I Need More Zzzz's

And to All a Good Night

When my head hit the pillow, I was asleep,

No one could wake me; my sleep was deep,

My children suggested narcolepsy; it was so bad,

Now if only I could have what I once had!

I am plagued with insomnia most every night,

Though I try to fall asleep with all my might,

I’ve never been a night-owl, nor want to be,

But I’m still awake after midnight and sometimes at three!

For me, falling asleep has become quite a chore,

I wish to drool, and I want to snore!

I toss and turn as time ticks away,

“Help me fall asleep”, I urgently pray,

Then at last I’m in a nice peaceful rest,

The kind of sleep that feels the best,

When all of a sudden, the alarm starts to blare,

I open one eye and give it a glare,

Is it already time to start my day?

I need a few more z’s; it’ll be okay,

Then I fall back to sleep and when I finally arise,

I’m incredibly late, so I compromise,

No shower, no breakfast, no time to waste,

I get dressed and get out the door in haste,

I begin another day without enough sleep,

I’m already tired from counting sheep,

Insomnia is a tiresome plight,

I bid you all a very Good Night.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  2/21/2019 at 1:00 am !

Imaginary Grown-Ups

Tea Time

The hats were from their mother’s closet, as were the shoes,

Too big, but delightfully chosen, in shiny black and navy blue,

Big buckles, sparkling sequins, white gloves, and ruffled dresses,

A carefree day in the backyard where there were no stresses,

Under the shade of the mighty oak tree,

Two small chairs and a table were set for the tea,

Imaginary hot tea was poured from an old tea pot,

Into floral china teacups, Aunt Betty had bought,

Two young sisters were having a grand ole time,

Listening to the music made by the moving wind-chime,

Eating imaginary cupcakes and delectable treats,

Wearing fancy hats on their heads and high heels on their feet,

They sat there for hours with their imaginary guests,

Sipping from china cups and looking their best,

Giggling with glee, as their imaginations ran wild,

They were just being children, like every other child,

“Would you like some more tea?” could be heard as they played,

“Of course!”, was the reply from the one with the braid,

At some point, the lipstick emerged from over-sized purses,

And they discussed how someday they wanted to be nurses,

Nurses and mommies, they had decided to be,

With a compact in hand and a napkin on their knee,

But when the clip-on earrings began to pinch,

Along with an actual thirst they needed to quench,

They kicked off their high heels, and ran barefooted to the door,

This was just one tea party- there would be many more!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  2/12/2019

  

He is Risen Indeed

Easter 2019

He is Risen

Hallelujah!

Sing Hosanna!  Wave a green palm branch!

For the earth received an undeserving second chance,

When Heaven came down to walk with man,

In the form of God’s son, Jesus, to fulfill God’s plan,

With love, endless and unconditional, and without stain,

He took the burden of worldly sin and insuperable pain,

He took it all upon himself, as a living sacrifice,

To atone for everyone, for evermore-He paid the ultimate price,

He stepped in to take our place, never once did he forsake,

Clothing us in righteousness for His namesake,

By rising up out of the tomb, he conquered death for all,

And now we hear his caring and resounding call,

To follow Him, take up our cross, and in Him rejoice,

We have a loving Savior who has given us a choice,

Conquering death, He secured us for all eternity,

To sit at the throne of God in holy revelry,

Amazing Grace and mercy were the gifts he freely gave,

We need only to have faith in Him to live beyond the grave,

Believing with our hearts in Jesus Christ, alone,

And professing with our mouth that He is our very own,

That is His hope for everyone this Easter season,

Why do we have Easter?  Jesus is the reason!

Hallelujah!

He is Risen

He is Risen Indeed.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  3/7/2019

A Very Tall Tale

A Very Tall Tale

Mister and Missus Ten-Feet-Tall,

Lived in a house that was way too small,

Every day they would bump their heads,

As they got up from their extra-long beds,

Each suffered from a severe backache,

And often they thought their necks would break,

Missus cried out: “We must move from this place!”,

Mister replied, “It is true; We need space!”,

They packed up all their tall belongings that day,  

Promptly and successfully, they moved away,

They drove along in their stretch limousine,

Heads poking out the sunroof, causing a scene,

The new house awaited with ceilings of 12 feet,

It was a tall order to fill, but their journey was complete,

They had traveled to live with relatives Ten-Feet-Tall,

Loving known as Auntie Olive and Uncle Paul,

They walked right into the house without even a duck,

The house was gargantuan; they were in luck,

When they got out of bed, the very next morning,

They could stretch out their arms as they were yawning,

They had found a place just their size,

Where they didn’t have to compromise,

But suddenly they had nothing to complain about,

They were miserably comfortable, without a doubt,

They longed for their old home with its low ceiling,

It was odd how they found it strangely appealing,

Well, it did not take long for them to decide,

They’d have to go back and swallow their pride,

The moral of the story is clearly this:

If you can’t stand up straight, without hitting your head,

Don’t get up- just stay in bed!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  1/21/2019

Always ask Why

This is not a true story about my family, but I wrote this poem based on a story I  heard several years ago, and it stuck with me.

Status Quo

Some, who are content with the status quo,

Choose doing everything as per usual; don’t you know?

“Don’t change it up; That’s the way it’s always been done”,

There must be a better reason: Here is an example of one:

My mother used to cut each end off of the roast,

Before putting it into the pot, and then she would boast,

One day I curiously asked her: “why?”

Her answer was a confident reply:

“This is the way your grandmother did it,

I see no point in changing it one bit”,

Well, I finally asked my grandmother to say,

Why she always cut the roast that way,

To my mother’s surprise, the answer was clear,

“I did not have a big enough pot back then, my dear”,

Well, well, could it be true?

Maintaining the status quo can make a fool out of you,

Don’t be afraid to change the way,

A task it done in modern day,

Just because it is the way it has always been done,

Is not the proper answer when asked ‘why?’ by someone.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  1/14/2018

What Do We Do? We swim, swim.

Keep on Swimming

“Just keep swimming” is a popular phrase in the movie Finding Nemo,

It is Dory’s way of encouraging her friend to continue to go,

Dory, with short-term memory loss, defines a resilient human spirit,

She is the epitome of an inspirer; one who sticks with it,

She reminds me of my husband who like Dory, lost his memory,

But fortified everyone around him with his Dory-like energy,

He knew by name who was there when visitors came to call,

But after they left, the fact they were there, he could not recall,

He was happy, just like Dory, with a big smile on his face,

And he knew the finish line was near; but still he ran the race,

I know he would want us all to just keep swimming on,

In the race he ran, he figuratively handed us the baton,

Perseverance is a choice we make; when life gets us down,

Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming; wipe away the frown,

I hope you get that song stuck in your head, just like Nemo did,

It’s awesome to learn a life lesson from a movie made for kids:

Dory says:

“Just keep swimming;

Just keep swimming;

Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming;

What do we do?

We swim, swim,

Ho, ho ho ho! I love to swim!

When you waaaaant to swim- You want to keep on swimming, See?”

This movie was ultimately made for you and me!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  1/12/2018 Re: Finding Nemo- 2003 Disney/Pixar Movie