Platinum Jubilee Juno

Shout Out to Juno

Juno is still the fun-loving bust she ever was,
But more sophisticated and proper just because,
She is in a new home with much less clutter,
She is less silly and more likely to utter,
Wisdom rather than whimsy, I would say,
At least on this particular day,
Her new style has become simple and chic,
With her whimsical side hidden, let’s take a peek,
In honor of the recent Platinum Jubilee, she has chosen,
The look of Queen Elizabeth instead of Elsa from Frozen,
A double strand of white pearls adorns her neck, so splendidly,
Wearing a brooch would be impossible, as you can see,
White gloves complete her look,
She is certainly a Queen in my book,
In the United States, I would consider her Barbara Bush, no doubt,
Whether royalty or a first lady, she needs a shout out,
So, shout out to Juno for her new style,
At least she’ll stay this way for a little while.

Tammy Harvey
Written: 6/12/2022

Angels Among Us

 

Four Years, More Tears

After losing my husband to brain cancer, it helps me to talk,
The first time I attended the Angels Among Us fundraiser walk,
My husband had been gone for less than a year,
His memory was fresh, and I felt numb, and had no fear,
Then the pandemic occurred, and the walk was postponed for 2020 and 2021,
I couldn’t wait to attend, when the crisis was done,
Now, 2022, and I am up early and ready to go,
All by myself, my support I would show!!!
I arrived at the event as the 5K runners were crossing the finish line,
Cheers were ringing out as I parked my car and was feeling fine,
But the “fine” wouldn’t last as I strolled through the activities,
It hit me hard: waves of emotion and a tremendous flow of memories,
I saw the families there going through what I had,
It made my heart hurt, and it made me sad,
Literally, my heart ached inside my chest,
I wanted to escape, go home, I must confess,
I was no longer numb, the reality was too real,
I can’t really describe the way it made me feel,
I was grateful for Duke Hospital and all of their medical team,
I recognized many who provided us with compassion, but it felt like a dream,
A dream I couldn’t wake up from, though I was determined to stay,
I was uncomfortable and overwhelmed by the events of the day,
The awards were given, and entertainment provided,
But when all the fun activities had subsided,
The survivors there were brought up on stage to be celebrated, as they should,
I guess I desperately wanted my husband to have been one of them- if only he could,
Deep down I knew it wasn’t meant to be,
The fundraiser raised millions- a total of 3.3,
But when the song “Angels Among Us” rang out from the loudspeakers, and the walk began,
I was overcome with a flood of sobbing tears,
These tears had been bottled up for 4 long years,
It was a cleansing cry, a long-needed release,
I found it hard to believe that my husband was deceased,
I guess I’d been running on adrenaline for so long,
It was time to be weak and quit trying to be strong,
Physically, mentally, and emotionally I was weakened that day,
But in my weakness, spiritually I was strengthened anyway,
I persevered to the end, although it was hard to do,
I hope this story will encourage you.

Tammy Harvey
Written: 5/21/2022

A Fishin Tradition

 Fishing on the Roanoke

A trip to the Roanoke River has become a part of our family’s tradition,
In spring when we find ourselves longing to go fishing,
During a March Day, when the shad fish are spawning,
The air is breezy, and the day is dawning,
We load up our tackle and hitch up the boat,
A friend just caught 100, just a side note,
The drive is 90 minutes, and scenically beautiful,
We look for turkeys in the fields, because we are dutiful,
Turkey season opens in a week or two,
We are excited! How about you?
We arrive at the boat ramp, just my son and me,
He needs help with the boat launch, you see,
My job is to pull the trailer out of the water after the boat is afloat,
Park the car and meet him at the bank, with one footnote,
This place is not remotely remote; a dozen fishermen are fishing beside the ramp,
It’s a busy day there, the word is out, fishermen have set up camp!
Along the bank beside the single launch ramp, shoulder to shoulder,
Then one guy was actually sitting on the ramp in a lawn chair, even bolder,
As I pull the trailer out of the water, there is a loud shout in my direction,
“Good job, Grandma!”, the old fisherman in the chair yells in celebration!
“This ain’t my first rodeo”, I shouted back, without thinking at all,
The day was fun, but the catch was small,
We got only 15 (catch and release) shad that day,
And the guy was still in his lawn chair when we pulled away!
That’s what memories are made of,
A few fish and a lot of love!

