Friday, March 30, 2012

My Heart's Already Home



                                                      I can see it in the distance
                                                      sitting so humble there
                                                      an old childhood home
                                                      with springtime in the air

                                                      Children are laughing and playing
                                                      over the hills they roam
                                                      enjoying those simple pleasures
                                                      the best they've ever known

                                                      Oh it must be laundry day
                                                      the clotheslines are hanging full
                                                      quilts are blowing in the wind
                                                      there's sure to be an armful

                                                      The gardens have been plowed
                                                       there's potatoes in every row
                                                       soon everyone will gather
                                                       and each will have a hoe

                                                       The bounty will be plentiful
                                                        like that little, green onion bed
                                                        my goodness those onions are good
                                                        with a big piece of cornbread

                                                        Those chickens sure are happy
                                                        I bet there's nests everywhere
                                                        there'll be so many little ones
                                                        the hens will flog for sure

                                                        That old barn looks inviting
                                                         in that hayloft I'd love to play
                                                         while the cow's in the pasture
                                                         this pretty springtime day

                                                         I can see those old grapevines
                                                         they're still hanging over the creek
                                                         it'll soon be the first of May
                                                         time to go barefoot at the retreat

                                                         Maybe it'll help with the chiggers
                                                         come blackberry picking time
                                                         of course there'll always be plenty
                                                         and scratching if so inclined

                                                         It'll soon be time for supper
                                                         I can smell it in the air
                                                         cooked on that old wood stove
                                                         the best eating anywhere

                                                         There's so many things to enjoy
                                                         I could never get my fill
                                                         my heart's already home
                                                         like that old, rusted wagon wheel

                                                         The cherry trees are blooming
                                                         dogwoods are white as snow
                                                         oh what a blessing
                                                         to go back where I did grow

                                                         Susie Swanson, 2012

                                                     

                                                     
                                          

Friday, March 23, 2012

The Country Side



                                                   The roses of time
                                                    bloom around me today
                                                    the honeysuckle is prime
                                                    in its sweet, fragrant way

                                                    The wild rhododendron
                                                     is putting on a show
                                                     soon the ivy will come
                                                     the rhododendron will go

                                                     He loves me, he loves me not
                                                     the daisies are here
                                                     black-eyed Susie's hit the spot
                                                     and make my heart cheer

                                                     Blackberries are on track
                                                     plenty of blooms in sight
                                                     the whipporwills are back
                                                     I hear them every night

                                                     The turtle doves are soothing
                                                      to my heart there's no end
                                                      the red cardinals are singing
                                                      and being selfish again

                                                      I've been watching the creek
                                                      for wild ducks to swim
                                                      today I took a peek
                                                      I saw a woodpecker on a limb

                                                      My garden is green
                                                      a summer's bounty will be
                                                      tall sunflowers in between
                                                      the birds are waiting patiently

                                                      Each day I look around
                                                      there's so much to see
                                                      Soon the lightning bugs will abound
                                                      they're a treasure to me

                                                      Oh the beautiful country side
                                                       so much living I've done
                                                       to live elsewhere I've tried
                                                       there's no place like home

                                                      Susie Swanson, 2012

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Neighbors



Back when I was a youngun knee high to a duck, we had some real fine neighbors , it was just our good luck.

Some were more sociable than others seem to be and some were just down right nosey when they wanted to be

Then you put my grandma in the mix a time or two and what you come up with would be more than you could chew

Now the names have been changed but some of the incidents are real, I had to change the names or I might be killed

Let's see, there was Maude the widow that lived down the road a piece and there was Claude and Gertrude and they were slick as grease

By that I mean we had to watch them quite a bit, they both had a tongue as far as the other could spit

They both loved to gossip it was their middle name, when it came to spreading rumors they were both the same

And they liked to nose around in people's business all the time but grandma had em pegged like a church bell chime

She'd tell em a bunch of bull the most I've ever heard , they'd take it all in hanging on every word

Now grandma and Maude got along really good, they even changed dresses every chance they could

Yep, you read it right it was a sight to see two old women in the woods naked as could be

Well I guess I'm stretching it a little, I didn't actually look, I stood guard in the road that was always my nook

Now I need to back up some and start over again. Grandma liked Maude, she was her sewing friend. Maude sewed her own dresses and that's where it all begin

And while walking to the store one hot summer day we met up with Maude and grandma bragged on Maude's new dress in everyway

I like that new dress Maude, I can still hear it clear and they both swaped dresses in the woods that were near

Well Gertrude and Claude got a hold of that and they spread it all over the counrty on the wings of a gnat

Grandma got mad and Maude did too and they both came up with a plan slick as I ever knew

They told old Claude they needed their garden plowed and knowing he couldn't hear good they had to speak it out loud

Then Grandma said, that patch over yonder on the creek bank Claude and who in the world is that over yonder in the creek said Maude

Claude only heard bits and pieces but he heard enough to know which patch they wanted plowed and then he walked over to the creek to check out the crowd

