Moderation -- Day 11 of NaPoWriMo 2015

Moderation is the key

Don't over do things

Moderation is the key

Nutritionist warned

 

Fourteen years ago

AAA was then repaired

Stent graft did the trick

 

Golf two times a week

Fourteen years retirement

Out of bed at eight

 

Lead active life

Travel, do my bucket list

Be happy, worry not

 

[click on pictures to enlarge, one or two times]

 

Photos and Poem Copyright© 2015 Jimmiehov, All Rights Reserved

 

Linked to Sherry Blue Sky at Real Toads, A Message from the Little Grandmother

and to NaPoWriMo 2015, both for Day 11 of National Poem Writing Month

 

Notes:

1.  From yesterday's poem some were concerned that I may go blind.  Well I might but until then I will faithfully take eye OC meds with lutein and have regular annual eye exams.  So far so good.  My younger cousin is 'legally blind'.

2.  Sherry's Instructions for writing today:  "Write about how you manage to maintain that balance, how you hold onto the beauty and the hope. Write about what heals you, or about any facet of this conversation that resonates with you. I'm easy, and I will truly love everything you write!"

2.  Strange, but these pictures are not from the golf course. KP, my youngest grandchild could be out there in the rough looking for my lost golf ball.  Instead it was taken at Hyde Park in London. 

 - We had been to the Science Museum and were getting our exercise before catching the tube for the rest of two miles home.  KP, Karen (our daughter), and Bill (SIL) lived a block from the Abbey Road Studios (vintage Beatles labels)northwest of Regent's Park (see map below, click for larger view). 

 - They moved back to the Houston area in July, 2014.  One more time this year will make our 15th time to London, most within the last five years.

[click on map for larger size-it may get larger if you click again-Back button for return]

Blind Grandpa -- Day 10 of NaPoWriMo 2015

Daniel F. Beatty Co., Washington, NJ (Advertisement)

           Public Domain (Commons.Wikipedia)

Dear Blind Grandpa

My dearest grandfather, great-grandfather 
We kids have always called you Blind Grandpa

This note to you today will be for me
No one left to ask the things I don't know

My memory has you in the kitchen
sitting at your old pump organ, playing

Playing beautiful music that wafted
through the house for all to enjoy or not

I don't remember your playing with me,
Ever.  Just of you sitting there playing

Not one song of yours do I remember
I only know what happened when you died

Uncle Howard got your organ, oh good
My aunt could play it now.  Didn't happen

Uncle Howard cut it up, all apart
We kids played with the knobs and the pieces

Who was your wife, I have long forgotten
I don't remember ever seeing her

My sister knows, she has it all charted
We cousins numbered nine, not all you knew

Your children have died, their children as well
Now our generation's starting to die

Every boy of your family turned blind
Passed down to all the men, my turn is next

I have been wondering more, who you were
No one is left to tell, no pictures here

In my mind is you at your pump organ
Playing, that's all.  And pretty organ knobs
_ _ _

Lower Photo and Poem Copyright
© 2015 Jimmiehov
All Rights Reserved

 - The upper photo is from Wikipedia, of a 1882 Beatty Parlor Organ selling for $50. [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pump_organ#/media/File:Beatty%27s_Parlor_Organ_ad_1882.jpg ] Blind Grandpa would have been an adult by then, he died in the 1930's.  More likely he bought a used organ.

 

 - Today I am linked with Mama Zen at the Real Toads, Dear Past, Dear Future

and at NaPoWriMo 2015, both for Day 10 of National Poem Writing Month
 - Her instructions are:  "Think about your ancestors.  Think about your future descendants. Write a letter to either or both.  Word count is wide open." (She usually limits us to 55 words.)

Art vs. Words -- Day 9 of NaPoWriMo 2015

 

Box Car Art

 

Some will call it Graffiti

It is, though this I rename

 

Box Car Art's my name for it

I often sit and wonder

 

I wonder who painted this

Who took the pains to express

 

Express his feelings that day

On canvas of rusting green

 

Tip of the hat he'll include

Disguise his feelings that day

 

Gang member full of pride, tough

Mark territory, stake claim?

