Seasons Change

Welcome Autumn

Cool, crisp air, arrives in fall,
Sweatshirt weather, and football,
Leaves, like jewels:  red, orange, and gold,
And an assortment of pumpkins is being sold,
Acorns are falling to the earth,
Squirrels are gathering a winter's worth,
Scarecrows are scaring pesky black crows,
Corn mazes are laid out in nice clean rows,
Hayrides indicate October is near,
The season of autumn is a great time of year!

Tammy Harvey
written:  9/11/2016

Just Imagine

Junk or Treasure?

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure,

Thrown away stuff gives me much pleasure,

It’s rusty, and broken, but fascinating too,

To think about what years ago it could do,

An old manual typewriter, rusted and discarded,

In days before electronics were highly regarded,

As best of the best, it once had its day,

And, oh, if it could talk, what would it say?

Did it reside on the desk of a prominent inventor?

Did students type letters of inquiry to their mentor?

Was it used to communicate in times of war?

Was it purchased at the local general store?

So many questions, nobody has noted,

I imagine perfume-laced love letters from a sweetheart to her devoted,

Imagine what you will, no idea is wrong,

Maybe someone typed the lyrics to a new gospel song?

The old typewriter itself had a sound of its own,

Striker arms hitting bar had a distinctive tone,

A typist could not type secretly though without fear,

For anyone nearby could certainly hear,

The clicking sound of the old manual typewriter keys,

Is nostalgic and wonderfully puts me at ease,

 As best of the best, it once had its day,

And, oh, if it could talk, what would it say?

Tammy Harvey

Written:  August 31, 2017

Sinister monster

Few people's lives have not been touched by this disease.  Cancer has affected nearly everyone, either personally or by association.

Cancer

It afflicts the young, the strong, the rich, the innocent,

It does not discriminate or have any sentiment,

Cancer, it is called, I despise it, don’t you?

It is elusive, abominable, invasive, it’s true,

It strikes with a vengeance; it strikes subtlely,

With no respect or regard for our humanity,

The affliction it causes is more than enough,

The treatment is sickening; it really is tough,

Radiation, chemotherapy, experimental drugs that are new,

The patients are fighters, but survivors too few,

The time is now to cure this sinister cancer,

Our prayers are that soon we will have the answer.

Cancer, it is called, I despise it, don’t you?

The slaying of this monster is long overdue.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  February 1, 2017

You are not Alone

The Brightest Gem

His eye is on the sparrow, He watches with great care,

You may not recognize it, but He is always there,

He is your constant companion on which you can rely,

You don’t have to speak a word, He hears your every cry,

He will not leave you or forsake you, this promise He has made,

Though your faith may grow weak, and your hope may slowly fade,

He has you tucked neatly in the palm of His scarred hand,

He gives you a solid foundation on which to firmly stand,

Maybe He doesn’t shield you from all storms that arise,

But He provides the strength you need; He is very wise,

He will certainly give you more than you alone can bear,

So, you will rely on Him, be humbled and aware,

The hairs on your head are numbered, he knows you quite well,

And he has picked you up each and every time you tripped and fell,

He is not giving up on you, so don’t give up on Him,

In your treasure chest of hope, He is the brightest gem!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  August 31, 2017

The famous Hope Diamond...doesn't outshine HIM.

It's not in Nevada

Bill and Jean Coker lived next door to my Mom & Dad for as long as I can remember. 

The Cokerosa

It’s not in Nevada, it’s by the lake in TN,

A small piece of land, called the “Cokerosa”, you see,

Bill Coker has 3 sons, just like Ben Cartwright,

And he was always packing a pistol, he kept out of sight,

He was a modern-day cowboy, who loved John Wayne,

Riding his golf cart like the Duke rode his horse on the plain,

A WW II Navy veteran who survived an explosion at sea,

He cursed like a sailor, but not too offensive was he,

He always waved at me and nicknamed me “Sport”,

Jean was his wife and she had a witty retort,

She would call over to our house and predictably say:

“This is your damn neighbor, are you doing okay?”

At the hospital, she devoted many hours volunteering,

Her arthritic hands were painful, her resolve was endearing,

Our neighbors, Bill and Jean, were an unusual pair,

Hard on the exterior, but with hearts full of care,

In 2015, we lost them both as their health failed,

Both were 89, but their memories prevailed,

The land Coker called “The Cokerosa” is no longer the same,

A tour of it on his golf cart was Bill Coker’s claim to fame,

It’s not in Nevada, it’s by the lake in TN,

A small piece of land, called the “Cokerosa”, you see

Tammy Harvey

Written:  8/23/2017

Hurricane Harvey

“The Golden Rule” from Jesus’ sermon on the Mount:

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  Matt 7:12

Hurricane Harvey

A force to be reckoned with, the mighty hurricane,

Storm surge, powerful winds, and torrential rain,

Mother Nature is enraged, so don’t get in her path,

She unleashes her energy with enormous wrath,

All the conveniences of life, she takes in just a day,

Years of material possessions are swiftly swept away,

The destruction in the aftermath is like a result of war,

But she can’t tear down the community; it’s solid to the core,

People helping people in their time of need,

Like knights in shining armor, rescuers took the lead,

Random acts of kindness, too many of them to count,

Donations, volunteers and shelters in an abundant amount,

The flooding did not stop the boats from motoring down the streets,

Transporting total strangers to a place of safe retreat,

The human heart shows compassion to others in distress,

The best gift we can give someone is our all, and nothing less,

The story of the hurricane is one of tragedy and pain,

But the story of recovery is enlightening and will remain,

A constant reminder that we all still need each other,

Everyone, stranger or not, is a sister or a brother,

Hopefully, in our time of need, someone will help us too,

The Golden Rule is applied, when we do what we ought to do.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  9/11/2017

TIMBER!!!

This poem is for Joshua who is working for the Conservation Corps and cutting many trees with a chainsaw!

To Fall a Tree

The ability to fall a tree is a unique skill,

Once credited to a lumberjack, if you will,

The chainsaw has replaced the sharpened axe,

To Paul Bunyan and Blue, those are the facts,

For starters, the chain on the saw needs attention,

A round file on each cutting edge, with precision,

Leaves a nice sharpened chain with which to cut wood,

If it’s dull, it will take much longer than it should,

The number of links gives it just the right tension,

If it’s too tight, it will need an extension,

Then the oil is necessary to lubricate the bar,

If not, the cutting will not get very far,

Gloves, steel-toed boots, & a mask for the dust,  

Hardhat and earplugs:  safety gear is a must,

Gas in the tank and the choke is engaged,

The pull cord is yanked; the engine seems enraged,

Vroom, Vroom, VROOM:  the throttle is given a test,

This is the part that is considered the best,

Carefully approaching the trunk of the tree,

Then gently kneeling onto one knee,

A wedge is cut into the side of the direction of the fall,

Then slowly a final cut is made on the back side, while standing up tall,

The cracking noise is frightening to those who don’t know,

Just how fast it will fall – just how fast it will go,

The thud that it makes when the tree hits the ground,

The sheer magnitude of the fall is like no other sound,

The operator yells out the proverbial “timber” call,

As the tree is in the middle of its incredible fall

Tammy Harvey

Written:  9/4/2017

You Get What You Need

Being Content

Being content doesn’t mean you have everything you want,
It means you are happy with what you do have, as well as what you don’t,
You don’t yearn for or covet anyone else’s situation,
You don’t need a fancy car, a new house or an extravagant vacation,
When you achieve contentment, you know you can succeed,
You may not have what you want, but you do have all you need,
The more you get the more you want; it’s a never-ending story,
But joy does not come about when there is no glory,
Material possessions brings about only a temporary thrill,
It’s a tiring treadmill walk that’s always going uphill,
Unless you achieve contentment, you will always want for more,
You can find contentment, but it won’t be at the store,
“The best things in life aren’t things”, is written on my wall,
Reminding me that what’s important isn’t at the mall!

Tammy Harvey
Written: July 27, 2017

Snail Mail

This poem was inspired by a hand-written note I received yesterday from my Aunt Ardith in Kansas. Thanks for practicing the lost art of handwriting.  You have beautiful penmanship.   It meant alot to  me.

Lost Art

Nothing is much better,

Than receiving a hand-written letter,

A personal note written just for you,

There used to be many, now they are few,

An email is nice; a text is fine,

But “snail mail” as it’s called, is a favorite of mine,

Not junk mail, advertisements or bills, you understand,

But a thoughtful, well-scripted line or two, written by hand,

My Mamaw Langston always took it quite hard,

If  no hand-written note was included in a greeting card,

She would say: “I got a card today, but without a scratch in it”,

Which to her meant the sender really didn’t mean it,

To her, it was important to add a personal touch,

To the store-bought verse, or was that asking too much?

Beautifully-formed cursive handwriting is such a lost art,

Once you learn it, it’s easy, you know it by heart,

But nowadays they don’t teach it in grammar school,

They teach students to only print the alphabet, as a rule,

They certainly teach the keyboard; I’m sure it’s required,

But you get my message: “handwriting” is desired,

There are five parts to a friendly letter, it’s true:

The heading, greeting, body, closing and signature too,

Beginning with the date at the top, spelled out fully,

The month, the day and year- you should read it clearly,

Then start with “dear”, a polite salutation,

Then the body of the letter with a sweet placation,

So next is “sincerely” or “yours truly”, when you finish your thought,

Followed, of course, by your name, which you were taught,

Next time you send someone a greeting card,

Add a personal line or two, as a kind regard

 Tammy Harvey 

  written:  September 2, 2017