There he found a bunch of young girls skinny dippin in the creek, when the girls turned and saw him they called him an old creep

Meanwhile grandma and Maude were laughing themselves to death, fanning their aporns cause they couldn't get their breath

Well needless to say word soon got around and here came old Gertrude with a sour face frown

Me and grandma were sittin on the porch churning buttermilk and grandma asked her what was wrong as smooth as any silk

Gertrude started crying the worst I've ever known, she said Claude's went and done it , he's done me wrong

He was seen with them girls over at the creek, they were naked as a jaybird and he just had to peep

I nearly busted out right there on the spot when grandma said come on in Gertrude the day's gettin hot

Well Gertrude sit down in the old rocking chair and poured out her marital problems as if I wasn't there

Then she said, you know I can't help but wonder most of the time if that man is worth it, he ain't worth a dime

Then grandma said, now don't go thinking that about your man you know he's a good person and does what he can

He carries in the wood and water every night and every morning he goes to work plowing before daylight

Now what would you do without him by yourside, it's good to have a man like Claude you ought  to feel pride

Well grandma talked her down after quite a while and she left for home with a toothless grin and a big, old smile

Then come Sunday morning we all went to church and everybody always seem to have their own little perch

Let's see now, me, grandma and Maude sit on the third bench back and Claude and Gertrude sit on the front bench so nothing would they lack

Well the preacher got to preaching on infidility and such and the more he preached the more old Claude didn't like it much

Cause Gertrude kept poking him in the ribs with her boney elbow and Claude would give her a dirty look with a red-face glow

Finally he took about all he could take and he jumped straight up and said woman I've never had eyes for another for goodness sake

The preacher stopped preaching and everything got really quiet, Gertrude jumped up and said you know you have and it just ain't right

I reckon they finally noticed everybody was takin it all in and they went out the door faster than they came in

Now you talk about wanting to laugh but I didn't dare , grandma gave me this look with a big, old stare

Now the rest of the church sit glued to their seat, they just sit there and looked , I never seen the beat

Finally the preacher broke the bread and said, let's all go home we're all done here and the Lord's moved on

Now you talk about people moving, they acted like they'd been stung and the very second they hit the door I heard the flapping of their tongue

But you know that didn't stop Claude and Gertrude from coming back to church, of course Claude sit in the back and Gertrude on her own little perch

And things kind of fell back into place like they were before but I'll never forget how grandma and Maude evened the score

I do here by solemnly declare the names have been changed to protect the innocent, I couldn't help myself I just had to share

                                            Susie Swanson, 2012

Monday, March 12, 2012

Scattered Upon The Ground


                                     




                                                   He was a lively young man
                                                   full of joy and cheer
                                                   spending his days building
                                                   a future ,bright and clear

                                                   School days held a promise
                                                   always looking towards tomorrow
                                                   before his dreams were shattered
                                                   by constant pain and sorrow

                                                   Hallways became a war zone
                                                   and the battle raged within
                                                   the enemy was ever so close
                                                   he used to call it friend

                                                   He walked around so fearful
                                                   with his head hanging down
                                                   feeling hurt, lonely and excluded
                                                   like dirt upon the ground

                                                   The classrooms were even worse
                                                   with a constant feeling of dread
                                                   the more they stared and mocked
                                                   the more he hung his head

                                                   Why me, he often questioned
                                                    I just want to be their friend
                                                    why am I so very different
                                                    it became so hard to pretend

                                                    When the fires were raging inside
                                                     his empty and battered soul
                                                     yearning for that special place
                                                     to help him feel worthy and whole

                                                     He took to his secluded bedroom
                                                     curled up in a tiny ball
                                                     with anguished tears of distress
                                                     and no one noticed at all

                                                     Until one morning at sunrise
                                                     and a mother's weeping sound
                                                     teardrops fell like the dreams
                                                     that laid scattered upon the ground

                                                      Susie Swanson, 2012

                                                   
                                                     Source = Bullying In American Schools --Statistics

Six out of 10 American Teens witness Bullying at least once a day. For children in grades 6--10, one in six--or 3.2 million are victims of Bullying each year and 3.7 million are Bullies. An estimated 160,000 children miss school every day out of fear of attack or intimidation by other students. One out of every 10 students who drop out of school does so because of repeated Bullying. Those who are bullied are five times more likely to be depressed and far more likely to be suicidal.

