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Feb 2018 · 123
A Rock and a Hard Place
So happy for this mild reprieve
Be it long or short.
The weather has been brutal here
Many a plan abort.

Anticipating the springtime
When life returns to norm.
But then, I guess, we’ll be engaged
With watching for the storms.
Some things grab you,
Before you even know it.
Like color, for example:
Salmon, turquoise, yellow,
With beige, blue and peach.
An array of pastels.
Their gentle whispers
In bold statements.
A jargon of beauty
That warms the heart—
Just for the peering.

Color is beautiful.
Color is powerful.
Color attracts.
______________________________________
Note: Stumbled upon a beautiful spread of colors, and found it not the least bit distracting, but most attractive.
© 2018 Walterrean Salley
Feb 2018 · 82
Thank God for Momma
Time, really, would fail to tell
What Mother means to me;
Friend, guardian and love.
A precious gem from above.

Looking upon her, I see
A woman who has given me
Life, hope, and all she could,
So I can be all that I should.

But the sacrifices made
When much of herself she gave
Will always be the noble part
That I will cherish in my heart.

Thank God for my momma,
She’s as precious as can be.
I’ll ever love and cher'sh her.
She is the world to me.
Feb 2018 · 131
All Things Work Together
In life, you never know
The crosses we must bear.
The things that we suffer—
Sickness, pain, tears.
The heavenly Father’s there
To lend a helping hand.

When life is overwhelming,
The Father understands.
But we must trust Him
In face of every ill.
Even in our brokenness,
We must trust Him still.
For all things work together
To the good of His will.
Feb 2018 · 181
Come Spring—Come
How disappointing
That spring’s in delay.
Punxsutawney Phil
Saw his shadow today.

The winter’s been harsh
On everything.
I yearn for release
In the mercies of spring.

Brrrrrr. Uggghh!
It's been so cold.
But a tad bit longer,
Then winter shall fold.
Feb 2018 · 168
Grounds for the Spring
Punxsutawney Phil
Saw his shadow today,
Then did an ‘about face,’
And scurried away.

No fan of the winter
He shrugged, and sighed eeks!
Then returned to his den
For another six weeks.

And, so, it seems winter
Will take its sweet time
In yielding to spring’s
Magnanimous chime.
Can hardly wait for spring.  Written February 2, 2018 for Groundhog’s Day.
Feb 2018 · 597
Thank You Dear Sir
A kind and simple thank you Sir
Is all I have to give.
Tho I owe you so much more
In the affirmative.

For those who’ve lost their life,
A leg, an eye, or a hand,
If only we could give it back—
But there's no way we can.

So I'll just light a candle here
With wishes bright and fair
Knowing you will be just fine
Within the Father's care.
And never are you far away
But in my daily prayer.
Feb 2018 · 148
Right Thing—Wrong Place
Went to the frig
For a boiled egg.
At the veggie tray—
Not looking for veg.
Didn’t see what I wanted,
But knew it was there.
My question then:
The eggs!  But where?
Then, before my eyes,
In spite of myself,
Boiled eggs in a bowl
On the bottom shelf.

FOOTNOTE: It’s important to look in the right place for the right thing, at the right time.
Feb 2018 · 124
Love is Ever Ready
Ready for the challenges
Life will surely bring.
Forever love remains poised
To withstand the sting.

Now, to its sincere moorings,
Love's a gentle king
Chiming with all faithfulness
That shall ever ring.

For its grace and purity
Love does humbly sing.
Beholden unto sacrifice,
But honors it will bring.
Feb 2018 · 100
Yesterday Is But a Wink
Yesterday’s a deserted puddle
With water all dried up.
The memories are savoring,
But empty is the cup.

And yesterday is a bare glass
With not a thing to drink.
It holds no substance in its hand;
Just fleeting, like a wink.

And like the total silence of
A pleasant sounding fife--
Yesterday, like shifting sand,
Is just a phase of life.
Feb 2018 · 108
Yesterday Is an Old Blanket
Like an old blanket,
Fold up 'last year,'
And place it on the shelf of time.
Box up its contents,
Which rings no longer prime.
Take up today and journey on—
Understanding that...
Yesterday no longer speaks.
For yesterday is gone.
Feb 2018 · 160
A Cupful of Merits
My friends
Deserve more than
I can possibly give.
And, so, I pray for them as best
I could.