Tammy Harvey
Written: 4/22/2022

The Purple Tree

 

The Purple Blooming Tree

“Bloom where you are planted” is a familiar saying,

Means to make the best of a situation, while still praying,

For a brighter day, a change, a success, a break,

It means that it all depends on the attitude we take,

I was reminded of this on a spring day, in my car,

Stopped at a streetlight, not too far,

From my home, I pass it almost every day,

But now I saw it in a new and refreshing way,

A purple flowering tree caught my eye,

Normally, unnoticed but I’ll tell you why,

It grows on the edge of the concrete,

Under the overpass, in the shade of an elevated street,

Not a sign of green grass, no earth, nothing else,

“How can this be?” I wondered to myself,

With concrete on all four sides of it,

It put down roots in the crack, I bet,

Not the most conducive place to grow,

Limited sunshine, rain and space, you know,

But still, it thrives in this most unusual place,

It adapted to its environment and bloomed in its own space,

It has definitely made a statement to me,

I wonder if anyone else has noticed this purple tree?

It bloomed where it was planted, against all odds,

It is worthy, and it is God’s.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  4/22/2022                          

Nine Decades

 Nine Decades

My Dad will turn 90 on the 17th of May,
He has been hoping to make it to 90, and has come a long way,
He grew up poor during the Great Depression when times were so hard,
Always working, not playing, except in the schoolyard,
Began helping his family on the tenant farm at a very young age,
Milking cows at dawn and dusk for a nominal wage,
Dropped out of high school in the ninth grade, thought he was smart enough,
But went back the next year after farming full time was too rough
Graduated high school with Miss Julia, who became his bride,
Sold a cow to marry her, and she stayed by his side,
Drafted into the Army, he was sent to war,
After 2 weeks on a ship, he arrived at the Korean shore,
Spent two Christmases there, where the cold was bitter,
Sat in a foxhole, and proved he was no quitter,
Back home, his wife had written him a letter each day,
Wondering and praying that he was okay,
Thank God he returned safely, but never the same,
Korea had impacted this farm boy, a man he became,
He then worked at Alcoa, and she worked at JFG,
A partnership homegrown in East Tennessee,
Together they started their very own business,
Promoting a new concept called “health & fitness”,
They successfully ran a health club and spa for 25 years,
Then worked for Court South their remaining careers,
My Dad could sell ice to an Eskimo, an excellent salesman he was,
While my mother multitasked at home and work, as a mother often does,
At a house on the lake, they finally retired,
But many people they have truly inspired,
Been married 70 years now, time has flown,
Had two lovely daughters, that are now grown,
Now with a 90-year Birthday approaching in May,
It is certainly a time to celebrate, Hip, Hip, Hooray!

Tammy Harvey written: 4/22/2022

Spa Treatment?

 

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

Where can you go to get some me-time?
Away from everything to have some free time,
A place of solitude, like a mini staycation
I’m not suggesting a tropical vacation,
Right down the street in every hometown,
There is a place to go, if you want to calm down,
To take a break from real-life dramas,
You can even casually wear your pajamas!
It’s a chance for you to totally unwind,
I’m speaking of the drive-thru, self-service kind,
The carwash, of course, go check it out,
Cheaper than a spa treatment, no doubt,
The forceful rush of the spray to the undercarriage, when you first pull in,
Is the precursor to the seclusion held within,
Then slowly you move until the sign says “stop”,
Now parked you can savor every drop!
A pre-wash covers your car in an orchestrated fashion,
Followed by tri-colored foaming soap in the appropriate ration,
The machine passes by you, back and forth, brushes slapping a beat,
You become relaxed now, from your head to your feet,
Down the windshield and over the hood it goes,
You have calmness right down to your little toes,
The rinse is on its way, and the experience is near an end,
You wish that the time there would graciously extend,
The roar of the gigantic dryer shakes the car, and you know,
Soon the “drive” sign will say that’s it’s really time to go,
As the droplets of water bead up and roll away,
You know that your spa treatment is over for today!

Tammy Harvey
Written: 4/1/2022

My Namesake

 

Put Me in the Zoo

This past weekend I attended our regional zoo,
It seemed like a very enjoyable thing to do,
My middle son, my daughter-in-law and two grandsons asked me,
To go along with them on this outing, you see,
After an hour-long drive, we finally arrived,
Excitement and anticipation were not disguised,
We entered by way of the African side,
Planning to return to our entrance with an awesome tram ride,
One of the first animals we saw was a red river hog,
Followed by lions sleeping by a large hollow log,
But the next stop was memorable and so interactive,
The chimpanzees were cute, but certainly not attractive,
They came up to the glass, face-to-face with the crowd,
With a welcoming gaze, they seemed quite proud,
Munching slowly on a piece of something at their lips,
Something they held tightly in their grips,
The chimps were as fascinated as the children were,
With their gleaming eyes and jet-black fur,
A poster of the chimps on the wall caught my eye,
They were individually named, and this is no lie,
One was named “Tammy”, and another was “GiGi”,
Two of the chimps were named after me!
My claim to fame! My legacy complete!
My namesakes that walk on 2 hands and 2 feet,
It could have been worse, I guess you could say,
Hogs could have been named after me that day,
Our visit to the zoo was an unforgettable trip,
We walked an incredible 12 thousand steps.

Tammy Harvey
Written: 3/21/2022