"I carry your heart with me(I carry it in my heart)I am never without it"
Quote _ by E.E. Cummings
in my thoughts today
mister of montgomery-
a pure-bred collie
with our three young kids
he seemed like a fourth with fur-
just one of the gang
he played beside them
retrieved twigs and rubber balls-
wrestled on the lawn
at each school day's end
on time, top of the driveway-
met them at the bus
he protected us;
strangers beware, yet always-
our gentle giant
one sad day he laid
outside the back shed, lifeless-
our hearts were broken
at this favored place
where he loved to rest, we shared-
forever goodbyes
September 2, 2022
Contest: Writing Challenge: In My Heart- S Forms - Poetry Contest
Sponsor: Constance La France
Theme: Lost To Heaven - Mister Dog
The summer of 1964 I spend in a tree with cats
Reading Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew
Discovering Agatha Christie
While I spy on the neighbors
Mr. and Mrs. Dellabetta are in their nineties.
Their voices are raised, they argue in Italian.
We do not understand the words, but we get the inflections.
I keep my face down on my book, pretending to read a page.
The women are outside hanging up the wash.
It must be 10:00. That’s when they all head out there
So they can chat and laugh while they pin shirts to their lines.
Mrs. McWhirter is the only one who brings out giant panties.
Mom’s laughter comes up to me, and I smile.
She loves chatting with the hens of the neighborhood.
The cats are yawning, wanting a nap.
Nothing is holding you here, I tell them but they will not leave.
Saturday Morning November 1964
My twin and I have a TV Guide in front of us
We are thrilled because we got a colored TV set yesterday.
In the TV Guide there is a peacock by the shows that are in color.
This will be the first time we have ever seen Under Dog in color!
We watch the clock.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Under Dog music starts.
A flying underdog flashes across the sky.
He is wearing mostly red; his cape is blue.
My twin and I stare at each other.
“I thought his outfit was blue!” we both say.
We have only seen him in grayscale up until now.
Polly Purebred was a complete surprise too.
I had pictured her in green, and my sister thought she would be in pink.
She was dressed in blue.
We ate our soggy cornflakes in silence.
I felt betrayed. I am not sure how my sister felt.
It is like seeing a movie after you have read the book
and have pictured the characters completely different.
Fine November evening in 1964, when rocket ships were in vogue.
This one was no different, except it had been built by my family
As an escape device, in case the Cold War became a hot one.
We were afraid of Russia, of course. And the atom bomb.
A dragon sky of many hues winked in the distance;
She was blowing fire to the west, in the form of a sunset
Our red ruby rocket stood ready, in full launch mode.
All we had to do was add fuel and push the button.
Will we land in Saturn or Mars? We wondered. But Daddy was silent.
He said not to worry, but this was the sixties. People were assassinated.
The mist upon the turquoise lake gave me a feeling of calm.
Surely the Russians were not going to push the button tonight. Right?
There was a small glow by the fire,
But the real glow was on the face of our son.
Sincere about his wait, he put his chair next to the chimney
Don’t forget your pup, Daddy said, throwing him Poindexter.
It was a simpler time. I smile as I look at that photo.
1964, when life was a joy, when my children lived with me.
Their daddy is gone now, but I get warm when I look at this photo.
Remembering my son, and how sweet he was, waiting for Santa.
He has been gone almost five years too, so odd to think of it.
I have outlived three of my four children.
Thank God I have photos like this to remind me
Of their wonderfulness. I kiss the photo and go to bed, feeling blessed.
Nineteen sixties silver modern Christmas tree,
All ours in the throes of 1964.
Mirth abounds, no bogeyman or Simon Legree.
A time of sweet innocence for me
Fearing nothing as I walk out my front door,
Nineteen sixties silver modern Christmas tree,
At twelve I feel loved by neighbors that I see.
Believing compassion is in their hearts galore.
Mirth abounds, no bogeyman or Simon Legree
I lick up snowflakes, loving them, happy as can be.
Christmas season special, one I do adore.
Nineteen sixties silver modern Christmas tree.
I jump in the air, feeling alive and free.
Can my full soul feel nurtured anymore?
Mirth abounds, no bogeyman or Simon Legree.
Plastic reindeer’s blinking red nose fills me with glee.
Wave to Mrs. Nicewander standing in her door.
Nineteen sixties silver modern Christmas tree
Mirth abounds, no bogeyman or Simon Legree.
