#40 "Bird Memories" By Susan Pearl

Our light green parakeet bird was given to us for a gift,
But we had to cover her cage too much because we worked the night shift.
So we regifted the parakeet to a nice place where she could enjoy the light of each day,
And people enjoyed the parakeet there and many were entertained by the noise of her singing away.
So this story from memory has been written to tell,
That if something isn't working out, in another setting it may work out very well.



When I was young I took piano lessons from a lady who had a parakeet bird flying about the music room,
And the bird no doubt affected my concentration when it landed on my shoulder and was singing into my ear,
Or if it landed on the piano keys that were needed to be played- this broke the rhythm of the beat.
I didn't do very good on playing the piano that first year,
Then I decided the bird would have to get out of the way if I had a note to play,
I began to play the piano very well , I just didn't care if the bird landed in my hair.
And I'm telling you if you can play the piano with a bird in your hair-You can play the piano anywhere.
For I had learned more than the playing of the piano from my piano teacher during those years,
If we can learn to live and function with what the aggravations can put us through,
Than we, ourselves, can become far better at what we do.

# 39 "Old Shep" By Susan Pearl

On moving cattle day our dog, "Old Shep", is at work or is she at play?
She is as wise as twenty owls,
Our sheep dog that guards our cows.
She barks and darts back and forth suddenly, like a steel ball playing at pin ball speed she will go,
All day she winningly rules the cattle having them holding line in an ever changing crooked and trampling row.
A dog like her with such fast, quick paws can lend a helping hand so she is well worth her keep,
And having our sheep dog watching the now fenced cattle helps a rancher get some well deserved sleep.
But is it work to "Old Shep" to be the boss of the cattle on their moving day or is it really a day of play?
I think "Old Shep" likes to please her master, who loves being with "Old Shep" and loves being a rancher.

#38 "Ebb and Flow" By Susan Pearl

Extreme ebbs or extreme flows will be the deal if all we know is to go with what we feel,
And destructive they may become if our feelings are troublesome, though sincere, based on fear,
But certain facts have a past of being steadfast and with time will last,
For there are no guarantees of what a person sees,
And that is the fact to stand off such anxieties,
One time I was told, "It shouldn't be like that."
That's when I started basing my life on fact.
And that was the best advice given  to me,
In fact it is what took away anxiety
So peace of mind could come to be.
And so ebbs and flows are parts of life that come and go,
It's a fact and to have a peace of mind is what we should know. 

#36 "Our Palate" By Susan Pearl

When I think of a palate I think of a taste palate.  I also think of a similar word, an artist's palette of colors for a painting.
I have heard the expression "it's an acquired taste" meaning that if at first we don't like something if we give it a chance we may get used to it and eventually have it become part of our palate.
Choices are there but our palate will determine if these choices become a part of our life or not.  So it is good to aware of our palate.
My taste palate likes certain foods and if I were to change my palate it would take an effort but those efforts may be well worth it to incorporate healthier foods and have them become part of my taste palate.
Maybe children should be taught to enjoy vegetables before being introduced to sweets.  Maybe vegetables would be part of the child's palate and be a preferred tasty delectable.
An artist can work with few paint colors on the paint palette because the artist is able to mix the different colors together and new colors can emerge.  It is really up to the artist to do this and it may be a matter of personal preference that will give direction and outcome to the painting.
I think we should think about our palate in life.  By that I mean can a person develope a palate for bitterness in life the same as perferring a bitter taste on a regular basis? Can we tell when something is way too rich for our taste?   Is it obvious to our palate when someone seems too syrupy sweet?  Can a person come across as just too hot and spicy for our palate?
We should consider our palate from time to time and consider how it can direct our lives, desires and actions.
Sometimes in the course of time the taste palate changes and what was once desired no longer carries the same wants.  Sometimes a person learns that even though the desire is still there the discomfort and risky outcome is not worth it.
Such changes may happen to our palate in life and can direct us to a new experience and new interesting aspects we hadn't known or attempted to try before.  It may be all a matter of taste and vision for us to decide how we paint our picture in life and to what extent we venture out from what is familiar and favored.

"Rainbows Unique Beauty" By Susan Pearl

I have written some additonal lines to the poem, "Rainbows Unigue Beauty" that I posted on my blog of November 15, 2010.  Hope you enjoy it.

"Rainbows Unique Beauty"  By Susan Pearl

Some things have a unique beauty all of their own,
And such beauty is very recognizable whenever it is shown.
Like the beauty of a rainbow is easy to find,
Because of its' one of a kind special design.
Not all rainbows are in the sky,
And maybe the reason why,
Is to surprise us now and then,
Like the reflecting arch of a waterfall acrosss the bend,
Or its' appearance in the mist of the sprinklers as we go by,
Showing us its' one of a kind beauty that we recognize as it catches our eye.
Some rainbows are so very rare that they are called a phenomenon,
Rainbows can only be seen when we have our back towards the sun.
So the reflecting light is needed to shine,
To show us a beauty that is one of a kind.
Rainbows appear and then rainbows will fade away,
Leaving us with a special reflective moment that came for awhile that day.
So maybe rainbows are moments of reflection for us to see,
Like a quick thought of a hot day of childhood play running through a sprinkler laughing so happily,
Or a moment for a special reflection of a time when seeing the majesty of it all,
As we viewed nature and stood in awe, a waterfall rainbow may help us recall,
And a rainbow across the sky will truly bring a moment to show,
A special relection in our thoughts about the beauties of life that come and go.
So rainbows can be a moment of a one of kind reflection that only they can give,
Rainbows may not be in the sky to catch our eye and reflect the special moments we live.
The sun shines from behind to show a special beauty for us to find,
And we recognize it when it happens because of its' one of a kind design.

