Water's Worth

 

Drop by Drop

Fresh water is a life-sustaining commodity on this earth,

No one can calculate the extent of its worth,

It carves out the land like a liquid chainsaw,

Its tremendous power leaves us only in awe,

Rushing water is hard for us to contain,

It is a force of nature, like a commanding hurricane,

We can harness its energy to use for our good,

But we don’t value it nearly as much as we should,

Too much water is destructive causing flooding and mudslides,

It ebbs and flows like the rhythm of the tides,

But water is healing:  it extinguishes fire,

It ends droughts and refreshes our thirsty desire,

When parched from exhausting relentless heat,

A pool of water provides us instant retreat,

Water cleanses: first aid to our cuts and scrapes,

And cleans our bodies, our houses, our cars, our landscapes,

Washing away mud, filth, dirt and grime,

Our water is precious, all of the time,

Water nourishes:  Plants and trees, gardens and crops,

Supplying growth for our food, drop by drop,

Oh yes, water is powerful, healing, cleansing and nourishing,

So why do we take for granted such a beautiful thing?

If water is contaminated, it loses all of its worth,

Fresh water is a life-sustaining commodity on this earth.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  9/15/2020

On an Adventure

 

His First Hunt

He had been helping train the hunting dog for weeks now,

His Uncle Thomas had taken time to show him how,

They had spoken of a day when he would be going on a hunt,

He was knowledgeable of the process and put up a brave front,

With his camouflage gear from head to toe,

He was more than eager and ready to go,

The little boy was almost 4 and called me to announce,

“Guess what, Gigi?” he said with a bounce,

“I’m going on a hunt for my first time today!”,

He was very articulate, in a very cute way,

Facetime is wonderful for sharing great news,

Dove season had just opened, and he couldn’t refuse,

The excitement on his face was like a ray of sunshine,

With a beaming smile, his infectious delight became mine,

My grandson was an outdoors man, a bird-caller, on a quest for new adventure,

He was young, but with an old soul, wise beyond his years, for sure,

His first “hunting” experience was without guns and dogs,

He scouted the fields for dove sightings and walked through muddy bogs,

And trudged through the corn fields towering over his head,

He recognized the call of the dove, and found feathers instead,

He walked for a mile in his rubber camo boots,

Over rocks, logs and giant tree roots,

What a trooper is he, the young boy with his Dad,

It was wonderful to know what a great time he had!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  9/12/2020                                                                 

Gotta Get my Zzzz's

 

Does "sleeping like a baby" mean you wake up every 2-3 hours and cry out for your mommy?

Sleep

While hair, I can do without,

Sleep is something I care about,

And lately insomnia has been plaguing me,

I can toss and turn until a quarter of 3:00,

Melatonin doesn’t seem to work at all,

I count backwards from 100, until I want to bawl,

I get up, I stretch, I take an antacid, sometimes,

I lay there and try to think of rhymes,

On my back, then my right side, left side, repeat,

I find myself popping all the bones in my feet,

I fluff the pillow and turn it over, and over again,

I throw off the covers, then pull them up to my chin,

Why am I so restless and at other times, I’m not?

Is it too much caffeine?  Am I having flashes of hot?

Is my arthritis acting up, or my back is too tense?

Am I clenching my teeth?  My face is in a wince!

My muscles are constricted; I can’t seem to unwind,

Breathing exercises sometimes help, I find,

Sleep music or aromatherapy; I try that,

Hopefully, I will drift off if I lay nice and flat,

While hair is something I can do without,

Sleep is something I care about!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  8/22/2020

Hair is Over-rated

 

The Year of the Buzz Cut

For me, hair grows back, and I really don’t miss it,

Mine is thick and hot, especially spending the summer with it,

So, this year, at age 60, on April 26, I gave myself a buzz-cut,

The pandemic lock-down had begun,

I figured I might as well have some fun,

I had often been envious of my sons getting their buzz cuts each year,

So why was it so hard to turn the buzzer on and overcome my fear?

I thought and thought a lot about my longing to have no hair,

If it’s good for the gander, it’s good for the goose:  That’s fair,

I mustered up the courage and then I finally did it!

I put the number 5 guard on the clipper and got rid of it!

It was freeing, I must admit;

And there is no going back; can’t just quit,

Once you’ve made the initial cut on top,

You are committed to the entire chop!

