April's Fool
C.K. Armistead 4/1/2016
And I wonder
Sometimes
If I am the only one
Who isn't paying attention
And missing the joke.
Everyone else is laughing,
And I wonder why.
Sometimes
I am afraid they are
Laughing
AT me,
Which I feel bad about,
IF you laugh WITH me,
I don't mind a bit.
My heart isn't exactly
On my sleeve,
But I can still be
Hurt.
Pretty deeply
When you're not looking
I cry all over the
Pages
And rain words
Like tears
Until I feel
Well again.
The Stuff Of Life
C.K. Armistead
4/2/2016
"Do not squander time,
It is the stuff Life
Is made of"
Or some similar thing
Said the sundial
Shown on
Gone With The Wind
I have always wondered
About that.
Time is such a fickle commodity.
Running fast as Spring storm water
Or as slowly as the proverbial
Molasses.
Slowly, and wearily
Ticking by
When life is hard upon us,
When we are sad,
Or waiting for news
Rushing and roaring
Right past us
When there are things
We need to do,
When we are with the ones
We love and do not
Often get to see.
There never seems to be enough time
To just hug the stuffing out
Of the ones you love so much
That are usually far away
Never enough time
To stop and say
I love you,
I really do.
My life would be SO much less
Without you in it,
Even if you are usually
So far away
Physically.
So, all of you
That I rarely see,
But who mean
So much to me,
(And I hope by now
you all KNOW who you are.)
I love you, I really do
My life would be SO much less
Without you in it.
Really.
Please know that it is true.
The Thief
C.K.Armistead
4/2/16
Time is a thief
We all know this.
You look up one day
And the face staring back at you
Has wrinkles
And your hair is grey.
You think about things,
And it seems they happened
Only yesterday.
But it's been more
Than 30 years.
You aren't that old yet?
Don't feel too cocky.
Time's stealing your life away, too.
You just haven't noticed yet.
Why all this musing on time today?
Well,
Thirty years ago today
My Pop died.
He's been gone now
Longer than I had him with me in my life.
I was 26 years old.
Already married,
Already not living at home,
But still his Baby Girl.
His Sugar Foot.
Katie Didder.
Only HE got to call me that.
Nobody else better try it.
No matter how much
Of life Time steals away,
That little girl
Who loves her Pop
Is still here.
Still trying
To make him proud.
Spring
C.K.Armistead
4/3/2016
Warm inviting sunshine
But the breeze still has an edge
Trees still not quite leafed out
But daffodils blooming under the hedge.
Spirit yearning to stretch and grow
Yet flesh resistant to trust
That new, flickering, struggling glow
Afraid to stand and shake off the rust.
A season of such contradiction
Of profuse, expansive bloom
And sudden, freezing contraction
Of hope in the light, but full consciousness of the gloom.
Lord of Springtime, Lord of love
Strengthen our trembling hearts
That we may show the world your love
And spread peace to all its parts.
And Do You Know?
C.K. Armistead 4/3/16
We speak so seldom
Hardly seems we could be
Friends.
Yet, I believe we are.
Your smile makes my heart happy
Your adventures are of interest
Even though you are not
Right here
In my everyday life.
So many of you,
Friends and family
Both.
That live in my heart
And always will
Though we don't often
Connect.
And do you know
That you are loved?
I hope you do
Because you are.
And do you know
It matters not
That we aren't close
You are still cared for.
Your presence matters
To me in this world.
Don't forget that
Please.
I've lost one who did forget
Who thought he was all alone
When he was surrounded by
Love.
Please remember
You are loved.
You are.
And do you know how dearly?
Do you?
Planting Dreams
C.K. Armistead
4/4/16
Spring air stirs the soul
Calls me outdoors,
Sets me to dreaming of beautiful
Flowers
Fragrant herbs,
And pleasant shady
Evenings
In the garden
With you.
Soil amended
New plants planted,
Prayers said for their
Prosperity.
Achy back and sore knees
Water bill going higher
All for the dream
Of fragrant beauties
Found in this garden
If Nature so pleases.
Brutus Waiting
C.K.Armistead
4/5/16
He sits by Daddy's chair
Ears up
Listening,
Bright eyes watching.
He's always up to make a new friend,
But his eyes
Are watching
For Mama.
He's well behaved,
Quite polite,
Greeting all who greet him,
Never pestering those that don't
He always seems a happy boy
But oh, when Mama comes out,
You've never seen such joy!
If he could, he'd twist and shout
A Good Night For Sleeping
By C.K.Armistead
4/5/16
"It's so windy,
It's a good night for sleeping."
My Pop used to say.
I used to think he was nuts.
All I could hear
Was the old tree outside (and above)
My bedroom creaking, groaning,
And moaning like Marley's ghost
Thought it was coming for me
For sure.
