Poetry as a Gift

I just packaged up a book of poems (to send out to family) that was put together by my cousin Deb for her Mom, Betty. Betty wrote the poems and I think used them to deal with grief and the pain of being so far away from family. Still, some of the poems are really funny.
In one she speaks of my Aunt Marge. I called her Gee Gee and she was a lifetime school teacher and a bit prickly on occasion.

Were you a flower (for Marge)
"Were you a flower
You might be
A tender yellow buttercup
With sunny petal holden up
Its face for bee to come and sup
But were reverse
The circumstance
And it should be your mettle
To be a weed I think
Perhaps you'd serve as stinging netle."
Betty Oller

My Aunt Betty cracked me up. In one short poem she summed up my dear Ant Gee Gee. we all loved her but she was a bit prickley.
Betty used to walk and memorize scripture and poems. The great Robert Frost recited his Poem "The Gift Outright" from memory at the innaguration of Kennedy when his notes containing the poem "Dedication"w were blown around.
Lavonne's Mom made kids memorize a few poems and many at her funeral would come up in small groups and start reminiscing and then a poem would break out. What a gift.
Betty knew who the poet Laureate each year and also knew a bit about some of their work.
I think there is wisdom there about the arts and how they help us work through. You can get mad but to relieve stress it helps to hammer out a creation...in wood, stone or words. Betty chose words.

Spring Finally

Well, home again and it was so cold when we got off the plane that my shorts seemed to shout FOOL at me. I should have changed into jeans. We sifted through a mountain of mail and began to unpack the bags. The golf bag had some tears that even my skillful surgery will not repair so new one is on the list. We slept until we had to get up to eat or do some other body necessity but still looked like walking zombies. I think travel is great but the after trip recovery is taking longer as I age.
Today though the sun is shining and the birds are out and spring looks like it migh make an appearance. I know here in NE there could be 25 inches of snow tomorrow but I am going to remain hopeful.