I Wonder as I Wander

 Wonder vs Wander

Wonder is in your mind, a curiosity,

Wander puts boots on the ground, a possibility,

Let your mind wonder, but don’t forget to wander,

Wandering seems to have no direction to ponder,

While wonder seems purposeful and well thought out,

I wonder what it would be like to...to stand on a hill and shout,

Wandering through the valley you see the hill, no doubt,

Experiencing the wonder of wandering about,

Go up that hill, put your hands to your mouth, let it out,

Aimlessly defines the word wander, but wait,

Wonder is the awe of something remarkably great,

The unfamiliar, unexpected wonder brings about joy,

The wandering about is not only for the little boy,

Be open to wondering and wandering too,

The sky's the limit; It’s all up to you,

An adult wonder produces a childlike delight,

An adult-like wandering evokes a childlike sprite!

They are both magical in their own way,

Dare to try them both today!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  7/21/2021

Blows My Mind

 Order your Words

Hope you have a good day,

Say it in another way:

“Hope your day is good”,

Would you change it if you could?

Same sentiment, different ring,

You can do this with most anything,

Sentence arrangement is fairly versatile,

It mostly depends on your personal style,

However, adjectives must have a particular order to their usage:

We don’t know why this is true; it’s elusive,

There is no green big dragon; he is a big green dragon,

There is no red heavy wagon; it’s a heavy red wagon,

The order of descriptive adjective follows this rule:

(Opinion-size-age-shape-color-origin-material-purpose)

It’s not something that you learn in school,

Innately, we know what order to describe this lovely knife:

“Lovely little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife",

Change the order in any way, and it is not logical,

This revelation fascinates me, and is somewhat comical,

It’s like a friendly large young white African elephant is in the room!

Am I the only one whose mind has gone “BOOM’?

Blows my mind when I learn something new about syntax,

No smoke and mirrors, just the facts,

I credit this information to a tweet I read, (and I was like: what?),

By BBC’s Matthew Anderson, a self-proclaimed grammar nut,

Who quoted it from a 2013 book by author Mark Forsyth,

May this tidbit give you a reason to be blithe!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  7/1/2021 

A Chair Hug

 My Papasan Chair

Round like a bowl and kinda like a pet bed,

This choice of chair is unconventional, don’t be misled,

You’ve gotta have space to house such a chair,

It’s big and bulky, but I don’t care,

It’s like sitting on a floating cloud,

It’s hard to even overcrowd,

A grandmother and two grandkids are probably the max,

It’s the perfect place to curl up and relax,

With a good book in hand and a fluffy pillow,

One could dream of sitting under a weeping willow,

Reminds me of reclining on a raft at the lake,

One could take a long nap, for goodness' sake! 

It wraps around me like a loving soft arm,

Giving me a chair hug- which gives it its charm,

A chair that hugs- now that’s a fine chair!

A chair that hugs is really quite rare!

My papasan chair is my place of retreat,

A place to sit quietly and rest my feet,

A special place to read a daily devotion,

Like an island in the middle of the ocean,

Where all is peaceful, all is calm,

It really is a healing balm,

Next time your day has gone awry,

The papasan chair you should try.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  6/30/2021 

God's Canvas

 Delight

Green lizard sunning on red foliage so bright,

Does he know he is causing someone to delight?

Does he know he shines brilliantly like a gem?

Does he care if I stare in awe of him?

The beauty in nature is hard to deny,

It is colorful candy to my eye,

God painted it all with His own hand,

It is not by chance, lest we misunderstand,

So, pause and look at what nature has to offer,

Mother Nature wears a tiara; Do not be a scoffer,

The artistry of the earth is found all around,

In the green of the trees and the grass on the ground,

In the purple wildflowers swaying gently in the sun,

In the orange sunset when the day is done,

Or in the majestic black of the night sky,

With the specks of sparkling stars upon high,

Don’t miss the canvas that is right in front of us,

It is worth the effort, which is why I make this fuss,

It is a God-given gift of delight,

It can turn deep darkness into light,

Delight in the Lord and His creation,

He is the source of our strength and salvation,

There is beauty to be found everywhere we look,

Take the opportunity to put it in your mind’s photobook.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  6/30/2021

Angel Wings

 Angels Wings

Angels have wings. Want to know why?

