I Can Almost Believe

I can't help but notice, I can't help but see
that the holidays are definitely sneaking up on me.
And try as I might, it's hard to ignore
that the neighborhood is already a lot brighter than before.

The lights on the trees certainly give it away
all twinkling and bright, well what can I say?
The holidays are approaching and I cannot ignore
the lights on the trees and the wreaths on the door.

And Santa and his reindeer all cheery and bright,
I can't help but notice on this warm California night
when I have to imagine there's snow on the ground
for a chill in the air is nowhere to be found.

When it's dark I can almost believe it is so,
that the holidays are here or almost for you know
that the stores have been stocked with decorations galore
as they hope we'll be coming back and buying some more.

(c) bak 12-3-10
barbara kausteklis

Written for CPC "Friday Fling/
Holiday Decorating Party."

To join the party,
the following My ______ link will take you there:

http://www.myspace.com/mom_holtz/blog/541044072

Thanks so much for your visits
and precious comments.

Tags: BarbaraK Poetry CPC FridayFling Holidays Decorating

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No excuses

Excuses, excuses
I have none,
no excuses can I give,
no excuses for
my dreams of day,
how I choose
to spend my time,
humming tunes
and singing songs,
dancing among
wildflowers of spring,
kicking up leaves
on this crisp fall day.

No excuses have I,
none at all,
but if I had just one
excuse to give,
it would be this,
that I am having
so much fun
along the byways
of my life,
along the way
from here to there,
lingering for just
a little while
to inhale the life
found along the way
and stopping there
to snap a shot or two,
some memories shared
with you, my friends,
as we stop and chat
together there
as we share the view
along the byways
of our days.

(c) bak 12-1-10
barbara kausteklis

Written for Legacy Writers "Friday Byways With Barbara K" which I'm hosting and which is now open.  Please do stop by and take a look at this week's challenge.  I look forward to spending this time with you and to what you will bring back to share with us.

The link to copy and paste:

https://myboomerplace.com/groups/view/id_492/

Tags: BarbaraK Poetry Photography LegacyWriters FridayByways

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That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest.

~Henry David Thoreau~

Blueberries and Ladybugs:

A Grandmother's Heart

Blueberry ice and
ladybug red and black,
marbles chosen
with the greatest care
by two precious angels
who know even now
their grandmother's heart
and what's inside of there.

And I place these
treasured spheres of glass,
their colors chosen
with such great care,
each one infused with
the love they bear,
I place them
in my finest goblet
of crystal ice
which has waited
right there for
this special moment
and time such as this.

Holding now the special love
that each marble brings,
each time I look at
these treasured gifts
in front of me,
I think of two little boys
who even so very young
know their grandmother's heart
and the love she shares with them.

(c) bak 12-2-10
barbara kausteklis

Written for Legacy Writers "Mad Tea Party."

The following link will take you there:

https://myboomerplace.com/groups/forum/id_496/

Tags: BarbaraK Poetry Photography LegacyWriters MadTeaParty Family Grandchildren

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Winter Reverie

The first flakes of winter snow
landing upon my nose,
I watch them as they silently fall
to the ground and begin to blanket
the fallen leaves of Autumn's final days.
I can almost hear them as they dance
their glistening crystalline waltz,
Sugarplum Fairies gliding into
my snowy reveries of late afternoon.

And I recall how it was
on those days when it snowed forever,
drifting so high it touched the sky,
snowplows scraping narrow paths
through the darkened night,
snow-laden cars struggling
out of driveways and snow shovels
glistening in the first light of morning.

And on these chilly mornings,
as the sun rises up over
the snow-capped mountains of dawn,
I smile as I recall those days
when Winter
was sledding
and skating
and sliding
and skidding
and shoveling
and trudging to school
in three feet of snow,
the stuff of smiles and
retold often under the
blue-sky sunshine
of a Southern California
winter's afternoon.

(c) bak 12-2-10
barbara kausteklis

Written for CPC "Thematic Attic/Winter."

The following link will take you to the MySpace version:

http://www.myspace.com/mom_holtz/blog/541025665

Tags: BarbaraK Poetry Photography CPC ThematicAttic Winter

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Sweet Release

I take out my pen
and begin to write
at times when I might
have something to say
to myself,
to my friends
or nobody at all
about something,
about nothing,
about things big
and small.

It doesn't take much
to motivate me
to come out of myself
and to jot down a few
of those things that
I simply must write down,
things I just have to say
about what I see
along the way of my day
that cause me to sing
or to hum a little tune
about what is happening
somewhere inside of me.

So many things cause me
to sing the tunes that I do
even if a bit out of tune
and sometimes askew.
But words from my heart
my words on the page,
sweet release when I'm sad,
exuberant overflowings
when joy simply overtakes
my emotions and
I must get them out
right there and then or
I just might explode.

So upon scraps of paper
the words find their way,
upon napkins,
torn pages,
my computer screen,
whatever they are
in what manner at all
writing has become
a big part of my soul
and something I'm driven
to do every day,
releasing those words
built up inside of me.

And thankful I am
for opportunities like this
to share some of those words
with my friends here
who might read them
as I look forward
to reading theirs.

(c) bak 12-1-10
barbara kausteklis

Written for Legacy Writers "Dreamweaver Wednesday."

