Day 366: Chanukah Wishes

See, I told you it wasn't really the end. 2nd night of Chanukah--I posted this on Facebook today and thought I'd share it here. I think I'm going to keep this blog up, even though it probably won't be daily any more.

Chanukah Wishes
By Batsheva 12/2/10

It's Day number one and night number two
And here are my Chanukah wishes for you
May your latkes be tasty
Your doughnuts be sweet
Your luck at the dreidel
Too good to be beat
May you be warm and toasty
May your candles burn long
May you learn some great, happy, new Chanukah song
May you spend the next week
Aglow with the light
Of a holiday joyous and festive and bright.

Day 365: The End

I started this blog on my birthday last year. Tomorrow is my birthday again. It wasn't perfect. Lots of posts wound up being delayed. But I did it. I wrote over 365 poems in 365 days. :-)

The End
By Batsheva 12/1/10

An ending can be sad
If what's ending was quite fun
But it also can be happy
If you're glad something got done

Whenever something ends, you'll find
As you finally close that door
There's newness on the other side
There's always something more

So every single end contains
A precious, grateful seed
Of a brilliant, new beginning
That end was all you'd need

To start your fresh new something
And to see it come to light
Even the saddest endings
Can turn into something bright

And so I hope you'll understand
As I take my leave my friend,
There is no need to say good-bye
For this is not the end

Day 364: Docked

Docked
By Batsheva 11/30/10

A boat sits safely docked at shore
Avoiding storms and ocean's roar
No harm will come to it--that's true
But. . .
That's not what boats are built to do

Day 363: The Boulder

The Boulder
By Batsheva 11/29/10

A giant boulder
Silent, still
Perched atop
A high, high hill
It is no threat
It does not move
So stable
In its earthen groove

And yet
If someone comes along
With a force
Intense and strong
That boulder
Will begin to roll
And maybe take
A heavy toll

But if people
Must move that stone
They need a plan
That's wisely honed
So they'll be able
To control
The rock
When it begins
To roll

Day 362: Reaching for the stars

Reaching for the Stars
By Batsheva 11/28/10

Reaching for the stars is great
But now I think I've learned
It's better not to touch them
For you're liable to get burned

Day 361 (Delayed): Symbiosis

The result of sitting in on a 9th grade biology lecture. Not great poetry, the rhythm and meter stink, but I was bored and had to do something.

Symbiosis
By Batsheva 11/27/10

Symbiosis means two creatures
Of two species live together
Come rain or shine
In every kind
Of good or nasty weather
"Sym" means together
While "Bio" means life
And symbiosis can cause
Great benefits or strife

Parasitism is a symbiosis form
Where a win and a loss
Are always the norm
One creature takes advantage
Of another
To its harm
And if you have a parasite
It's true cause for alarm

But commensalism is a better
Symbiosis type
One creature benefits but the other
Has no gripe

Mutualism means each organism
Only helps the other
Like a trusted friend, a colleague,
Or a sister, or a brother
And I suspect that
If you're on the ball
You'll see this is the best
Symbiotic type of all

And the moral, I think
If I got this right
Is avoid (and don't be)
A parasite

Day 360: Bones

Bones
By Batsheva 11/26/10

I think you'll find a skeleton
Is much harder than gelatin
It doesn't jiggle
Or even wiggle
Unless you want it to
Those bones provide a strong structure for you

Yes, the skeleton has an important job
Just keeping your body
From being a blob

Bones give a stable, sturdy frame
And shape on which to hang a name

Now, aren't you glad that everyone owns
Those very useful things called bones?

Day 359: Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day
By Batsheva 11/25/10

What do you have to be thankful for
On this Thanksgiving Day?
The ability to think and speak
And the right to have your say
The gift of all your senses
Hearing, vision, taste, touch, smell
Without them you might miss some things
I'm sure that you can tell
The company of family
And friends who hold you dear
On Thanksgiving it's a great time
Just to have your loved ones near

What do you have to be thankful for
On this Thanksgiving Day?
Good health, good food,
A warm, good mood
That's the Thanksgiving way.

Day 358 (Delayed): 50 Years

50 Years
By Batsheva 11/24/10

50 years of herring
50 years of soup
50 years of Zayde
Always hiding in his "Coop"

50 years of puzzles
50 years of pie
50 years of Bubbe
With a gleam in her eye

50 years of learning
50 years of love
50 years of marriage
Made in Heaven above

Day 357: Desserts

Desserts
By Batsheva 11/23/10

Apple, pumpkin, cherry, berry
Banana or key lime
I'll take any flavor pie
At almost any time

Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry,
Mint, pecan praline
I'm accepting any offer
When it comes to--yum--ice cream!

Cakes are great and cookies too
Of every shape and kind
Yes, when it comes to sweet desserts
I can't make up my mind

I have no true, strong preference
To me, each one does call
So when it's time to choose dessert
I guess I'll take them all!

Day 356 (Delayed): Forever

Forever
By Batsheva 11/22/10

Forever is a long, long time
But that's what marriage means
At least it is supposed to
Though that isn't how it seems

So many couples get divorced
It happens all the time
Marriage isn't quite forever
Which is sad, though not a crime

It means two people who once thought
They'd be together 'til they died
Have made the choice to live apart
That doesn't mean they lied

They meant it when they married
Their vows were quite sincere
But sometimes situations change
For reasons not so clear

Still, I prefer forever
When I've found a love so true
And I will work to make it last
Forever, my love, with you.

Day 355: Tickets

Tickets
By Batsheva 11/21/10

You need a ticket to ride a train
You must have a ticket to fly in a plane
To see a movie or even a play
Having a ticket's the only way

A ticket's a pass to some fabulous fun
So why wasn't Mom glad
When the cop gave her one?

Day 354 (Delayed): Pomegranates and Cherries

Pomegranates and Cherries
By Batsheva 11/20/10

Pomegranates and Cherries
Are the base of this drink
Which isn't as odd
As you might think
For those are the two fruits
This couple love best
Much better by far
Than all of the rest
Those fruits come together
To make a great blend
A bit tart, but still sweet
Perfect pair, to the end

Day 353 (Delayed): All Golden

I will be posting several personal poems in honor of my parents upcoming 50th anniversary. This is the first. One of the things I like about this poem is the sound effects. In addition to rhyme, I enjoy playing with sounds in other ways. In this case, the words, "All of" said with a certain accent or tone, can be heard as either, "I love" or "I'll have." I think different pronunciations give these words different layers of meaning.

All Golden
By Batsheva 11/19/10

Bubbe and Zayde
Fifty gold years
All of the laughter
All of the tears
All of the pleasures
All of the pain
All of the sunshine
All of the rain
All of the stories
All of the song
All of the love
That was there
All along

Day 352: Suicide

Suicide (He would have been 56 today.)
By Batsheva 11/18/10

Your bitterness and lies
Never let you keep a wife
We should not have been surprised
When you chose to end your life

You took and took and took
It was all you knew to do
Almost, not quite a crook
And then you took your own life too

You had so many gifts
Why was it so hard to give?
Spent your life creating rifts
I guess that made it hard to live

The goodness deep within your soul
Sometimes it shone quite clear
But loving you did take its toll
Guess you've paid now, my dear