But Pop loved the wild song of the wind
Loved the whispers of the places
It had been
The power in that invisible
Breeze
That could bend and even buckle
Mighty trees.
Even now,
When the wind is especially high,
I remember Pop
And his anticipation
Of being sung to sleep
By the song
Of the wind.
Awake
By C.K. Armistead
4/6/16
To wake up
To move, stretch,
Feel with your body
That your mind
Has come online again.
My body often resists,
Telling my brain
To shut up,
I need more time.
Perhaps, rather, it is
My mind
That seeks to stay
In the carefree realm
Of slumber,
Where no demands are made,
And no responses expected.
To be awake, aware of the world
Around us
Implies a responsibility
To interact with that world.
There are things We must do,
Responses we must make
If we are to function properly
In the world
Both for our own comfort,
And that of others.
If we seek to remain
Asleep,
We don't fulfill our side
Of the bargain with
Society
That allows us all to live
With at least some degree
Of peace.
We must, therefore,
Be awake and aware,
And do our share
Of the work
Of civilization.
So that the agents of
Chaos
Are not allowed
To destroy those
Who cannot defend
Themselves
Those who need their rest
And trust the rest of us
To watch over the safety
Of their sleep.
The Cyclical Nature Of Time
C.K. Armistead 4/7/16
Birth.
Life.
Death.
Waking,
Doing,
Sleeping.
Childhood,
Adulthood,
Old age.
We begin with little
But potential
Add knowledge
And experience
Every day.
End up full
Of emotions
And knowledge
But out of time
To share them
The trick is
To make the most
Of the middle
Life
Doing
Adulthood
The time to collect knowledge
And experiences,
But also to share them
So that old age
May be spent
Relishing them.
And all those
Who we met
Along the way.
Peaceful Place
By C. K. Armistead
4/8/ 16
There is an astonishing
Amount of peace
To be found in one's own
Garden.
Never mind the awful amount
Of work involved in establishing
And maintaining it
The blooms
And the birdsong
Bring such balm
As offsets all the toil.
A "Good" Tired
By C.K.Armistead
4/9/16
Achy,
But not sore.
Weary,
But capable of more.
Awake,
But not wired.
Satisfied -
It's a good tired.
Goals set
And accomplished
Challenges met
Feeling astonished
That the race is done,
Our tasks are complete
We have won
We rest replete.
Dark Is His Path
By C.K.Armistead
April 11, 2016
When the sky
Turns ugly
And the wind whispers
Of threats coming
I turn my eyes
To the horizon,
And see the storm
Approaching.
I remember then
A line from an old hymn
"And dark is his path
On the wings of the storm."
About God's nearness
Even in turbulent times.
Still
It seems he does have
A very rugged and dark
Path
To come to save us
Along the flanks
Of that boiling,
Dark,
Flashing,
Howling
Storm.
Hurry And Worry
C.K. Armistead 4/12/16
The phone rings incessantly.
On more than one line.
No sooner dealt with,
And it rings again.
Time I do not have,
For I am due
At the service desk
Where a line of customers wait.
All afternoon,
One question after another,
One smile after another.
Often they come with worry,
And because of information we have,
They leave with a smile.
There have been enough of those today
To make the hurry worthwhile.
Writing
C.K.Armistead 4/13/1
When staring at a blank page
It seems time drags like the last ice age
When ideas finally pop
You write so fast your hand will drop
Lifeless into your lap
Before you run out of creative sap.
If you try to force the muse
She will pout and flatly refuse
No words will flow, none will fit
What you produce will sound like, well, Sh*t.
When at last the muse agrees,
Writing will become a breeze
Images and words will show it
You are and always have been a poet.
I suppose these next lines count as a poem. I wrote them today in honor of a friend's birthday:
To my friend Ron:
I can't make collages or do video
Words are the only art I know
So from my heart I will say
I wish you a very happy
Birthday
Perhaps I should rather say
Greetings and felicitations on your natal day!
Is That Me?
By C.K. Armistead
4/14/16
Sometimes the mirror
Startles me.
Who is that lady?
The one with grey hair
But a cute haircut,
And who is in better shape
Than I thought I was.
Is that me?
Really?
Because I feel
Clumsy and big
Even though I am
But little.
I feel like the awkward teen
Who wrote angst filled verse
And dreamed of making
A splash in the world
But was afraid
Of her own words.
Who is that confident
Woman
Looking back at me?
For The Birds
C.K.Armistead
4/14/16
Dear Starling in the pecan tree
Bleeping and clicking like
An electronic device at me
Please be so kind as to take a hike.
Your incessant noise is most unpleasant
And the St. Francis statue below you
Doesn't look good wearing your excrement
Kindly find another loo!
Dear Blue Jay creaking on the fence
I know you only want a bath, you see
Please know that I won't take offense
If you make use of our birdbath facility.
