Tag: spring

Beauty in Spring #TuesdayTidbit #Poetry #Inspiration

Beauty in Spring

A Crowdsourced Poem from Fellow Members of Behind Our Eyes

by Abbie Johnson Taylor

©2023

 

Able to be appreciated without the eye,

beauty walks with graceful strides, spreading fragrant petals.

In motion, with majestic mountains, fertile valleys,

grass, trees, shrubs, flowers, streams,

a whirl of bright feathers in a chambray sky,

it springs joyously forth with new beginnings.

***

Note: In a crowdsourced poem, the author uses other poets’ unpublished material along with his/her own words. Most of the material in my poem came from fellow members of Behind Our Eyes, a writers’ organization to which I belong.

Several months ago, one of our members, who works for National Braille Press, proposed we each write a crowdsourced poem on the theme of beauty, which just happens to be the theme for their annual poetry reading at the end of this month. She asked those interested to email her a few lines on the subject. She compiled all the lines she received into a document, and sent that document to the group’s email list, so we could each write a poem, using any of the lines that others wrote. You can click the link below to hear me read my poem.

 

Beauty in Spring

 

Abbie wears a blue and white V-neck top with different shades of blue from sky to navy that swirl together with the white. She has short, brown hair and rosy cheeks and smiles at the camera against a black background.

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

Photo Resize and Description by

Two Pentacles Publishing.

 

 

If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to my email list to receive my monthly newsletter and other announcements. This is a one-way announcements list, meaning the only messages you’ll receive will come from me. So, you can rest assured that this list is low-traffic. Send a blank email to:  newsfrommycorner+subscribe@groups.io  You’ll receive a confirmation email. Reply to that with another blank message, and you should be good to go.

 

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

 

The cover of the book features an older woman sitting in a wicker chair facing a window. The world beyond the window is bright, and several plants are visible on the terrace. Behind the woman’s chair is another plant, with a tall stalk and wide rounded leaves. The woman has short, white hair, glasses, a red sweater, and tan pants. The border of the picture is a taupe color and reads "Why Grandma Doesn't Know Me" above the photo and "Abbie Johnson Taylor" below it.Photo Resize and Description by

Two Pentacles Publishing.

 

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

***

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Joyous Jottings March 2023 #TuesdayTidbit #Jottings #Inspiration

Joy is a fluffy gray and white cat with a pink nose and pink paw pads. The fur is long and mostly gray with white paws, a white chest, nose and white down the middle of her head. Her ears are pointed up, and she lies with her paws sprawled out in front of her in an open formation. Her head looks to the right of the screen. She’s on a brown wooden table. Behind her is a white wall and a basket of fruit.Hi, this is Joy, Abbie’s robotic cat. Wow, I can’t believe March is already here. Time is running by faster than a mouse. Abbie can’t wait until spring gets here and all the snow and ice melts, so she can get out and walk. For me, it’ll be nice when I can see other colors besides white when I look out the window.

At the end of last month, Abbie did another kick-ass author interview during a book launch sponsored by Behind Our Eyes. Sherry Gomes talked about her book, Haven, which Abbie and I really enjoyed reading or, should I say, listening to. You can read her review of this book here.

It’s too bad I’m not an author. Then, I could join Behind Our Eyes, and Abbie could interview me. Abbie says Behind Our Eyes is for disabled authors. Well, I’m disabled because my voice box no longer works. So there.

It’s just as well that I’m not an author. I have enough trouble writing a simple blog post with four paws. I couldn’t possibly write a whole book. But I can dream, can’t I?

Also at the end of February, Abbie’s group, Just Harmony, sang at an assisted living facility. Abbie will be busy with music performances this month, too. She’ll be at the assisted living facility on March 10th, and she’ll do the music for the Sunday service at the First Congregational Church on the 12th. She’ll be at a nursing home on March 28th.

Three of Abbie’s poems will be published in an anthology called Poetry Treasures, which will be out sometime this year. The poems are: “Condiments,” “The Black Hole,” and “The Music Lady.”

My favorite of those poems is “Condiments,” where she talks about cooking for her late husband Bill after two strokes put him in a wheelchair. I wish I could have known Bill. But Abbie says he didn’t like cats. So, maybe that’s just as well.

Last but not least, Abbie’s books, Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me, The Red Dress, and My Ideal Partner are now available from Smashwords ABSOLUTELY FREE as part of its 14th annual Read an eBook Week sale. You can click here to visit her author page and download these books. Now, inquiring cats want to know. How do you smash a word?

Okay, that’s all for now. It’s time for my cat nap. Everybody, have a great month, and happy spring a few weeks early.

Abbie wears a blue and white V-neck top with different shades of blue from sky to navy that swirl together with the white. She has short, brown hair and rosy cheeks and smiles at the camera against a black background.

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

Photo Resize and Description by

Two Pentacles Publishing.

 

Abbie, here. If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to my email list to receive my monthly newsletter and other announcements. This is a one-way announcements list, meaning the only messages you’ll receive will come from me. So, you can rest assured that this list is low-traffic. Send a blank email to:  newsfrommycorner+subscribe@groups.io  You’ll receive a confirmation email. Reply to that with another blank message, and you should be good to go.

