Poetry
Scribbles, Rhymes, & Lima Beans
I wrote my first poem in first grade...
The words came to me as words come to every child,
tumbled, jumbled, and perfect.
A child doesn’t need meter or metaphor;
the words themselves are magic.
Scribbles, Rhymes, & Lima Beans is a collection of poetry inspired by the moments that make us grow.
Sneak Peek
Curious about my writing style? Here are a couple of poems you'll see in the book!
How to Write a Poem
Pick a memory and
squeeze
until words come out.
Grandpa's Jacket
At the foot of his grave,
I bury my hands
in his borrowed pockets,
hoping for spare
wisdom.
Bar Harbor, Maine
I wake before the sun when still the sky is dark,
when masts upon the harbor rise like bare-leaved autumn trees
back home, a thousand miles and miracles away
from this, the first horizon touched by morning’s promise.
I wake before the first alarms I set,
to prompt me out of bed so I can greet the sun
beside my husband, who has roused against his will
to sit in silence on the deck, our shadows stretched behind us.
I wake before the harbor bells have tolled
their call to sailors, and to those of us who haven’t
had a chance to find our sea legs, but whose ears
recall the ocean’s sounding in the pounding of our pulse.
I wake before the sunrise with echoes in my ears,
the Midwest harbor bell’s equivalent, a train’s
faint whistle, calling me to rise, to follow
out over the tracks, the sun’s gold light across the waves.