I only ask that you take care
And don't fling the water everywhere
I'm not sitting that far away,
And I must look presentable at work today.
Dear Mocking bird scolding the squirrel
Please realize that he doesn't care.
You can scold and dive and whirl
And he'll just stop and blankly stare.
Please take your loud shenanigans
Away, I fiercely plead
For I have to begin all over again
This page I've been trying to read.
Dear Robin singing from on high
You alone are welcome here
Your song so lovely makes me sigh
It is a pleasure to my ear
If those others would so pardon
Us, and be on their merry way
Joining the pigeon squadron
Off to find the next full feeder of the day.
Dear Sparrows flitting everywhere,
You may stay as well, I guess.
Your merry play without care
Eases much of my stress.
Though most of you can be a pain,
The yard would be lonely without you
So please, come back and visit again
But don't use St. Francis for a loo!
Come With Me!
C.K.Armistead
4/15/16
Come with me!
Look!
See?
It's all here in a
Book.
Adventures galore
Trips to a faraway shore
Rich and satisfying lore
Will leave you begging for more
Just one more
Story.
Please?
I'll go right to sleep,
I promise,
Just one more story
Too help me keep
My dreams alive tonight?
Please?
Listen...
Once upon a time
In a kingdom bright
A little dragon
Wouldn't say goodnight
He began to weep...
Because he didn't
Want to go
To sleep.
Sleep, little dragon
Don't you know?
All of us will watch
Over you
And wait for tomorrow
To hear your stories anew.
Away with sorrow,
Away with fear,
Sleep, little dragon,
You have friends here.
Symmetry
By C.K.Armistead
4/17/16
Symmetry is supposed to be
Attractive to the human mind
But it is evident to me
That my face is not
The symmetrical kind
My left eye is at a tiny bit
Of an angle
My dimples seem to sit
In something of a tangle.
It makes my smile quirk
With a twinkling sort of grace
And so it seems to work
For my particular face.
Spring Rain
By C.K. Armistead
4/18/16
And the rain came
And the waters rose
I feared for the safety
Of the new plants
Those not yet anchored
In the newly placed soil.
But they seem fine
Growing and prospering
In spite of the rain.
Perhaps because of it.
Just as we dread the dreary
Stormy times
Fearing for the safety
Of our tenuous connection
To this life
Yet they seem to bring
Deep nourishment
To our souls
Helping us flourish
In the end.
Remembrance
C.K.Armistead
4/20/16
Every year
April 19th brings
The sounds, the sights,
The feelings
Back.
The shock
The hurt
The tears.
Even now, sometimes
I see the ruin
Of that building
In my mind
And I remember
Families torn apart,
Our community's heart broken.
The day brings back
So much sadness
Those injured,
Those lost
Especially the children
Who never had a
Chance to grow up.
It also brought gifts
The gift of love
In the face of hatred
The gift of courage
In the face of terror,
The gift of healing
In the midst of broken hearts.
That day showed us all
Both how awful humans can be
And also how marvelous,
How loving and sacrificing
Humans can be.
That day taught me
That I, too, was now
An Oklahoman.
(In honor of the 21st anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown OKC.)
A Very Special Gift
By C.K.Armistead
4/20/16
Perhaps the best gift
To come all unexpected from
That sorrowful April day
Is the musical gift
We have found
Since becoming a part
Of the choir.
In truth and in symbol
The harmonies
We partake in
Are a gift of fellowship
And worship
A wonderful unity
Found in that blend
Our individual voices
Into one.
Every week since
That awful day
We have been safe
In the midst of that
Harmony
In the midst of our family
Of faith.
Which if not for tragedy
We might never
Have truly found.
Music is both worship
And prayer
Giving blessing
To both listeners
And singers.
A beautiful expression
Of our love for God
And one another.
2016
By C.K. Armistead
4/22/16
I sit and stare at the screen
Sadness everywhere, it would seem.
So much loss, I want to scream
I truly wonder what it all means.
Once upon a time, Don McLean
Sang about the Day the Music Died
This year, to me, it seems,
Is the YEAR the artists died.
So many sad losses, one after another,
And on a personal note, we lost my mother.
Is there a plot out there to smother
Creativity? Big Brother?
We will survive this year, I hope
Without losing anyone else so dear,
I don't know if I could cope
And despair is what I fear.
The Payoff
By C.K.Armistead
4/23/16
Now all the hard work
Of mowing and weeding
Is done.
We can relax
And maybe have
A little fun.
Sitting with a drink in hand
Surveying the beauty
Our efforts command.
Beware
By C.K.Armistead
4/25/16
The clouds are massing
To the Southwest
The teams are out tracking
The weather's brewing a mess.
Let us pray with all our might
That the Tornado monsters
Pass us by tonight.
