It's all for Fun

Jack-0-Lantern

Every October, without a doubt,

We buy a pumpkin and scoop it out,

Carve some eyes, a nose, a toothy grin,

Then light a candle and place it within,

A jack-0-lantern we have made,

It is not scary, don’t be afraid,

It’s a fall tradition, it’s all for fun,

We search carefully and pick just “the one”,

Round and plump or oval and tall,

The face is hiding in the pumpkin wall,

The pumpkin stem makes a nice lid topper,

Then elbow-deep to clean it is a real eye-popper,

The seedy “guts” are stringy and slimy, mushy too,

It’s my favorite part though, how about you?

With knife in hand, Ted works his hardest,

To make a creative design; he’s quite an artist,

But the old triangular eyes and nose,

And the square toothed smile, is best, I suppose,

It is a simple tradition, but a memorable sight,

Once a year, a jack-0-lantern brings us delight!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  9/20/2017

Good Answer

Working with 4 yr-olds is both a privilege and a challenge.  I learned so much from them during my days as a YMCA preschool teacher.

Why Choose?

I taught preschoolers for 13 years,

I heard a lot of laughter and I saw so many tears,

If you ask a 4-year-old, what color is your favorite?

You might get “rainbow”, a cute response, I’ll admit,

Rainbow, good answer, I always would say,

Why choose just a single color, anyway?

Some children cry if given a color they dislike,

Whether it be a cupcake, a crayon or an outdoor trike,

I say: “You get what you get’,

“And you don’t pitch a fit”,

They look at me with wide eyes and then I realize,

“Rainbow” is great, it always satisfies,

Choose a rainbow, the colors are so many,

Make all of them your favorite, there certainly are plenty,

For at the end of the rainbow is a theoretical pot of gold,

So, don’t limit yourself, whether you are young or getting old,

Rainbow, a good answer, I always would say,

Why choose just a single color anyway?

Tammy Harvey

Written:  9/20/2017

The Best Medicine

Laughter Rx

Laughter is the best medicine; I believe that is true!

A sense of humor looks really good on you,

Endorphins are released inside your head,

You’ll feel much better, like I said,

Laugh until you cry, tears of joy,

An oxymoron, don’t be coy,

Laugh out loud every day,

Really laugh, not just “lol” that others say,

Find some humor in your life,

Too much pain, too much strife,

Tell a joke or hear something funny,

Read comic strips or watch Bugs Bunny,

It doesn’t matter what cracks you up,

Just remember how to fill your cup,

Fill it up with lots of laughter,

So, you can live happily ever after.

Take this simple advice from me,

You’ll feel much better, wait and see,

Laughter is the best medicine; I believe that is true!

A sense of humor looks really good on you, 

Knock, knock,

Who’s there?

Roach

Roach who?

Roach you a poem but decided on a knock knock joke instead (insert laugh here)

Tammy Harvey

Written:  1/19/2017

I don't want to miss a thing

Blackberry Pickin’

Last time I wrote about this subject was in High School AP English class,

I did not get a very good grade on that paper, but at least I did pass,

I had a dreaded fragmented sentence in my assigned essay,

Which was an automatic “F” for grammar, a big price to pay,

Also, I misspelled the word “hollow”, which I’ll never forget,

It is amazing what an “F” will cause you to regret,

I remember Mrs. Whatley gave me no confidence at all,

She said I couldn’t pass the AP exam, which made me feel small,

But I showed her, and I did pass the state AP exam,

Just look at me now… I’m writing, I am!

Now back to the story I wanted to tell,

Of picking blackberries into an old tin pail,

Mamaw  L and I wore long-sleeved shirts, overalls, large-brimmed hats, in the middle of July!

I was confused by this selection, but soon found out why,

We went to the field, through the gate, past the barn and cow dung,

Down into the hollow, where loads of ripe. juicy blackberries hung,

The field was infested with prickly thistles and briars of all kind,

But it was worth the treacherous walk for the loot we would find,

Large, black berries were there just for the taking,

The vines were also thorny and a little painstaking,

But we persevered and picked until our fingers were stained blue,

The pails grew heavy and that’s when we knew,

It was time to head back to the house- climb the big hill,

We did sample the blackberries; oh, we had our fill,

The blackberries were promptly made into jam,

Which was great on a buttery biscuit with a piece of country ham,

This memory is vivid, and I was in my early teens,

I still feel the heat of July and briars stuck to my jeans,

The perspiration that rolled off my Mam-maw’s face that day,

And my Pap-Paw’s red kerchief that she used to wipe it away,

For my own grandchildren, I only hope I can make memories like this,

There are so many things I don’t want them to miss!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  September 6, 2017

Live in the Present

Retirement


Let’s retire right now and do as we please,
Let’s do no more work and live a life of ease,
Let’s take a vacation that’s long overdue,
Let’s set no alarm and sleep-in if we want to,
Let’s travel, learn to dance or horseback ride,
Let’s try something new, and swallow our pride,
Let’s learn to paint, sail, play golf, take a train,
Let’s go camping, fishing, or take a walk in the rain,
Let’s do all the things that we said we would do,
When we were young and didn’t have time to,
Let’s live a little while we still can,
We’re not getting any younger; sound like a plan?
Let’s enjoy our grandchildren and make memories,
Tomorrow is not promised; there are no guarantees.


