Day 89: Hamanblobshen

OK, if you're not Jewish you won't get this one, so I'll briefly explain. Today was a holiday called Purim, in which there is a custom of baking little triangular pastries and giving them to friends. Mine did not come out the way they were supposed to. They are normally called, "Hamantashen." Yes, I know this is ridiculously short, but I was very busy today, and this is what I wrote on my goodie bag labels.

Hamanblobshen
By Batsheva 2/28/10

If you try my
Hamanblobshen
I think that you may find
They are nearly as delicious
As the triangular kind!

Day 88: Purim Poem

Purim Poem
By Batsheva 2/28/10

Jews from Israel to Durham
(That's in North Carolina)
Have a festive time on Purim
Because tell me, what is finer

Than wearing crazy costumes
And sharing yummy treats
And reading the Megillah
While screaming from our seats

When a certain name is mentioned
Of that evil, evil guy
Who tried to wipe the Jews out
But didn't count on Mordechai

And his lovely, brave Hadassah
Known as Esther--we have seen--
Who risked her life to save us
After she became the Queen

So if you like adventure stories
Then, I'll tell you, you are liable
To find the greatest ones of all
When looking in the Bible

Well now it's time to celebrate
And give a joyous cheer
For we've arrived at Purim's date
The happiest time of year!

Day 87: Building Castles

Another pre-Sabbath quick one.

Building Castles
By Batsheva 2/26/10

Water's wet and
Sand is dry
This is a fact
You can't deny

So either one
Taken alone
Could not be made
To house a throne

But if you mix
The two just right
You can build
A true delight

A castle
Oh so very grand
Made from water
Work
And sand

Day 86: Whether Weather

Whether Weather
By Batsheva 2/25/10

Whether the weather is good
Or whether the weather is bad
Sometimes determines
Whether you feel
Sunny glad or gloomy sad

Storm clouds cast their
Dark gray pall
Very soon
Drops start to fall
From the skies they crash, pell-mell
More slowly, from your eyes, as well

There is a cure
I hope you find
For weathers and whethers
Of every kind

Someone to share
Bad weather days
Of lightning strikes
And foggy haze

And who in days
Of warmest sun
Can make them seem
Even more fun

Yes, friendship is
The weather cure
I tell you this
And it's for sure

For I know
If you stand together
True friends can weather
Any weather

Day 85: Somebody

Somebody
By Batsheva 2/24/10

"When you grow up,
What will you be?"

Grown-ups are always
Asking me.

"Do you want to be famous
Like folks on TV?
Or maybe a doctor's
What you'd like to be?

What do you like most in school?
'Cause that could be a clue
To help us figure out
Exactly what you'd like to do."

They ask and ask,
"We want to know
So could you tell us please?"

And I'm nice, so
I do my best
To answer all of these.

But late at night
When I'm in bed,
I whisper to my teddy,
"Sometimes I think that they forget
I'm somebody already!"

Day 84: Motion

Motion
By Batsheva 2/23/10

Do you ever feel
Still as a stone
When all your energy
Has flown?

Though there are things
You want to do
You simply can't
Bring yourself to
Because you just don't
Feel like moving
And you don't see
That improving

Well there's a secret
So take heart
It only takes a
Tiny start

Just as a little drop of lotion
Can make your dry skin smooth
It only takes the smallest motion
To make your body move

So my friend please have no fear
For I promise this is true
That once your body gets in gear
There's nothing you can't do!

Day 83: Drops

Drops
By Batsheva 2/22/10

The majestic column of ice
That reached from the roof
To the ground
Is nowhere to be found

It seems almost a tragic case
To say that in its shining place
Is a puddle
My thoughts are a muddle

Perhaps it was the perfect crime
It left exactly as it came
One
Drop
At
A
Time

Day 82: Wishing Star

Wishing Star
By Batsheva 2/21/10

If I found the one true
Wishing star
I'd wish that the world
Would come so far
That earthquakes would
Be bouncy fun
Kids could play
In rain or sun
Hurricanes wouldn't
Lead to flood
No one would shed
Another's blood
And every child's
Darkest fear
Would suddenly
Just Disappear

So, if you're out there
Wishing star
I wish you'd tell me
Where you are

Day 81: A Friend's Gifts

For Carolyn Bergman Petersen, the best friend I never met. :-)

A Friend's Gifts
By Batsheva 2/20/10

Your friend may give you
Gifts of clothes
Or from her garden
A lovely rose

Your friend may give you
Gifts on birthdays
Or silly
Show-you-what-you're-worth days

Your friend may give you
Gifts of food
An ice cream cone
To lift your mood

Your friend gives
Gifts of every kind
But I suspect
One day you'll find
When it comes right down
To the end
The best gift is
Being your friend

Day 80: Rock Music Time

Friday Eve. In a hurry once again. Another lame quickie.