With the ice balls they fling
And their terrible teeth
They destroy everything
That falls beneath.
This is one little town
That's had more than it's share
Of toothy tornadoes
And ice-ball filled air.
We've seen this misery all before
So tornadoes, just take yourselves
Right away from Moore.
Muses
By C.K.Armistead
4/25/16
Whimsical and inconsistent,
Oh, wordy spirits,
Hear my complaint!
You lead me on
Keep me awake all night,
Only to vanish
When I need you,
When I have time to write.
All night I hear poems,
Or clever dialog,
Interesting plot diversions,
But by morning, they are gone.
Trying to write them down at night
Is worse than trying to catch a sprite.
Whenever paper, pencil or screen are close by
Those beautiful words and images fly.
And will not return until once more
I lie trying to sleep and listening
To my husband snore.
Calm Restored
By C.K. Armistead
4/26/16
The noisy meteorological show
Has finished it's bluster,
Gone somewhere else to rumble and blow.
And I have my tidy world again
Where all is well and safe
Where nothing can harm
Or scare me
My happy place.
For you are here,
Your arms enfold me
There is no fear
When you hold me.
Happy Birthday, Mom
By C.K.Armistead
4/27/16
You aren't here anymore
Where I can send you things
Or call you up and say
I hope your day was wonderful
And I love you.
So,
Happy Birthday, Mom,
I miss you.
I survived another round of
Bad weather last night
Matt's doing well,
He sends his love.
I got to spend time with
Amy and her little girl
The last time I was
Back in California.
They are both well,
And Amy's husband
Is a good man.
I went out there
To say goodbye to you
And to see where you and Pop
Are remembered formally
Upon this earth.
The place looks nice, all the trees
Are bigger, LOTS bigger than when
We said goodbye to Pop.
Not so easy to see downtown
From there anymore.
But the wind whispers stories
Through those trees,
And I bet Pop would love the place.
Mostly,
You are both remembered and loved
In our hearts,
All four of us,
and anyone else who ever knew you.
I miss you both,
And I hope you are together,
Because someday,
I want to see you both again.
And I hope you'll be proud of me
Of all I am,
Of all I have done,
Even though it isn't for wealth or fame,
I have made lives better.
I DO make lives better,
One little bit at a time,
Every day,
Every time I go to work.
Sometimes in a very quiet way,
A lot like you did.
I learned a lot about
How to be kind
From you.
I really miss you, Mommy-Mo.
Sleep
By C.K. Armistead
4/28/16
Thou elusive sprite,
I'll catch thee yet!
My eyes shut tight,
The bedclothes my net.
Even though you do scorn
My company,
Long afore morn,
Mine ye shall be!
Leave off the aches that plague
Leave off the sniffling nose
I must fatigue assuage,
Before sanity goes.
Quiet, thou clacking brain,
And peace, ye racing thoughts,
Let peaceful calm remain
And let sweet sleep be caught.
Escape
By C. K. Armistead
4/29/16
When reality is just a bit too much
I find a better place to look
For comfort, distraction, and such
I simply sit and read a book.
Doesn't have to be the paper kind,
Even though those are very nice
If it's electronic, I don't mind,
As long as there's power for the device.
Sometimes, I find myself dreaming
And making up my own tales
Instead of just reading,
Against harsh reality, writing prevails.
I crawl into my cozy world
And visit with old friends
Until my ennui is cured
And I can face life once again.
Seeking Sanctuary
(A poem based on Beauty and the Beast 1987)
By C.K. Armistead
4/26/16, edited 4/29/16
Catherine's thoughts one stormy night:
How I wish I could go Below tonight.
The wind is high,
The clouds are ripe,
There's going to be
A storm up here.
I wish I could be
Where candle flame
Glows cheerily
And everyone knows my name.
I wish I could go there
To my safest place where
I'll come to no harm
When I see his face
And rest in the safety
Of his arms.
Old Friends
By C.K.Armistead
4/30/16
I stumbled across an old friend today
An old TV show I used to love
When I was very young
And full of dreams.
This show, I should say,
Is not something girls are "supposed"
To have liked
In that era, when I was young.
It involved rockets and space ships
And rescues
And I am sure far more boys watched it.
But I adored it.
Never did I feel I could not
Be one of the daring crew
That went out and saved
People in need.
Not that I WANTED to,
But I felt I could have.
I just adored the machines
And the things they could do.
These old friends reminded me
Of a couple of other
Favorites.
One that I never let go of
And another I had almost forgotten.
One was a giant robot
Controlled by a young boy
The other was the crew of a Starship
Whose adventures I've followed
Forever after.
Because they made me dream
Gave me hope
Made me wonder how
We could get to a world
That much better than this one.
Yep. I was a geeky fangirl
LONG before it was cool.
