Sober Reminder

Memories tug at her frayed heartstrings
As she looks at the various things
Stored in the attic since last Christmas.
Santa's first ornament for her son, Nicholas.
Faded tinsel from previous years,
Hangs to the ornament that brings her to tears.
One paper snowflake made years ago
Now more important than presents tied with a bow.
Uneven letters displaying her only child's name.
Christmas will never be the same.
She caress the words "Mommy" with a shaky finger
As past Christmas memories linger,
Of her  freckled faced boy
Who brought her so much joy.
A son who will never grow old.
Her story has often been told;
Where Mothers sit and cry
Passionately asking why
People drink and drive.

Christmas Eve Memories of Mom

Christmas Eve blurs my tears

Special memories of you

Always at  the back of my mind.

They rise up this Christmas Eve day,

Some wonderful and filled with joy.

But one year taints the others.

The year you left us for your heavenly home

I wish you had not left  so quickly

But alas death is indeed cruel.

I knew your pain was getting harder to bear

And you were more than ready for your final trip home.

Still haunting emotions gathered

As you slipped past heaven's door

Surrounded by God's feathered angels.

We pictured you listening to them sing

"Silent night", as you arrived that Christmas Eve.

Still we have missed you every Christmas since

 But It helps to know someday we will join you,

And together we will listen

To the heavenly choir sing "Silent Night".

(written in memory of my Mom, Nita Snowdon who passed away Dec24th, l996)

Relief

Relief

Spiralled lighting streaks across the sky

The promise of a cloud burst tantalizingly sighs.

Thunder’s crackles intensifies in tone.

The dry ground distinctly groans,

Parched and cracked it waits

Impatiently for the gift of rain.

Lying motionless like encrusted slate

The soil screams for a consecrated reprieve

But this day it will not receive

Relief from the days of scorching heat.

Flowering

Flowering
A single lavender flower spreads
Downy vines like feathery wings thread;
Tightly around the old fallen tree,
Flourishing  blissfully for all to see.
Lavender wisps of blossoming fragrance,
Groundlessly imbedded there by chance
In that forlorn and dying oak.
Stirring  the hearts of ordinary folks,
The blossoms perform their flowery show
Happily reclaiming life out of rot.

Climbing Mt Carlton

                                                                        View from Mt. Carlton, N.B.

Climbing Mt Carlton

We start out with our backpacks

Fastened tightly, straps secured.

We ease our way gradually

Up the steep and winding trail.

Our voices a whisper on the morning wind

Hushed by the beauty and the exertion.

Across the lonely untamed sky

Divine and dark the mountain looms.

Proud and beautiful

She dares us to approach.

Our feet slide and slip across the loose rocks.

Gripping my hand you pull me close.

We have been on a complicated path

These past few months.

We take a breather half way up

Content and transformed . 

In the  mountain’s purple hue

Our hearts entwine,  

We arrive at a fresh altitude

Unfamiliar and new.

One Lone Goose

One Lone Goose
Two chickadees are feeding
On suet I have hung.
The only birds remaining now
Except for the usual few.
That hang around throughout the year.
And one lone goose,
Who for some strange reason
Has not left, this season.
Perhaps I shouldn’t feed him:
I’ve encouraged him to stay.
Still sneaking little bags of bread
To the pond, once a day.
Sentimental old fool that I am
I couldn’t really stand
To find that silly old goose
Starved and frozen on the pond,
Waiting for his mate.
She disappeared a few weeks ago,
Just before the snow.
Perhaps he is just too tired and old
To fly south once more.
Or maybe life here seems easier alone
Then to fly solo.

Longing For Spring

Longing For Spring
Softly she strokes my budding garb
Spring’s breath scented and sweet.
Summer exhales hot and sharp
Tousling my attire oh so discreet.
Fall splashes color throughout my finery
Before she yanks my clothes quickly away.
Winter coats me in piercing misery,
My naked icy limbs bend and sway.
My sap chills and stings
And  my frozen heart longs for spring.

Celestial Contacts

Celestial Contacts

The moon shimmers and treads
In a display of golden threads
While the wisp of an angel slides
Softly through its luminous light.
So silver and white
She delicately glides
Through evening’s twilight.
With slow regal grace
She enters the world
Wings iridescent and pearled.
She turns on a majestic face,
Casting a glorious glow
On those below.
They love her mystery
And reverence her,
With total allure.
She floats silently by
Filling their dreams
With sweet lullabies,
Before she slips away.