I loved it more than I even thought I would,

No more hair dryer; and it looked pretty good,

I have kept it short; a slight bit longer with a number 7,

The no-fuss hairstyle is my idea of heaven,

If you ever get the urge, ladies, to cut off all your locks,

Go for it!  You may like it, once you are over the aftershocks,

One thing is for sure:  it will always grow back,

No one can see you anyway behind that face mask!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  8/21/2020

 

Pick up the Scent

 What’s that Smell?

Let’s talk about smells, but NOT the bad ones:  none of those,

Aromas, let’s say: sweet smells, pleasing to the nose,

Like fresh coffee brewing or bacon frying,

Scents can produce a satisfaction; there is no denying:

Lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus, lemon,

And perfumes and colognes made for men & for women,

Or the fragrance of flowers: gardenia -the best,

Oh, soap in the shower provides an invigorating ‘Zest’,

Lotions of all varieties and candles are everywhere:

Fresh linen, vanilla, herbs and citrus, if we dare,

And let’s not forget the mouth-watering scents,

Of a bakery shop, and all of its contents:

Fresh baked cookies and breads, cakes and pies,

And what about fast food hot French fries?

The smell of autumn is definitely pumpkin spice,

The turkey baking at Thanksgiving is sure to entice,

Peppermint candy canes at Christmas are refreshing,

Along with cinnamon, clove, ginger and nutmeg, (I’m guessing),

In spring, freshly cut grass gives our noses a tease,

Followed by honeysuckle aroma floating along in the breeze,

The smell of newly laundered sheets as we crawl into our beds,

Causes us to fall fast asleep, when we lay down our heads,

Smell, aroma, scent, fragrance, odor- whatever we call it,

We should pick up a scent and retrieve the benefits from it!

(Dog reference intended.)

Tammy Harvey

Written:  8/21/2020

When We First Met

 

The Meeting

It seems only yesterday, I attended an employee summer picnic,

Only on the job for one week, twenty-three years young,

Having just moved 7 hours’ drive away from all of my immediate family,

No longer a resident of TN, but a (South) Carolina girl,

Barely settled into my new apartment, alone, on my own, for the first time,

Completed four years of college and yet very naive in life relationships,

From out of nowhere, a highly energetic, bright-eyed, blonde-headed young man appeared,

With the bluest eyes and the excitement of a child, he introduced himself,

He was an identical twin; unforgettable and very personable, but sarcastic,

Sarcastic in a way that was supposed to be funny, but came across kind of rude,

He was bubbling over with questions and truly interested in what the answers would be,

He was an in-your-face, not- much- personal- space kind of guy,

He got my attention like no one had ever done before; I wanted to get to know him more,

He was to be my future husband, the father of our three sons,

That was April 27, 1983 in McLeod Park picnic shelter, Florence, SC,

Fast forward, in the twinkle of an eye, 37 years went by,

There were good times; There were very difficult times;

In 2020, after 33 years of marriage and two years as a widow,

I have felt the loss of a companion, a husband, a provider, my Superman,

Believe me when I say: you don’t know what you’ve got, until it is gone!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  8/24/2020

Photo:  August 27, 2015

Listen

 

Noises, Good & Bad

While a steady drip, drip, drip from a leaky faucet can drive me mad,

I don’t find the tick, tick, tick of an analog clock so bad,

In fact, I quite like the ticking clock.  It has a lullaby affect,

So why does a dripping faucet get me so upset?

Seconds ticking away is so soothing for me,

While the dripping faucet is annoying as can be!

This is a conundrum of little significance I know,

And I should probably “let it go”,

However, a noise, each and every day,

Affects us all, in a distinctive way,

I love to hear the waves of the ocean, crashing on the shore,

And song birds chirping: Give me more!

But the sound of a dentist drill makes me cringe,

Snoring, though rhythmic, also makes me twinge,

A dog barking is another annoying sound,

But a joyful noise is horse hooves hitting the ground,

A baby’s laugh:  I could listen to all day long,

And a steady rain on the roof is like a beautiful song,

I like to listen to music, that is true,

But nature’s sounds are hard to outdo,

A crackling fire, popping while burning, is a delight,

Crickets, cicadas, an owl hooting in the moonlight,

Take time to stop and lend an ear,

You might be surprised at what you hear.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  8/20/2020