Tag Archives: Poem a Day

day 233

the forest calling…come away, come away ~kat
cool snap

the air feels cool against my skin
could this be autumn, finally here
not yet I know, but oh, I take it in
the air feels cool against my skin
it’s just the breeze, fall will begin
in due time as it does each year
the air feels cool against my skin
could this be autumn, finally here

~kat

I am slowing down these days. I tell myself it is the heat of summer. But the truth is I am getting older. Early to bed…early to rise…more often than not a nap in between. I feel it in my bones. It seems no matter what I try…more exercise, supplements, the latest, greatest remedies that promise to restore the energy of youth…it all eventually proves to be the snake oil that it is. I’m getting older. Just as summer is ending soon, I am adjusting slowly to the shift in the seasons of my life. 

Autumn brings with it a gentle letting go, it’s true, but it also ushers in the harvest! A time to celebrate the fruits of a vibrant spring and summer. I have so much to celebrate and to savor. Children grown with children of their own and children of my children’s children now too! Longtime friends, and new ones too. A home in the woods to spend the rest of my days. Words, so many words, some that rhyme and some that dance, and music and paintings, the legacy I’ll leave behind. Kind, loving, compassionate, fair…the things I tried to be. I’m not planning an exit from this life just yet…but oh what a romp it has been so far. Perhaps slowing down is just the thing I need to realize how far I’ve come, and time to take it all in. 

Much love, peace, and glimmers to you! Sometimes the brightest glimmers come in knowing.

~kat ✨✨✨💚💚💚✨✨✨


Today’s poetry form…the Triolet

triolet:

A (first line)
B (second line)
a (rhymes with first line)
A (repeat first line)
a (rhymes with first line)
b (rhymes with second line)
A (repeat first line)
B (repeat second line)


day 232

babies at the helm

their retribution knows no bounds
no resolution may be found
their injury, whether faux or real
seeks recompense, but here’s the deal
revenge is not a one and done
they’ll hunt you down ‘til kingdom come
and even once you’re dead and gone
they’ll trash your name, decry your wrongs
made up or real, it matters not
the point is that it’s not forgot
if you have kids woe to them all
they’ll bear the brunt after you fall
of fabricated, vague connects
there’ll be no end to hate unchecked
until their vapid soul descends
to bitter hell to join their friends
lamenting each raw deal endured
how they were blameless, never heard
how sad that innocents have borne
their cruelty and vicious scorn
vile to the core, intent to destroy
sad little men who act like boys

~kat


Today was a cacophony of horribles. The revenge tour has commenced by raiding the home and office of one of the top persons on the enemy list ( that they claim doesn’t exist ), the testimony of maxwell, the evil sex trafficker was released, sort of…selectively…everyone and no one did anything unseemly to young girls, or so this convicted criminal perjurer says…a military official who made the mistake of accurately reporting that damage done by trumps supposed bombing and annihilation of Iran’s nuclear stockpile was fired today, the Epstein files…remember those? The deadline came and went and congress finally received a stack of previously released documents…nothing new to see here folks…all while the national guard troops wandering the streets in the capital will now be armed…what could possibly go wrong…and coming soon to a democratic city near you…hey there Chicago…and you too New York. Did I miss anything….honestly this all happened today…oh and the supreme leader has traded in his maga hat for a new message…”Trump was right about everything”…of course, whatever you say Donnie boy. It’s easy to be right about everything when you fire all the truth tellers and rewrite history. Don’t even go there…what they’re planning to do to our Smithsonian artifacts and history…that was yesterday’s news. There is no way around it folks. The worse things that could happen, have.

It’s happening. The final labored breaths of democracy. I’m not sure how to act. The sun still rose today. I logged in to work like i do every day. Deer and turkeys and hummingbirds wandered by my window. My African violet popped out another flower. Maybe that’s the point. In the midst of a horrible, awful day, nature reminds me that life goes on…I need to focus on the day. It’s likely to get worse before it gets better. But it’s a waste of living to worry about it. There is air to be breathed, the music of the wind to lose myself in, and to dance. Everything else is noise.

Much love, peace and glimmers to you.

~kat ✨✨✨💚💚💚✨✨✨

I know I vacillate between doom and joy these days. With today being heavy on the doom. It’s just reality. Not pretty right now, but I feel called to use this space to document what is happening…should anyone read my words at some future date….but for glimmers…that’s how I intend to get to the other side.

