TAKING FLIGHT

I watched you grow
from the tiniest seed,
when you were hardly a thought
and barely a dream.
And when you were ready,
you knew and so did I,
(for mothers and fathers
know all those things),
time to try out those new wings
as you soared
and I again smiled.

And on those days each one of you
were born into my world,
time stood still,
the wonder of it all.
And I savored each moment,
your tiny hands and feet,
miracles in every way,
and treasures I'd always keep.

And as I watch each of you
grow and thrive,
not children anymore,
I'm reminded once more
how much my life
changed on those days,
never the same
as I watched you grow,
never doubting what you'd become.

And as you have developed
into your independent selves,
testing what was out there,
confidence growing every day,
we all knew when it was time
for you to be out on your own.
And I treasure each memory
along the way when your dreams
seemed so very far away.

And I couldn't be more thankful
that so many dreams do,
in fact,
come true,
realities for you
as we're blessed
by the adults and friends
that you've each become,
dreams' sweet fruition
for each one of us.

(c) barbara kausteklis 5-5-11

Written for CPC "Thematic Attic/
A Mother's Day World."

http://www.friendburst.com/blog/34535/mothers-day-worldthematic-attic-diane-a-rhodi

and Legacy Writers II "Friday Byways/Soaring.

Tags: BarbaraK Poetry Photography Byways

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This week's new "Friday Byways, "Along a Springtime Soaring Byway" is also posted in the Legacy Writers II Group Forum and will be up for a week.  

I'm happy to be able to share it here as well.  This past week's "Byways" has been moved over to the "new topics to the forum" and is still there to be read and written for. 

Thanks so much to all who visited and participated in our "Colors of Springtime Byway" during this past week.  ~barb~

FRIDAY BYWAYS WITH BARBARA K -- ALONG A SPRINGTIME SOARING BYWAY

BYWAYS #23 -- (Posted 5-5-11)

Welcome to Byways this week as we continue to marvel at the rebirth and renewal of springtime, as well as its unpredictability and power.

Those affected by recent storms and and tornadoes continue in my thoughts and prayers this week.

But with all of that I love so much of what happens in the Spring, such as the things I see soaring high above me:

Birds










and kites








of all types





Planes and gliders





And what so often soars right in front of me,

the butterflies




the hummingbirds




I would invite you to come back and share the soaring that you experience in the Spring (or in any season).

Just a few words to get us started:

“If you can remember dreams of flying and soaring like a bird, or dancing, or singing more perfectly than you ever thought possible, you know that no second -hand accounts of such events could ever give you the thrill you felt in the dream”

~Gayle Delaney~

“The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who...looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space...on the infinite highway of the air.”

~Wilbur Wright~

“Life has loveliness to sell, all beautiful and splendid things, blue waves whitened on a cliff, soaring fire that sways and sings, and children's faces looking up, holding wonder like a cup.”

~Sara Teasdale~

“A poet soaring in the high region of his fancies with his garland and singing robes about him.”

~John Milton~

“Refuse to be average. Let your heart soar as high as it will.”
A. W. Tozer

“The higher we soar, the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly.”

~Friedrich Nietzsche~

“Celebrate your success and stand strong when adversity hits, for when the storm clouds come in, the eagles soar while the small birds take cover”

“There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud”

~Carl Sandburg~

“One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.”

~Helen Keller~

“Those who can soar to the highest heights can also plunge to the deepest depths, and the natures which enjoy most keenly are those which also suffer most sharply”

~Lucy Maud Montgomery~

“As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might.”

~Marian Anderson~

And a bit of soaring music:




Create a MySpace Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Share your butterflies, your birds, your clouds, your kites, your rainbows, your imagination.

Let your words soar and share them with us.

Share soaring in whatever form you choose.





Whatever you share with us delights us all.

I always treasure this time with you and look forward to what you bring back to share with all of us. Please feel free to use any of the photos you find here (or to bring your own to share) and to write to any of the previous themes posted as you scroll back through the previous weeks' postings.

~barb~

P.S. Just a reminder. Please post your entire pieces as new posts in the forum and feel free to add a link to your blog along with your post. We all look forward to what you will bring back to share.

