Last week I shared the beginning stanzas of a poem a started to remember our family vacation to Steelville, MO. The best part of my writing (every day!) this week has been revisiting the memories as I continued with more stanzas for the rest of our vacation. You can read the beginning of the poem here.

Vacation may be over for this year, but the memories will linger. I am glad to have words as well as pictures to recall this week.

A Mississippi riverboat signals
me to board as it blows its horn
and chugs up and down the muddy river.
History echoes through the rotunda
of the Old Courthouse while the Arch
gleams over the city below.

A winding river calls
me to glide over clear water
between chalky bluffs under a blue sky.
My paddle dips, pulls, splashes
as my kayak slides with the current
and plays shadow tag with the fish below.

A quaint, bustling main street bids
me to step back in time as I wander
among the painted canoes.
I browse merchandise at Langeley’s General Store,
sip iced Vietnamese coffee with Whistler’s mother
and savor ice cream and Fitz’s cream soda at the Fountain.

Maramec Springs embraces me
with a breath of cool water bubbling
up from an underground cave.
Trout dart and jump for morsels tossed their way
while we wander paths that wind
through the lush green softening the edges of old ironworks.

Flickering firelight lures us
to gather around the campfire
despite the heat of the day.
Embers sizzle and pop as darkness settles.
We share favorite memories sweeter
than the toasted marshmallow s’mores we eat.

Each Friday, I am excited to take part in Poetry Friday, where writers share their love of all things poetry. Linda has the Poetry Friday Roundup today at A Word Edgewise. This week she is hosting a first line swap that shares lots of inspiration! Take a line, leave a line–as many as you like. Stop by and see what poetry morsels are offered this week. 

Today I have a poem in progress. We have spent the last week on vacation with my husbands family–grandparents, adult children and spouses, grandkids all hanging out in one place from our scattered homes. We’ve done this for the past 10+ years, and choose a different location each summer. This week we landed in a beautiful cabin in the edge of the Ozarks, just outside of Steelville, MO.

In addition to enjoying time with family and taking in the nearby sights, I have been scribbling in my notebook to capture the memories in words before they slip away. I used to be much more dedicated about journaling while traveling, but I’ve gotten out of the habit. I’m glad to rediscover it. I also have lots of ideas now to go back to for writing.

At the beginning of the week, I started a poem and wrote my way into a stanza for each day. Some days don’ quite fit (like our trip to St. Louis), but I do want to add a few more stanzas for the end of our vacation. I also plan to leave at least a few stanzas in the guest book for our contribution.

A River Rest

A wide porch beckons
me to sit in a rocking chair
and listen to quiet sounds–
Birds twitter and chatter
above the pulsing strum of cicadas
and occasional bass croak of a bullfrog.

A gravel road invites
me to explore the river
that arches around a sand bar.
Water ripples and chortles
as kayaks drift past
and we skip stones and chase minnows.

A rocky trail entices
me to wander up and down hlls
through wooded glens and across rocky stream beds.
Wind rustles and flutters
through layers of green leaves
to reveal valley vistas below.

A dark, damp cave tempts
me to escape the heat above
and discover its hidden wonders.
Cave kisses plink and plunk and splatter
as stalactites drip ever closer to stalagmites
and an underground stream flows past nature’s artistry.

Since this is still a work in progress, I am still playing with form and word choice. I welcome any suggestions and feedback you might have!

Each Friday, I am excited to take part in Poetry Friday, where writers share their love of all things poetry. Katie has the Poetry Friday Roundup today at The Logonauts. Stop by and see what poetry morsels are offered this week. 

As  I watch the news unfold everyday, I am getting to the point I no longer have words to react. I lie in bed at night and wonder if our political leaders ever remember that the decisions they make affect real people. It often seems as if they are just trying to score points or win a game where there are winners and losers, but no one gets hurt.

Dear Congress:

Stop playing around
as if our lives
were no more than tokens
in a game of Monopoly.
When the rich and powerful
buy up Park Place and Boardwalk
and all the Railroads and Utilities,
the rest of us are left
with a Community Chest
that is bankrupt
and Chance cards stacked
against us ordinary players
just trying to pass GO
one more time.
Don’t treat politics
as a game of Monopoly
where the winner takes all
and leaves everyone else bankrupt
because in the game of Life
we all lose
when we forget
we are all
on the
same side.

Each Friday, I am excited to take part in Poetry Friday, where writers share their love of all things poetry. Tabatha has the Poetry Friday Roundup today at The Opposite of Indifference. Stop by and see what poetry morsels are offered this week.