Month / September 2021

by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

Little Creatures

Photo of a slug by Timothy Meinberg from Unsplash.

Little Creatures

A slug is a lowly creature

traversing diverse terrains.

A body of solid muscle,

he makes smooth and steady gains.

Monarch butterfly caterpillar. Photo by Lasclay from Unsplash.
Monarch butterfly. Photo by Gary Bendig from Unsplash.

Butterfly, a patient creature,

is chewing leaves as time crawls by.

Cocooned in sleep, she dreams and waits

for glory days when she will fly!

Honeybees on honeycomb. Red dot marks queen. Photo by Cool Calm Design from Unsplash.

Honeybees are social creatures.

Exchanging messages, they dance,

sharing locations of flowers…

Honey bees leave nothing to chance!

Photo of an ant by Peter F. Wolf from Unsplash.

Ants are industrious creatures…

Mighty for their minuscule size.

Co-operation builds communities…

Working together is so civilized!

Turtle and fireflies. Photo by Brittney from Unsplash.

Fireflies are delightful creatures,

illuminating the dark.

Unassuming in the daylight,

as nightlights, fireflies make their mark!

Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

It Means a Lot to Me…

Robert Snyder. Photo by Cheryl Batavia

It Means a Lot to Me…

While some look for easy answers,

you thirst for knowledge

and seek truth.

While some are at war with themselves

and their neighbors,

you live in peace.

Some struggle to keep track of their lies.

You simply tell the truth…

You have my trust!

You say you love me

and show it every day.

I love you too.

Though life is filled with challenges,

you face each day with good humor,

a smile, a joke, and a wink.

If I am sad, you make me smile.

When good things happen to me,

you share my joy.

When something breaks, you fix it.

I never have to do the dishes alone…

That means a lot to me.

You were not born to make me happy,

but every day is a happy day

because I’m with you.

I don’t believe in fate, but it does seem

to me that we were made

for each other.

Robert, wishing you lots of happiness

on your seventy-third birthday

and always.

Love, Cheryl ❤

Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

Insomnia

Photo by Alexandra Gorn from Unsplash.

Insomnia

Not sleepy…TV movie…

Can’t believe its a series!

One more episode…

Tossing and turning.

Nearly two in the morning…

eggs at the diner.

Sleepless? Walk with me

under the glittering stars,

silver crescent moon.

Wakeful at four AM…

Early morning impulses…

In the mood for love.

Can’t sleep…word-obsessed.

Poem marching through my brain…

Get up and write!

Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

Cicadas & Snowbirds

Cicada. Photo by Shannon Potter from Unsplash.

Cicadas & Snowbirds

Late September now…

Cicadas singing swan songs,

summer’s last hurrah!

Still rainy in Florida…

raindrops dripping from palm trees.

Photo by Roberto Vivano from Pexels.

Hurricane season

giving way in October…

Birds migrating south,

nesting and raising their young

in Florida’s bright blue days.

Photo by Marisa Howenst from Unsplash.

November. Snowbirds,

fleeing winter’s snowy blast,

also migrate south.

Their nesting days are over…

Grandchildren come to visit.

Photo by Tima Miroshni from Pexels.

Holiday visitors flock

to warm, Florida beaches

in sunny December.

On the beach with grandchildren.

Radio plays “White Christmas.”

Beach in Fort Myers, Florida. Photo by Sarah Granger from Unsplash.

January days.

Bermuda shorts and sweaters

on the golf course.

Delightful weather!

February…still golfing!

Florida Golf Course. Photo by Mick Haupt from Unsplash.

In March and April,

snowbird thoughts turn northward

to dogwoods in bloom.

Snowbirds take their flight

to their summer homes up North.

Dogwood Tree. Photo by Jonathan Hana from Unsplash.

May…hot and sunny.

Cicada chorus and rain

June through September.

Hurricane season waning.

Cicadas sing finale.

Cicada. Photo by Stephen Walker from Unsplash.

Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

Katey and Joe Batavia visit their Snowbird Grandparents, Renee and Gabe Batavia. Boynton Beach, Florida, circa 1996. Photo by Cheryl Batavia.

by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

Oblivion Can Wait

Male cardinal. Photo by Joshua Cotten from Unsplash
Purple Ruellas. Photo by Cheryl Batavia

Oblivion Can Wait

Wakeful

in the dim light

and stillness of morning,

I lie beside you, listening

to your breathing, holding your hand.

You turn over and sleep.

Warm and drowsy,

I doze.

I dream

you take my hand,

and together we rise

toward peaceful oblivion…

I waken suddenly…Not today!

Today, cardinals sing

their cheery songs

outside.

Today,

the grass is green.

In anticipation

of sunrise, ruellas open,

glowing purple in golden light.

Today belongs to us.

Oblivion

can wait.

Today,

the sun comes up.

I drink my tea and write.

You are sleeping, but when you wake,

we will spend the day together.

Today belongs to us.

Oblivion

can wait.

Purple Ruellas. Photo by Cheryl Batavia

Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

We are in a holding pattern at our house. Robert’s cataract surgery has been postponed because of an infection in a root canal. The infection, which didn’t show up in dental x-rays, was finally discovered with a 3-D scan. After the root canal is redone, antibiotics, and no infection for several weeks, cataract surgery can be rescheduled. Thank you for understanding if I am a little erratic on WordPress for a while.