Mittens

(In rememberance of my mother who knit mittens and other items for all her family and friends.)

 

Mittens

My mother’s fingers flew as she knit,

Contentment, wrapped up in each new mitt.

She used  colorful scraps of yarn for each new row

Each one resembled a translucent rainbow.

We could always find a vibrant pair
Our small hands were never bare.

She knitted love into those multi-coloured mittens.

Each loop of the yarn contained a prayer unwritten.
Sealed with her love for her children's protection.

by Dee Edgett/2010

Winning poems

These poems won the poem of the day on Lulu poem site..$25. each.


November 6th winner..

Crows 

A pair of old crows rebuking

With pitiful glances tolerating

No one

Seeking instead to wreak havoc

On other birds’ nests

Of life knowing nothing

Seeking only the reflective shimmer

Of gold.

November 4th winner

Family Pictures

Old photographs spill
Images long faded,
Tattered and still.
Lovers dance serenaded.
Soaked in radiance they stream,
Hand in hand, garments flapping
Caught up in an enchanted lover’s dream.
Guests watching and clapping,
A tenderly touching romance
Documented in that first wedding dance.

New family pictures display,
Two strangers stiffly holding
Children posing at play.
Laughter and love rapidly folding
Their eyes slightly faded.
Past love a long forgotten illusion
Life now tragically jaded.
False smiles like a cushion,
Desperately cover up the fact
Their marriage is presently an act.

More photos artfully in order
Hiding two families hurting,
Smiles frayed at the border.
Divorce leaving lives stinging
Children totally shattered.
Families detached and neglected
Lives irretrievable tattered,
Bitterness mirrored and reflected.
Love never had a chance,
As past lovers circle in resentment’s long dance.

Ordinary Day

Ordinary Day

We unceremoniously chatted like we did once a week

Dissecting our lives over cups of freshly brewed tea.

Our minds held back secrets our lips could not speak

I wanted to reach out and call you, Sweat Pea.

The nickname from childhood I fondly recalled.

I knew the reason your eyes seems so weary

But my words remained stalled,

Enclosed in a voice so emotional and teary.

I wanted to assure you everything would be ok

But what do you say when cancer is the secret not shared.

So I pretended it was just another ordinary day.

You smiled and patted my hand over our now tepid brew

The charade  I held tightly started to fray

And I knew you were pretending too.

Home

Home

Broken barn doors swing.

Pigeons fleetingly take wing

Scarecrows long torn to shreds

Boards falling from lopsided sheds

Window panes cracked and shattered.

Back porch peeling and tattered

Pastures over grown, nature reclaimed

Nothing but old memories remain

Of the place I was born.

Rundown and looking forlorn

I remember the olden days

Happy fun loving  children at play

Running the trails

Milk splashing from pails

Hay bales left uncurled

In that trouble-free world.

Gone are the days when we were young

And a bright barn door proudly swung.

Standing there in our father’s boots

Our fertile dreams took root.

Hanging by that open door

We were sure there was much more

Than this simple life.

We didn’t realize the gift

And the old world charm

Of life on the family farm.

Launching Pad

For my wonderful cousin Peggy, who also knows where adventures come from.

Launching  Pad 

She bought her clothes at the discount chain,

No sugar Daddy, no gravy train.

A simple girl of ordinary means

She often ate wieners without any beans.

She imagined better and in her dreams

She ate elegant chocolates, only the creams.

She drank bubbly, expensive champagne

Soaring the world in her private plane.

She knew imagination was totally free

So late at night she would smile with glee

Picking piles of bills from the money tree.

She went on adventures wearing only her robe

With zebras and elephants she traveled the globe.

If anyone would ask her and discreetly probe

How she could afford the adventures she had

She would show them the library that was her launching pad.

Words Hurt

Simple Words

Simple, razor sharp words spoken

Spirits irretrievably broken

Words sung like a verse

Akin to a curse

“I really hate you``

Spoken, not true.

Hideous expression spun into air

Lingering permanently there.

Words seemingly benign

Whirl incessantly through your mind

Like a gaping black hole

Callously nibbling your soul.

