Cinquain

Lampyridae
Bioluminescent beetle
Buzzing happily along
Illuminating the velvety dark
Pulsating

Imagery Poem II

Winter's Chill

Winter’s chill seeks to pervade

As sharply as a burnished blade

Biting deeply into wearied bone

Eliciting many a anguished moan

Unrelenting in its determined grip

From its grasp, a yearning to slip

Seeking refuge before a hearty blaze

Sensation returns, as travelers laze

Shaking off the evening’s cold

Happily ensconced in a halo of gold

Imagery Poem I

Indian Summer

Softly I tread along the well worn path
Into the wood, along the river’s edge
Listening intently to the sounds of fall
Rustling leaves, a migratory bird’s call
Brilliant blues skies overhead
A carpet of autumnal hues at my feet
Warmth at my back, a smile on my face
I slow my stride to a dilatory pace
Savoring the vestiges of summer
Imbibing deeply, so I can recall
In the deep of winter, the joy of fall

Journal Entry: The Animals in My Life Part III

Much to my chagrin, I came to the realization that we were soon going to have an indeterminate number of kittens to care for. As exciting as this unforeseen event was, it was also extremely overwhelming. We couldn’t possibly keep all the kittens that would be born, but in good conscious I couldn’t bring Mommy and the kittens to an animal shelter. Now things slowly started to crystallize; perhaps this is why we had no response to our poster blitz and advertisements. After much discussion, my husband and I decided to care for Mommy through the birth of her kittens. Once the kittens were weaned we planned to find momma and her brood a good home. Additionally, we thought that the birth of the kittens would allow us to broach the subject of “the talk” with our children. As the weeks went by, Mommy continued to sleep in the garage at night. However, she was let out and supervised during the daytime to keep her from instigating a fight with our other pets. In her free time, Mommy followed us everywhere we went. She became my husband’s constant companion when he worked outdoors. She seemed quite comfortable in her adoptive domain – a large fenced in yard with lots of places to hide. She stalked our acreage, ran along the tops of the fence and in and out of my children’s jungle gym, snoozed in the sun on our lawn furniture, and even pounced on the dog as she passed under trees the cat had climbed. As expected after a few weeks, Mommy began to slow down because her belly had started to distend. One morning I let her out onto the back porch and she just sat there looking around. I assumed that she was soaking up the morning sun and would soon seek out some amusing activity to pass the time. I was in the midst of grinding beans for a pot of coffee when I heard a curious noise. I went to look out the sliding glass door and to my amazement there was Mommy. She had climbed halfway up the sliding glass door’s screen. It looked as though she was trying to find a way back into the house. I managed to open the screen just enough to squeeze through to the outside. The next task was to remove Mommy from the screen without ruining it in the process. After much cajoling, I managed to get her retract her claws and let go. It was then that I noticed her water had broken. Calling the troops into action, we readied for the arrival of Mommy’s babies. My husband set about organizing the garage, moving out the car, plugging up areas where the cat could hide, and laying out a larger bed for her. My children hovered over her like nervous mother hens. For poor Mommy, the supervision was obviously overbearing as she started to swat and cry at anyone who came near. It was at this point, that we decided that it was best that she be given her private time so that nature could proceed on its own schedule. Being that it was a Saturday, I had tutoring commitments. I left the house for a couple hours and when I came home; my children met me at the front door with ecstatic smiles. Three tiny kittens –two black and one black and white - had been born in my absence. I look back on the weeks that followed quite fondly. It was wonderful to have three tiny newborns to cuddle and love. My children spent every free moment they had observing Mommy’s interactions with her kittens. I must have answered a million questions for them. It was a great learning experience for all of us. Sadly, the day came when the kittens were weaned and eating solid food. By this time, they had already been named and my children were begging to keep them all. Our original pets- Liebchen and Ember had adjusted as best as could be expected, but I couldn’t picture myself with 6 pets. My husband and I agreed that two animals were enough; however we were still debating whether or not to keep Mommy once she was fixed. All of this was carefully explained to our children, who at first thought we “were big meanies” for not keeping the kittens, but they eventually understood our point. Subsequent to having Mommy under our roof for ten weeks, we called our local vet to arrange to have the kittens placed with other families. After oodles of kisses and hugs, my husband packed up the kittens and brought them to Dr. Keish’s office. Within a week, all of the kittens had been adopted. However, we still had Mommy on our hands. We tried for several more weeks to get Mommy to interact positively with our cat and dog. Unfortunately, we finally had to admit that she belonged in a household with no other pets. No one in our immediate families was in a situation to take on a new pet, so we put another advertisement in the paper. A few more weeks went by and it seemed that no one was interested in Mommy cat. It was then decided that we should bring her to the facility where we had chosen Ember. Luckily, this facility does not put animals down if they are not adopted within a given time frame. So, after arranging for the children to stay with my in-laws for the day, we packed up Mommy and her meager belongings and traveled to Newington, crying the whole way. After dropping Mommy off with her new custodians, we headed for the car. It was at this point that my husband made me promise not to take in any more strays. Two days passed, and I decided to call the facility to check up on Mommy. My husband and I had agreed that if she was not taken in a timely manner, we would go back to get her even though it would mean a disruption in our home life. To my joy, I was informed that she had been adopted by an elderly lady whose cat had just passed on. It seemed like the perfect fit! Additionally, since the kittens were placed through our family vet I occasionally get updates on them as well. It seems all of our temporary adoptees found happy homes. Luckily, I haven’t had any pregnant cats show up on my doorstep again, but this doesn’t mean we haven’t had some interesting animal adventures since. My husband jokes that he sometimes feels like Dr. Doolittle. We have had turtles, rabbits, turkeys, skunks, and even gorgeous red foxes show up in our FENCED YARD!

