Trick?

Thump thump thump
Knock knock
Pause
Knock knock
Ding dong

Sigh
Groan
Thump thump thump
Click
Creak
Pause

"Hey"
"Hey? Don't you say 'Trick or Treat' anymore?"
"Oh. Uh. Yah. Trick or Treat"
"Here"
"Uh. Thanks."
"Happy Halloween!"
"K. Uh. You too."
Thump thump thump

Creak
Kathump
Click
Thump thump thump
Groan
Sigh
Grumble
Grumble
Rustle rustle
Tear
Slurp
Crunch
Munch munch
Sigh
"At least the candy hasn't changed!"

Rustle rustle

Tear

Slurp

Crunch

Munch munch

Sigh

Sally

Calm Storm

Serene
Contented
Majestically displaying
her meritorious distinction.
Honorable
Admirable
A true vision
of composure.
Calmness
Wisdom
A whisper
of rhythm
in Nature.

CRASH
ECHO
THUNDER
ROAR
Out of nowhere
like a
ruptured furnace,
a tumultuous
vortex of
hellishness,
SHE hits!
The MAELSTROM.
Divine mayhem
edging the calm
to the brink of
bedlam.

The force of
unending vexation,
channelling the energy
of Sandy,
she lays waste
to her nest
seemingly venting
after a hard
day at work.

Sally

Thanks Kevin

On gloomy days,
when I feel
boxed in.
On days when the
world seems
overwhelmingly
demanding,
and insatiable...
When effort
flows like
McGillivray Falls
and the tasks
seem as boundless
as the rocks
that line the sea...
I feel drawn to
Kevin Smith.
His scripts make an
English teacher proud.
His characters are
round, lifelike
and hilarious!
And his plots
are as alluring,
and unpredictable as
an old fashioned
roller coaster.
Clerks, Clerks II,
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,
Mallrats, Chasing Amy
Dogma...
Hours of reflective,
stomach clenching
entertainment.
What could be better
to kick
S.A.D
in the pants!
Thanks Kevin!

Sally

                                    Really?

Just when I thought the stress could not possibly be more,
the ceiling erupts, and there's water all over the floor.

Sally

                          Today

I walked into a building I hadn't visited in years,
and felt opportunity flowing like tears.

Sally

Friday nights are so special.

All of us gather and celebrate The Sabbath together.

Making spectacular meals, and enjoying each other's company.

Inviting extended family and friends to join us.

Laughing our heads off while sharing a multitude of fart stories.

Yearning for the week to fly by, so that we can gather again!

Sally

Let's Stay Not Friends

I turned to you in need,
and you ignored me.
I asked for more time,
and you said No!
So I exploded.
That was the next
logical step.
BOOM!
And you're
surprised?
After over two years
of devoted,
passionate, effort,
you write me off
in the blink of an eye?
You berate me like
a preschooler
caught with her
hand in her pants.
No Worse!
Caught with her hand in
someone else's pants!
Shaking your head in
disappointment.
Reminding me of the
expectations like I'm the
new kid on the block,
when you know full well
that obligation
pumps through my veins,
my agenda is articulate, and
my responsibilities clear.
You two-faced me.
You tricked me into
letting my guard down.
I thought we were friends?
Lesson learned.
I will not be caught
with my knickers down,
again.
We'll just continue to bow
to the hierarchy facade.
I can play this game too.
"Good Day Mam!"

Sally

     Career Counseling 

           I agree Sallis.
I'd make a great cheerleader.
     You give fine advice!

                Sally

                   Fallen

One brick drops with a heavy thud,
leaving a permanent imprint on the foundation.
It's inevitable that others follow
crumbling, falling, taking with them
the literary echo...
With every layer of devastation,
disintegrates a tale woven of
historical thread, no longer
able to uphold its end of
the conversation.

Sally

Old School

Am I nuts?
Don't answer that!
It was meant to be rhetorical.
If I really thought myself
to be crazy,
I wouldn't be flaunting
it in a poem.
The point is...
Today,
I received a donation
of 500 National Geographic
magazines ranging from
1920-2012.
Somehow,
I couldn't say NO!
I had no plan for where to put them
exactly.
I just knew that if I put
them in my classroom,
kids would read them!
So I said YES!
Our security guard
looked at me,
then at the pile of boxes
holding hundreds of magazines
and said,
"Couldn't you just get these
all on a disc?"
I probably could have,
but it's not the same.
I pilled them up
in chronological order
on a bookcase I built
in the hall.
It teetered like
Christopher Lee
trying to withstand an
earthquake.
I don't think that
will prove to be my
biggest problem though!
I think that most of my effort
will be made
trying to get the kids
to STOP reading them
when it's time to
get back to work!
That's a pretty good
problem to have!