Bless my
Friends, oh God, each
One according to their
Kindness, and their many selfless
Merits.
Feb 2018 · 91
Buckets Full of Water
The clouds,
Like milking cows
Are ready to drop down
An abundance of rain by the
Pails full.
Feb 2018 · 59
Walking with God
I have
Walked with God ‘pon
The Mountaintops. I’ve walked
With Him mid the bright sunshine and
Wild blooms.

And I’ve
Walked with my God
Thro’ deep valleys, spite the
Shadow of death that loomed. I walk
With God.
Feb 2018 · 76
Embracing Today
The only way to
Fully embrace today
Is to let go of yesterday.
One cannot look back,
And at the same time
Successfully move forward.
You cannot be in the present
While simultaneously
Dwelling in the past.
Feb 2018 · 76
Floating Iron
If I should ask “Does iron float?”
One would reply, Oh no!
But truly, such was the case
Thousands of years ago.
You see, a borrowed axe head
Fell into a river
Down, down. Way down it sank
With no means to deliver.

Prayer was offered for the axe,
Which soon went a floating.
Then some hooked and drew it in
A wonder worth the noting.
And so the axe was returned
To its rightful owner
But only with a twist of fate,
It’d had been a goner.
A biblical account.
Feb 2018 · 97
Silently Gleaming
Yonder
In the heights, a
Star shone bright. Glistening.
Streaming down ‘pon the holy night.
Christmas.
Feb 2018 · 52
Momma’s Shoes
Plop, plop--
Flip flop. Scouring
Around in Momma’s shoes--
Too BIG for me. I aspired to be
Like her.
Feb 2018 · 64
Momma’s Gloves
Dainty.
The pretty gloves
Delicately embraced
Her tender hands—enfolding her
Essence.
Feb 2018 · 67
Momma’s Grace
Her grace
Was so tender
Making her uniquely
The type of mother God called her
To be.
Feb 2018 · 106
Christmas and Momma
Because of Momma I know Christmas
She taught us how to celebrate
And tho’ she is no longer with us,
To be a part and undertake,
I will ever remember Momma
And will always appreciate
Her love for the holiest Season
And sincere zeal to celebrate.
FOOTNOTE: tho’ is the contraction for ‘though.
Feb 2018 · 189
2016—A Thing of the Past
2016’s failures and wastage
Will be quite a thing of the past
Each battle fought, or vict’ry won,
Will soon be like the setting sun.
Or like water beneath the bridge
Dead, and stagnant, and still.
For all these things we leave behind
Traveling towards higher ground.
The New Year, its failures or success,
The old year can never access.
Feb 2018 · 105
Dichotomy of the Sky
The sky
That gives us light
By day
Also gives us dark
By night'
Yet, we marvel
For both sights.
A mysterious
Delight.
Feb 2018 · 58
Light
Light is
Enabling. The
Womb of light is the dawn.
God is the source from whom all things
Spring forth.
Feb 2018 · 71
The Dichotomy of Pain
On the one hand,
Pain breaks the heart—
Ripping it apart.  
And yet, on the other,
It warns… something wrong.
Pain is a lifesaving sign.

Feb 2018 · 52
The Christmas Experience
Christmas
Is a brick in
The foundation of my
'Life experiences'—ingrained
Therein.
Feb 2018 · 78
Christmas Celebration
‘Tis a gilded history
Of such grand festivity

Garland, tinsel, tree, light,
And the holy hymns of might.

Sounding of the lyrical,
And a time for miracles.

Resounding nostalgia
And crowning regalia.

Island, land and isthmus
Celebrating Christmas.
Feb 2018 · 54
Sleep Osmosis
Before
I knew, I had
Fallen asleep--mutely
Drifting off into a peaceful
Dream state.
Feb 2018 · 57
The Christmas Light
In little obscure Bethlehem
Two thousand years ago
God’s precious Son descended there
His Father’s love to show.

He lived amongst humanity
For thirty-three-long years,
Intensely laboring for peace
With blood, and sweat and tears.

He took the time to talk and laugh
And mingle among men.
For He had lots of enemies,
‘Tho He made many friends.

He surely was the one true Light
Here in this dark, dark world
Where gloomy darkness, pain and grief
In all despair unfurled.

While that true candle burns yet still
The world remains in night.
‘Twill burn until He comes again
In the fullness of His Light.
FOOTNOTE: ‘Twill is the contraction for ‘it will.’
Feb 2018 · 92
The Power of Song
There are days
When I need a song
That’s powerful enough
To take my mind off myself
And my problems.

Not a lot
Of drama
But a strong message
With powerful delivery.
Oh, for such a song.
Feb 2018 · 71
Sun-Clad Morning
Flowers smile
And birds sing
Sunbeams dance around

Windows reflect
Warmth caresses,
As sunrays astound.

