A Peaceful Retreat

 

Contentment

As I sit comfortably on my couch and gaze out my window,

It is a blustery fall day, and the oak tree is aglow:

Yellow leaves against the clear blue sky,

The sun is shining brightly, and leaves are floating by,

Leaves are swirling around the ground like dancers on stage,

Remnants of a gulf coast hurricane has the weather in a rage,

Unseasonably tropical weather and torrents of rain have already subsided,

Squirrels are running up and down the tree, all excited,

Acorns are plentiful, and they gather their share,

It soon will be winter, and the trees are getting bare,

But today as I sit, I can’t help but recall,

The beautiful time of the year that is fall,

The flag on the porch is steadily waving in the breeze,

In my mind I step out there beneath the trees,

I hear the crunching of dry leaves under my feet,

I breath the fresh, crisp air that is so sweet,

I feel the sunshine beating down upon face,

I am lost in time while in this incredibly wonderful place,

Then at last, my thoughts return to the indoors,

Where I quietly resume my household chores,

Oh, but to dream of a peaceful retreat,

When it’s right outside my door between here and the street!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  11/17/2020 

 HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Lazy Daisy

 

God Loves You
There once was a lady they called Lazy Daisy,
Most of the townspeople thought she was crazy,
She sat all day outside in the sun,
Where she picked daisies, one by one,
She pulled each petal off with a gentle tug,
Most people walking by just gave her a shrug,
“He loves me, He loves me not”, she was heard to say,
And she sat there with an umbrella on a rainy day,
Her heart had been broken by a boyfriend she had,
She never got over feeling so sad,
Then one day, a stranger came walking by,
He stopped and tenderly said, “please don’t cry”,
“God loves you always, forever and ever”,
“His love will sustain you in all kinds of weather”,
She looked up at him with a fresh view of life,
And a few years later, they were husband and wife,
Her life was transformed by someone who cared,
And who knew God’s love for her, that he willingly shared,
A few kind words and not just a passing shrug,
Was like the biggest, warmest loving hug.
Tammy Harvey
written: 10/28/2020

Carry On

Family Traditions

Family traditions are a compelling force,
They make you feel that you don’t have a choice,
To carry on is the way it should be,
They are important, so listen to me,
If you don’t have any, then start one of your own,
It is a seed planted and never harvested, only grown,
Our annual camping trip to Cades Cove,
Has become a tradition of our family, so we drove,
Last week to the same site we had seen for the past 30 years,
Nothing has changed too much there, but we shed a few tears,
Because the family has changed, we are missing our dear Dad,
His ashes are there so we are reminded of what we had,
But then again, the next generation is experiencing our joy,
We took along our grandson, a young boy, almost four,
To see him experience the things we have known for so long,
Was refreshingly beautiful, and righted the wrong,
The tradition was passing from one generation to the next,
It was the circle of life, demonstrated at its best,
We show our children the nature we cherish,
And hopefully the love of it will live on in them and never perish,
Seasons come and go,
But we will always know:
The peacefulness that is there in the mountains,
The brightly colored leaves, and streams flowing like fountains,
The wildlife: the deer, wild turkey and Black bear,
The cool, crisp mountain air!
Carry on, Carry on,
Little one.

Tammy Harvey 

written: 10/27/2020

Determined and Delighted

 

Helping Hand

Two tiny unwed sisters lived in an old shoe box house,

They went about their day, avoiding the mischievous mouse,

He scurried around their box in the middle of the night,

Brave as they were, he gave them quite a fright,

One day when the sisters were exploring out and about,

They discovered an abandoned trap, they could not live without,

It took all of their strength to drag it back to their humble home,

It was so much heavier than their furniture of Styrofoam,

But they were determined to make use of their well-found treasure,

It was a life-saving find; its worth they could not measure,

Now the biggest task ahead would be how to set the trap,

They certainly did not want to have an unfortunate mishap,

The challenge was great, as they were so very small,

They worked all day and night just to roll a huge cheese ball,

The bait was ready, but oh, the spring was so tight!

They could not set the trap, though they tried with all their might!

