Day 149: Song Without a Tune

Song Without a Tune
By Batsheva 4/29/10

A poem is a song
Without a tune
Just as the sun
Reflects upon the moon

The moon provides no light
All of its own
And yet at night
Its light is clearly shown

Likewise a poem's melody
Is hidden
And yet at times
It can appear
Unbidden

To shine the light
Of its intrinsic song
Which truthfully
Was right there
All along

Day 148: Hurtful Words

This was inspired by an incident with my daughter and a younger girl on a playground today. The other girl said some really mean things to my daughter, and my daughter was very hurt. I, of course, tried to turn it into a teachable moment.

Hurtful Words
By Batsheva 4/28/10

"Sticks and stones may break my bones
But names can never hurt me."

That's a line folks used to say
Though it was never true
Mean words can hurt quite badly
And they very often do

Yet if someone hits you
With a stone
The choice to hurt
Is not your own

But if you're called
A nasty name
You can choose not to
Play that game

You can decide
To make the choice
That you will just ignore
That voice

And know that
When a person's mean
It doesn't have
To be your scene

Words may be cruel
They may be kind
But words cannot
Control your mind

Words can be hurtful
If you let them
That's why it's best
To just forget them

Day 147: Free Thinking (Grown-up version)

Free Thinking (Youth Version)
By Batsheva 4/27/10

The human mind
Is so inclined
To dream and wonder
Seek and find
That if you put it
In a cage
It will respond
In pain and rage

And if it still
Is not set free
It will constrict
Reluctantly
And make itself
So very small
To fit within
Its prison walls

For something precious
Must be lost
When thought comes
At so high a cost

Day 146: (Delayed) Free Thinking (Youth Version)

Our Internet access has been mostly down for the last couple of days. My husband spent some time on the phone with our service providers, and it seems to be working okay now. I was also out of the house for much of the last couple of days dealing with shemirah for a member of my community. I actually wrote this poem yesterday. Just had no way to post it. Today, I came up with a more mature version of the same poem, which I will be posting as today's poem.

Free Thinking (Youth Version)
By Batsheva 4/26/10

The human mind
Is so inclined
To dream and wonder
Seek and find
That if you put it
In a cage
It will respond
In pain and rage

And if it still
Is not set free
It shrinks itself
Reluctantly
And makes itself
So very small
To fit within
Its prison walls

So if you don't
Want to become
Small-minded
Sad
And rather dumb
Then always let
Your mind be free
For that's the way
It's meant to be

Day 145: (Delayed) To Milk a Cow

I wrote this one earlier this evening, but I got called away before I could post it--had to go to a funeral home. Did not get back until well after midnight.

To Milk a Cow
By Batsheva 4/25/10

If you get to milk a cow
Then you can make some cheese
About a thousand different kinds
Whatever type you please

But if you aren't fond of cheese
Feel free to make some butter
All you need is one good churn
And one good working udder

If cheese and butter aren't for you
Because you're on a diet
Just make yourself some low fat milk
It's easy if you try it

Now, if you're not a fan of milk
But you want something sweet
Just add sugar and chocolate
For a special yummy treat

So now, my friend, I hope you know
Because I've told you how
You can get so many different foods
From just one mother cow

Day 144: The Cat and the Bat

The Cat and the Bat
By Batsheva 4/24/10

A cat and a bat
Had a fight.
Said the cat,
I don't think that it's right
That you're able to fly,
But never am I.
It seems you just fly
Out of spite.

Said the bat,
I don't fly
Out of spite
You have nothing to do
With my flight.
I fly 'cause I must
If I didn't,
I'd bust
I just have to fly
Every night

Answered cat,
It is still
Quite unfair
That you're able
To fly through the air
While I'm stuck
On the ground
No wings to be found
If only I could
Have a pair

Said the bat,
I can fly.
Yes, it's true.
But still,
I would rather be you.
You have people to pet you,
To feed you, and let you
Sleep in their bed,
As you mew.

Cat replied,
Are you out
Of your mind?
Yes it's fine
To have servants
I find.
But to soar through the trees
On a warm summer breeze?
Now that is a life
Unconfined!

