My Unwanted Visitor

Every year about this time, I have unwanted visitors. The kind that stink and leave their stink behind. My daddy used to say it's because I live near a creek. Daddy always said they love the water and in the early spring is when they're the worse I have come to realize that daddy was right. The other morning I poked my head out the door and run to get back in. The whole morning long I was stuck in the house. I just wish  those stinky spring-time skunks would find a new spring-time home far, far away.


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

Older Mothers

They draw me to them
These women of old
A rare, polished gem
More precious than gold

Wisdom from the wise
Through the years have grown
So much certainty in their eyes
Long-suffering they have known

With a patient heart
Down through the years
To many burdens from the start
And they've shed to many tears

They've conquered many things
With such beauty and grace
Captured what life brings
Like the beauty of white lace

Such a gentle soul
And life's most loving friend
Caring they surely do hold
On them you can depend

Many have been their days
Through long countless time
They walk with God's praise
In heaven they will shine

When their life is at end
And they've drawn their last breath
An angel God will send
To walk with them in death

Susie Swanson      Published, April,2010  In memory of my mother

Red Roses

Beautiful red roses
Climbing, climbing a tree
Each year they grow
There's more roses to see

Ancestral red roses
Passed down through time
From my gardening grandma
Into the hands of mine

Very special red roses
From a large array
She planted a rose garden
Along her life's way

Crowning red roses
That sparkle with the dew
Part of her legacy
From a rose gardener's hue

Old-time red roses
Blooming there for me
I wish my grandma
Could be here to see

Susie Swanson

Love

Love is like a beautiful rose
That blooms in the spring
Its petals glistening
In the early morning rain

Love has the strength of a mountain
That reaches high as the sky
Nothing can move or break it
In our hearts it will forever lie

You see God planted it there
Deep within our soul
To last through-out the ages
And never once grow old

Susie Swanson     Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Nostalgia

Today I saw an old house
Just sitting there all alone
Once filled with joy and laughter
And the things that make a home

It hungers for familiar voices
That echoes in every room
And all the beautiful flowers
That covered the yard in bloom

The tasty smell of meal-time
Drifting through the kitchen door
And those hungry, cheerful voices
Today it longs for even more

There's that warming old fireplace
With the embers burning red
At night while everyone lay sleeping
Tucked away upstairs in bed

And that little mantle clock
That ticked away the night
Such a soothing, peaceful sound
And a welcome kind of quiet

It loved to hear the rooster crow
Every morning at the break of dawn
And the stairway that became so busy
With the creaking sound that is now gone

Oh those long-ago busy days
Its useful heart loved so
So much time for work and play
The old house continued to grow

So many wonderful, cherished memories
A home it was determined to be
Its warmth always flowing and stirring
Like the smoke ascending from its chimney

Today although the house looks lonely
Just waiting for someone to walk in
It seems someone is already there
Nostalgia has become its best friend

Susie Swanson

God's Canvas Of Colors

The calm beauty of a sunset on a beautiful, painted sky
With big, puffy clouds softly floating by

A red rose in bloom kissed by the morning dew
Sparkling in the sun under a sky of blue

A long, rolling meadow of emerald green
With a light, fluttering breeze and quite serene

An ocean so blue as far as the eyes can see
With each stroke he painted far across the sea

The eyes of a child smiles with a tender caress
His gift to this world filled with joy and happiness

Teardrops falling from an old mother's face
He captured them all with sorrow and grace

A multi-colored rainbow after a shower of rain
A wonder of beauty only God can explain

The twinkling of stars on a moon-light night
A measure of his power on a canvas so bright

A tiny, yellow butterfly fresh from its birth
A token of his love and a heart full of worth

A snow-covered mountain standing so high
With breath-taking beauty it creates a great sigh

The song of a turtle dove at morning's dawn
Brings peace and love for everything that's wrong

I marvel at the tapestry so beautiful and grand
Painted by the master with a gentle, loving hand

His canvas of colors are a sight to behold
He painted a masterpiece more precious than gold

Susie Swanson

Grandma's Quilting Side

There's an old patchwork memory
That lingers in my mind
And some old quilting frames
Long since left behind

I see her quilting there
With her needle in hand
Sewing every little stitch
So meticulous and grand

Moving this way and that
Quilting the whole day through
Creating a quilter's masterpiece
As only grandma could do

And those old quilting scraps
She never threw any away
She always made use of them
In the quilts she put on display

Each one became a symbol
Of my grandma's quilting side
Left behind for her family
To admire with love and pride

I miss walking in the door
And seeing her still there
Over behind grandpa's chair
Stitching every little square

My beautiful keepsake memories
Today continues to thrive
When I look at grandma's quilt
They surely do come alive

Susie Swanson