Journal Entry: The Animals in My Life Part II

OK, so it wasn’t exactly our idea. Sometimes the fates just conspire against you. On a beautiful Sunday morning in the fall of 2005, my husband and I were preparing for an impending visit from my parents. Upon arrival, my mother came through the front door with a rather puzzled if not concerned expression on her face. I asked her what was wrong, and she said that a beautiful cat had run up to her as she had exited her car. Apparently, the cat was crying and rubbing up against my mother to the point that she thought the cat must be extremely hungry. Much to my husband’s dismay, I immediately charged out into the driveway to look for the cat. There, beneath one of my rose bushes sat a gorgeous Siamese with brilliant blue eyes. Immediately, the cat ran up to me, flopped over on her back, and in a very coquettish way asked to have her tummy rubbed. By this time, my children’s curiosity had gotten the better of them and they had come out into the front yard to see what was going on. My children both lay down on the grass and began to pet the cat. She reciprocated their attention, purring and nuzzling. It was at this point that my heart melted. I felt very badly for the cat, as she seemed to be quite young and had no collar. Therefore, even though my husband admonished me not to do so, I had my daughter run inside to get a bowl of milk and some cat chow. Of course, my mother put the icing on the proverbial cake when she just had to remind me that we live near a very busy road. Her comment was all it took for me to take the cat in for what we initially thought would be a day or so. After bringing the cat into the house, my husband set about trying to locate her owner. On the day we found her, he canvassed the neighborhood and put up signs. Unfortunately, no one seemed to have any idea who she might belong to. So there we were with this adorable cat and no idea what to do with her. We decided to place an advertisement in the local paper and bide our time in the hope that her owner would soon lay claim. In our haste, we once again we did not take into consideration the opinion of our furry family members. Needless to say, chaos erupted almost immediately. It seemed as though all three animals took great delight in antagonizing each other and attempting to assert their dominance. We were most surprised by our seemingly helpless little girl who actually provoked a fight with our twenty pound Ember and chased him under a bed. She also managed to embed one of her claws in our dog’s nose as retribution for the dog getting a little too close for comfort. After both of our pets had a negative interaction with our guest, it was decided that she should stay in the garage. Several days went by and no calls came in. It began to look as though we would not find the cat’s owner. However, over the course of the first few days that we had her, our little hell cat began to ingratiate herself. We all grew very quickly attached to her, so much so that the kids wanted to name her. Both my husband and I knew that the minute we gave her a name that we were on the slippery slope to keeping her. So the cat eventually came to be named, though it was not a very creative name that was chosen for her. Her name evolved out of the situation that she found herself in. Not only was our little waif homeless, she also was in the “family way”. After a few days with her, I began to notice the tell tale signs that we would soon have more than one foundling on our hands. From that point on, we called her "Mommy"...