Rock Music Time
By Batsheva 2/19/10

Tick Tock
Punk Rock
Where'd you go?

Tick Tock
Acid Rock
I don't know.

Tick Tock
Soft Rock
Please.
No way.

Tick Tock
Classic Rock
Here to stay.

Day 79: Jealous Fail

Jealous Fail
By Batsheva 12/18/10

When I look at you
Do you know what I see?
I see all the things
That I wish I could be

But it's all only skin
It's what's outside
Not in
And the truth is
There's no way to know
If your glory is real
Or just a big show
Designed to make
People like me
Feel envy.

Day 78: Friendship Math

Friendship Math
By Batsheva 2/17/10

If you need a hand
Well, listen, I've got two
And I've also got two shoulders
This is true
Got two ears
So I can hear you
Plus one big voice
To cheer you

And it all adds up
To this
Is what friends do

Day 77: Baby Gift for Caleb Isaac

For Caleb Isaac. My very first great-nephew, being birthed as I type this. This is my baby gift. Well, this and the boxes of pre-loved baby stuff we're sending. :-)

Baby Gift
By Great-Aunt Batsheva 2/16/10

Tiny baby
Precious, sweet
Exploring fingers
Toes and feet

Look around
what do you see?
Mama, Dada,
Family

Right now
Your world is very small
And they
Are at your beck and call

There's nothing
That they wouldn't do
To care for
Or to protect you

And when your world
Starts to grow wide
They'll still be there
Right by your side

For one thing
You can be sure of
You have
And are
The gift of love.

Day 76: Too Much Snow!

Much of the Eastern US has been having record breaking snowfalls this season. In case you hadn't heard. This whole poem isn't entirely true of me, but enough of it is. :-)

Too Much Snow
By Batsheva 2/15/10

I know I said
That I like snow
And it's true
I do
Although
Everyone knows
That there is such
A thing as getting
Much too much
Of something that
We think is good
(Or in lesser quantities
We would)

It's snowed for days and days
It seems
And icicles now haunt my dreams
We're trapped inside
The roads aren't clear
Oh hurry, Spring, and please
Get here!
We've played each game
And read each book
We've cooked the things
That we can cook
We've watched TV
Till our brains went numb
Please tell me when
Will Spring's warmth come?
I've slept so much
But I don't care
I might just turn into a bear
My noodle's turned to noodle soup
I really need to fly this coop

And if you ask,
Why don't I play
Out in the snow
Every single day
I'll tell you that
It gets so old
Each day in
This bitter cold
With runny nose
And toes so freezing
The frozen air
Soon gets me wheezing
A little's great
But enough's enough
We need a break
From this white stuff
It simply is no longer fun
For Heaven's sake
Snow, please, be done!

(It's funny but
I won't remember
This at all
Come next December!)

Day 75: Get it Done!

I have no idea how this came to me, but the chorus just popped into my head with melody intact, all one piece, and the verses took less than an hour to finish. It took me a while to figure out that the melody is actually, "She'll be Coming Round the Mountain." I really think this should be the anthem for humanity. It can apply to everything from Healthcare Reform to writing a term paper to cleaning the bathroom. To writing a poem sometimes. :-)

Get it Done
By Batsheva 2/14/10

Chorus

Get it done now
Baby, get it done!
Though I know
The job may not be any fun
If there's a task
That you must do
Then it's best
To plow right through
Get it done now,
Baby, get it done!

To do the things
That we enjoy
Is never tough
It's when something
Is unpleasant
Things get rough
But don't choose
Procrastination
That just lacks
Imagination
Get it done now!
Baby, get it done!

Chorus

If you are inclined
To put things off
I think that you may find
Some folks will scoff
For while it's better late
Than never
No one wants to wait
Forever
Get it done now
Baby, get it done!
I know sometimes a job
Is very hard
And you'd really rather
Play out in the yard
Though the work may
Make you queasy
A delay
Won't make it easy
Get it done now
Baby, get it done!

Chorus

{Then slowly}

Oh, there's so much satisfaction
In completing any action
So, get it done now!
Baby, get it done!

Day 74: Superlative

Superlative
By Batsheva 2/13/10

I'm not the cool kid
The breaks-every-rule kid
I'm not the bright kid
The she's-always-right kid
I'm not the slow kid
Not the fast kid
Not the first kid
Nor the last kid
Not the cute kid
Not the gross kid
Not humble
Nor a one-to-boast kid
Not the most talented
Nor the most lame
Not best or worst
At any game

No, there's only one thing
That I seem to be
The absolute greatest at--
And that's being me!

Day 73 (delayed): Apology

Well, I suppose it had to happen sooner or later. No way was I really going to remember 365 days in a row. Who was I kidding? Yesterday was the first day I actually didn't write a poem. :-( The following poem is the result. And yes, I am doing 2 poems tonight as my penance.