Copyright © 2010 Dee Edgett

Love Blooms

Love Blooms

Frayed feathers of light

Heavenly scented night

Reflections framed by the moon

Of  lilac’s sweet bloom.

Seductive surrender,

Brushed love so tender

Lovers posed for dreaming

Sensuality streaming,

Love’s pleasures so old

Rhythmic melodies unfold.

Sweet winds of evening

Swirled wonder now weaving

Hearts forever captured

Lovers enraptured

While two spirits commune

Encouraged by the moon.

Copyright © 2010 Dee Edgett

Thats Life

I had this published in Women's World..1987..Thats Life Section..strange thing is I could write the same article today about shoes, shirts, medals. 

Attack of the Running Shoes

They trip me on the staris, fall on my head when I open the closet and lurk in cartons filling the basement. They make their way into every corner of my house, show up in suitcases and hide beneath beds and chairs.
They are running shoes, a plague upon my house.  My husband has running shoes of every brand ever manufactured on this planet and few..that were not.  Some he uses for road races, others are for track and resoled shoes are for training.  Then there are the brand-new shoes guraranted to take though his latest passion,triathalons. Each pair is preserved forever. 
A few tmes a year, I try to rid myself of these shoes.
"Maybe you can throw out this pair with the holes in the toes," I timidly suggest.
"The soles are still good," he counters defensively.
"They should be that's the fourth set you've put on them. Even the guy at the store told you to throw them out and get a new pair.  You did get a new pair didn't you?"
"Yes," he replies. "He said I should retire them shoes, not toss them."
My youngest son started running when he was 8.  He is now 13, and he's accumulated a larger collection of shoes than his dad. 
A few months ago my son won a pair of running shoes for coming in first in his division of a 10-kilometer race.  The shoes were of high quality. They were two sizes too big.
"These will never fit you," I said, without taking anything away from his win. "Why don't we exchange them at the store for your size?"
"But it wouldn't be the same," he protested.
For months, they sat in the box on his dresser, sometimes being brought out for one of his buddies to admire.  He was prouder of the shoes than of the large trophy that accompanied them.
One day, I decided the shoes might do for my aeorobics workout.  I felt guilty but told myself my son would not mind if we kept them in the family.
The shoes gave me a giant blister on my big toe.  I am convinced they were paying me back for the resentment I had felt toward them as they sat gathering dust.
Not long afterward, my son amazed me by trading the cherished shoes for a complete set of 1986 baseball cards in mint condition.  He figured the cards would double in value over the next few years.  Then he would sell them and outfit himself with shoes for college track. He isn't even out of junior high school.
So I have given up.  There's no way I'll get rid of the decrepit running footwear that surrounds me.  All I can do is fantasize.
When it's spring cleaning season I might erect a huge sign on my front lawn reading...FREE RUNNING SHOES. PLEASE TAKE THEM HOME.
But I know that only other running fanatics would be interested in the offer.  They would resent the offer and band together to blacklist my family for attempting to divest itself of noble footwear.
So I guess I'll have to live out my life surrounded by runners and their shoes.  And by closets and a house that smell sort of..funny..most of the time.

The Moon

The Moon
The moon is bright and bold
As it welcomes weary travelers home.
It sways the tides of dreamers
Lost in night time slumbers.
The moon ignites the hearts of lovers
As they gaze upon it with wonder.
Some may wish upon a star at night
But I am filled with profound delight
To wish upon the moon!

Copyright © 2010  by Dee Edgett

My Mother's Last Summer

My mother loved her humming birds, they were a special joy to her in the summer.  The winter of 1996 before her final summer she ended up in hospital from January until April. She fought her way back to, learning to re walk and move so she could come home.  She had that summer home and ended up back in the hospital in the fall and finally was called to her heavenly home on Christmas Eve 1996.  I wrote this poem in honor of her last summer.



My Mother's Last Summer

It was the summer of her final year

Little did we realize that it would be her last one here.

She fought so hard to return home that summer

So she could hold close and remember

The sights and sounds that brought her pleasure

Her family, her pets, she did treasure.

She  enjoyed the humming birds fluttering

With vibrant rhythmic wing.

Like a dream catcher that summer she weaved contentment,

Out of the glorious gifts God willingly sent

Before he brought her truly home!

Copyright © 2010  by Dee Edgett

The Darker Side

I love inspiring thoughts but eveyone knows life has its darker side and this poem is another that came free flowing so I figure it was a gift from God. Maybe it makes you think..not sure but since it came so freely I decided to post it.