Said the bat
Maybe we
Should agree
That we both must be
What we must be
Let's be glad
For our gifts
And not create rifts
For friends do not need
Jealousy

Day 143: Forgetful Fern

Forgetful Fern
By Batsheva 4/23/10

Forgetful Fern
Got out of bed
And forgot to brush her teeth
So all day long
Each time she spoke
She smelled beyond belief

Forgetful Fern
Went to school
But she forgot her books
So through the day
Her teachers all
Were giving her mean looks

Forgetful Fern
Walked home from school
But she forgot her jacket
'Twas such a cold and windy day
Poor Fern could barely hack it.

Then back at home
Forgetful Fern
Forgot to eat her dinner
She did this rather often
So she kept on getting thinner

Forgetful Fern
Forgot to learn
A lesson 'bout forgetting
And so poor dear Forgetful Fern
Spent her whole life regretting
All the things that she forgot
Which really were an awful lot

Well, Fern's over a hundred now
(And this part is a lie)
Some folks say
Forgetful Fern
She just forgot to die

Day 142: Nothing to Say

Happy Earth Day everyone! For my Earth Day rhyme, click here: http://primerhymedaily.blogspot.com/2009/12/day-28-view-from-moon.html
What can I say? I don't always do them in order. And tonight, I really have. . .
Nothing to Say
By Batsheva 4/22/10

At times when you have
Nothing to say
It's generally best
To call it a day
And since I have
Nothing to write
I think I will
Turn off the light
And bid you all
A kind, "Good night!"

Day 141: Key Question

Key Question
By Batsheva 4/21/10

Oh, won't you tell me
Which is worse
Which circumstance
The greater curse
To have a lock
With a missing key
And no way to unlock it
Or to find
An unrequited key
In some old forgotten pocket?

Day 140: Write Right

Honestly? This one is probably just for me!

Write Right
By Batsheva April 20/10

Write write write
Is it really right?
It must be right
If it isn't wrong
And it isn't left
What a silly song
But
Write write write
Keep your goal
In sight
And bring your dreams
Along
That is right
Where they belong
As you write
Write
Right
(And be glad you have
The right
To write
All right)

Day 139: Can Do

Can Do
By Batsheva 4/19/10

Can you do
What you can do?
Of course you can!
Then do it!
But if you can't
Say that you can
It's harder
To get through it
And if you can
Say that you can't
You're not likely
To do it
And if you can't
Stop saying can't
Well, then,
You surely blew it!
So say you can
And mean you can
And then you can
Get to it!

Day 138: The Bark Park

We went there today. If I ever figure out how to post pix on this blog, I'll post some here.

The Bark Park
By Batsheva 4/18/10

Spaniels
And Huskies
With eyes of blue
Terriers
Pinschers
Shepherds too
Basengis
And Bassets
Chihuahuas
And Mastiffs
Poodles and
Oodles of
Mongrels--
It's true!

They're all at
The Dog Park
On a bright
Sunny Sunday
To run, sniff
And bark
And just have
A fun day

Akitas
As sweet as
Can be
Need to play
And even
The bull dogs
They must have their day
Each lab and each setter
Can find nothing better
Than to play and to run
In the fresh air and sun

Yes, they play
With their friends
And make lots of noise
It should be the same
For girls and for boys

Fresh air and warm sun
Can make you feel fine
They're for everyone
Not just the canine!

Day 137: Octopus

Octopus
By Batsheva 4/17/10

I wish I were an octopus
For it would be sublime
To have eight arms
And easily
Do eight things at a time

One hand could be eating
The next hand could be writing
The third hand could be greeting
While the fourth hand might be fighting
The fifth hand could be petting
While the sixth hand would be typing
And the seventh hand is getting
As the eighth hand would be wiping

Yes, being an octopus
Would be great
I'd consider it
A fabulous fate

But looking at this list
It seems
It just might be a strain
To manage this
With eight good arms
But only one small brain

Day 136 (delayed): Springing

There was no way for me to access the Internet yesterday. Again, this delay is not my fault.

Springing
By Batsheva 4/16/10 (delayed posting)

The grass is all greening
And trees are now blooming
While up through the ground
The tulips are zooming

Animals are birthing
Children are playing
The sun's shining more
If you know what I'm saying

Birds are singing and nesting
Too busy for resting
And now I can see
Why spring ends: I-N-G!

Day 135: Violets

Really tired. Long day. Longer one tomorrow. I'm just going to do a slight expansion of yesterday's poem.