 

Down, depressed, hot, hungry, wet,

Wet by sweat, rain, snow, duno

 

Someone's son, husband could be

Father maybe, June is bad

 

He'll ride that box car tonight

Painted pretty by his hands

 

Another and another

Grim rounds.  Box Car Art for us

 

 

[click on pictures to enlarge, one or two times]

 

Photos and Poem Copyright© 2015 Jimmiehov, All Rights Reserved

 

Today I am linked with Ella at  the Real Toads, Words vs. Pictures

and at NaPoWriMo 2015, both for Day 9 of National Poem Writing Month



writing love poems, revisited -- Day 8 of NaPoWriMo 2015

Today we are to tell of a poem or other writing that we really didn't like, thought it was not good enough.  Back when I was writing with the One Single Impression poetry group a prompt was suggested by Melanie at Cassiopeia Rises  to write a LOVE POEM.  I had never written a love poem and from the start I really did not want to write one.

But to be a good sport, I went along with the prompt.  But I checked on how to write a love poem and what one should look like.  But to show HOW I decided what to write, I put the instructions I like best from my searching, then followed these instructions with the lines which follow that instruction.

Here is my completed love poem, first posting on June 03, 2010:  http://jimmiehov6.blogspot.com/2010/06/one-single-impression-love.html
There were ten complementary comments with one making a punctuation suggestion.  Then again on August 18, 2014, I reposted it and got 12 nice comments ( http://jimmiehov6.blogspot.com/2014/08/wrinkle-rewritten.html ). These comments boosted my confidence so with these instructions I will attempt to write another.  It is late, I may miss the mark a little or a lot tonight.

I will post the instructions I used at the bottom of this post.



To my very precious Love

 

When I first saw you, I thought,

"this lady I want to know"

 

That is when I dropped my kerchief

and you picked it up for me

 

We talked and I knew I must

see you some more. 

 

We met on that Friday night

and doted on some ice cream

 

It became a weekly affair and

soon it was clear to me that I loved you

 

Now I wouldn't want to miss a Friday

night again with you, ice cream perhaps

 

I do love with you with all my heart

Fridays nights and every night and day

 

I'd like to spend that time with you

Please would you spend yours with me?

 

I love you so dearly,

I hope we will never part

_ _ _

Now, the poem's directions:
Write a love poem
(here, written as a man telling a woman of his love for her)
1.  tell how you felt when first you saw her
2.  tell how you knew it was her you loved
3.  tell now about being with her
4.  are you happy with what you wrote, edit as necessary?
5.  discard thoughts that didn't fit

_ _ _

I love her

Photo and Poem Copyright© 2015 Jimmiehov, All Rights Reserved

Ooma mow mow
I am posted tonight with Marian at the Real Toads, Every Day I Write the Book for my Day 8 poem in conjunction with National Poem Writing Month.  Also I'm linked with Day 8 at the NaPoWriMo web site. 
Marian's instructions for this post I've written at the start above.

My Little Ship Calls -- Cape Town -- Day 7 of NaPoWriMo 2015

[photo, Cape Town City Bowl taken from Lion's Head 

by Martin Power - Own work, Creative Commons, Wikipedia]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/City_bowl.jpg

 

My Little Ship Goes

My little ship goes, it goes

from South Africa this fall

I want to go, really do

Little ship starts her voyage

Cape Town is beckoning us

Calls, my little ship and me

 

Ocean Princess sails

End of October, spring time

Flowers bloom way down under

Cape Town beckons me dearly

Show me to a game preserve

Ocean Princess calls

Photos and Poem Copyright© 2015 Jimmiehov, All Rights Reserved  

 

I am linked today with Kerry O'Connor at the Real Toads, The Tuesday Platform, continuing with Day 7 of Poems in April, and also Day 7 of NaPoWriMo 2015

Kerry's directions for today are anything goes.  She also reminded me of South Africa.  Ocean Princess is a small ship, holding 685 or so passengers, which will sail from Cape Town to Rome, Italy, taking 35 days. 
We sailed her sister ship, the Pacific Princess in the Summer 2013, from Venice, Italy to Istanbul, on into the Black Sea for three stops, and then back to Athens, Greece, stopping at Volos Greece on the way back. (Link) Our KP (youngest Grand-daughter) call it "her little Princess ship".

