Life is Good

I am home from a fantastic visit to Sweden, the birthplace of my paternal grandmother. I have finished about 95% of a poetic memoir, “One ALS Journey”, a collection of poems. I am registered for BYU Education Week Aug 20-24. I’ll be staying with my daughter and her family. The class topics (over 1,000 offerings) look very interesting! A friend of mine studies there with a group of seniors from Texas, so I decided I would study again too. If any of my family or friends are going, please let me know so we can get together. Anyone can still register for a day, a part, or the full week.

I am still writing poetry and I hope to start posting new poems here on the blog soon!

Why Kids Love Halloween

Pumpkin Patches,
We wander around and pick our own pumpkin.

Knives,
We take a knife in hand and carve holes.

Fire,
We put candles inside and light them.
The glow they give off in the dark is magical.

Costumes,
We dress up like someone we are not and parade the neighborhood with friends and family.

Darkness,
We go out after dark to run, walk, talk, and play.

Time,
We spend a whole evening with Mom and Dad, brothers, sisters, and friends.

CANDY,
We collect a year’s supply of suckers, bubble gum,
bite sized chocolate bars, jaw breakers, and
Reese’s Pieces.

Why some parents dread Halloween,
All of the above except
Spending time with their kids.

Cerita M. Hewett
October 30, 2015

Solo S’mores

I made s’mores in the
Microwave today,
By myself,
Graham crackers—chocolate—marshmallows,
Leftovers from a family picnic,
Though I admit to buying more chocolate.

It took only milliseconds
For the marshmallows to swell and soften,
The chocolate to wobble and spread,
All the ingredients were present
For the anticipated sweetness.

Yet there was not much satisfaction,
Without red coals burning,
Marshmallow flame outs,
Children laughing,
Grown-ups talking,
Cool evening air,
And each of you there!

Cerita M. Hewett
October 2008

Squirrels

The leaves and branches of the oak
Flutter and spring,
I wonder why as there is no breeze,
The rainy morning has becalmed.

Then gray squirrels
Descend from the tree,
One, two, three.
They scamper away
Each in a different direction.

Only to return and leap
Up the trunk and out
Onto the ends of the branches,
Bouncing and swaying
Like children playing and swinging.

Now I see them biting off
Acorns and pouching them,
Working to acquire tasty nuts,
Before running back into the woods
To hide their treasures.

I never knew squirrels
Picked acorns,
Before, I had only seen them
Gathering from the ground.

Something new to me,
Delighted at the discovery
I filed this incident under ‘Squirrels’,
And sat still on the porch,
One quiet morning in October.

Cerita M. Hewett
October 23, 2015

Sassafras Tree

Through the pines and cedar,
I noticed a Sassafras tree turning gold,
I thought, I better go stand beneath it
Before little breezes carry
All the leaves to the ground.

Before it stands bare,
And leafless,
Against the coming freeze.

It would be a shame to miss all that
Warmth and shining light.
Today I went and basked beneath it,
Remembering other times
When I waited too long.

Cerita M. Hewett
October 21, 2015

Weaving (For Lenae & Collin)

On this bright October Saturday,
Horns flashed,
Drums rap-a-tap tapped,
The light breeze carried music.

As if alive,
It rolled like a crimson sunset wave
Turned back upon itself,
Weaved in and out,
Stretched forward and backward.

Forward, backward, diagonal,
Playing and marching,
Spreading wings then folding them,
Swelling and ebbing as an ocean,
Unfurling flags in unison,
A stirring tapestry upon a green field.

Cerita M. Hewett
October 18, 2015

Surprise!

Although,
The sky is blue and
The grass is green,
The air is crisp and
Some leaves are turning yellow.

Autumn is sneaking in the door
Bringing sweaters and hats for all!

Cerita M. Hewett
October 23, 2005

Home Building

A family working together,
Caring for a house and yard,
Grow muscles and
Bind themselves together,
Singing, praying, caring,
Creating a unique life,
Living life,
Eating mixed up taco salad,
Roasting hot dogs and marshmallows,
Mowing, weeding, vacuuming,
Painting, papering, roofing,
Making a house a home,
Never to be forgotten,
Yet moving out and moving on,
Taking with them the lessons learned.

Cerita M. Hewett
Summer 2014

Sting or Rediscovery

This morning my eyes began to sting,
As the water carried shampoo from my
Short silver hair down over my face.

I have known to tip my head back while shampooing,
Since I was small enough to lie on the kitchen cupboard,
While my Mother washed my long dark hair in the kitchen sink.

Still today, white haired, I went against that wisdom,
And felt the cry of trespassed eyes,
So it was and so it yet remains.

Cerita M. Hewett
October 14, 2009

Hitchhikers

Walking through the woods today
I picked up a bunch of light weight hitchhikers.

They stuck to my socks,
Clung to my pant legs,
And even managed to
Attach them selves to my sweater.

Some are pointy and barbed,
While others are just
Rough, sticky, and
Clingy.

I sat on the porch picking them off
One by one,
Since it is impossible to just
Brush them away.

One cannot walk in the fields and woods this fall
Without giving them a most unwelcome ride,
So I remove them carefully,
As they can even hang on through the wash!

Now, carrying my pile of riders
Into the house to the garbage pail,
So as not to plant them in the lawn,
One pokes my ankle and
It becomes apparent that some
Are still hitchhiking!

Cerita M. Hewett
November 2014

PineyWoodsPoet

a winding walk in the woods

Author: cerita hewett