Written 12-06-2020
Contest: Deck the Halls
Sponsor: Joseph May
1964, Saturday night, 7 p.m.
Mom has prepared meatloaf, scalloped corn and baked potatoes.
We are okay with this, sitting behind our TV trays
In the living room, waiting for Lawrence Welk to come on
Surrounded by wallpaper of giant green philodendron vines.
We are impatiently waiting for our favorite TV show.
So we can see the fabulous Lennon Sisters.
We have their paper dolls, don’t we?
“And now a word from our sponsor”.
But it is more than one word.
It is “see the USA in a Chevrolet”
and then it is “Plop Plop Fizz Fizz Oh What a Relief it is!”
Suddenly a Spaghettio commercial comes on.
“Mom! Can we have Spaghettios next Saturday?”
We say this in unison, not understanding
We just insulted the dinner she had spent an hour preparing.
DEPLANING OF 1964
enigmatic,
four souls
rocking voices,
idol haircuts, a drum,
guitars and a smile…
fainting, waving,
heads bobbing,
despairing boyfriends
and parents
seems like,
yesterday
I wanna hold your hand-
edness
got out of hand,
helter-skelter in view
7/7/2019
Between performers we did know
(Remember Topo Gigio?)
Ed Sullivan would introduce
New acts and sometimes he’d let loose
A revolution from his stage
For viewers of a certain age.
I was among those teens that night
Who watched and screamed in pure delight
When John, Paul, George and Ringo played
The sweetest music ever made
(At least to us, for rock and roll
Tapped into every teenage soul).
Today’s that date. In ’64,
With no idea what lay in store,
That show unleashed, on each TV,
A moment etched in history –
The Beatles sang, to wild acclaim;
The world would never be the same.
the Thames estuary;
a flock of caravans
and a low sun
that narrows my eyes,
a seawind strong,
that pulls my kite
over the water.
See you later mom
meeting him at "Mass" tonight
bar code used to be.
Kathy Collins
Turn that radio off. I don’t want to hear anymore.
All they play is music from that Liverpool Fab Four.
Those four English guys are polluting the airwaves.
Somehow, their music is what my girlfriend craves.
These bums look strange with that disgusting long hair.
They drive the girls batty, but I don’t seem to care.
Anyway, let’s get going. It’s starting to get late.
If the Phillies win both games today, won't that be great?
Nineteen sixty-four in the month of October
is a time Phillies fans don’t want to remember.
With a six and a half game lead in September,
victory was expected by each team member.
Philadelphia’s baseball squad was in first place.
For most of the summer, they were setting the pace.
With only two weeks remaining in the season,
an imminent pennant winning was the reason
for joy and jubilation in Philadelphia.
Anticipating fans were filled with euphoria.
However, that World Series trip was not to be.
A strange quirk of fate would alter their history.
There were only twelve more games to go.
The Phillies lost ten of them in a row.
It seems all went wrong and nothing went right.
The team lost those games during day and night.
They finally won on the season’s last day.
However, the team saw the pennant slip away.
A second place finish signaled the end of a dream.
First place went to the St. Louis Cardinals team.
It was here in this moment of sadness
where Phillies World Series tickets became worthless.
After that infamous period of disgrace,
many years passed before a title would take place.
Abraham Lincoln; a copper penny....
I found a penny from heaven, just now?!
Have not picked one them up in quite awhile
A lucky penny I have always said ~
Although like most, this I have never truly believed
1964, Was the date that it read
I was there; I had to stop and think....
Rubbed it as I paused *
Laid down my pen and pad ~
Stuck it in my watch pocket and took a break
Three o'clock and a tad bit overcast right now
Sitting here at the pavilion, people passing by
Birds singing, the sounds of conversations oblivious
To my mind; 1964, I was there but, only five ~
The Beatles, Martin Luther King, Vietnam, JFK
He, had just died; Martin and Robert, soon to follow....
Yet innocence was still alive!?
Forty years, 1964, make a wish, open up a door
Mom and Dad, young, brothers, children, at the warf
Hopes and dreams still in store....
My lucky penny, what does it mean, what could it mean???
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
....“A Penny, From 1964” ~
Note: Smile ~ “A Repo, Winter 2006 ~ `Love, Always,`” John!:) ~
What was it with the year nineteen sixty four?
That made our dreams seem so much more.
Now dreams lie dormant behind locked door.
This is so removed from what was hoped for.
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