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Lessons From the Sidewalk A Memoir

It’s 11:00 a.m. and its already 98 degrees. The weather man says it’s supposed to reach 108 degrees before sunset at 7:00 p.m. Shade would help a little but there isn’t much shade in the Chihuahuan Desert that covers approximately two hundred thousand square miles across the Southwestern United States and Mexico. I haveContinue reading “Lessons From the Sidewalk A Memoir”

A Writer’s Fear of Failure A Memoir

It is morning, late morning that is. I have poured my first cuppa and fed and watered my one-year-old tuxedo cat. To say, “fed and watered him” makes it sound like he’s a cow in a barn but no, he just likes to be number one, the most important thing in my life. Amply attended,Continue reading “A Writer’s Fear of Failure A Memoir”

Visiting Poet “Firework”

Boom! What’s that sound?A big light in the sky,but – why?I don’t know. It looks likea flower of fire.What’s its name? I don’t know.I hope it’s not an asteroid,Why is it in the park?I hope it’s not a UFOOh no!There’s more . . . . RUN! Josephine WhetsellApril 27, 2024Age 10

Scripture

As I sail an ancient ocean,To see what the apostles see,A serpent creeps in the water,To impose his ways on me. I am helpless to kill the serpent,Put it down and rid the sea,Of its pernicious presence,Nor from it can I flee. But I hold this holy weapon,Parchment of Father and Son,Its words of courageContinue reading “Scripture”

The Reporter

I laid on the ground, face uplooking into the black and white sceneof two people hovering with a blue skyhunched over them. One was a reporterwith a big 1950’s vintage camera; she snappeda button twice – phuff, phuff,the pregnant bulb flashed and hissed.I wanted to cover my eyes butmy arms . . . they wouldn’t.TheContinue reading “The Reporter”

The Barn Horse – A Memoir

It’s a hot August day in an arena with no shade and no breeze, not unusual for the Texas arenas we have been traveling to and from over several years for amateur hunter/jumper competitions. Horse competition at this level is hot, dirty work for the rider and the rider’s family. The day was one ofContinue reading “The Barn Horse – A Memoir”

The Frog at 1174 Bald Eagle Lane – A Memoir

It was a cool, dark 9:00 evening as I rode to the hum of my golf cart next to two of my most precious jewels, granddaughters Charlie and Joee. The squeals of pleasure from ten-year-old Joee were met by her sixteen-year-old sister, both with equal excitement and sisterly admonishment to “calm down,” as Charlie vacillatedContinue reading “The Frog at 1174 Bald Eagle Lane – A Memoir”

Dream Sticks

How still the sticks on drum kit lie,Like spoons in a frozen cup,Until the drum beats need be played,Then a flash as drums erupt. Flashes shoot high in the sky,As from a lightning flame,They scatter the stars asunder,A corpus of music proclaim. In the end the sticks lie still,Quiet like a mountain stream,Without your handsContinue reading “Dream Sticks”

The Nonchalant

I am living a life of the nonchalant,Though times present exceptions,Like helter-skelter run arounds,To remind me of life’s distractions. I temper my days of avidity,And lean toward nonchalance,Like a journey to the never-never,Exploring soulful renaissance. I daily dream the nonchalant,But am here for God to use,As the bobber that floats in the lake,I’m but tackleContinue reading “The Nonchalant”

A Thoughtful Return

A soldier returns from the front,From serving in a faraway place,From a life singularly focused,On goals the country chase. In time a homecoming looms,Like a train into a station,Smoke, whistles, and screeching wheels,With thanks from a grateful nation. The wife and children, anxious,To know his mind and his feelings,The soldier now father, husband again,Conjoined inContinue reading “A Thoughtful Return”