the walk.  If so, and you are an ethical person, then get out of there!  They will only cause you harm if you stay.

The Prodigal God is a book about the parable of the prodigal son.  Most sermons always hone in on the son that ran away from home but the elder son was also in the wrong because his self-righteousness made him a sinner:  Kind of like the pharisees in the day of Jesus.  They walked around acting all self-righteous because they always did the right thing and gave money to the poor.  But this made them prideful in their own conceit.  They could not understand the concept of mercy and grace.  

If a poor woman gives a nickel to the poor giving all she had and the pharisee gives a thousand dollars knowing he has a million at home.  Who gave more?  The poor woman because she gave 100 percent of all she had while the pharisee gave only a very small percentage.  Something to think about...

Dr Charles Stanley

A book signing...

"To have God speak to the heart is a majestic experience, an experience that people may miss if they monopolize the conversation and never pause to hear God's responses."

This is a great quote by Charles Stanley.  Have you ever wanted to meet an author so much that you would be willing to drive hours just to meet him?  Well last year I heard that Charles Stanley was going to be in Indiana for a book signing so I drove out for a day trip with my then-boyfriend and camped out at a local bookstore so I could meet Charles Stanley in person.  It was quite the wait and worth it.  I ended up sitting on the floor with others who were waiting to meet him and got to meet a number of the people in line.  One lady was kind enough to share her fan with me as it was getting hot with so many people gathered in one place.  When Charles Stanley walked in you could just feel the energy.

Autumn Haiku

Falling Leaves

Leaves are falling fast.
On my car, on the ground, here
and there, all around.

@JoSH Poetic Popcorn Poetry

Well, when it's fall it's fall.  Time to get ready for old man winter yet again.  If this winter is anything like last winter then I may not last.  It may be time for this midwesterner to become a snowbird.

A Better Place

Fond Remembrance

I remember when
I was just a kid
and met my Aunt
for the very first time.

She seemed so adult
and sophisticated.
I wanted to be like her.
Right down to my tippy-toed shoes.

She wanted to 
pierce my ears
and I said, "No!"
Not me!  Running away.  

I remember being
at her wedding
and seeing her wearing
her beautiful white dress.

She went peacefully 
in her sleep!
After beating the odds
earlier this year.  

She will not be forgotten!

@JoSH Poetic Popcorn Poetry

My Aunt passed away recently due to a stroke and I wrote this in memory of her.

Random Flowers

End of Summer 

Remember the Tanka?

Mid-Week Tanka

What's this day called?  Hmmm...
Not tonka truck but hump day.

Why call it hump day?

This day is not a whale?
Why?  What does hump signify?

@Josh Poetic Popcorn Poetry

Enjoy this week!  We are already mid-week.  I have been reading through some other poetic forms.  There are lots where this came from.  So far I've touched on the haiku and tanka styles.  Let's see what else is in the works.

A Rose Medley

A Walk Among the Roses...

Romans

8:28

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Do you sometimes wonder why bad things happen to you?  Bad things happen to everybody.  No one lives that charmed a life.  However God's word says that he will works things out for our good if we love him.  I can think back on difficult situations in my life where it seemed like the bad outweighed the good but overall I realized that I was better off under the circumstances because it made me stronger.  The bad became a good thing.  Wait for it!  

Mark Twain

Truth

“Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't.”

Ever hear this quote?  Sometimes the "truth is stranger that fiction."  I've heard this quote and quoted this quote but never realized that it came from Mark Twain. Sometimes you can go through a real life experience that is so bizarre that you wonder what is going on. 

Maya Angelou

In Remembrance...

“Everybody born comes from the Creator trailing wisps of glory. We come from the Creator with creativity. I think that each one of us is born with creativity.”

This is a quote from Maya Angelou.  Unfortunately this great writer has passed on.  She died on May 28th of this year at the age of 86.  She has left behind a great legacy of her writings.  This quote speaks to me because I think a great many of us take our talents for granted.  What are your talents?  Be creative! 

Getting Chilly Haiku

Brrr...  Right?

Why so chilly now?
Summer's just ended not so long
ago.  Oh why now?

@JoSH Poetic Popcorn Poet

You know it is already getting chilly fast.  We had one doozy of a winter last year and now we are forecasted to have another one.  In fact, I swear I saw sleet on my windowsill one morning.  Like really? 

Silly Haiku Plus

What is Haiku?

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry that you are probably familiar with by now as you have read a number of them in this blog. 

1st line - 5 syllables
2nd line - 7 syllables
3rd line - 5 syllables

Haiku examples:

the hair on my head
is standing up all over
because i just woke

the weather was warm
today and i wish it was
not going to snow

a penguin slipped in
shallow water only to
cough up a goldfish

silly putty love
gets too messy and sticky
if mixed with playdoh

bare feet smell a lot
if left in sandals all day
in the humid sun

geese keep walking fast
across roads and sidewalks why?
get to other side

silly stuff sometimes
helps to take mind off of stuff
need to revive too

@JoSH Poetic Popcorn Poetry

Why don't you try one?

Shel Silverstein

The Giving Tree

"Once, there was a tree…
And she loved a little boy.
And every day the boy would come
And he would gather her leaves
And make them into crowns and play king of the forest.
He would climb up her trunk
And swing from her branches
And eat apples
And they would play hide-and-go-seek.
And when he was tired, he would sleep in her shade.
And the boy loved the tree… very much…
And the tree was happy."

This is an excerpt from Shel Silverstein's book, The Giving Tree.  Do you remember this book?  I think it's one of those books that pretty much everyone reads as a kid.  The underlying theme of this book is about unconditional love:  An unconditional love that this tree has for the boy.  It's true but if you truly love someone then you do keep giving of yourself without asking for anything in return.  

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sundays

"Sunday is the core of our civilization, dedicated to thought and reverence." 

So what does Sunday mean to you?  Sundays are meant to be a day of rest but not everyone rests on a Sunday.  A lot of people go to church on Sundays but people also go to church on Saturdays.  Most people dread Sundays because they know that Mondays are just around the corner.  It's interesting what Sundays mean to people. 

Zig Ziglar

See You at the Top!

Zig Ziglar is a great motivational author.  My Dad recommended this book to me when I really needed to read it.  There are times in your life when you might be going through a rough patch and it helps when people encourage you and motivate you as opposed to criticizing you and telling you that you will never get anywhere.  It amazing the power we have in our words.  Remember the old nursery rhyme, "Sticks and Stones?"  Well sometimes verbal abuse is more painful and enduring than physical abuse.  I think about the people I meet and the stunted dreams they have because someone in their life told them they couldn't do this or that.  You can do anything!  You just need to go about your business and forget about the naysayers in your life.