The Man I Hated

His obituary was short

So little to report

Listings of family and friends

The usual things they say at the end

Of an ordinary man’s life

Like the name of his wife

All prattle and drivel.

 I read nothing about the evil

That consumed and tainted 

The man I knew and hated.

They never mentioned the crime

That connected his life with mine.

His death will never wipe away

The things that he did to me on that day

When I was still a child  

And he was a man.

Copyright © 2010  by Dee Edgett

Waiting for Summer

Waiting for Summer

Summer is old and wrinkled

Fall nips piercingly at the edges.

The hummingbirds have all departed

To sip sweet nectar elsewhere.

Too soon winter will emerge

With bone drenching cold.

My porch swing sits abandoned

 Now waiting for summer’s sweet return.

Copyright © 2010  by Dee Edgett

Time

Time

I heard your voice the other night
Like soft pillow talk it fell.
From my anxious dreams
It quietly cascaded
Like a sorrowing embrace
Stirring a distant memory
Of the youth I remembered.
Time like an illusion
Sneaks quietly away
Never to come again
While the moon gently weeps.
Dee Edgett

Copyright © 2010  by Dee Edgett

God's Gifts

God’s Gifts

At early dawn I stand alone

As birds take wing

I hear them sing

In glorious, lucid tone.

With voices sweet and pure

They honour God once more.

As with heavenly breath they take wing

Magnificently they soar and sing

Celebrating the wondrous gift,

That helps them easily lift

In dazzling flight and  song.

Copyright © 2010  by Dee Edgett

 

People Who Have Inspired Me

                                            Mount Katahdin Warriors
Picture taken at the top of Mount Katahdin in 2008.
Standing left to right..Wayne Mattice, Terry Edgett, Dave Wallace
Sitting left to right ..Bill Trewin, Brian Lowe

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

There are many people in our lives who follow their heart’s path and by doing so, inspire us.  These people inspire us because they are such great examples of courage and the ability to overcome many of the obstacles life has given them. The group in the picture climbed  Mt Katahdin the summer of 2008. One was my husband and yes he inspires me, however the real story is about two of the hikers who accompanied him. One of the hikers, Bill Trewin  has Parkinson’s and the other hiker, Dave Wallace has MS.  Mt.Katahdin is not easy for the average person to hike, so imagine doing this with the extra physical challenges that MS or Parkinsons brings with it. There are many large boulders that need to be walked around or over on this mountain climb. It is not an easy hike. It took the group over 12 hours to complete. They finished in the dark but they did indeed finish! 

I was truly inspired after hearing their story and seeing the pictures. After I found my way back to a healthier body {look at my journey back section for my story} I  came up with this idea that I might want to try and walk  10km with my Nordic Poles. I had managed to walk a few 5kms but I must say for me they were a real challenge.  When I decided to walk the 10 km there were many days when I did 6 or 7 and thought there is no way I am going to walk 10km but then I would think of Bill and Dave and think, I can at least try.  So in October  2009 I lined up with the rest of the walkers and runners for the Legs for Literacy Race in Moncton.  I picked this race to do because being a writer, I really believe in Literacy. It was not easy but it was easier then my mind had made it seem at times.  I had the great priviledge of walking with one of  the people who inspired me, Bill.  Or should I say he was kind enough to walk with me.  Bill can easily walk a 10km and has done many half marathons with his Nordic Poles. Bill and another Nordic Walker, Linda Fullerton kept me entertained and I didn’t even notice the pain until we were finished. 
Who inspires you?  Look around because there are probably plenty of wonderful inspiring people standing right next to you. 

My Journey Back

Terry and I walking the Disney World 5km Fun Run in  January , 2010.  Terry also ran the Goofy.

This was written for the arthritis society newsletter

I have fibromyalgia and arthritis.  I was losing my mobility and gaining weight.  I was taking medications but I just seemed to be getting worse.  My husband, Terry suggested we join the new YMCA and I should try the Arthritis Aquability classes given in the therapy pool specially designed for people with mobility problems. 

He thought the classes would help me.  I had my doubts and the last thing I wanted was to be seen in a bathing suit.  My mobility had gotten to the point that I needed a cane to get around and we had to use the elevator to view the upstairs when we took the Y tour.  We joined the first week the new Y opened and I was able to sign up for the Acquability classes.  I remember just getting from the change room to the pool was a major challenge because of my limited mobility. 

