photo by Lynne Collier
Sometimes affection
Most times not
Once in a while, a purr
Knows how to cause trouble with
Express runs across furniture but
Yes, we love you anyway
An acrostic poem is written from a vertical word about a specific topic, as I did in “S.M.O.K.E.Y.”
Each letter in the topic word is the first letter of a line of poetry.
Each line is part of the poem. Here, the subject is my cat, Smokey — my writing supervisor!
~ Lynne
Haiku from the gardens at White Rose Shire
I learned this today
if it quacks like a duck it may
just be a Wood Frog
I was intrigued by a new sound coming from the pond. It wasn’t the usual chorus of mating Peeper frogs ensuring the survival of their species. That was always a welcome sound in late March at the shire because it meant spring was surely arriving soon.
This was a more robust sound, like many ducks debating in the House of Commons. Loud opinions and louder rebuttals in a constant vie to be heard.
After searching Google for an hour or so, I found the name of our very vocal lodgers. Who would have thought a frog could quack like a duck?
Listen to the Wood Frog call and learn about their mating habits.
~ Lynne
I’m excited to share this with you!
Hello. I was busy in the fall, collecting my poems about our home at White Rose Shire. So I’m happy to announce its release on Amazon.
This is a project especially dear to my heart. My granddaughter, Kara, is an artist. She drew some beautiful pictures to add delight to the little poetry book. Some poems have already been featured on my Medium platform, and I’ve added a link at the bottom if you’d like to read more.
The book is available in print and ebook from Amazon, and you can read it for free if you’re a member of Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program.
Kara and I will love to hear from you if you read it!
Til next time, know you are loved by the One who created you in His image.
~ Lynne
If you enjoyed reading this, you can read more of my poems here:https://medium.com/@lynnecollier/list/poetry-eb7054f51423
And, if you enjoy writing poetry yourself, you can become a Medium writer by following this link:https://lynnecollier.medium.com/membership
What God Wants
What if all that God requires of me
is the simplest thing
as I wake in the morning
before I do any other thing
before I make any other decision
about what to eat
or what to wear
before I speak
or comb my hair
before I sit at my desk
what if I simply ask
“What do You have for me today?”
and listen to what He has to say?
…
Just one simple thing
What if it’s that simple? I mean, really that simple? Have we been overcomplicating this trust in God thing? Have we wasted so much time reading the perfect study books and taking the perfect writing courses? Maybe attending the perfect workshops or listening to the ones we think have the perfect biblical answers?
“It’s acceptable. It’s been normalized. It’s expected. But that doesn’t make it right.”
Kimberley Payne
Kimberley Payne speaks on busyness in “Meeting Faith: 100 Devotions for Women on Family, Fitness, and Faith.”
I was busy doing all those things and getting nowhere until I remembered God had the answers to all my questions. He knew me better and more intimately than anyone I thought knew what was best for me. He knew my struggles and how I could overcome the fogginess in my mind and aching in my heart. And who knows social media marketing algorithms better?
I wanted to serve Him, but I’d forgotten to ask what He wanted me to do!
His burden is light
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:29–30 (NIV)
Now I make sure I choose to ask God every morning before I do anything else. I thank Him for the new day and the opportunity to serve Him as His daughter. I wait for Him to speak to me and ask what He also wants me to learn that day. Then I chose one devotional book and followed the writer’s prompts to read further in Scripture.
I usually get a prompt to think about something throughout the day. Sometimes I get an idea for a short memoir or a few lines for a poem! Sometimes I’m led to have a conversation with a friend or maybe pray for someone that suddenly comes to mind out of the blue.
All other things stand firm in their rightful position for the day if that one foundation is laid first. Even if I’m not prompted to do anything in particular, I know I’m still in His will because I did the simplest thing first — I asked.
So, as I go about my day, I occasionally pause and listen, content to wait for His answer.
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Matthew 6:33–34 (NIV)
…
‘Til next time–I hope you take time to listen to God as He speaks to you in the quiet moments (or seconds) of your day.
(this post was originally published in Medium)
~Lynne
(originally published on Medium)
Old Pipes
Resounding percussion
from a hollow in the wall.
Faint rhythmic echoes
down the hall.
I can’t quite make out the lyrical throng
or I would happily sing along.
—
As we age, our hearing may slowly diminish. This has been a opic of several discussions between the older members of my family. So, when I asked my son what music he’d been playing down the hall and he replied he hadn’t, I wrote this poem.
We poets will find inspiration in the strangest places!
May you find your inspiration today.
Lynne
Lynne Collier 