Mr. One-derful

Our first grandson's first Birthday is 12/30/2017.  This poem was written when he was only six months old.  My, how time flies!

The Boy I Love

With eyes as blue as the sky above,
This describes the boy I love,
Peach fuzz hair you can feel, but can't see,
A cottontop child is soon to be,
His skin is smooth and porcelain white,
And when he sleeps, it's a peaceful night,
His smile is as bright as the Northern Star,
With no teeth, only gums, at least thus far,
His laugh is contagious, baby giggles,
And we often call him Mr. Wiggles,
Changing his diaper can be quite a task,
Not only does he move, but he is fast!
In no time at all, we know he'll be running,
He already stands in his crib, which is stunning,
At six months old, he is learning each day,
He will grow into a nice young man, I pray,
With eyes as blue as the sky above,
This describes the boy I love!

Tammy Harvey
written:  July 16,2017

Shake it but don't Break it

Snow Globe
As a child I was fascinated with a simple toy,
It was a liquid-filled plastic dome for a girl or boy,
It usually had a tiny winter scene that seemed to come alive,
But if you dropped it on the floor, it hardly could survive,
At Christmas time it sat there on my Memaw’s tabletop,
I wanted to pick it up, but I didn’t want it to drop,
Carefully I took it in my hands and gave it one swift shake,
I knew from past experience, that was all it would take,
For the peaceful winter scene to become a swirl of snow,
That looked like a real-life snowstorm falling on the village below,
The snow globe had a magic that thrilled me and made me smile,
Then carefully I put it down and waited a little while,
As you know the peaceful scene returned with fallen snow,
That is when I was tempted to give it another go,
A simple toy, a fascination, a magical time of year,
The snow globe to this day still gives me Christmas cheer!

Tammy Harvey
Written: 11/17/2017

Christmas is Here

Christmas Ornaments

Christmas ornaments, large and small, fragile or unbreakable,

The happiness that ornaments bring is truly unmistakable,

 There are traditional glass balls, in shiny green and red,

Crocheted angels, gingerbread men, or silver tinsel instead,

Tiny elves, rocking horses, snowmen and Santas too,

Each one has a special meaning to me and probably do for you,

The ones our kids made in school, we all remember well,

Each one has a story, that only it can tell,

Nativity ones are precious and certain ones we collect more,

I have a couple of favorite ones that weren’t purchased at the store,

Snowflakes, reindeer, candy canes, the choices are really endless,

Each year we unbox them once again, the effort can be tremendous,

But it is worth all the fuss when the tree is all decked out,

The joy it brings to each of us is what Christmas is about,

The twinkling lights, a stunning sight, I can hear the angels sing,

Peace on earth, goodwill to men and the birth of a newborn King!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  11/17/2017

Look but don't Touch

The Dichotomy of a Rose
Soft and tender, a beautiful sight, the rose in bloom,
With a smell as fragrant as a luxurious perfume,
Slowly opening, petal by petal, to reveal the center,
A stark contrast to the snow-covered pansy in winter,
The rose is a symbol of love divine,
In a bud vase on the table with a bottle of wine,
The rose is a lovely sight to behold,
But not exactly a fine stem to hold,
Thorns are sharp cutters like an unfriendly dog bite,
They can draw blood from unsuspecting admirers, just to spite,
The rose while conveying an elegant first glance,
Has a weapon hidden beneath, like a jouster’s lance,
It’s a dichotomy of sorts, like many a deceitful explosive,
On the exterior a rose, but with an ulterior motive,
Beware the appearance of the innocent rose,
It is awesome to look at but this I propose,
Handle with care, looks can be misleading,
Like a handsome suitor who could leave your heart bleeding,
The dichotomy of a rose, a juxtaposition of grand design,
Soft and beautiful, yet sharp and bold, carefully I opine.