They left the trap, the cheese and cried themselves to sleep,

Soundly they slept, exhausted and sad; they did not hear a peep,

While a large human hand appeared, right out of the sky,

He set the trap in an easy second, on the very first try,

The tiny and disappointed sisters awoke to a very loud “SNAP”,

In an instant, their lives were changed; they began to clap!

They celebrated the victory even though they could not explain,

How the trap was magically set, because they had tried in vain,

They were so thankful for the miracle; it was so unexpectedly grand,

Morale of poem: Sometimes all we need is a helping hand!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  10/27/2020

Inside the Gates of Heaven

 Riding Horses in the Snow

Tomorrow is not promised, and yesterday is just a memory,
The collection of those memories is a life’s summary,
When faced with a terminal illness, what then did he do?
He remembered fondly a good memory; like it was all brand new,
Since he lived his life to the fullest, he had nothing to regret,
He was thankful and grateful, and considered himself exceedingly blessed,
He was aware of his prognosis, and yet remained an inspiration,
Though much too ill to complete any new aspirations,
We asked him if he could do anything at all what would it be?
He did not hesitate at all and looked right at me,
“I would ride horses in the snow”, was his reply, you see,
Of all the fond memories in his mind, this one he singled out,
It was the simple things; He always knew what life was all about,
In his teens, he had ridden his Appaloosa on the farm across the white landscape,
And the memory of that time in the snow could never be erased,
Photographs of that time are tucked away in a faded photo album,
I feel he gifted me this special memory to hold onto when he passed,
I picture him atop the saddle of a bright, beautiful steed,
With a big smile on his face, as the hooves beat down on the billowing clouds,
Riding down the streets of gold to the field of snow,
Inside the gates of heaven.

Tammy Harvey
Written: 10/13/2020

A Bird in the Hand

 

Say it Isn’t So

Ever wonder where the old sayings you’ve heard for years originated?

Why they stood the test of time and weren’t outdated?

For instance, “it’s raining cats and dogs”,

Why wouldn’t it rain toads and frogs?

How did these sayings come to be?

Like “The apple doesn’t’ fall far from the tree”,

Or “Tighter than Dick’s hatband”,

And why is a bird in the bush worth half as much as in the hand?

“Heavens to Betsy” or “For Pete’s Sake”, I must exclaim,

Are these actual people or just a name?

Why is the old owl always the wise one?

And why is a "barrel of monkeys" so much fun?

How can one be “a sight for sore eyes”?

“Don’t cry over spilled milk!”, they advise,

“Turning over a new leaf” does not compute,

“Fit as a fiddle”: why not “as fit as a flute”?

“Pardon my French” is commonly heard,

Why is certain information told by a “little bird”?

One can see why my curiosity is piqued,

Some of the old sayings are genuinely unique,

Going to “hell in a hand basket”, should be spoken aplenty,

Because it perfectly describes the year 2020.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  10/8/2020

They Grow Up Fast

 This poem was inspired by my youngest grandson who just turned ONE on August first.

Pitter Patter

The pitter patter of little feet,

Toddling at first, before running down the street,

A baby’s first steps are a wondrous sight,

It seems to happen overnight,

First cruising around the furniture, holding on,

Then a few tiny brave steps on his own,

Then one day he teeters completely across the kitchen floor,

Everyone cheers for him as they want to see more,

He has his hands out to each side, like on a high wire,

His steps are calculated, with no lack of desire,

His world just opened up to exciting transportation,

He is wide-eyed and smiling, and without hesitation,

He begins to walk with confidence and more control,

To get from here to there without falling is the goal,

No more crawling; that’s just for babies and turtles,

He has just achieved one of life’s big hurdles,

And climbing is his favorite… just to be off of the ground,

He ‘ll be sitting on top of the table before I can turn around!

He can now stand from a sitting position without pulling up,

And he drinks from a straw or a sippy cup!

This little guy is officially a toddler now,

He even drinks milk from a dairy cow,

It is hard to believe how fast time passes,

Soon he’ll be needing reading glasses!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  9/26/2020