The Rhymes and Rhythms of My Life

Most of my poems are happy ones. I have always written to express my emotions or moods. The Reason For The Season was written, of course, to show the real reason we celebrate Christmas. Some think Home Again is sad. I wrote it after a visit with my brother to our old home place. I think we felt nostalgia rather than sadness. Our Matt was written mostly for his mother to express my feelings for this young man, who even in junior high showed a real compassion and friendliness for his young classmate who was confined to a wheelchair. I wrote In Passing after death of my first husband when I passed by the farm where we had lived. Snapshot was written after a similar experience. Tribute to Sandburg was written after a trip to Conemara. It put me in a contemplative mood because even though Sandburg had long been one of my favorites, I had known very little about his private life or family. I wrote A Poem Upon Demand in a playful mood when I could not think of one to fulfill as assignment at our writers club. I Saw You Last Night I wrote one morning after a dream. The Class Reunion was written for our Alumni Banquet. It has been a favorite of several of my classmates and of Bill Robinson, my favorite country editor. A Perfect Snow Day I wrote for my garden club after a big snow. I have enjoyed writing and sharing my poems with friends although I kept my poetry private for many years until my friend, Judy Goodspeed, encouraged me to attend writers club with her in 2002. Prior to this I attended two workshops at St. Simonds Island, Georgia, one in Lawton, Oklahoma, one in Abilene, Texas and several at East Central University at Ada, Oklahoma. Although my instructors were encouraging and some even suggested I should try to have some of them published, because I was so busy at other things, I just never did. It could also have been lack of courage. I hope those who choose to read my poems enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed writing them.