The following link will take you there:

https://myboomerplace.com/groups/view/id_486/

Tags: BarbaraK Poetry LegacyWriters DreamweaverWednesday Photography Writing Frie

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Stepping Forward

There's no mistaking
the chill in the air,
December winds swirling
through the canyons
and mountain passes
into my heart and soul.
And on this day,
despite the cold,
I venture out once more
and find a spot of sun
and blue sky there.

And for just this little while
I linger among the Autumn leaves,
crimson and golden in the sun,
and inhale the freshness
of this brand new day,
happy to be alive
and thrilled with
the journey that awaits
as I eagerly step forward
into the adventure ahead.

Tags: BarbaraK Poetry Photography LegacyWriters CPC DreamweaverWednesdays Photogr

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Just a bit of my "philosophy" of change and life

such that it is . . . . probably the longest single piece

I've ever posted on a blog.

Topic: The Way We Were
(Hard, 2pts): complete the phrase "Advice is what we ask for...."
(Easy, 1pt): include the word 'insane'

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

Back to the Way We Were?

Change is never easy;
in fact, it’s really hard.
It’s always much more
comfortable just to go
back to the way we were
And as for me,
I never was one
who wanted to take
much of a risk.
Always sticking pretty close
to what I thought I knew best,
I loved it in my comfort zone
(where I always wanted to stay).
For there I almost always knew
the answers and what to say.
I knew nothing would get broken there;
it would always stay that way.
And I'd never have to ask for advice
because I knew everything there.

And then just as comfortable
as comfortable could be,
everything always just the same,
one day things began to change
and started to get the best of me.
In fact, I got so very flustered and upset
at all the changes in front of me
that I thought I'd tear my hair out
if anyone even tried to speak to me.
I thought I was going quite insane.



Finally at the height of my frenzy
just before sinking into total despair,
I remembered the words
my father had said
so many years ago
the words he said about
not learning anything new
if you don't try it out;
about giving new things a chance
to work themselves out
because they usually do.

So many things my parents
had said to me when I was young;
so many things that seemed
to make no sense to me at the time.
But their words were wise
and have served me well
as I look back on
them over the years.

Now I'm not afraid
to ask for advice
from people in the know,
for advice is what we ask for
from those who know
a whole lot more
about the things
distressing me.



So there you have it,
my philosophy of life
and learning and a just one way
to keep from completely
losing my sanity.

(c) bak 11-29-10
barbara kausteklis

Written for Blogophilia 40.3/"The Way We Were."

The following link will take you
to Blogophilia 40.3 for the topic
and very important
new posting instructions:

http://www.myspace.com/blogophilia/blog/540985040

I look forward to reading all of them.

Tags: BarbaraK Poetry Blogophilia Learning Life

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"Hint of Autumn" by Colleen M. Breuning

Nature's Soul

I hear the sound of the soul of Nature
as afternoon begins to fade into night,
the sun beginning to dance upon
the edge of day and casting
gentle shadows of evening
across the pond.
I can't help but hear her voice
as I listen well, my senses
caressed by each ripple,
the ducks carving their path
across the placid waters
as twilight quietly envelopes
my soul and this majestic place.
I can only stand in awe,
mesmerized by what I see
and hear as the faint breezes
of evening carry my heart
with them to places known
only in my dreams of night;
and with us the leaves
of an autumn evening
floating silently from trees
of golden and crimson
as they alight on the
ground at my feet.

And for just a moment I close my eyes
and inhale the magic of that window
between the warmth of the sunlight
filtering through the dappled amber 
brilliance of Autumn splendor before my eyes.
And I marvel once again how each falling leaf
can so eloquently foretell Winter's
white crystalline mantel which will soon
paint this canvas as Autumn
joins with Winter in their dance
of beauty and wonder.

(c) bak 11-30-10
barbara kausteklis

Written for the CPC "Triple Crown Challenge."

The following link will take you there and to the posting instructions which include writing a piece no longer than 40 lines to Colleen's photograph above and including as many of the following 10 words as possible

amber
gentle
fade
ripple
listen
carry
foretell
majestic
dappled
alight

as well as the following phrase. 

 "sound of the soul"

Always an honor to participate in these. 

I look forward to reading all of them.

The MySpace Link:

http://www.myspace.com/mom_holtz/blog/540987083

Tags: BarbaraK Poetry CPC TripleCrownChallenge ColleenBreuning Poetry Nature

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"The Key to Good Times is to Remember Them"

~Monday Madness~

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

Snapshot Moments

Snapshot moments
captured within,
encapsulated
space and time,
treasures held
close forever
and tucked away
with special care,
the good times,
the sad ones,
all precious
in their way.

And on a day like this,
so clear and crystal blue,
I find my favorite spot
where I settle down
for just a little while,
a quiet place where
I can watch some
of those treasured
good times once again.



And from that favorite
vantage point I smile
as they delight my senses,
each and every one,
as in their festive colors
and all dressed up
they glide across
watery sheets of glass
on a bright and
sunshine-filled day.



What better time
could I have had
on this autumn afternoon
than capturing
these special moments
in memories to keep
on an afternoon
when I could almost hear
each leaf pirouetting
and floating to the ground?

(c) bak 11-29-10
barbara kausteklis

Written for Flexwriters "Monday Madness/

The following link will take you there:

http://www.myspace.com/flexwriterscafe/blog/540967088

Tags: BarbaraK Flexwriters MondayMadness Poetry Photography Nature GoodTimes

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