Violets
By Batsheva 4/15/10

Roses are red
If they're brown
They are dead

Violets are blue
And some days
I am too

Day 134: Roses

This is a few minutes late because my Internet was down. Such is life. Doesn't matter much because this was my shortest poem ever, anyway.

Roses
By Batsheva 4/14/10

Roses are red
If they're brown
They are dead

Day 133: Allergies

Thanks again, to my number one muse, Carolyn, and her daughter, Sidney.

Allergies
By Batsheva 4/13/10

Julie's allergic
To juniper trees
Ben is allergic
To stinging bees

Cathy's allergic
To kitty cats
If one gets too close
She'll cry

Frank is allergic
To greasy fats
So he can't eat
A single french fry

Nancy's allergic
To most every nut
If she even smells one
Her eyes will swell shut
And that's really sad
'Cause it means her lunch table
Is far away
With a "Nut Allergies" label

Wendy is very allergic
To wheat
Which means that she doesn't
Have too much to eat

Paul is allergic
To Pennicillin
And he wears a bracelet
That says so
Vicki's allergic
To a thing called vanillin
Which means most desserts
Are a no-no

Shari's allergic to shellfish
Eddie's allergic to eggs
Larry's allergic to anything
With fur that has four legs

Bonnie's allergic to berries
Gary's allergic to grass
Charlie's allergic to cherries

I wish they could all take a pass

These allergies all seem
So very unfair
And they're something of which
Everyone should beware
For while you may not be
Allergic today
A new allergy can appear
Any day

So. . .
Though I'm not allergic
To any of these
You could say I'm allergic
To allergies

Day 132: Ice Cream Dream

Ice Cream Dream
By Batsheva 4/12/10

Last night I had
The most frightening dream
I was trapped in a giant room
Full of ice cream

A room ten yards high
And nearly as wide
With different flavors
On every side

Fudge swirl to my left
Chocolate mint to my right
With vanilla and strawberry
Above in my sight

At first I was frightened
And terribly cold
But it wasn't so bad
If the truth be told

Trapped in that ice cream
'Twas scary, no doubt
'Til the moment I found
I could eat my way out!

Day 131: Inspiration

Thanks again to Carolyn, Muse extraordinaire. She is much better than this poem.

Inspiration
Or Musings of a Muse
By Batsheva 4/11/10

Inspiration isn't always
Just the thing that you expect
But it is quite invariably
The thing that you detect

You find it in the oddest places
Raining from the endless sky
Or in life's small crawl spaces
When you heave a heavy sigh

Inspiration's where you find it
Regardless of that place
In the pages of a textbook
Or in a child's face
In the ships upon the ocean
Or the planes up in the air
In your clothing or your dinner
You can find it anywhere

Your source of inspiration
Need not participate
For the process of inspiring
Isn't open for debate

It comes from deep inside you
From within, not from without
For despite infinite sources
It's your heart that it's about

Day 130: The Question of Music

The Question of Music
By Batsheva 4/10/10

What is music?
Can we say?
Where do we draw the line
'Tween simple noise
And music?
It's a challenge to define.

I hear some types of music
And I think they're merely noise
But other types of music
Can be my greatest joys

Is there music in a child's laugh
And in a songbird's song?
Or for it to be music
Must folks sing or play along?

Does the definition matter?
Or does it suffice to say
That the sound we hear is music
If we simply feel that way?

Day 129: Seasons

Seasons
By Batsheva 4/9/10

Every season has its gifts
Winter, summer
Spring and fall
But of the four
I do adore
The spring the best of all

Winter's cold
Though snow is nice
I am not such a fan
Of ice
Plus winter's almost colorless
And color is a thing I miss

Summertime is full of heat
And warm humidity
But when it comes to color
Mostly forest green I see

Now autumn, also known as fall
Has color by the ton
But sadly it can be a time
We rarely see the sun.
With wind and rain
The leaves all drop
And they do not ever stop
Until they've fallen
Every one
And then the color
Is all done

But spring, ah spring!
So full of surprise
Each moment's a treat
To delight the eyes
First it's cool
Then it's warm
But it's never too hot
Spring's temperatures
Hit a perfect spot
And the color!
Spring takes you
From winter's grays
To the sweetest pastels
To brighten your days
Pinks, reds, and yellows
The lavenders blue
Any color you like,
Spring has it for you!
Especially the green
It's like nothing you've seen
The splendor of tender
Leaves--precious spring green!