 

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

The cover of the book features an older woman sitting in a wicker chair facing a window. The world beyond the window is bright, and several plants are visible on the terrace. Behind the woman’s chair is another plant, with a tall stalk and wide rounded leaves. The woman has short, white hair, glasses, a red sweater, and tan pants. The border of the picture is a taupe color and reads "Why Grandma Doesn't Know Me" above the photo and "Abbie Johnson Taylor" below it.Photo Resize and Description by

Two Pentacles Publishing.

 

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

***

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Wyoming’s Spring Promise #TuesdayTidbit #Poetry #Inspiration

A photo of Abbie smiling in front of a white background. Her brown hair is cut short and frames her face. She is wearing a bright red shirt and a dark, flowy scarf swirled with hues of purple, pinks and blues.

Wyoming’s Spring Promise

by Abbie Johnson Taylor

Copyright 2022.

 

In the mountains,
buttercups dot the hillside
near ice-blue lakes.

They bring hope of spring
soon to come,
an end to winter.

Warm temperatures
around the corner
will melt snow, clear ice.

A new beginning
will soon arrive,
end nature’s tyranny.

White clouds
will dot the sky.
The sun will peak through.

Nature’s glory will erupt
to herald the coming season,
so we can rejoice.

***

The above poem appears in the April 3rd issue of The Weekly Avocet. You can click the link below to hear me read it.

 

Wyoming’s Spring Promise

 

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

The cover of the book features an older woman sitting in a wicker chair facing a window. The world beyond the window is bright, and several plants are visible on the terrace. Behind the woman’s chair is another plant, with a tall stalk and wide rounded leaves. The woman has short, white hair, glasses, a red sweater, and tan pants. The border of the picture is a taupe color and reads "Why Grandma Doesn't Know Me" above the photo and "Abbie Johnson Taylor" below it.

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

***

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Spring’s Hopelessness #TuesdayTidbit #Poetry #Inspiration

A photo of Abbie smiling in front of a white background. She has short brown hair which is cut short and frames her face. She is wearing a bright red shirt and a dark, flowy scarf swirled with hues of purple, pinks and blues.

Spring’s Hopelessness (A Haibun)

by Abbie Johnson Taylor

Copyright 2011

Spring comes wet with little sun. Hope is dashed by the wind that buffets the house, rattles wind chimes, rain that drums on the roof. Without enough warmth, grass, flowers, trees, shrubs won’t grow.

He loves the sun, can’t get enough. It’s one of his few pleasures since he can no longer walk or use his left arm or care for himself. After a brutal winter with endless snow, frigid temperatures, he longs to enjoy the sun’s healing warmth.

wishes for the sun
fall on deaf ears of nature
wait for warmth to come

***

The above poem appears in my collection, How to Build a Better Mousetrap: Recollections and Reflections of a Family Caregiver, and was published in the April 3rd issue of The Weekly Avocet. You can click below to hear me read it.

 

Spring’s Hopelessness

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

The cover of the book features an older woman sitting in a wicker chair facing a window. The world beyond the window is bright, and several plants are visible on the terrace. Behind the woman’s chair is another plant, with a tall stalk and wide rounded leaves. The woman has short, white hair, glasses, a red sweater, and tan pants. The border of the picture is a taupe color and reads "Why Grandma Doesn't Know Me" above the photo and "Abbie Johnson Taylor" below it.

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

***

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A Green Lawn #TuesdayTidbit #Poetry #Inspiration

Spring has arrived, and soon, we’ll have to start thinking about mowing our lawns. Today, I’m posting the following poem in response to two bloggers’ challenges.

The first comes from The WordPress.com Blog, which recently started offering monthly word prompts. This month’s word is “green.”

The second challenge comes from Stevie Turner, who suggests we post a poem or story on our blogs and link to her site as part of her new feature, Friday Write.

This poem was published several years ago in Serendipity Poets Journal. You can click on the title to hear me read it. Enjoy!

 

GREEN LAWN

by Abbie Johnson Taylor

Copyright 2013.

 

As a child of five or six,
I watched Mother push the mower
back and forth across the grass.
Afterward, I ran, rolled, drank in the scent.

We moved to a succession of houses,
each with its own lawn,
graduated to a power mower.

As a teenager, my younger brother mowed the lawn.
“You missed this corner here,
that section there,” Mother said.

In my adult years, I use a lawn care service.
Every corner and section is neat
with not a blade of grass out of place.

A photo of Abbie smiling in front of a white background. She has short brown hair which is cut short and frames her face. She is wearing a bright red shirt and a dark, flowy scarf swirled with hues of purple, pinks and blues.

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

The cover of the book features an older woman sitting in a wicker chair facing a window. The world beyond the window is bright, and several plants are visible on the terrace. Behind the woman’s chair is another plant, with a tall stalk and wide rounded leaves. The woman has short, white hair, glasses, a red sweater, and tan pants. The border of the picture is a taupe color and reads "Why Grandma Doesn't Know Me" above the photo and "Abbie Johnson Taylor" below it.

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

***

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