Skies are blue
Clouds are fair
And beauties abound.

The face of
A sun-clad morn
In which joy is found.
Feb 2018 · 57
Love’s Faithfulness
The hand of kindness,
A smile of gold.
Some tender thought.
A tale untold.

A caring touch
On every hand.
Love, so lovely,
For every man.

Lofty, noble,
Unassuming.
Ever faithful
Ever blooming.
Feb 2018 · 70
Dawn’s Hallelujah
Long nights into nowhere.
The small hours stretch painfully.
Stretching and stretching,
As quiet reflections surface—
Demanding attention
And commanding the mind.
On and on it goes
Till, finally, dawn’s appearing.
Awake my soul and sing.
Feb 2018 · 150
A Bucket of Battles
Conflicts.
Physical, financial,
Emotional and social.
Life’s battles are many—
Every day, all day.
Feb 2018 · 65
Witty Shadow
Image on the wall
Casts its shadow ‘pon the floor
Playing with the mind.
Feb 2018 · 78
Life's Daily Battles
We are everyday people,
But in conflict.
As soldiers,
We battle the challenge
Of life’s myriad issues.

In defense…
Opposing those things,
Such as could defeat
And take us down.
Feb 2018 · 68
Life’s Closing Doors
Like the closing of curtains,
So are the doors of life.
As there was an opening,
There shall be a closing.
For there was a beginning,
And there must be an end.
But may each intermediate step
Be laid after God’s own choosing.
Feb 2018 · 64
For Ice-Cream Lovers
Rarely does one not like ice cream:
Strawberry, vanilla, chocolate—more.
The cone. The sandwich. And the bar.
Homemade, or, bought from the store.

Check out the fave banana split
Or the apple pie ala mode.
The tasty chocolate sundae is
Remembered in this ice-cream ode.

There are many ice cream flavors:
Blueberry, peach and coffee too.
Lime, orange, cherry. Butter pecan;
Whatever’s uniquely you.

And let me be the first to say
‘Happy National Ice Cream Day.’
FOOTNOTE: National Ice-Cream Day is July 19 each year.
© 2017 Walterrean Salley
Feb 2018 · 81
Wintry-Night Haiku
Fair wintry night with
Clear skies and a bright shining
Moon—Nature’s lantern.
Feb 2018 · 53
Moonbeam Haiku
Light of the moonbeams‘
High visibility - trumps
Gloominess of earth.
Feb 2018 · 371
A Cheese-Lover's Delight
It’s been for many a decade
Part of the daily diet.
The mold, and mice, and men love it;
The mice eat it in quiet.

The Provolone and Parmesan.
And the Cheddar, mild or sharp,
Can cause food glands to salivate—
Making the taste buds to harp.

The famed macaroni and cheese.
Cheeseburger and grilled cheese too.
Cheese cake, and more recipes
That've all with cheese to do.

Cheez Doodles, Cheese Sticks, and Cheez-It.
Cottage Cheese, and cream cheese too.
A favorite meat substitute—
Mozzarella, or the Bleu.

So much to share. Too much to say
On this ‘National Cheese Day.’
FOOTNOTE: January 19 is annual National Cheese Day.

Some Interesting Facts:
There are many (well over 1,000) kinds of cheeses. Consider the following brands: Acapella, American Blue (Bleu), American Cheese, Baby, Blue Vein Cheese, Brick, Brie, Camembert, Cashel Blue, Cheddar, Cheshire, Colby, Crottin de Chavignol, Farmer's, Feta, Gouda, Gruyere, Manchego, Monterey Jack, Moon, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Provolone, Ricotta, Romano, Sorrento Mozzarella, Stilton, String, Swiss Cheese, and Yogurt Cheese. The list is endless.

Sources for this information includes: cheese.com. It’s the ‘World’s Greatest Cheese Source.’

The cheese.com database includes information on the most famous cheeses such as Cheddar, Camembert, Stilton or Parmesan, as well as rarities, like Crottin de Chavignol, Gouda, Brie, American Cheese, Pecorino Romano, Cheddar, Manchego, Smoked Gouda and Camembert.
© 2017 Walterrean Salley
Feb 2018 · 97
The Codicils of Time
The codicils of time
Frequently change one’s life
Giving new directions
Like the tune of a fife.

So often adding this
And too removing that
As one who dares to don
A many a life hat.

Such addendums to life
(The codicils of time)
Are countless in numbers
And proven to be prime.