#35 "Fragile" By Susan Pearl

I was trying to think of things that are fragile,
Eggs are fragile, glass is too, a porcelain doll's face and the threads of an old handmade lace.
Then I heard three words spoken in grief that so broadened my mind,
Those three words - "Life is fragile"- made me know "fragile's" meaning of the truest kind.
"Life is fragile" is what I heard,
I now understand the "fragile" word.

#34 " My Kansas Childhood Day in the 50's" By Susan Pearl

It is remarkable how important fish are in my childhood memeories of a day outside in Kansas,
With no rivers, no farm ponds or lakes in sight I had the summer delight of skipping to see nearby fish.
In the 1950's peaceful backyard goldfish ponds were the rage,
Across the alley was a beautiful goldfish pond in the backyard of the neighbors.
I merrily went across the alley and was transported into the fascinating world of watching gleaming goldfish swimming and entertaining me.
The neighbors on the North corner of our block had a minnow farm in their backyard,
So after viewing the mesmerizingly lovely glittering goldfish surrounded by cement and  decorative rock,
I would skip and walk down the trash barrel alley to the North end of the block.
There were at least nine oval stock tanks with tiny darting minnows swimming so rapidly about,
Another stock tank held a single huge catfish swiming back and forth as if looking for a way out.
This could have been a business tactic because when people saw the big catfish they may have bought more minnows in hopes to catch a big catfish, too.
Then back home to help hang clothes out to dry on the clotheslines.
The first and second lines closest to the street were made into screens by the hanging of our sheets.
No one from the sidewalk or street would dare see our underwear or worst of all our mother's bra.
Oh, the fear of seeing a brassiere from anywhere.
Underwear was hung on the third of the four lines with another screen behind of towels, wash clothes, dish towels and dish rags hung on the fourth line.
The colored clothes were hung under the shade tree away from direct sunshine that could cause them to fade, unlike the memories of a day like this made that don't ever fade away.
Then after the clothes were hung the fun begun as I would run in beween the corridors of clothes flapping and snapping after me.
It was like a real race because with the waving clothes I felt like I was being chased.
No one would burn their trash if they saw another person had clothes on the line.
It was something no one had to ask-people were thoughtful about that.
But occasionally the neighbor who raised chickens would kill a chicken by chopping off its' head.
The headless chicken would get away from him and come runing into our backyard.
I liked swinging on my rope swing that was hung onto a tree limb,
If I would swing too high I would get the butterflies,
But there was something about a headless chicken running into our backyard that was disruptive to a birthday party playing 'Red Rover'.

#33 "Self Dishonesty" By Susan Pearl

Our self dishonesties beome our dependencies.

#32 "Words Have Fluidity" By Susan Pearl

Whenever we "pour" ourselves into our words,
"Pour" our hearts and souls into what we say or write,
The words we give have a fluid quality that gives these words the ablility to go beyond pre set obstacles,
To wind and turn and reach many channels of different settings and individual circumstances.
The fluidity allows such words to travel through the most intricate of passageways into the hearts of others,
Words do have a fluid quality and can make their way into areas and regions of vastness,
Then becomig good thoughts for others and good words spoken as the fluidity continues through time .

#31 "The Fossil-Egg" By Susan Pearl

The fossil can represent something old,
The egg can represent something new,
Together they can represent something ongoing,
It's true.

Like this-

The fossil and the egg are not an unlikely pair,
Because one without the other will lead nowhere.

We need the life that has gone before us to be where we are today,
And we need the new life coming on so none will have been in vain.

The new can build on the old that has been found to be tried and true.

Thw fossil and egg are not an unlikely pair,
Because one without the other will lead nowhere.

#30 "My One Word Answer" By Susan Pearl

I have an one word answer to many questions asked of me such as:
"What was your childhood like?"
"What was your parent like?'
"What is your marriage like?'
"What was raising a famiy like?'
"What is your life like?"
My one word answer to all theses questions would be a "mixture".

Life is a mixture of joy and pain, of laughter and tears,
Life is a mixture of these over and over, over the years.

#29 "Three Kinds of Bridges" by Susan Pearl

In my life I've known three kinds of bridges,
One kind of bridge I gladly ran across so excited about my future,
Like beginning to drive a car, staying out late, traveling far,
And these were my bridges of adventure.

Another kind of bridge I would cross with someone by my side,
Like a mentor or guide,
And these were my bridges of learning about life's yearning,
Teaching me what I hadn't known to reveal the next new bridge of learning now being shown.

And there was a kind of bridge I had to be led or pushed across,
Because these were the bridges of loss,
And life as I knew it would not be the same,
There was no bargaining this change when it came,
This was the kind of bridge with no choice of loss,
I have to keep going to find what life is showing me with more bridges to see and cross.

In my life I've known three kinds of bridges.

#28 "Weighing Progress" by Susan Pearl

In my opinion when "creativity" outweighs "destructiveness" then the scales of progress will tilt towards a better future. This "leaning" towards progress, once in motion, can become a bettter future for an individual, a family, a community, and even for an entire country.