Sally

POEM ALONe

You've seen all of my floppy bits.
You've stood by while I barfed.
You've helped massage cracked nipples,
and watched me birth like art.
So why is it that you refuse,
to read the blog I own?
Why is it that once again
I feel I'm POEM ALONe.

Sally

Random Act of Kindness

Spirit of the West was playing in Seattle

and She couldn't miss it.

They drove across the border in Naomi's Subaru.

Jittery excitement, singing along to Tripping Up The Stairs.

She had just turned nineteen.
She was mature, and responsible.
They let Her go because Naomi was older,
and they knew how She felt for the music.

Arriving early, they stopped to get some grub.
Amidst pleasant line-up chatter,
She discovered that the concert venue was a bar.
She was 19, and She needed to be 21.

Naomi was 25, and going regardless.
There was no reason they both had to suffer.
But of course She was devastated.
All that way, just to be left out in the cold.

A woman interjected,
"I'm meeting my daughter here and
you look alike. Amanda will help you out."
Amanda did. "Take my ID. I'm 23.

When you're done, drop it in a mailbox. It'll find me."
After thanking Amanda, She and Naomi went to the concert.
She saw her favourite band. She sang, She danced,
and She felt dynamically, and forever changed by the

RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS.

Sally

By Day

Writer's Festival
Every poet's dream come true.
It's time to absorb.

By Night

Cooking and cleaning
for the Sabbath meal tonight.
Moments worth saving.

Sally

Friday Night Dinner

Tomorrow evening
my family is coming.
My parents and all
of my cousin's and aunties,
with my funny uncle too!

Sally

     BTW

The apple of
your eye.
The anchor of
your curiosity.
The friend you
look forward to
seeing when you
come home.
The captivator of
your thoughts.
The last image
seen before
you drift off into
blissful slumber.
The hours you
spend in
meditative
devotion.
The theme of
most of your
conversations.
The language you
quote daily.
The topic of
lunch room chatter.
The rhyme to
your reason.
The spring in
your step.
The percussion
in your band.
What you smile about.
What you aspire to
be a part of.
The joy
in your life.
Your downtime
sponge.
Your reason d'etre,

TELEVISION

I think you
might have a
problem.

Sally

       Give It Up

A few more minutes.
Biding my time.
Counting each second.
Doing everything in my power.
Evading sleep.
For the rare joy of seeing the clock reach 9:30pm.
Goodness it's defeating getting old!

Sally

                         RAIN
           Pummeling   Smashing
         Cleansing   Reviving   Enriching
Creator of Frizzy Hair    Angel of Leaf Death   
         Coating     Blanketing   Engulfing
               Twinkling        Glistening
                     SNOW

Sally

Never Disappointed! 

I woke up with an
electrical excitement
reverberating through
my bones.
I got right to my chores.
There were meals to plan,
shopping lists to create,
groceries to buy,
sheets to wash, and
potato leek soup to make.

I diligently dealt with demands.
I planned,
and washed,
and cooked.
I looked up the local
listings.
I confirmed that I had
to be done by 4:30,
to make my brilliant
plan work.

At 4:15, I washed
the last dishes,
and poured the soup
into the Crock Pot.
When I slipped the
last of the laundry
in to dry,
I knew I had
made my time.

We hopped into the car.
We drove to Silvercity.
We sat in the
centre, centre seat.
(Liam has done the Math
and figured out which seats
actually place us dead centre)
With popcorn in hand,
water and Cosmic Brownies
hidden in my backpack,
we saw it.
We saw Tim Burton's
Frankenweenie.
I laughed,
I nearly cried.
We screamed,
and smiled
until it hurt.
It was AMAZING!
The movie,
the anticipatory day...
I'm never disappointed!

Sally

   If All Else Fails...  

I'm not quite sure yet,
what I am going to write.
Maybe a Haiku!

Sally

                    The Bottom Line

No matter how many bad days that I have,
It's working with kids that makes me feel glad.

Sally

       A Warm and Fuzzy...

My favourite part of my working day
is when I come home and see,
my husband and my children
all waiting there for me.

Sally

Cream?

Inevitably,
I have a day
that leaves me
convinced
I need
a
career change.
Today was
THAT day.
Serving coffee
sounds mighty
good
right about now.

Sally

A Clerihew for Liam.


                      Runners Ready?

My youngest son Liam is a cross-country track star.
He sets a good pace, and manages to run far.
His stride and his focus are really quite dandy,
you'd think he was winning a big pile of candy!

Sally

          Egg Man

I woke up smiling
Thanks for a lovely evening
You're such a good friend

Sally

I just watched Remember Me, and I feel devastated by humanity when recalling 9-11. Sometimes I really wonder if we will ever be capable of resolving our conflicts responsibly. When I think of the epic destruction in human history, I feel so sad and discouraged.