And the list goes on--- as you've probably already noticed this is a personal issue with me...Yes I was bullied in school but not to the point that I didn't overcome and move on.. With today's kids it's even worse, and the sad part about it is nothing ever seems to be done ..swept under the rug by all involved..
And if you look around you won't find many kids that hasn't went through it in one way or the other...such a sad world for children to grow up in...... This was a very, hard poem for me to write.... Enough said for now...Susie


                                                  

Friday, March 9, 2012

I Am Free



                                                      Look for me in the sunshine
                                                      when the day is brand new
                                                      feel my warm embrace
                                                      I'll be there just for you

                                                      When the days become lonely
                                                      don't lengthen them with tears
                                                      remember the good times
                                                      and all my growing years

                                                      You taught me how to live
                                                       I've left it in plain view
                                                       remember my first day of school
                                                       and how I tied my shoe

                                                      Look through the meadows
                                                      where I used to run
                                                      my favorite fishing hole
                                                      there I had so much fun

                                                      If my parting has left a void
                                                      fill it with joy and cheer
                                                      I'll always be near you
                                                      in memories you hold dear

                                                      Lift up your heart to heaven
                                                      rejoice and share with me
                                                      God needed me even more
                                                      and now I am free

                                                      Susie Swanson,2012

Very recently one of my friends lost her 24 year old son (her one and only child) and she ask me for a poem to be read at his Memorial Service. I started looking through my poems and nothing jumped out at me, I though oh no what will I do..I can't deny this sweet, grieving mother of  a simple request such as this..I'd never met her son so I thought that maybe I could write something from a mother's point of view as I have a son. I started writing and nothing seem to work..No words came that I could go with.. knowing I only had a few days to do it in and fearing I would disappoint her, needless to say I was at a loss..
I started praying really hard for God to lead me in the right direction if it be his will, and then I started writing..... This is what I came up with .... To my good friend Monica with love..May God Bless and keep you with his comforting peace as only he can....Susie
 

Sunday, March 4, 2012

It's Me Again Lord



                                                             It's me again Lord
                                                             thanking you for another day
                                                             being able to get out of bed
                                                             is a blessing enough to pray

                                                             Lord I sometimes wonder
                                                             why I deserve anything at all
                                                             I stumble and fall everyday
                                                             and feel so unworthy and small

                                                             But yet you're always there
                                                             through the good and the bad
                                                             wiping away every tear
                                                             such a comfort when I'm sad

                                                             When I lay down at night
                                                              I know I can count on you
                                                              to keep me safe from harm
                                                              just like you always do

                                                              Lord I can never forget
                                                              your son on that cross
                                                              the pain he suffered and endured
                                                              for sinners like me that was lost

                                                              The pain you must have felt
                                                              as he walked up Calvary's Hill
                                                              is plenty enough for me
                                                              to cling to a promise so real

                                                              With a loving father as you
                                                              how can anyone ever deny
                                                              without you I couldn't walk
                                                              there'd be no need to try

                                                              Well I'll go for now Lord
                                                              but I won't be gone very long
                                                              I'm just a talk and a prayer away
                                                              I could never make it for long

                                                               Susie Swanson,2012

This past Friday Night a tornado swept through our little town and left behind a path  of destruction...We are all so grateful that there were no casualties and the injuries were minor compared to some places where people lost their lives... Me and my family were very blessed and fortunate, we didn't get a direct hit..
The last time a tornado touched down here was during that awful outbreak of 1974 .. Four lost their lives back then..Our town and communities have  always come together to help in times of need, and this is no exception.. Resources are coming in from every direction and for that we all are humbly grateful...
As everyone knows last week was a very bad week for tornadoes across the country and so many lost their lives..It seems this spring is already setting up to be a very bad season for storms and tornadoes.
Just like all others we will pick ourselves up and start over again and pray for better times and days ahead..
Please help me , (as i know most already are) and pray for the ones that are in worse shape and lost love ones..May God Bless ..Susie

Thursday, March 1, 2012

That Stinky Skunk



                                                       A stinky little skunk
                                                       paid a visit to me
                                                       I never did see him
                                                       he didn't want me to see

                                                       But he left his mark
                                                       and he wanted me to smell
                                                       as he ran through the yard
                                                       he raised his stinky tail

                                                       Such a horrible scent
                                                       drifting through the air
                                                       couldn't stick my head out
                                                       it seem so unfair

                                                       That's what he wanted
                                                       and he got his way
                                                       he kept me in the house
                                                       and it made his day

                                                       I sure hope the next time
                                                       he's out of stinky junk
                                                       when he runs through my yard
                                                       that stinky little skunk

                                                         Susie Swanson,2011

Wheeeeew, been running around like a chicken with its head cut off all week..I bet most have already give up and booted me off of here..I forgot to look and see if I lost any Followers..
Been taking care of the sick, you know how that goes..Everybody seems to be on the mend and I got a spare minute to post..
Of course this morning was no exception, I was running around as usual doing my morning thing when I opened the door and slamed it back...IT'S SPRING..that's what my daddy use to say when the skunks passed through..He always told me the reason we had them so bad was that we lived near a creek..Over the years I've come to realize daddy was right, especially this time of year..
After the smell passed I made my way out the door and managed to have a great day, plenty of sunshine and temps near 80 again, tomorrow it suppose to be rain and more storms...Can't complain ,could be a lot worse, Please continue to remember the people that lost so much this week with all the bad weather and the School Shooting in Ohio..What's the world coming to..
I wrote this little poem and posted it last spring, this morning it came back to me smack kadab in the face.. Good Luck with the skunks this year folks...Blessings, Susie