So they can float effortlessly in the sky,

So they can wrap their wings around us at night,

So they can always keep us in their sight,

So they can be transported to heaven above,

So they can bring us God’s endless love,

So they can soar and rise above all else,

So they can help us recognize oneself,

As a child of God, eternally bound,

And receiving the blessings they have found,

The light shines brightly under those angel wings,

To guide us in the worldly things,

But on worldly things we should not dwell,

For only time will ultimately tell,

That eternity is our home away from home,

We should not stray; we should not roam,

While worldly things will perish away,

Our angel wings will appear one day.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  6/21/2021

Uncomplicated

 My Ride

Yesterday was the first day of summer, 2021,

It rained all day long, a refreshing one,

The day before had been blazing hot,

I could not even ride the new bicycle I got,

Yes, a new set of wheels, for a 61-year-old child,

I wanted to ride, cruise really, like I was free and wild!

Well, I had my chance as this morning was sunny and bright,

The rain had cleared out in the dark of the night,

It was glorious to perch myself atop the plaid seat,

The bicycle had a basket too, which is pretty neat,

A good place for my cell phone, in case I need a rescue call,

Or maybe I’d take a picture of something lovely, after all,

The grass was glistening with water droplets like shiny gems,

The flowers were beautiful, as I passed lots of them,

A fragrant magnolia provided a beautiful smell,

It was going to be a great “first ride”, I could tell,

A mourning dove was calling her familiar song,

Everything was right; nothing was wrong,

Cool air hit my face like a vintage hand fan,

The flat kind with a stick, at a funeral or wedding- picture it if you can,

Usually with a picture of Jesus or a scripture verse or even an ad,

But I digress, so let me get back to my ride, before you get mad,

I met up with a few inclines that caused me to push hard,

But I was determined not to get off until I returned to my yard,

No hand brakes, no shifter, just a simple no-frills bike,

It was perfect, uncomplicated, just what I like,

With just 24” tires, it was perfect for me,

I am height-challenged, I think most would agree,

I stand 5 ft tall, the same size as Dolly Parton, I like to say,

This bike was “me” in every single way,

It is robin egg blue with yellow spokes and a plaid seat,

Like me:  Bright, silly and not yet obsolete!

So, I’ll cruise on my bicycle like the wicked witch of the west,

And don’t take myself too seriously, which is what I do best!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  6/21/2021

Enjoy the Breeze

 The Storm

A breath of fresh air, a sway of the trees,

A refreshing, gentle and calming breeze,

Can take the heat from a summer’s day,

Will literally melt all our cares away,

On our face and moving our hair,

We can not see it, but we know it’s there,

God is breathing his breath on me and on you,

Reminding us that his mercy is new,

New every morning, with the dawn,

As delicate as a newborn fawn,

Stop a moment and take it in,

There is a tranquil powerfulness in the wind,

Just like the Father, up above,

The gentle wind wraps us in its love,

But the wind can become like an unstoppable train,

Blowing down houses, accompanying torrential rain,

Flooding and destruction: hurricanes and such,

We then turn our backs to the wind, because it is too much,

Just like our God, the wind is two-fold,

Gentle and kind, but strong and bold,

We must always take the good with the bad,

His destruction of sin shouldn’t make us sad,

The ways of our world is not all gentle breezes,

Sometimes it hails, and the temperature freezes,

If we can enjoy the breeze, we can weather the storm,

The storm is there for a reason, let me inform,

If God can take any circumstance and turn it for good,

He should always be welcomed in our neighborhood.

By:  Tammy Harvey

Written:  6/17/2021