Summer Poetry and Blogiversary Countdown

Only four more days until my blogiversary and the unveiling of my new blog template (see below for the preview of the day!). Hope you’ll come back to say Hi and see what the buzz is all about.

Lazy Family Sunday
I’ve got my honey home for Sunday (for a change), so I won’t keep you. It’s rare that he gets to enjoy a fun lazy day with the family and I get to enjoy his strong arm around me in the pew at church. Tonight we have small-group studies (“house church”), and we’re bringing sweet tea and chips to go with the sandwiches that others in the group are providing.

“A Poem Lovely as a Tree”*
As for our KONOS Seasons Unit Study… we’ve really enjoyed reading all the poetry that was prescribed by Konos. My more creative side has been stirring lately and I have been looking forward to reading all this poetry. When I was a kid, I used to write a poem almost every day. I have binders full of them (3-inch binders – about three of them totally full). Most of them are dark and dreary, and I wouldn’t share them with my kids until they were fully grown. I didn’t have the luxury of being raised as a Christian for the most part… and dark circumstances led to dark poetry. On the other hand, I was inspired by our long, quiet drive on vacation and the lovely scenery in both our home state and beyond. This truly is a great country we live in; a land of milk and honey.

A few days ago, I wrote this poem about the beautiful and stately oak tree outside of our apartment building (a slice of it is in the photo above). I thought I would share it here and give you a link to the other great tree-poems that we discovered while looking up poems for this unit. In fact, I’ll be back in later this week to share a few of our favorite seasons poems that we’ve discovered since we began reading poems this week.

The Tree Outside My Window – by Sprittibee

If it weren’t for the tree I could not stay
It beckons outside my window each day
There’s nothing this small space where I live
Offers to me That I could not give

The tree’s steady strength and wind-chime sway
Hold my gaze another balmy summer day
Its lichen-covered branches wearing dappled sunlight sleeves
Beyond, the creek lies hidden by its shifting summer leaves

Always there to ease my mind by pink twilight or dawn
Holding out its arms to me, it gently shades the lawn
Squirrel, mockingbird, woodpecker and finch grace its sturdy branch
Fireflies like a glittering gown surround it as they dance

Each season as it changes it will bless the eye
A different season’s story and backdrop for the sky
Its rustling green fingers speak to me more than any words
I’m glad it’s here to look upon and shelter all its birds

We stand at the window together; One in and one outside
The tree and I in silent trance… waiting for goodbye
Through the glass between us the whispering breeze begins
The awkward moment finally fades between two summer friends.