Apology
By Batsheva 2/13/10

I'm sorry that I didn't do
The thing I said I would
Although when I made the promise
I did believe I could
Hope you're not too disappointed
And that you don't think I lied
For when I realized my mistake
I actually cried
So I hope you can forgive me
It's the kindest thing to do
Because if you can forgive me
Maybe I'll forgive me too

Day 72: A la Carte

Many thanks to Carolyn for the title, and to my hubby for the word, "Burrito" (which I actually did make for dinner tonight).

A la Carte
By Batsheva 2/11/10

At first I decided
To have a few chips
But then that required
A number of dips
And quickly I added
Just a few crackers
Because, as you know,
I'm just one of those snackers
Afterwards I munched
A few handfuls of nuts
Since they're full of protein
No ifs ands or buts
Next thing I crunched
Was a big bunch of carrots
Because of raw veggies
We all know the merits
But that got me craving
Something yummy and sweet
So I baked up some cookies
And had a nice treat
But could I stop at one
Once it went down the hatch?
Nope, I kept going back
Till I ate the whole batch!
Then for dinner, I made
A burrito, quite loaded. . .
And what happened next?
Can you guess?
I exploded!

Day 71: Bearing Fruit

Bearing Fruit
By Batsheva 2/10/10

You can't elope
With a cantaloupe
It simply wouldn't be right
And you could never date
A date
That would be such a sight
I guess that you could prune
A prune
But I don't know why you'd care to
If you go bananas
For bananas
I might ask you to share too
Please don't pine
For pineapple
As that might make me cry
And if you choose to bury
A berry
I'll really wonder why

There are many things to do with fruit
And it's really hard to beat 'em
But lets not talk of "bearing fruit"
I think it's best to eat 'em

Day 70: Sand and Sea: E Pluribus Unum

I'm not entirely sure if this is finished, or not, but I've got to get it on here before midnight, so here it is.

Sand and Sea: E Pluribus Unum
By Batsheva 2/9/10

A single, tiny grain of sand
Alone upon the beach
While all the other grains of sand
Are chatting, each to each
This tiny grain feels by itself
As if 'twas left upon a shelf
Because that lonely grain of sand
Just simply doesn't understand
That nothing is beyond its reach
If it relies upon the beach

A single drop of water
Falls into the ocean deep
And as it falls,
That single drop
Somehow begins to weep
Its sadness is resulting
From failure to comprehend
That its life is just beginning
Not coming to an end
It's true: A solo, single drop
It soon will cease to be,
But it's becoming so much greater.
It's the great, wide, deep, blue sea.

Day 69: Impossible

Yeah, Valentine's Day is on the brain. For the Hubs.

Impossible
By Batsheva 2/8/10

Could you have a pet butterfly
That comes whene'er you beck?
Or take a star down from the sky
And wear it 'round your neck?
Could you lasso a rainbow
Make it glow above your home
And then make sure it follows you
Wherever you may roam?
Can you grasp a piece of coal
Squeeze in tightly in your hand--
Turn it into polished diamonds
Just like good ol' Superman?

I know they're all impossible
These things that I describe
No one on Earth could do them
Even for the biggest bribe,
But of these things, I'll tell you,
In the sun or snow or rain
None is more impossible
Than to completely explain
How one plus one can equal one
Instead of equaling two
And that in rain or snow or sun
How deeply I love you.

Day 68: Paradox

For my friend, Shivani.

Paradox
By Batsheva 2/7/10

Who are the people
Who push all your buttons
Get stuffed at Thanksgiving--
The turkey gluttons--
The people who always
Drive you nuts
Whose comments make
The deepest cuts . . .

And yet they're the ones
Whose love for you
Is always there
Whate'er you do
Who'll help you
Any way they can
And often are
Your biggest fans

So who are these folk,
Contradictory?
You know the joke:
They're family.

Day 67: Snow Spoiled

Can't believe this is my fourth snow-related poem! (We got about 10 inches today!)

Snow Spoiled
By Batsheva 2/6/10

New-fallen snow
Fresh on the ground
Nothing more beautiful
Ever I've found
A tree, a house,
A mailbox too
Dressed in snow
They look brand new
Icy cold and
Sparkling white
Frozen paradise
Delight . . .

How I love the snow
From my warm, cozy bubble
As long as I don't have to
Drive or shovel.

Day 66: Note from the Teacher

Note from the Teacher
By Batsheva 2/5/10

Do you really want
To fail this class?
Wouldn't you really
Rather pass?
You could do well
If you'd just try,
And I'm sure
You know that's why
I'm always getting on your case.
To try
Then fail
Is no disgrace,
But if all you ever do
Is slack off,
I promise you
I will not back off
Until you're doing
What you should
Because I am so sure
You could
If you would only
Do your work;
Your obligations,
Cease to shirk.