If you ask about seasons
I'll say they're all fine
But now you will know
The true favorite of mine!

Day 128: Puppies

Puppies
By Batsheva 4/8/10

Little puppies
Every day
Just sleep and eat
And snuggle and play

That seems like a
Very nice life to me
Though it's not what
I aspire to be

But sometimes
When you're too tensed up
It's good to learn
From a little pup

Day 127: Think!

Think!
By Batsheva 4/7/10

One bright sunny morning,
Young Mikey McKay
Was told by his teacher,
"This is quite hard to say,

But Mikey, I don't think
You're thinking enough.
You're answering questions
That aren't too tough,

And you're getting them wrong,
Which is really a shame.
But I do not think
That your brain is to blame.

No, your thinker is fine,
As I'm sure you'll agree.
You simply don't use it enough.
Don't you see?

You just have to focus.
Read every direction.
And please, Mikey, please,
Please just pay attention."

Mikey took her advice.
Or at least he tried to.
He went home that day,
And he thought some things through.

He thought and he thought
'Til his thinker was sore,
And he thought he could not
Think at all anymore.

Said young Mikey McKay,
"I'm done thinking today.
I'd really much rather
Go outside and play."

Then he turned off his thinker!
He shut it right down,
And he went out to play
At the park in his town.

But poor Mike never got there.
Never got through the door.
He tripped and he slipped.
Then his head hit the floor.

For your thinker's a thing
To be on all the time.
If you turn off your brain,
Well, that's really a crime.

You need it to know what is
Left and what's right,
To avoid all the bumps
In the dark or the light.

So young Mikey McKay
Learned a lesson that day.
Attention is something
You always must pay.

You need not think hard
Every second, each day.
But to be on your guard,
You must think all the way.

If you learn Mikey's lesson,
Your life will not stink
No, your life will be great--
Just remember
To think!

Day 126: A Third

I can't believe it, but as of a couple of days ago, my year of rhymes is one third finished!

A Third
(A Matter of Perspective)
By Batsheva 4/6/10

A third is a very
Strange sort of thing
It can make you despair
Or make you sing

If you drink a third
Of a little glass
You'll surely be
Thirsty for more
But if you eat a third
Of a twenty-pound bass
You'll be too full to fit
Through the door

If a third of the students
Got A's on the test
Then I'd say the class
Did just fine
But if a third of the class
Found an F was their best
That really is not a good sign

And one third finished
Is not nearly through
It means that you have
Two thirds left to do

But if you have gotten
One third of the way
That's no time to slack
For a third
I will say
Is simply
Too far
To turn back

Day 125: Manners

Manners
By Batsheva 4/5/10

Please and thank you
Pardon me
One more big one
I'm sorry

Try hard not to burp
At the table
Cover your yawn
If you're able

Sneeze in your elbow
Not in the air
Show other people
That you care

Manners may not be
Much fun
But they can help
To get things done

For folks will always
Treat you right
When they see
That you're polite

Day 124: The Zoo

The Zoo
By Batsheva 4/4/10

Gibbons,
Gorillas,
Chimpanzees too
You can see them all
When you go to the zoo

Lions,
Tigers,
Polar bears
Elephants who put on airs

Giraffes
And zebras
Pygmy goats
Buffalo just eating oats

Fish and birds
Rare reptiles
Dolphins that
You'd swear wear smiles

You watch them all
Do what they do
And
While you're watching them
They're watching you!

Day 123: My Epitaph

My Epitaph
By Batsheva 4/3/10

Good mom
Good wife
Good soul
Good friend
But all good things
Come to an end

Day 122: Sabbath

Sabbath
By Batsheva 4/2/10

The Sabbath is our
Day of rest
A joyful day
That I like best
It's the day
We do no work
A wonderful
And peaceful perk
Of Sabbath's gifts
I'd say much more
Except it's knocking
At the door
So I must go
I'll see you later
It's Sabbath time
There's nothing greater

Day 121: Dinner

Dinner
By Batsheva 4/1/10

My dinner's a plate
Of bloody worms
Which I will eat
On my own terms

So if you want me
To finish already
Don't tell me that
It's just spaghetti