Positioning the heart
To gain through persistence,
They bring new dimensions
To a shallow existence.
Footnote: Codicil means an addition or supplement.
© 2017 Walterrean Salley
Feb 2018 · 72
Whodunit?
Two teenage friends went hiking
Along a familiar trail
In Northern Indiana.
The ‘plot’ would don a veil.

For the girls did not show up
At the appointed spot,
Reuniting with the kin
Said to have dropped them off.

So it became obvious
That something went awry.
And next came the somber news
That’ll make a heart cry.

Investigators sought help
To find the perpetrator
As the blood of those two girls
Pled to the Creator.

Whodunit? For now remains
An unsolved mystery.
But time, and chance, and purpose
Shall claim the victory.

The girls from the hiking trail—
Their story must unfold;
Some day in vindication
The bare truth shall be told.
FOOTNOTE: Written February 25, 2017 as my heart was so touched by the recent unfortunate headline story of the two missing girls in Indiana. Prayers are with the families.
© 2017 Walterrean Salley
Feb 2018 · 97
Cast Your Bread
I’d cast some bread upon the waters
More than a decade or so.
And now it has returned to me
From many a year ago.

From many a mile it came floating
Upon the peaceful waters—
At the time I needed it most.
(In chaos, life finds order.)

So ‘cast your bread upon the waters’
If you would so dare.
Somehow it will come back to you—
Some time. Some place. Somewhere.

Be it time, or talent, or finance—
Whatever you’re able to give—
Cast your bread upon the waters,
And trust God as you live.
(Revised 2018.)
Feb 2018 · 59
The Continuum
Every day is the continuum of life
And what it has begun
Of love, joy, and laughter,
Heartache, struggle and pain.

It continues…
Babes are born.
Youth grows old.
And the aged passes on.

The sun rises and sets.
We sleep, labor and play
Continuously.

The continuum.
Life is an unending cycle;
It never quits.
Feb 2018 · 49
The Place
Two thousand years ago
There stood a place in time;
Unfading are the memories.
A never ending chime
Whose sound reached everywhere
In earth and sky and sea.
And channeling through the ages
Did make its way to me.
Mother. Daughter.  Sister.  Wife.
Women make a difference in life.
Their person is defendable.
Their role is indispensable.

Women are irreplaceable;
Their MO is nontraceable.
Smart and intelligent are they—
One of a kind in every way.

Woman prefer their own style,
Specially walking down the aisle.
And donning cotton, silk or lace—
She is found in every place.
(Revised 2/2018.)
Footnote: International Women's Day (IWD) is March 8 and the 2017 campaign theme is Be Bold For Change.
© 2017 Walterrean Salley
Feb 2018 · 112
Hey 'Cherry Lovers'
Amid nature’s finest things
That make the taste buds sing,
Are summer-fresh cherries.
Deliciously mouth-watering.

Ruefully, as summer wanes,
Cherries go out of season.
But upon their due return,
I’m cheery for a reason.

The most delightful of fruits—
In my HMO.
Perhaps for they’re exquisiteness,
Or that I love them so.

The cherry, a gift from God,
Spruces the daily diet.
It grows on trees and tastes so good.
The perfect dessert.  Try it.
(Revised 2/2018.)
Footnote: a good word in favor of ‘fresh cherries.’ Sweet cherries contain a small amount of quercetin, which is among the most potent in terms of antioxidant activity including a wide range of other health-promoting properties such as fiber, vitamin C, carotenoids, and anthocyanins, each of which, it is said, may help play a role in cancer prevention. National Cherry Day is celebrated on July 16.
© 2017 Walterrean Salley
Feb 2018 · 478
Throwback Cold-Cuts
During element’ry school
Lunchtime was a drag
For the bologna sandwich
In my little brown lunch bag.

My favorite? The spice ham
I loved on grilled cheese.
Made bologna mediocre…
A cold cut for the breeze.

Now, turkey’s my favorite
Amongst the cold cuts.
It is healthy and tasteful—
No ifs, ands or buts.

Cold cuts, an old sidekick
Are convenient—take your pick.
(Revised 2/2018.)
Feb 2018 · 91
The Working Man
He’s the average Joe
Who works hard each day,
Faithfully laboring
To earn him a pay.

He will ‘man’ the workforce
As best that he can.
Even back-breaking tasks
To meet the demand.

So, a regular Joe
Working nine to five—
Trying to make ends meet
Just to stay alive.
Employee Appreciation Day is an unofficial holiday observed (in the United States and Canada) on the first Friday in March.
© 2017 Walterrean Salley
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