This young female cardinal, resting in the heat of the day. August 22, 2015. ~kat ✨✨✨💚💚💚✨✨✨

And Mr Bean…just because. 🥰



day 231

by any other name

petals of purple
violet, in name only
the great imposter

~kat

The Saintpaulia Ionantha

Today’s glimmer and an exposé of sorts is a photo of my happy, blooming African Violet plant. It’s been a few months since I brought this leafy green plant home with not even a bud or hint of flowers. I fed it. Watered it from beneath, taking care that no water touched its tender leaves, and gave it daily indirect sunlight. You may remember when I shared the first buds…and then the first bloom. Now there are several clusters of buds and several beautiful flowers. It makes me so happy to see it thriving, and blooming! 

But I am afraid I have some disturbing news to share. 😳 I looked up African violets online to learn more.

Brace yourself… you may want to sit down when I tell you that my lovely, perfect African violets are not violets at all. They are the great imposter plants discovered in East Africa, Tanzania. Their true name is saintpaulia ionantha to honor Baron Walter von Saint Paul-Illaire (1860-1910), who collected the first African violets. It is interesting to note that while they are a popular indoor plant, they are quite rare in the wild, some varieties considered extinct.

So now you know the truth. It’s still one of my favorite houseplants.  To me it will always be an African violet, but now I have a new mission. To grow and keep my beautiful green friend healthy and happy. My tiny contribution to the survival of the saintpaulia ionantha. 

Much love, peace and glimmers to you! 

~kat ✨✨✨💚💚💚✨✨✨

And one more glimmer. A group of turkeys have taken up resting in the shade of the Catawba tree in the front yard. I was able to snap a photo of them today! ✨✨✨🦃🦃🦃✨✨✨


day 230

not as I imagined it

retirement in the time of a revolution
is not at all what we were sold
when life was simpler
and families lived closer,
when socializing meant
sitting on your front porch chatting
with the neighbors across the way
while our kids played ‘mother may I’
and ‘Simon says’ in the street
until the sun set, fireflies flickered,
and the street lights came on

the retirement I imagined
was filled light streaming in at dawn
coffee brewing…or tea steeping,
the smell of browned toast,
the mellow, sweet tang of butter
and homemade jam on my tongue,
sitting for a spell to take it all in,
to read a little, to write a little,
with time enough for a walk before lunch.
soup…maybe a light salad or a sandwich
on fresh slices of homemade bread
followed by a lovely afternoon nap,
with the windows open, a cool breeze
softly tossing sheer lace curtains
while my old cat purrs nearby…

retirement in the time of a revolution
requires one to draw from the deep well
of experience, to revisit the idealism
and bravery of youth, to rise early,
to stand, to be counted, to give voice
to the truth, in poetry, on posters,
in letters to editors who still have souls,
to leaders who still have spines,
to be a gentle voice to the young
to be kind to the oppressed and needy,
to be a safe place for those who
need a place to land, to hide, to rest

I’m not sure I would have survived
my imaginary, fantastical retirement plans
I’m sure I would have become a bored,
grumpy, old lady hiding behind drawn shades…

what a surprise to retire during the time
of the great lie, fired up and charged
with protecting the truth, keeping it alive,
shining a light to show others the way home

much love, peace, and glimmers to you!

~kat ✨✨✨💚💚💚✨✨✨


gabby peeking in to remind me and you to be sure to take a moment for a glimmer. It’s a good thing she qualifies as a glimmer herself! ✨✨✨💚✨✨✨

Sunset in the Foothills ~ kat – August 2025

day 229

late summer

there’s a stillness
a quiet resignation
as summer fades

the trees slump
in the August heat
a few surrendering
to the inevitable
shades of sage,
amber, crimson…

leaves break free
first to dance
with the wind

first fruits
of autumn’s harvest

first to return
to Gaia’s embrace

~kat

The leaves of this red maple tree at the edge of the woods have always turned well before autumn becomes official. No deep frost needed…no cool temperatures. It may even be a bit earlier this year than last year. I’ve been watching it transition in late summer since it was a sapling. The first year I was worried, but as the years have passed and the tree has grown taller, I have come to expect it.

I decided to research this to find out why. I discovered that this has been happening all over. There are various reasons given. Depends on who you ask. Some say it is excessive heat, some say draught. Some say too much rain. And some simply blame it on global warming.

I also discovered a fascinating fact about red maples in general. Their gender can be a very fluid thing. Some are primarily male, some are female, some are primarily one or the other with a few flowers of the other gender on the same tree. And then there are those trees that that shift from one gender to another. Polygamodioecious hermaphrodite trees…imagine that!

Much love, peace, and glimmers to you.

~kat ✨✨✨💚✨✨✨