And a reminder to scroll back through the pages to find all the beautiful postings. Thanks always for commenting.

And the JOIN button is at the top of the page though joining is not a pre-requisite for participating.

Thanks to everyone for being here.

~bk~

Tags: BarbaraK Byways

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SNAPSHOT MOMENTS

Images through a lens,
snapshots from a heart
that has seen much of life,
from one who has felt
the pulse of a long journey
through the byways
and around the corners
of life with an eye
on the horizon
and focused on what
comes into view
between the rising of the sun
and the moon's journey
toward midnight and beyond.




And as a butterfly
fills my lens with
rainbowed colors
and delicate symmetry,
my heart skips a beat
as I catch my breath
at the wonder I see
from every angle,
each small part magnified
through the lens which,
when considered together,
reflect the perfection
of creation.

(c) barbara kausteklis 5-4-11

Written for "Drips of Ink/Thursday Photography."

http://www.myspace.com/drips_of_ink/blog/542842619

Thanks so much, Anita, for the feature today,
and to all my friends for your visits
and always precious comments.

~barb~

Tags: BarbaraK Poetry Photography Drips

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THE END

When I was One,
I had just begun.
When I was Two,
I was nearly new.
When I was Three,
I was hardly Me.
When I was Four,
I was not much more.
When I was Five,
I was just alive.
But now I am Six,
I'm as clever as clever,
So I think I'll be six now
for ever and ever.

A.A.Milne

British Author (1882-1956)

"Now We Are Six"
E.P. Dutton & Co., 1927

***************

WHEN I WAS BARELY SIX

I was barely six
when my mother
would sit all of us
down on the floor
and begin
to read to us those stories
that I so well recall
even to this day.
She read to us
of Peter Pan
and Mary Poppins
and more;
she read to us
of Christopher Robin
and Piglet and Eeyore
of those woods they lived in
rather scary
when I was six.

And as she read those words
my imagination took me
to faraway places that I visited
each night
as we sat on the floor
and listened
to the stories
my mother told.
"Skybluepink",
she would tell us,
of the color of the evening sky,
as we sat there listening
to those wonderful stories
when I was barely six.


And when I was
no longer six
and had children of my own,
I would sit them down
and read to them
those precious stories
that my mother read to me,
of Christopher Robin
and his very best of friends,
Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore
and all the gang
that lived in the forest there;
of wheezles and sneezles
and matchboxes
and Buckingham Palace afar;
all those stories that I still remember
and keep so close to my heart.


And as I step into these woods
just right outside my door,
into this great big world
that seemed so very very
scary back then
when I was six
or seven
or even
when I was eight,
I feel so much braver
than I ever did before,
and stronger
and smarter
than I did
when I was six
or sixteen
or twenty-six,
so much more
than ever before
when we were all
so very young
as we are
still very much
young at heart
and a bit wiser
than before.

(c) barbara kausteklis 5-4-11
Written for Drips of Ink/Favorite Authors

http://www.myspace.com/drips_of_ink/blog/542832348

Thanks always for your visits and precious comments!

~barb~

Tags: BarbaraK Poetry Drips

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"Transcendent of the Blues" by William Tolliver


WITHIN THESE BAYOU BLUES

Dancing in the dark
to that familiar dusky song,
caressing the strings
of broken hearts,
somber melodies
drifting painfully
through the tortured darkness
of this Saturday night,
lyrics laced with sadness
and broken dreams,
invading every corner
of that smoke-filled
room of hazy blue;
as within the darkness
of this Bayou Saturday night,
soulful voices find release,
words flowing with tears and pain,
emotions long forgotten
and surfacing once again.

And in the hazy darkness
they find the peace
they were looking for
in these notes of blue
winding through
the corners and alleys
of these weary hearts,
finding solace within
these Bayou Blues.

(c) barbara kausteklis 5-4-11

Written for CPC Wednesday Meet and Greet/
"Home on the Bayou."

http://www.friendburst.com/blog/34332/
wednesday-meet-greet-elfwing-bump-a-rhodi/

Thanks always for your visits and comments.