Making a Star - Day 6 of NaPoWriMo 2015

Did you ever make a star?

Did you ever make a star?
Not possible says you, only God can make a tree.
Or a star?
Like my buddy, B. C. aptly said, it all depends.
Depends on the meaning of the word "star".
 
Well, did you?
And if you did, do you remember when, why, and how?
Tell us, tell us.
Please give us some encouragement.
 
Okay, my stars are five pointers.
God's stars are dependent upon the eyes of the seeker.
Also if a telescope is used, the power of that machine.
To tell my view, the real stars
that are made by God have no points. 
Only man with imperfect eyes
will infuse beams of light.
 
How do you make your star, tell us please.
 
Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine.

First draw five fairly equal-distant points
in circle fashion on your paper.
Then draw lines between each point, skipping one. 
Should be five.
Voila, 
a five pointed star.
Add color and decorations as you please.

I don't remember why or how I made a star like this.  But I have been proud of them ever since.  And I loved to share my knowledge.  I am sure it was at school at an early grade.  And I know my teacher was very proud along with me. 

p.s. I make 'boxes' too, when I doodle.  And my stars are drawn freehand.  The point dots are and probably always were, only placed in my mind.  As are and always were your stars like mine.

Do you remember your first?

.
 - - - - -

Photo and Poem Copyright

©  2014 and 2015 Jimmiehov
All Rights Reserved  

I am linked today with Outlawyer at the

Real Toads, "Seeing Stars - Sixth Day of National Poetry Month", continuing

with Day 6 of Poems in April at the Imaginary Garden with Real Toads and

also Day 6 of NaPoWriMo 2015

Notes:

1.  For a scientific explanation of how a star is born to read, check this site:

  - http://helios.augustana.edu/~lc/star1.html 

2. a couple of my other "Star" posts: (you may have read these)

 - http://jimmiehov6.blogspot.com/2010/07/in-game-of-star-chase-to-moon-only-some.html

 - http://jimmiehov6.blogspot.com/2009/12/acrostic-pole-dancer-acrostic-short.html

EASTER; a Flash 55 Plus Poem -- an Acrostic -- Day 5 of NaPoWriMo 2015

Artist Unknown
(Fair Use)



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 EASTER

 

Easter morning comes

All kids get baskets
Sunday lesson
The Christ has Risen
Easy, puzzling
Resurrection can save us from our sins
 
Can save if you'll believe
And pray to risen Christ
Now repent and pray to be forgiven
 
Save you from hell
And live in Heaven
Very short message 
Everyone loved by God
_ _ _
 
Poem Copyright 
© 2015 Jimmiehov All Rights Reserved
Photo from Kerry O'Connor's post, see below.

- NaPoWriMo 2015 is a project to write a poem every day in April, National Poetry Month.  I am not sure that I will write one every day, we will see.
 - Today I'm linked with Kerry O'Connor's  piece, "FLASH 55 PLUS ," continuing with Day 5 of Poems in April at the Imaginary Garden with Real Toads  and also Day 5 of NaPoWriMo 2015
 - Kerry's instructions are to "write a poem or piece of prose in precisely 55 words."

Notes: 
1.  This Christian message (I am a Christian) comes from the Bible.  The book of John, Chapter Three, Verse 16 (John 3:16) says,
"For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) (Link)
2.  And
Matthew 20:19, Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) (Link) says,
^"Then they will hand Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified, and He will be resurrected on the third day.”
3.  Wikipedia, on Easter and he Celebration of the Resurrection: "Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday, two days after Good Friday, the day of his crucifixion. Easter's date corresponds roughly with Passover, the Jewish observance associated with the Exodus, that is fixed for the night of the Full moon near the time of the spring equinox." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection_of_Jesus