Think about It

I don't usually find myself asking people not to believe, but I recently saw a bumper sticker that read:  "Don't believe everything you think".  This prompted me to think and inspired this poem:

Don’t Believe…

Don’t believe everything you think,

Good Advice.  Thoughts can really stink,

Untrue thoughts flood our minds, with regularity,

The idea is to dismiss or refute them with clarity,

Negative thoughts are there to only bring us down,

Remember that you are a child of God, preparing to wear a crown,

Satan is at work; don’t give him a foothold,

Be courageous.  Be confident. Be aware. Be bold.

Don’t believe everything you think,

Your own thoughts can really stink,

Positivity is key to a healthy mental state,

Glass half-full, not half-empty; don’t take Satan’s bait,

He gets in your head to make you feel unsure,

The word of God helps to keep your thinking pure,

Don’t believe everything you think or hear,

It can cause unnecessary doubt and fear,

Keep your thoughts on things that are true,

Phillipians 4:8 spells it out for you,

I’m not just speaking to you, I’m speaking to me,

I will take my own advice… thoughts determine who we can be!

Tammy Harvey

Written: 9/3/2019

Challenge Accepted

Recently my son Ted challenged me to write a "poem" of sorts using each letter of the alphabet to form a sentence with only that letter at the beginning of each word.  It was not an easy task and took several days to finally complete.  The letter "X" was my downfall.  Also, each sentence had to be at least 5 words long.

The Alphabet Challenge

Aardvarks are astoundingly awkward and alarmingly armored.

Bashful, blushing brides buy beautiful bridal bouquets.

Creepy crawling caterpillars can create colorful creatures.

Dignified dignitaries daily discuss developing diplomacy.

Every eleventh enormous elephant exceeds expectations.

Fancy fairy friends frolic frivolously for fun.

Ghastly goblins greedily gather golden gems. 

Heavy hippopotamuses happily have hot habitats.

I imagine I’m increasingly illogical in illustrating ideas.

Jokingly, jesters joyfully juggle jelly jars.

Keen Kangaroos kindly kiss kitchen kettles.

Lanterns light lovely, long lanes leaving lengthy luster.

Mischievous monsters meddle mindlessly making muddy messes.

Notorious nocturnal newts neighborly nest near nozzles.

Opinions obnoxiously oppose only optimum opportunities.

Precocious pretty petty people play ping pong poorly.

Quirky quail quills quietly quiver.

Rambunctious rats run rough rocks reluctantly.

Stamping stallions scarily squelch suspicious spiders.

Treacherous tornadoes twist trees trunks terribly.

Unusual unicorns utilize utopias understandably.

Vivacious violet vines venture variably, vanishing virtually.

Wishing well wishes will whimsically work wonders.

X, X,  X, X, X’s  (Kisses?)

Yipping, yapping youngsters yodeled yesterday.

Zipliners zoom, zig-zagging zestfully.

 Tammy Harvey

Written:  8/31/2019

Gone with the Wind Revisited

Fiddle-dee-dee

Gone with the Wind has long been a favorite movie of mine,

It has a certain charm mixed with grit that makes it so divine,

The cast of characters is a blend of beauty, grace, strength and determination,

Along with the drama of betrayal, destruction and humiliation,

Scarlett O’Hara is the ideal heroine, caught up in her own obsession,

The dashing Rhett Butler is the charismatic “gentleman” who makes a striking impression,

The delicate and kind Melanie, is Scarlett’s only obstacle to attaining her man,

Scarlett only wants what she cannot have, and is devoted to her plan,

Ashely Wilkes, her childhood and lifelong crush, is a man of integrity,

She cannot seduce him away from his wife; he has true loyalty,

The plot thickens in the midst of the Civil War,

When Atlanta burns, the South is shaken to its core,

Yet amid this dire situation, is an inkling of humor, particularly quaint,

Aunt Pittypat appears, with her ridiculous curls and tendency to faint,

Prissy is also one of my favorite characters with her famous quote:

“I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout birthin’ no babies”; as Margaret Mitchell wrote,