Journal Entry: The Animals in My Life Part I

I have always been an animal lover. When I was growing up my family owned a series of dogs. To this day, I have pictures of each of these animals prominently displayed in my home. As an animal lover, I have a tremendous soft spot for anything fluffy and cute. Unfortunately, my passion for animals has occasionally come back to haunt me. When my husband and I first married we decided that once we had children we would introduce a furry family member into our lives. Our daughter was born in 1996 and our son in 1998. We waited until my son was 6 months old to pick out our first family pet. On the appointed morning we packed up the children and journeyed to the local animal shelter. We meandered around the facility looking at a wide variety of animals and eventually we honed in on a tiny kitten. One of the assistants asked us if we would like to take the kitten into a petting room and of course we jumped at the chance. Once behind closed doors we set about interacting with the little bundle of energy. He pranced, jumped up and down, and wove himself in and out of my daughter’s legs. We were sold in that instant. After a $45 dollar donation, a flea dip, and placement in a cardboard carrier, he was ours for the taking. On the way home to our apartment, my husband stopped at a local pet store to garner the necessary supplies – a litter box, toys, food dishes, etc. While Scott was running around the store, the children and I sat in the car and listened to a cat serenade. It seems our little kitten had quite the range of interesting mewls he could make. Once we arrived home we set about establishing the cat in his new domain. We set out his food and water bowls, and showed him where his bed and litter box were. The next task was to decide upon a name. We eventually decided upon the name “Ember” as he is a grey and black tiger. However, he also eventually gained the nickname “Harry” as all he seemed to do was shed. Ember quickly became a central fixture. He was playful and interacted beautifully with my children. All seemed right with the world. Eventually, the time came when my husband and I had saved enough money to purchase a home. After several years in an apartment we were overjoyed to be making such a change. We were also excited at the prospect of introducing a dog into the formula, as we thought that every child should have the opportunity to romp with one in a big backyard. Our move went very smoothly thanks to my husband’s brothers who helped schlep all of our worldly belongings to our new abode. The only hitch in the plan was transporting Ember who was not very happy about being crammed into a cat carrier. He of course cried the entire way and hid under furniture for two days after being released from his kitty prison. After six months in our new home, we decided to investigate breeders in the hopes of giving our children a dog for Valentine’s Day. After much discussion, we settled on getting a schnauzer. Though not my first choice of breed, I was excited to be picking out a new fluffy child. A week after we decided upon what kind of dog to purchase, we drove up to Massachusetts to visit a breeder. The trip took over an hour. By the time we arrived our children were antsy and my daughter was carsick. Luckily, my daughter’s queasiness dissipated upon arrival. After scrambling out of the car, we entered a building that resembled a renovated barn. To the right and left of us were converted horse stalls that held dogs and their puppies. After our initial look around, an older woman directed us to the last stall on the left. There, in a pile of cedar chips lay a mother and her pup. A tiny black and white ball of fur was tightly curled into the momma dog’s belly. Both of my children squealed with delight. After playing with the puppy, we knew instantly that this was the dog for us. Unlike our cat, she would cost a small fortune. This time we bought all of the essential supplies at the breeder’s establishment including a massive dog crate. With beaming smiles on our children’s faces and our wallet crying we made our way back home. My husband and I were just as excited as the children. If we had only known what we were in for! We had forgotten about another member of the family when making this newest purchase. Ember expressed his disdain that very evening. My husband and I had always been very proud of our white leather couches, especially considering we had managed to keep both of them clean with two small children. Unfortunately, we never foresaw that our first furry child would be horribly insulted by the introduction of a younger sibling. Needless to say, his initial encounter with Liebchen was quite strained. He skittered upstairs and hid under a hutch. Later that evening, after everyone had gone to sleep, he skulked down and urinated right in the center of larger of the two couches. He had never done such a thing before. Anyone who owns cats knows what it is like to try and rectify such an offensive situation. Much to our dismay, my husband and I had to retire the couch I am sure much to Ember’s delight. This was a side of our beloved cat that we had never seen before. My husband, who had grown up with cats, gave me a long speech about what we were probably in for. Eventually, the cat and dog came to an accord. The dog stayed in the lower floor of the house and the cat upstairs. An uneasy peace descended over the household and remained for several years. However, this was not the last time the cat would make a statement, and he would now have a co-conspirator – the dog! My husband and I made the mistake of bring a third animal into the fold…

Septet Poem

A Septet poem is made up of seven lines. The shortest lines in the poem are made up of three syllables, while the longest central is made up of nine.

Thunderstorm
Rumbling and crashing
Waking me in the dark night
Daddy, angels are bowling again
Listen to their happy game
Watching and counting
Until sleep