And if you wonder
Why I bother--
I'm not your mother
Or your father--
The explanation I will share
Quite gladly:
It's because
I care.

Day 65: Realization

An extremely short poem. Judging by my schedule, tomorrow's may be just as short, if not shorter. No complaints. I never made any promises about length. And P.S. As short as this one is, I actually think it packs almost as much significance as any of my long ones.

Realization
By Batsheva 2/4/10

Once there was a little cat
Who wished to be a star at bat
Until he learned
Once and for all
Kittens cannot play baseball

Day 64: Madison Sue

This is still a rough draft and really needs editing. Open to suggestions. I'd like to make this one a book, if I can get the meter right and a good illustrator.

Madison Sue
By Batsheva 2/3/10

Madison Sue
Went to the zoo--
The animals to see.
But when she saw each animal,
She shouted, "Look at me!"

She hooted at the owls
And howled at the wolves.
She grunted at gorillas
And snorted at the bulls.
She whinnied at the zebras
And mooed right at a moose.
She roared at lions and tigers,
And she honked at mother goose.
She laughed at the hyenas,
And she growled at the bears.
She chirped at all the birdies,
And she didn't mind the glares
From all the other people,
Who said, "Please quiet down!"

But Madison Sue yelled, "Toodle-oo!"
She was the loudest girl in town.

When Madison went to the market
To buy groceries with her mother,
Everyone there noticed her
Before they saw any other
Thing or person in the store.
She tap-danced down the pasta aisle,
Then gave a long encore.
And next to the potato pile,
She began to sing.
That girl was simply not afraid
To do most anything.
So she belted out a pop song
In a loud and screechy voice
Until finally the manager came
And said, "I have no choice,
But to ask you please, quiet down."

That Madison Sue, it's really true,
Was the loudest girl in town.

When Madison Sue went to school,
Her classmates thought
She was a fool.
For when the teacher asked,
"Who knows. . ."
Madison jumped up on her toes
And shouted, "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! I do!"
Well, the teacher's irritation
She wasn't good at masking,
When Madison interrupted
Before the teacher finished asking.
So she sent her to the principal,
Who said, "Just quiet down!"

That Madison Sue, I'm telling you,
Was the loudest girl in town.

Yes, Madison always had to be
The center of attention.
Until one day something happened
That I really hate to mention.
Some aliens from planet Zork
Came to Earth in a spaceship
And snatched up that loud Madison!
"We won't take any lip!"
Said the leader of the aliens.
And Madison Sue obeyed.
For the first time in her whole life,
That girl was really afraid.
The aliens took Madison
And put her in a cage.
Then they watched her day and night,
Which filled her up with rage.

"Why must you always stare at me?"
Madison Sue would cry.
The alien captain laughed,
And then he gave a little sigh.

"On Earth, you always had to have
Attention all the time,
But now that we're providing that,
You act like it's a crime."

Madison Sue said, "Yes, it's true,
I do like center stage,
But it just isn't any fun
Living in this stupid cage.
And having someone watch you
Every moment of the day,
Is not a way I want to live
I really have to say."

The alien captain said, "Okay,
Our experiments are done,
And I certainly agree--
This hasn't been much fun.
So, if you want, I'll take you
Back down to the world you knew."

Then Madison Sue jumped for joy
And said, "Yes, please, I do!"

That's how Madison Sue discovered,
In a very unique way,
That always getting noticed
Can lead to great dismay.
And after she came back to Earth,
A lot of people found
They didn't always have to say,
"Madison, quiet down."

That Madison Sue no longer was
The loudest girl in town.

Day 63: Tired

Day 63. A great number. Another bad day. So tired that I might actually go to bed before 10PM. A veritable first for me. Needless to say, nothing of significance shall be produced today.

Tired
By Batsheva 2/2/10

So, so tired
Oh so sleepy
I think I might just
Get quite weepy
If I cannot
Go to sleep now
I don't want
To hear a peep now
Get it?
Got it!
Okay, good
Soon I will be sawing wood
And so, before I off the light
I've two last words to say:
Good night!

Day 62: Blue Is

It was really, really hard to write today. Really hard. Also, I was sorely tempted to include the lines: "Blue is blueberries in a jar, and blue are the heroes of Avatar." But I decided against it.

Blue Is
By Batsheva 2/1/10

Blue is the color
Of the ocean deep
Blue is the blankie
Helping baby sleep
Blue is the color
Of a great sports team
Blue is a new
Raspberry ice cream
Blue is the color
Of your comfiest jeans, and
Blue is the uniform of Marines
Blue is the color
Of a newborn's eyes, and
Blue are the sunniest
Cloudless skies

So, if blue is the color of a beautiful day,
Why do they call it blue
When I feel this way?