I noticed a difference the very first week in my mobility.  After the classes, I was able to put on my own socks and shoes which was a big accomplishment!  Within weeks, I felt like doing a little more after classes.  I also started going to the therapy pool even on the days there were no classes and doing my own workout.  I also added a bit of lane swimming and joined the Water in Motion half-hour classes in the main pool.  I found, even on my aching days, if I could just get to the therapy pool I felt much better. 

Bonnie, the aqua fitness director and instructor, noticed my improvement and felt that the extra workouts were working for me.  The first year I lost some weight and soon I didn't need to use my cane anymore.  The second year, Bonnie suggested that I was ready to join the regular aqua-fitness classes and didn't need the Arthritis classes anymore. I was nervous about attempting this so Terry joined me.  He found the aqua-fitness helped his legs recover after his running. 

At this point, I was able to do aqua-fitness on a regular basis and on my bad days I would do my own workout in the therapy pool.  My mobility had improved, my weight was slowly dropping, and I was able to reduce and then eliminate most of my medications.  In late 2008 I did my first 5km walk using Nordic Poles for extra support.  It was my first 5km walk in ten years.  I am not a fast walker but now I can walk!  Now I am doing Nordic Walking regularly.  Nordic walking is now also available at the Y and they have a nice trail to walk on. 

My weight has come down and I am five sizes smaller in my clothes.  I think the most important part of my journey was commitment, consistency, and making my workouts my number one priority.  I usually get to the Y five days a week.  My improvements didn't happen overnight.  I had to look at it as long term investment in my personal health and fitness.  There were a few bumps in the road with a few issues that stopped my workouts for a few weeks, but because I knew how good the pool made me feel, it didn't take me long to get back to the Y when I was feeling better.

I didn't attempt any strict diets; I only watched my calories and cut out most junk food.  The advice and encouragement from Bonnie and her staff has been a big help.  I have also had lots of fun and have made many friends in the classes.  Everyone has been very encouraging. Even total strangers have stopped to tell me they have noticed how good I am doing.  The Y has definitely changed my life for the better.

 In 2009, with the encourgment of my friends Bill Trewin and Linda Fullerton who walked with me I finished  my first 10km walk in a time of 2 hours 11 minutes.  I had been aiming to do it in 2 hours 30 minutes so was pleased with my time.  My aches and pains have not completely disappeared and I still have flare-ups but exercise helps. When I am aching really bad I still try to make it to the therapy pool because I always end up feeling better.  My main health goal is to keep moving and stay healthy.

When God Whispers Your Name

Picture taken of flower in Jamaica by me


When God Wispers Your Name

May you always detect the gentle hush
And feel the tender brush
Of God's hand upon your life.
May you always know God cares for you
And he will see you through
All the difficult times in your life.

As you pause and truly listen
To the voice you might be missing
You will find your life will never be the same
When you hear God
Gently whispering your name!
 

God's Joy
May God's unlimited joy bubble up inside you,
And take you through each day.
May joy be in your footsteps
As you proceed upon your way.
May joy fill your heart, your soul, your being.
Let God's joy be never ending.
And pass some on today!

Copyright © 1998  by Dee Edgett

Copyright © 1996  by Dee Edgett

Walking Away

Picture of my Great, Great Nephew, Ashton walking down a path away from his Mom
Picture taken by his Mom, Jillian.

WALKING AWAY

They are given to us from God above,

To hold and cuddle with unconditional love.

God trusts us to teach and touch their hearts.

And he knows it will tear us apart,

When they start down that path away from us

But letting them go is a must. 

This is the hardest job God will ask us to do

But we have to remember God loves them too.

Their lives have always been in the palm of his hand

And for every child he has an earthly plan.

So let them go into the world with love,

For their paths are being guided by their Father above. 

Copyright © 2010  by Dee Edgett

Animation

I have made many animations over the past few years and use them as cards or add them to my emails. Some I made for my family and friends. Here are some of my favorite animations made from my computer drawn artwork...

May you hear your angel's voice in the winds
Telling you that all is as it should be.
And all the strength and wisdom you need
Is just a whispered prayer away.

by
~Dee Edgett