Strawberries For The Soul Poetry

 (Picture) “Memory” (a painting by Elihu Vedder, b 1836 NY, d 1923 Rome in LA County Museum of Art)     I examined this painting and wondered what The artist had thought.   Looking on Landscape Crusading through clouds:   I see me as history Peacefully looking down As a child Accepting the life I’d lead As my best.   I see the child who We never knew For he or she died Of sickness, trauma Tragedy not controlled Yet We did not lose this child For we see in the clouds.   I see the child in me By looking up, feeling So small, so minute Knowing a simple parachute could not bring the child down And I find peace of mind For I see in the clouds.   If I could change the name To change my thought’s pathways I would say I could turn Memory to Dream.   And Dream Could bring me hope For the child I never had. It could erase the bad dreams and memories   And bring Hope, sustenance For at least an instant I’d know it could be And so I would bring That...

 (picture) Air https://strawberriesforthesoulpoetry.blogspot.com/2021/11/air.html A Valentine For Mine https://strawberriesforthesoulpoetry.blogspot.com/2021/11/a-valentine-for-mine.html Being Native  https://strawberriesforthesoulpoetry.blogspot.com/2021/11/being-native.html Curing Restlessness https://strawberriesforthesoulpoetry.blogspot.com/2021/11/curing-restlessness.html Finding Your Passion Fly Oh Butterfly https://strawberriesforthesoulpoetry.blogspot.com/2021/11/fly-oh-butterfly.html Giving Sight https://strawberriesforthesoulpoetry.blogspot.com/2021/11/giving-sight.html Horse Racing https://strawberriesforthesoulpoetry.blogspot.com/2021/11/horse-racing.html I See The Seat https://strawberriesforthesoulpoetry.blogspot.com/2021/11/i-see-seat.html Is This Nature https://strawberriesforthesoulpoetry.blogspot.com/2022/02/is-this-nature.html Keep Your Eye On That Baseball https://strawberriesforthesoulpoetry.blogspot.com/2021/11/keep-your-eye-on-that-baseball.html Loving L...

 (picture) Loving Like A Rock   Oh what a love – To love like a rock For rocks are products of who we are.   And so Should love be, Really.   Breaking down – Separating – metamorphosing Limestone or dolostone into marble, Sandstone into slate, schist or gneiss, Basalt into amphibolite.   The process is everchanging. Weathering, rearranging Over time They form Holding onto Their history Carrying a beauty As structures shape Among their surroundings   Finding, collecting What is near To make them Stronger                   For the longer They are around They continue To collect   And forget What they had been Forging ahead To become better   Blending and Sometimes fragmenting   These fragments Find places of their own As they Combine Theirs with others And define Their freedom To express – To illuminate – To color   Yet always Telling a story As they change.           ...

 (picture) Keep Your Eye On That Baseball   There it is— It is the baseball.   Watch it And wait.   Try to view The ball as one—not two.   See it And hit.   Focus on that ball For it is your only goal.   Trolling through the game For one thing-being   That ball.   It’s all You really need to focus.   Your  Eye Is the key to striking it.   And then—what do you get? You get a chance to run.       You run To Base One,   Then Base Two Comes along,   Base Three, And then,   Home’s your friend--   All because You kept your Eye On the ball.   Annie 11-8-98

 (picture) "I dream of Liberty" To Thank Man in the future   I thank you God for letting me be free I can choose what and who I want to see.   I can choose to laugh, to cry, to eat, to drink, to talk, To love, and to take my Loved One for a walk.   And as I’m free to feel And free to do I breath, I think, and I work hard to—   To enjoy life and to share To learn and to grow and believe and to show others how much I can care.   And as I see ones less fortunate than I Who hurt more, who maybe can’t cry Who maybe can’t walk or maybe can’t do most of what makes life free And I can’t help wonder who will be next—maybe even me.   And who will be there— Who will care— And who will feel my hurt that’s so real— So real that my pain takes my freedom, my world And as I sit curled Alone again and again, Who will be there—to care?   And today as I enjoy my freedom, my life, I want to share, to belong To what makes life right. I want to help right-wrong an...

 (picture) I see The seat Is empty   Facing water, Earth, sun Seeing Reflection   I hear More For \ I want Solitude To Sound   I found I lost My loved one.   Why aren’t The elements Meant to defend?   My defenses Were Repression, Sublimation, Projection –   Reaction Formation Evolves as I attempt to Make New Turning the pain Into positive gain Losing impulse As my heart Pulses Pushing For what’s right – The sunlight, The cleansing water, The ground I’ve found Have rooted me To Reality.   Can beauty Arise? I disguise My pain In crowds Yet in solitude   The louds leave. I believe Again   When I see The Seat Isn’t empty.   Annie 7-1-01  

(picture) Horse Racing   Elegantly she runs; "a natural" having fun at racing. Her pacing is perfect And she knows She was meant to be The Best.   Protectively we take care of her Brushing her hair Feeding her Loving her Nurturing and knowing She's in command.   I put my hand out to give her grain And she responds over and over again And looks on. She knows   Soon she will face Another race And will run with The Best Yet it is a test For her endurance. She will not be overtaken By them Because she's a pro; She will go Because she can.   And she will not think of them Only herself--her goals As she is mounted by the jockey Who caresses her Who encourages her With her  blinders on She finds only one reason to go on And that is   To Be.   Annie 5-17-98