From December 2015

My eyes gaze in wonderment
At the night sky...in Autumn
As Orion appears..........
leading us to December

Traveling the  route.....nightly.....
East to West...

A "hunter"................ say the mystics

But, is he?

What is it, he is hunting?

He isn't!

He's...."guarding!".....

The spirit.....of the...

"Christ Child".......................................

"Merry Christmas, everybody!"

copyright: richard riddle 12-16-2015

When I would call my parents and speak with my dad, the first thing I would ask him was , "Dad, how are you doing today?" He would invariably answer, "Not bad for someone who is closer to one hundred than to fifty". I've been "inching" towards a hundred for the past 25 years, when I said  "goodbye" to fifty, which will become more apparent in thirteen days. "Oh well, not much, if anything, can be done about it. However, it does serve as a platter of reflections heaped with "shoulda's, coulda's woulda's", and a large sideorder of  "shouldn't haves" and "lessons learned."
I find myself having lost interest in 'materialism." What once seemed
to be important, no longer 'is', if it ever 'was'.... in the first place. But, what I do have is absolutely "PRICELESS!" Although my wife Karen   is no longer on this mortal earth, she lives in our son, and in our grandchildren. They are my Christmas gifts every day, of every week, of every month, of every year, which is how it should be. My 'waning years' are for them.

I ask for no more than that!!

r.riddle: 11-25-2016

"reposted for a very special friend"

A clear, crystal orb-
resting alone-
In the center of the table..

She 'chants', this Gypsy woman,
as her gnarled hands
move...slowly,
caressing its silk-smooth surface..

A mist forms
within the glass,
a cloud... that holds the future...
and the past...

An image begins to materialize
and there, before my very eyes
Sits a man.......
contentment on his face.............

He is asleep... an arm....
folded across his chest-
And on his hand, a simple ring-
with a cross etched on its crest

"My father?"

"Closer", I look-
as the mist recedes-
'Tis' not my father!".....

For 'he'.............is "me!"*


r riddle 08-14-2016

Traveling Carnivals most always have a gypsy fortune teller, especially those that travel the circuits of small towns and rural communities.

(reposted for a very special friend)

Reaching........for her hand........
a tether,
between two hearts

"Come, and I will take thee
to a new land...
and only you
Will know it's name"

"Where fireflies sparkle
as stars on an 'ebon' nite-
Where fairies dance,
as Luna sings....
Whilst' Unicorns feast
on the Heather"....

"Sleep... my lady, sleep"......
for the land of which I speak...
Awaits you* ..............

"In your dreams"


r.riddle: 08-05-2016

Do you really know how intelligent is your pet? "REALLY? It's eery at times, just downright scary.
Within two weeks after getting married, my wife, Karen, and I obtained a Siamese kitten, "Pudd'n." She was the self-appointed "Queen" and exalted ruler of our home. Correction, "our lives." Her realm lasted for 16 years, traveled with us, went to drive-in movies with us, all that kind of stuff. She was our first 'angel.'
But there was 'one' particular trait we never understood. One that had us nearly convinced that she was "not of this earth." She loved the television series, "The X-files." whenever Karen and I would sit down to watch the show and the music intro would begin, Pudd'n would come out from whichever bedroom she was in, jump upon the arm of the sofa and stay there like a statue and watch the entire episode. When it was over, she would return to the comfort of the bed. She never did this with other programs, just this one, week after week. and, the expression in her eyes while watching, let us believe that she actually understood the plot of the series.
I guess that the point of all this is, "Never underestimate what an animal is capable of "thinking, and doing." They'll surprise you time and time again. This is why the shelters are so important, and why everyone should have an "angel" in their home. Visit a shelter today.

richard riddle: 11-23-2016

"Give me that!!, I saw it first."
"The hell you did, I saw it first!!"

"Ahhh, yes. Holiday cheer is underway!" "Black Friday" is upon us. The day after Thanksgiving, when shoppers arm themselves with credit cards, cash, and weapons, heralding the official start of the 2016 Christmas shopping season.  Arriving at deparment stores at 3am, foaming at the mouth to be first in line when doors open at 7, if not earlier.

"BUY THREE, GET ONE!," "50% OFF", another, and other such 'come-ons', are the battle cries. It gives the department stores an opportunity to get rid of the poor quality stuff they couldn't sell earlier. But, shoppers don't care as long as they think they're getting a bargain.

"Me?" Finished with most of it, but enough to keep me out of the mainstream.

"HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYBODY!!"

r.riddle: 11-21-2016

The armies gathered on the vast expanse, poised for battle. Shields were raised, and the blades of their swords glistened in the morning sun. Led by the knights of  Arthur's table, they would be invincible, to fight for king and country..........so we thought. After all, it seemed like every country, mostly Normans and Saxons, wanted to kick Britain's ***.(and still do).

I was seven years old, as best I can remember. The 'vast expanse' was our backyard in that cul-de-sac in Corpus Christi, Texas, back in the 1940's. With 16 kids on that short block, it didn't take long to organize armies in order to re-enact the movie we saw earlier at the Saturday Morning Matinee at the then Ayers Theatre, whether it be about knights of the realm, or a Roy Rogers western.
Bless those days before televsion took its unyielding hold. A time when we could let our imaginations run rampant, making up our own scenarios, emulating our movie heroes, and there were many,  and most of all, "playing outside," something we don't see much of......... *anymore.
No one ever got hurt in those weekend battles. Of course, mom and dad, along with the other parents on that block kept the 'silent' watch on us, intervening only if they felt it was getting too loud or rough. I sit here, in my chair, recallng my dad saying, "At least, if we can hear them, we know where they are."

Our shields and swords were mostly made from poster and cardboard, sometimes rolled up newspapers.

copyright: r.riddle 11-17-2016