 Mammy, the house servant to Miss Scarlett is sassy and memorable as well,

She strives to wrangle the antics of her mistress, but continues to fail,

“It ain’t fittin!’” spews out of her mouth for Scarlett is not compliant,

“Fiddle-dee-dee” is Scarlett’s reply, as she is certainly defiant,

Rhett Butler has the last say as he “doesn’t give a damn”,

But “Tomorrow is another day” is uttered after the big door slam,

It is a southern historical, fictional story with many a twist and turn,

True to life?  Larger than life? That is for you to discern,

This four-hour movie is a long saga, not for the weak of heart,

I took my Dad, back in the day, and he went to sleep at the start!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  8/27/2019

I'm BACK

Fashionista Juno

Summer is now almost officially gone,

I forgot to introduce Juno’s hat that she did don,

It was a floppy hat, light pink with a wide brim,

Embellished with a gold chain, chic and slim,

A sun hat, some would say,

Fitting for a summer’s day,

It sat comfortably upon her head,

Until I borrowed it for the beach trip instead,

A very fine choice, providing shade to my face,

And to my neck and shoulders - just in case,

Sunscreen is necessary, but can’t beat a good hat,

For protection from the UV rays.  I like it like that,

Oh, and Joshua loved to wear it, between me and you,

He donned it himself a time or two,

Into the surf shop, he got some funny stares,

But he wore it proudly without any cares,

I suppose the time has come to change Juno’s head wear once more,

A new season, fall, is knocking at the door,

What will Juno, the fashionista, wear?

She’s a real trendsetter, with a flare,

Stay tuned, it won’t be long,   

To find out what fall style she will don!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  9/3/2019

 

Temporary PAUSE

I guess I am on PAUSE for now, until I can create more poetry.  Sorry for the delay.  Please feel free to go back and reread the existing poems.  There are 283 of them!!!

Happiness vs Joy

I heard a sermon on Sunday about Psalm 92 which inspired this poem and gave me a whole new outlook on the difference between happiness and joy.

Defining Joy

“The joy of the Lord is my strength”- Nehemiah 8:10,

To that verse I can shout a big Amen,

Most think thankfulness comes from joy; however just the opposite is true,

Joy arises from being thankful for all things given in Christ Jesus, to me and you,

Joy is gladness in the Lord; It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit:  a positive attitude,

It is not a happy emotion based on circumstances, but it is based on gratitude,

Bad circumstances should not steal the joy we have in Him,

Giving thanks in all circumstances is not just a whim,

Biblical joy is acknowledging God’s goodness, even during difficult situations,

It is not a season in life, but a way of life; it is our rock, our sanctification,

It does not take away pain and suffering or loss; it does not make us carefree,

Joy is peace, contentment deep in our souls; not a happy-faced emoji,

Happiness is temporary, but joy is a fullness; a satisfaction of the heart,

We can be sorrowful and still have joy; each is not set apart,

Certain people exude joy when you encounter them,

Which can be infectious and uplifting, like a sweetly sung hymn,

It is a heart condition that everyone should find healing,

An inner willingness to declare ourselves “blessed “- not just a happy feeling,

Go ahead and use those yellow-faced emojis to put happy on people’s faces,

But choose joy for your heart that overflows into all the right places!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  8/12/2019

I Saw a Ghost (Crab)!

Ghost Crabs on the Go

Dark blue ocean fading into blue southern skies, puffy clouds of white,

I’ve been to the ocean dozens of times, but had never seen this sight:

Scurrying across the sand along the shoreline with effortless vim,

An abundance of ghost crabs! There were so many of them,

With the beige sand in the foreground, sun reflecting off each grain,

Each ebbing wave brought a flurry of activity; our excitement we couldn’t contain,

The ocean waves came and went repeatedly, and each time so did these tiny creatures,

They darted into holes in the sand.  It was hard to get a look at their features,

We decided to catch one to have a better look,

Yet not so easy a task; our agility we mistook,

These crabs were fast; faster than you might think,

After all they have 10 legs, and they are gone in just a blink,

Also, named “ghost” because their coloring blends in with the sand,

Ultimately, my youngest son held one in his hand,

These tiny crawlers were fun to watch and gave us so much joy,

Ghost crabs on-the-go, amused us like a shiny new toy,

Gliding side-to-side and hiding in a quick second, indeed,

No need to try and dig them out, we could never succeed,

That afternoon at the ocean was truly a memorable one,

Family fun on a sandy beach, basking in the sun!

Ghost crabs running here and there,

More days like this, is my prayer.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  8/10/2019