~barb~

Tags: BarbaraK Poetry CPC Music

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WILDFLOWER ELOQUENT

Muted elegance
of an afternoon,
catching my eye
and touching my soul
in the eloquence of springtime,
wildflowers speaking to me,
their language so easily understood,
straightforward simplicity,
and so perfectly understood.
Their words nurturing
and safe,
so fragile,
yet strong,
they sway and bend
in the afternoon breeze
at the edge of the pond.

And as I watch them there,
I marvel once more
at their resilience
and strength,
inhaling their fragrance
and eloquent words
as they speak silently to me.

(c) barbara kausteklis 5-3-11

Written for Drips of Ink/ Great Outdoors
May the Month of Flowers."

http://www.myspace.com/drips_of_ink/blog/542822237

Such a treat to write to the beautiful images
posted there. 

Tags: BarbaraK Poetry Drips

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Blogophilia 10.4 Topic: "Play Away Your Troubles"

Bonus Points:

(Hard, 2pts): incorporate a 13" x 9" baking dish
(Easy, 1pt): include tap dancing on ice

Final date to post:

May 10th, 2011 GMT midnight

Final date to post ALL GUESSES:

May 7th, 2011 GMT midnight

*************




HAVING FUN ALONG THE WAY

I try not to let things
get me down,
the little things,
the big things,
the ones in between.
There are so many things
I love to do,
so it's easy to
distract myself
from those things
upsetting my day.

Some friends of mine,
they love to bake
in the traditional way,
9 x 13 baking pans
filled up to the brim;
that's how they love
to spend their time,
and what a tasty way.

And as for me,
when things
begin to bother me
I run to find my inner child
to come and play with me.
We paint,
we sing,
we tell each other jokes;
we spin around
and dance
(even tap dance on ice)
in our secret clubhouse
nobody knows but us.
We play the afternoon away
and keep the bad things out.
And for a time
while we're all by ourselves
we're whirling
and twirling
and swirling
and laughing
and giggling
and dancing
and dipping
and jumping
and waving
and falling
and hard-to-keep-up-with
children in motion.

And then when time has passed
and we've had quite enough
of playing for the day,
we wave goodbye,
give each other a big hug,
and say see you later,
until the next time.

(c) barbara kausteklis 5-2-11

Written for Blogophilia 10.4/
"Play Away Your Troubles."

http://www.myspace.com/blogophilia/blog/542820506

GUESSES:

THEME

Why I Otter/Maryann

PHOTO

Niki Roks

PHRASES



Boxed in
Inside the box
Ten little fingers
and ten little toes
Tight fit
Precious cargo
"I've fallen and I can't get up."
Fell/falling backwards
Hanging on (for dear life)
Catch me, I'm falling
Clawing her way out
Hands and feet
Upside down
Topsy-turvy
HELP, I've fallen
and I can't get up . . . .

These are always such fun to try.

Thanks for indulging my inner child
and for your comments.

~barb~

Tags: BarbaraK Poetry Photography

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Create a MySpace Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Tags: BarbaraK Poetry Drips Surreal

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IT'S MAGICAL ALL

As my eye sweeps across
this morning canvas anew,
the magic of this beautiful day
comes clearly into view.
It began before the rising sun
as the birds welcomed me
in their sweetly musical way.
And the magic continued
as Dawn greeted Day,
the sun rising up over
the eastern mountain peaks,
the magic of morning
transporting me away.

But mornings aren't always
exactly like that;
there are certainly some days
when the sun doesn't shine
and I can't hear the songs
that the morning birds sing.
But on those days
which are, thankfully, rare,
there's still magic to be made
and a smile to be found;
and I know exactly
where I can go
to create my own magic
and capture that elusive smile;

All within my imagination,
and so easy to find,
those images and memories
that captivate my mind;
I find ice castles and moonlight,
and iridescent dreams.
I find the wind dancing
through the leaves in the trees.
And I hear soothing rhythms
and melodies of spring,
sweet music of my days
bringing magic to my soul.
And within bubblegum wishes
and butterflies' wings,
there's magic to be found
in each day
and each night,
as made for me
or making my own,
it's magical all.

(c) barbara kausteklis 5-2-11

Written for CPC "Magic Mondays/
Creating Your Own Magic."

http://www.friendburst.com/blog/33802/making-magic-magic-monday-w-jt-mary/

Tags: BarbaraK Poetry Photography

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