             Hate

It festers in our history,
in the vaults of creation.
The seeds of humanity,
are ruin and devastation.
It smolders,
like the cycle of insanity.
Endlessly repeating,
with no sense of humanity.
People, just pieces,
in a ruthless game.
Discarded, like forests,
in place of idolized fame.
Hate breeds more hate.
Finger pointed at the target of late.
Feigning recognition,
a war of attrition,
on the species, the Uprights,
those meant to be leaders.
Succumb to the darkness,
evilness heeders.
It's easy to lose faith,
to have no hope at all.
To think that we're done for,
successes are small.
Unless we believe that
our honest reflection,
comes back from our neighbours,
in every direction.
Until we know this,
in fact to be true,
we'll go on serving
all that is you.
It festers in our history,

in the vaults of creation.

The seeds of humanity,

are ruin and devastation. 

Sally

                      McGillivray Falls

I'd never heard of it until I met Christopher,
childhood memories, father building, logs to bring over...

He spoke of it with a whimsical, glitter in his eyes,

campfires, hiking, fishing and pies...

Chris lead me most gallantly on our first trip,
log cabin, old growth forest, and rocks to skip...

When I saw it I was overcome with surprise,

waterfall, nature lurking, animal cries...

I knew it was the right place for us to get married,

noon train arrival,  pagodas and cherries...

We rowed into the lake with our 'Just Married' sign,

double rainbow, wasp traps, and songs in 4/4 time...

Each of our children were brought into the folds,

playpens, and bottles and Snugglies to tote...

We raised them craving and loving the place,

Grandma and Grandpa and bright stars in space...

Now we go up as often as we can,

Board games, cards and Bluegrass Bands...

We're up and out by 7:00, driving on the road,

Gravol, audio books, big truck carrying our load...

Arriving at noon at Anderson Lake.

Pemberton, Mount Currie and D'Arcy to wait...

For Grandpa to arrive in his boat with life jackets,

wet dogs on the dock, kids making a racket...

The adventure continues with a ride on the water,

splashes, gas runs, Safety Patrol Officer...

Then you can see it, Second Beach, and you wave,

Barkleys, Evans, Catchpoles and Dave...

When you glimpse The Falls, majestic distractor,

Rubbermaid containers, row boats, and tractors...

You know you've arrived in the 'Heavenly Country'

appetizers, volleyball and The Bridge Tourney...

To appreciate life's treasures at McGillivray Falls Retreat,
just be prepared to relax, and put up your feet!

Sally

Enough Already!

Silence PLEASE!
How can anyone possibly learn or listen with all this noise!
Have the insight to know when to stop.
Honor the fact that 'Give & Take'  is the essence of the equation.
Honestly coming to terms with the notion that
Harmony comes from balance.
Heed the lesson and Shhhhhhhhh please!

Sally

Perfect Treat

I love it when my
mother-in-law comes over
and brings Chinese food.

Sally

Unwelcome Company

How dare you
arrive unannounced,
getting all up
in my face
and invading my house.

How dare you
bring tears to my eyes,
keep me up
all night
with fretting, fitful cries.

Who the hell do you think you are,

pulling my kids into this too,

making everyone 

feel lightheaded,

not knowing what to do!

Who the hell do you think you are,
making me feel so old.
You are entirely
unwelcome,
you nasty Common Cold!

Sally

Spirit of the West

I asked a question
in class the other day,
"Who has influenced you
in becoming who you are?"
In response to the
puzzled faces before me,
I gave them my own
examples to start.

My parents, my brother,
my sweet aunts and uncles,
and Spirit of the West, I said. 
The band, their lyrics,
and their social politics,
put my entire existence
to the test.

They opened my eyes
to the world
I was craving.
To people, and
the need to be free.
To the power of speech,
and the magic of music.
Their infectious, ardor
invaded me.

As I spoke these words,
I swiftly recognized
what a great impact
they had.
So Thank You
John Mann and Geoff Kelly,
and other great members
of your band.

My students caught on
and understood the strength,
of influence in our lives.
They spoke of Lady Gaga,
and the great J.K Rowling,
who are bringing up
kids in these times.

May our role models
be blessed,
and their brilliance continue
to spark and ignite our youth.
As there is no
greater power
than music and voices,
to lead young generations
to truth.

Sally

                      Autumn Supper

                          Carrot Soup
                         Tangy    Tasty
              Filling   Nurturing   Enriching
             Honey     Lime     Flour     Yeast
              Rising   Comforting   Satisfying
                         Warm     Fluffy
                       Homemade Bread

                                 Sally