Tammy Harvey
Written: 10/28/2017

 
"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."-Abraham Lincoln

Breast Cancer Awareness

A best friend of mine had surgery for breast cancer on Sept 12.
It was a very long day and inspired this poem:

Wait

Hurry up and wait, and wait, then wait some more,
That is what the hospital waiting room is for,
Arriving incredibly early and staying extremely late,
Surgery is happening while we anxiously await,
Eagerly anticipating when the next time will be,
An update on our loved one, but we must wait and see,
The wait to us seems excruciatingly long,
We hope and pray that nothing is seriously wrong,
Many hours have passed since we saw her last,
Time stands still, when we want it to go fast,
Finally, a surgeon comes through the side door,
And gives us the news that we’ve been waiting for,
He tells us all is fine and surgery was successful,
We sigh with relief because we are very thankful,
The wait is not over, there is a recovery room stay,
We sit down once more; it has been a long day,
It’s been a long day, but the wait is nearly over,
When our loved one is moved to her room to recover,
Doctor’s orders are to rest to promote healing,
It’s hard for her to rest when so much pain she is feeling,
We wish we could take all of her pain away,
But we can’t, so we simply have to bow our head and pray,
Patience and prayer are a winning combination,
But to do it takes a disciplined determination.

Tammy Harvey
Written: 9/12/2017

Shhhhh! It's a Secret.

Secret Santa

In the office, it is so fun to play,
A childish game, some might say,
But oh, the joy you bring to another,
When surprise gifts are delivered under cover,
Throw all the names in a hat,
Draw one out, just like that,
You may know the person well, or not,
It does not matter what name you got,
Sneak around the corner when no one is there,
Leave a gift to show he/she you care,
It does not have to cost a lot,
Drop it in a strategic spot,
They won't know who you are,
You can watch them from afar,
Opening the gift, they gently smile,
Feeling loved for a little while,
Then at last there's the reveal,
Everyone laughs over a delicious meal,
A Secret Santa is fun to be,
Play it sometime and you will see!

Tammy Harvey
written:  December 26, 2016

Unlocked

The Skeleton Key

I remember well the key that unlocked my Mam-maw’s shed door,

It hung by a string, just out of my reach, on a nail at the backdoor,

It had a peculiar shape, yet simple and heavy in my hand,

If I successfully unlocked the door myself, oh I would feel so grand,

My cousin and my sister hoped I would miserably fail,

Like when we raced to the mailbox to see who could get the mail,

In the extreme heat of summer, the doorknob would almost burn,

And If I did not open it soon, they would get a turn,

I carefully aimed the key toward the oddly-shaped keyhole,

I wanted to show them I could do it, that was my ultimate goal,

I twisted the knob impatiently, I’m sure you understand,

The smooth doorknob was hard to turn with such a small-sized hand,

Suddenly, the door swung open, and I gave a little shout,

I knew that I could do it; I didn’t have a doubt,

I soon found out the key I used has a name unusual to me,

Strangely enough, it is fondly called a Victorian “skeleton key”.

Tammy Harvey Written:  11/9/2017

Have a Blessed Day

I have a neighbor that always ends her conversation with me by saying "Have a Blessed Day".  It is on her voicemail message as well.  It warms my heart every time to hear her say that to me.

Get Well Soon

Get well soon is a common phrase,

People say it so often; it’s such a cliché,

There are get well cards, balloons and flowers,

But this blasé oratory has no powers,

God Bless You; I’m praying for you; Have a blessed day,

These are the sentiments I’d like to convey,

May you feel better; May you grow stronger,

I don’t want you to be sick any longer,

For does anyone have the ability to get well soon,

Just because it is written on a card or balloon?

It doesn’t sound sincere; like “how are you?”,

“Fine, how are you?” just won’t do!

If you are sick, or tired, or hurt, or sad,

You still say “fine”, even when you are feeling bad,

I know it is just a rhetorical question we say,

But I would like to change that, if I may,

I wish you well, have a wonderful afternoon,

Good morning, Good evening, I’ll see you soon,

A sincerer greeting is what I have in mind,

Not a rote response, but an attempt to be kind.

Tammy Harvey

Written: 11/4/2017