Good-bye, Hello

 

Limbo

Ever been caught in limbo?
It’s the midpoint between what is and what will be,
Waiting on the inevitable to happen, don’t you see?
It is a wrapping up of one end, while the other end is on the horizon,
It is transition at its finest. It takes patience and the surprise is…
You don’t have to stop living during the transition,
That is hard to do, I say as an admission:
I am waiting on my new house to be built nearby,
I am leaving my 30 years in this house with a sad “good-bye”,
It’s the end of a book with so many chapters to remember,
But the beginning of a new book that starts in December,
This new book is one whose pages are all still blank,
And so, I’m in limbo, to be perfectly frank,
The waiting is bittersweet as the excitement increases,
Chapter 1 will be called: “Picking up the Pieces”,
My life as a widow is starting to sink in,
I never expected this is the way it would end,
Yes, the first book’s ending was a total shock,
But I open the next book with resilience, and God as my rock.

Tammy Harvey
Written: 9/3/2021

Acorn Percussion

 Acorn Percussion

What is that noise upon my roof?
Sounds a lot like a horse’s hoof,
Clunk, clunk, clunking above my head,
I can’t even rest when I’m lying-in bed,
It’s late October, and oak trees surround my house,
And usually, it is as quiet as a mouse,
But acorns are falling, one by one,
The squirrels are having so much fun,
Acorns pelt my roof when the wind blows hard,
There are hundreds of acorns covering my yard,
The sound of them falling is alarming me too,
I will be glad when their falling days are through,
An abundance of acorns gives the squirrels a treat,
But they are rolling down my steep driveway into the street!
Why so many this year? I do not know,
Maybe it means we will have an abundance of snow?
Whatever the case, I hear clunking night and day,
But for beautiful oak trees, that’s the price that I pay,
Little acorns with their caps on tight,
Look like they are preparing for a long winter’s night,
And if one should chance to sprout and grow into a tree,
A mighty oak tree it would be.
Tammy Harvey
10/29/2021

Big Bird

 

Big Bird
Having something whimsical in my house is fun,
It makes me smile and is not hurting anyone,
I have found that a certain bright yellow chair,
Has given me the quirkiness that I want to share,
Not the most comfortable chair in the house, but just the same,
It is majestic looking, with a broad back and statuesque frame,
Mid-century modern is its style,
I call it “Big Bird”, and it makes me smile,
Bright? Yes, bright. A real attention-getter!
A throne, of sorts, couldn’t get much better,
My regal yellow chair may seem over-the-top for some,
But I like the uniqueness of it: for me, it’s pure fun!
The color of a happy faced emoji; a constant reminder,
Big Bird is not certainly a one-of-a-kinder,
But it’s my big canary in the form of a chair,
And you can’t buy smiles just anywhere!
If you chance to drop by, say hi to Big Bird,
You can’t miss seeing him; He’s absurd!
Tammy Harvey
10/4/2021

Pumpkin Patch

 

The Pumpkin Patch
On a quiet road in the countryside,
With the windows down, I chance to take a ride,
The day is sunny, and there is a chill in the air,
A lightweight jacket I have chosen to wear,
It is the beginning of October- fall has arrived,
Then an unexpected sight; I was surprised,
In the distance, a field lay sprinkled with orange color,
Hidden in the lush, broad green vines, none other,
Than a pumpkin patch, bursting with a farmer’s joy,
And I stopped and took in the silhouette of a young boy,
He was practically dancing his way through the entanglement of vines,
Waiting for his chance to shout: “This one is mine!”,
I pulled off the road and sat there in awe,
I was enamored with what I saw,
Choosing just the right pumpkin was a small boy’s dream,
At last, I heard a piercing, delightful scream,
He had made his choice and was pointing at the ground,
The farmer joined him and nodded that his decision was sound,
Reaching down, the farmer plucked the pumpkin from the vine,
And I knew that their joy was also mine!
Tammy Harvey
Written: 10/3/2021

Who is She? (#400 !)

My 400th Blog Post...

Costuming

As a girl, who didn’t love to play dress-up?
Putting on your mother’s clothes and make-up?
Halloween is the perfect time to do this once again,
Nothing too scary or spooky but go all-in!
Take on the persona of another someone this day,
Be creative and do it in your very own way,
Not a store-bought costume necessarily,
A thrift-store mishmash could work extraordinarily,
Juno has needed a costume for this season,
She has been neglected lately for every good reason,
Spending time in the closet while my house was “for sale”,
She now is in full costume, as you can readily tell,
I thought about her choices: a clown, a pirate, a bumblebee?
But she needed a look that was “her”, don’t you see?
It finally struck me who she needed to portray,
And I fancied her as a First Lady for Halloween day,
With large sunglasses, a scarf, a pillbox hat, and pearls,
She is very recognizable – a lady among girls,
Yes, if you haven’t guessed who she is, yet,
She is Jackie Kennedy, a member of the ‘60’s jet set.

Tammy Harvey
10/13/2021

Happy Birthday

Happy 88th Birthday Mother!

Strong Woman

I have a mother who is stronger than steel,
She has weathered hard times with resilience and zeal,
Born during the Depression, her childhood was restricted,
A work ethic was instilled in her, as one might have predicted,
Every morning she milked the cow before going to school,
And went to church every Sunday, as that was the rule,
She wasn’t allowed to go see a movie in town,
She was cleaning and cooking, not goofing around,
Her ability to adapt to adversity has served her well,
Turning 88 today, but no one would be able to tell,
She exudes a youthful point of view,
Concerned for everyone, she is our family’s glue,
Her ‘never give up’ spirit is always amazing,
As she faced breast cancer, her attitude was worth praising,
Both knees had replacements, and she bounced right back,
She’s a matriarch that is equipped for any attack!
She also endured a stroke, and recently 2 stents and a pacemaker,
Followed by a broken hip, but she’s a giver, not a taker,
Her family is first and foremost; she is a born leader,
It will be quite a task to try to succeed her!

Tammy Harvey
Written: 10/7/2021

Red, the Scarecrow

 

Red, the Scarecrow
Stiff old fellow, standing all alone,
Out in the cornfield is his home,
He is dressed in plaid with his arms stretched wide,
His pants are inflated from the straw inside,
With an old hat perched upon his empty head,
Impersonating a human is a chore for Red,
He is doing his job well, though, birds are scared,
So, the corn crop will be successfully spared,
But Red is lonesome for some companionship,
He wants to hop down and take an adventurous trip,
He dreams of having real legs and arms,
And casually visiting other nearby farms,
He dreams of meeting his scarecrow wife,
And living together a scarecrow’s life,
Then he wouldn’t be so all alone,
Each year when the corn seeds are properly sown,
Stiff old fellow, standing all alone,
Out in the cornfield is his home.
Tammy Harvey
Written: 10/3/2021