Grandmother Wishes for Funeral Flowers

A fine rainy day one time in spring,

Grandmother had almost finished her gardening.

When came a flash, a radiance so bright,

An angel then stepped out of the light.

“Grandmother,” he said in tones contrite,

“You know you’ve served well all of your life.

But out for one purpose alone I am sent,

I’ve come here to tell you your life’s at an end.”

Grandmother then sank down to her knees,

Not mourning, not begging, merely saying “please,

Give me till the end of these April showers,

To decide upon my funeral flowers.”

The angel granted her this last request,

And Grandmother returned to what she did best.

The family looked at each other in wonder,

Guessing which flower would be her answer.

“An Alstroemeria,” one said while gazing,

“Grandmother always was so very aspiring.”

“Perhaps a Camellia, so gracious was she,”

“Or a Forget-me-Not, remembered to be.”

“No, maybe Ginger, to show just how proud

She’s been of us all, though never said aloud,”

“Hibiscus, I think, though slight it may be

She’s always had some sort of inner-beauty.”

“A bouquet of Irises for an inspiring life,”

“A branch of Holly for a happy house-wife,”

“A Star of Bethlehem for her hope above,”

“A lilac to remember her very first love,”

“A Sunflower to show her adoration

For all things involved in vegetation,”

“A Zinnia to remember the very good friends

She had in plenty before the end.”

“A Freesia to show her ever-strong spirit,”

“A Carnation with stripes, her refusal to do it,”

“An Amaryllis to make the end more dramatic,”

“Poor Grandmother must be positively frantic.”

Grandmother then came in through the doors

As the rain outside stopped its’ downpour.

The family flocked ‘round, demanding to know

Which flower it was, that she’d finally chose.

Grandmother looked ‘round, a smile on her face,

Then she sat down, in charm and in grace.

“I’ve chosen the Cosmos,” she said with ease,

“For that lovely small flower, it stands for peace.”

“I’ve lived a life that was long and was good

And I’ve done the things a good servant should,

So now with no tears, and with no regrets,

I’ll happily go to my peaceful rest.”

Later that week, a great crowd was gathered

To honor that sweet, that loving Grandmother,

While some people cried, lost in their blubbers,

The family sat admiring her funeral flowers.

In Another Life

I was once a pair of shoes

On a sailor who once crossed the ocean blue

I didn’t know that at the time this pair of feet that I called mine

Would lead the world to history

I was once a bottle of perfume

I was the Duchess’ very favorite to use

She’d dress up and put me on and lure all the foreign dons

With the batting of her eyes

I was once a southern belle way down south

I once loved a soldier I didn’t know that much about

He went one day away to war but he never ever swore

That he’d come back to me

And oh, it would be strange then to think that I’d be here with you tonight

And oh, isn’t it strange, then, to think how different things can be

In another life

I was once a young girl in Paris

I dreamt every night of being an actress

But my dreams were cut short when I was soon forced

To live in a factory instead

I was once a painting by Degas

I laid in a museum and people watched with awe

As I twirled, and dipped, and danced, and slipped

Between the canvas and their minds

I was once a pen that sat in the hand

Of a tired young writer who was doing all she can

But by and by and every time she wrote I saw a bit

Of her mind closing down

And oh, it would be strange then to think that I’d be here with you tonight

And oh, isn’t it strange, then, to think how different things can be

In another life

I was once a little boy

There were few things that I did not enjoy

I’d go out every day, look up at the sky and wait

For a bird to pass me by

I was once a homeless bum

Who watched the city’s rich sink into the slum

I lived inside a cardboard box and with the cunning of a fox

I made it to tomorrow every day

It was only recently I made my debut

As the young city girl who fell in love with you

I tried and tried and cried for you, with nothing else to do

But die with you in mind

And oh, it would be strange then to think that I’d be here with you tonight

And oh, isn’t it strange, then, to think how different things can be

And oh, it would be strange then to think that I’d be here with you tonight

And oh, isn’t it strange, then, to think how different things can be

In another life

Poems

In a poetry blog? Get out.

These are some of the random little poems that I've written for various classes, that I didn't believe merited a section all to themselves. But they're quite smashing little darlings, all together.

Haiku

Rain has fallen down,

Tears of a lamenting Heaven,

The earth lives again.

Five Sense Poetry

Relief

Relief is the color of clear blue,

It sounds like a gentle sigh,

It tastes like a pure drink of water,

And smells like the freshest mountain air.

Relief looks like a hopeful smile,

And makes you feel liberated.

Cinquain Poetry

Cat

Fuzzy, snobbish,

Licking, biting, scratching,

You're the staff,

Menace.

Acrostic Poetry

Sky

Sweeping over the world,

Keeps going on forever,

Yours and mine to share.

Thesaurus Poetry

Deep in slumber,

Blissful sleep,

I was in dream-world,

Bathed in ecstasy,

I lay in a trance,

There in my rapture,

My Shangri-la.

Limerick (2)

There once was a girl, an addict,

Her mother was terribly strict,

But she didn’t care,

She drank coffee anywhere,

Until finally the bucket she kicked.

(And, my personal favorite.)

There once was a boy named Jake

The kids called him a mistake

Because he loved birds

They called him absurd

Until one day he flew away

A Sunny Bit of Frost

Out on my own

Traveling round,

No familiar faces

No familiar sounds.

I’m rambling there

And now over here,

No idea where I am

This is most austere.

The people around me

Are a wretched bunch,

That one in the leather

I think he stole my lunch.

My stomach growls

My feet are dead,

I wish I had somewhere

To lay my poor head.

But reading a poem

Makes me feel grand,

What traveling is for

I now understand.

I may be homesick

I may feel real lost,

But here at the road-fork

I’ll be Robert Frost,

Soon at my home

I’ll contentedly sigh,

For I, being brave,

Took the road less traveled by.

Clouds

Many clouds roll past,

Across the big blue sky.

I see lots of shapes and things,

As they go sailing by.

I see a butterfly,

So vibrant and so pretty.

It's followed close behind,

By a big and hungry kitty.

A snail now goes crawling by,

A dachshund in his wake,

And following soon after

Is a long and fluffy snake.

A daisy chases a hippo,

A penguin hunts a puppy dog.

And in the back, a stinky skunk

Sits, hidden by a log.

There's no limit to these things,

It's magical, you'll see.

I see things that others can't,

Things they say can't be.

But what do they know?

Their minds are just so mild.

They've no imagination,

They've lost their sense of child.

But as for me, I'm still here,

Watching as clouds roll by.

I see my friends and give a wave

As they go across the sky.

A Death Wish Just for You

I painted on your wall today,

You were on my mind.

I had so many things to say,

But words I could not find.

So I first settled for a picture,

To show you how I feel.

A broken heart, as it were,

That, like mine, won't heal.

Torn and mangled was the heart,

Pecked at by love-birds,

With several painful missing parts.

And then I wrote these words:

"I hate you in a way

No one's hated you before.

I hope your life will run away,

Or you get impaled by a door."

"Go drink a bottle of bleach,

Get run over by a semi-truck,

Go on a roof and slip on a peach.

Your life isn't worth a buck."

"Get murdered by some cacti,

Swim where you can't float,

Go and eat a rancid pie,

Or get skewered by a goat."

"Go sit on a toothpick,

Or lick a frayed spark-plug,

Inhale a large pixie-stick,

And eat a poisonous bug."

"You struck out on first base,

Get your things all packed.

And never again say to my face

That women over-react."