Tammy Harvey
Written: 9/7/2017

A Tradition

Camping at Cades Cove

It has gone on for many decades, this tradition we share,

With our friends from Alabama, and other family members that go there,

It’s the annual camping trip to the Great Smokey Mountains each fall,

Always the third weekend in October; always TN vs AL in football,

Sometimes the weather is sunny, warm, and bright,

Sometimes it is literally freezing at night,

We camp in the National Park Campground,

Next to the 11- mile Cades Cove Loop we go around,

The leaves are usually at their colorful best,

The natural beauty is stunning, and our busy lives take a rest,

We pitch our tents: it is quite primitive,

Without hot water or showers, some visitors are tentative,

Near the bathrooms, of course- there’s plumbing at least,

We bring lots of food and gather together for a feast,

The wildlife is plentiful:  deer, wild turkey, and bear,

One time an overpopulation of skunk gave us a scare,

The goal is to see a Black Mama bear with her cubs,

If we are lucky, we will find them eating acorns and grubs,

The campfires we have are quite thrilling each night,

Roasting marshmallows and making smores, a camper’s delight,

As we pack up the camping stove, sleeping bags and tent,

We wonder where all the time just went,

The four-day weekend went by much too fast,

We wanted our experience to last and last,

But we will all take another trip around the sun,

Before we return there again to have more fun!

We head back home to NC with campfire smoke in our clothes,

This tradition will continue for many more decades, I suppose.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  9/5/2017

Pond Life

Frogs

From millions of tiny, clustered eggs on the pond water’s edge,

And from under the orange earthen washed-out ledge,

Come thousands of tadpole swimmers, with only a tail,

Next to the grassy bank, is a branch on which sits a snail,

The lily pads float by as do clouds in the sky,

The katydids sing and the grasshoppers fly,

The water bugs skate across the surface with ease,

The praying mantis can be found eating succulent leaves,

The pond life is active, it’s such a busy sight,

Peacefully chaotic, energetic and not at all contrite,

The turtles are sunning on the rocks near the bank,

A dragonfly is darting, his body quite lank,

Later on, the tadpoles will sprout four tiny legs,

Their tails will fall off and what once were eggs,

Now will emerge from the water and breath in fresh air,

The frogs have evolved and are willing to share,

With the other creatures in the still silent night,

As the sun sets on the pond, they croak with delight.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  9/29/2017

TMI

TMI= Too Much Information

Keep it Simple

Purposeful complication is an aggravation,

Aggravation leads to my frustration,

My frustration grows at each exaggeration,

Drama ensues, gossip abounds,

My headaches are caused by these noisy sounds,

Too much information, too fast, too tiring,

Excuse me, but my patience is expiring,

Keep it simple, Keep it real,

Grab the moment, even still,

But don’t complicate what’s already confounded,

Don’t take the situation and make it compounded,

Information-overload, rambling on and on,

Twenty-four, seven- it is never gone,

I want to crawl under the covers and hide,

While the complicated world is there outside,

My head is spinning like a top,

I feel as if my head might pop,

Lose the gossip, let the drama go,

Don’t tell me, I don’t want to know!!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  July 25, 2017

A Clean Slate

My Therapy
To date, 160 poems have been scheduled on my blog,
I’ve written about everything, from a rainstorm to a frog,
I appreciate your following my writing collection,
Mostly whimsical, sometimes serious, not nearly perfection,
But these poems have helped me clear my head,
It’s therapy to create with words instead,
No crafting, sewing or flower arranging compares,
To putting thoughts on paper in rhyming pairs,
Although some days feel blank, no words will emerge,
I sit down at the keyboard and then begin to purge,
It pours out of my fingertips, in ways I can’t explain,
Sometimes writing of joy and sometimes of pain,
It is a cleansing-type of feeling to get thoughts recorded,
Like a clean slate: cluttered-free, organized and sorted,
Like my mind is free to think some more,
My memory space has been cleared, like never before,
It is refreshing for me to sit still and write,
It’s the light in the darkness, it makes the dimness bright,
It gives my heart glee and makes my spirit awaken,
Thanks for coming along with me on this journey I have taken.
Tammy Harvey