Author Archives: Debbie

Singing with Abandon

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A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song. ~Chinese proverb

I
Looked out
My window
And saw these two
Curious finches
Perched in a dogwood tree,
Glancing into the distance.
I couldn’t help wondering what
Their tiny, beady eyes were seeing
As they peered into space … and perhaps time.

Flitting from branch to branch, the two finches
Kept up a constant chattering sound,
Filling the air outside with a
Delightful round of music.
Would that people, too, felt
Free to sing their songs
Shamelessly and
Fearlessly,
Without
Qualm.

Note: Poetry form is Double Etheree. You can find out more about this form here.

Lesson Learned

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A house was not a home without animals. ~Abby Geni, The Wildlands, 2018

My neighbor got a flock of ducks;
Six, to be exact.
Two were white and four, brown.
I confess, I was gobsmacked.

Every day as the clock chimed three,
The ducks emerged outside.
Where they lived the rest of the time
I never learned (though I tried).

They picked and scratched at stuff on the ground;
They stretched their necks and wings.
Where was their water, I often wondered;
How did they know these things?

One day they ventured into my front yard,
And Monkey had a fit.
They couldn’t know he’s a herding dog,
Bred to chase a bit.

But Monk could only watch them strut —
His back yard is entirely fenced.
And one day, to my complete surprise,
A truck pulled up and commenced…

To load the pretty ducks all up
And carry them away.
Sold, or given, to a nearby farm
Where they’ll have room to play.

The truth is, my neighbor confessed,
Ducks make a lot of poop.
And having to clean his yard every day
Was worse than banishing the group!

Note: The best I can tell, this poetry form is in common meter — alternating iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter.

Gotcha Day #2

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Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart. ~Author unknown

You’ve been here for two years now,
My mischievous little pup.
And surely in all those weeks and months,
You’ve had opportunity to grow up.

What did mama tell you
About stealing papers you can reach,
And promptly tearing them to tiny bits
While waiting for her to screech?

Not All Change is Good

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When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills. ~Chinese proverb

Perhaps change is the only constant in our world, but at the risk of appearing old, I’ve got to admit: I really miss retail shopping, particularly department stores.

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