Welcome, Orchids!

Orchids on the lanai.

Welcome, Orchids!

Orchids…

sunshine yellow,

rosy pink, white, crimson…

old friends reappear and linger.

Welcome!

Orchids

delight my days!

Luminous elegance,

vivid on our shady lanai…

Cherished!

Orchids

encourage me.

When TV news is grim,

I glance out the glass door. Orchids

bring hope!

My favorite yellow orchid has three stems covered with buds, but no blooms yet. Pink and crimson orchids are beginning to bloom.

Allergies limit our gardening and prevent us from having indoor plants, but orchids love being on the shady lanai and bring lots of joy. Orchids require very little care, bloom a couple of times a year, and blooms last for many weeks. In cold climates, they can be grown indoors.

Copyright© 2022 by Cheryl Batavia

Mirrored Image

Photo by Gaetano Cessati from Pixabay.

Mirrored Image

I like my gray hair.

Wrinkles, age spots, double chin…

I don’t like so much!

My mirrored image looks best

when it’s smiling back at me.

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels.
Photo by Mofeda Dabaloo from Unsplash.
Photo by a-m-u-t-o-n from Pixabay.

Copyright © 2022 by Cheryl Batavia

Putin, What Will Your Legacy Be?

A recent Moscow protest of the war on Ukraine. Photo by Valery Tenevoy on Unsplash.

Putin, What Will Your Legacy Be?

How did you use

your position, influence, resources?

Did you exercise your power

to enrich yourself,

to oppress your fellow citizens,

to be above the law?

Or did you use your power

to uplift humanity,

to build a world

with opportunity for all,

to be an example

of integrity and courage?

What will your legacy be?

Will you leave behind

roads, hospitals, universities?

What are you known for…

justice, peace, progress?

Or are you infamous?

Are you the one who

invaded his neighbor,

committed war crimes,

ruined his nation’s economy,

silenced protests and media,

ignored pleas for peace?

Do you think

no one will notice?

Do you think

no one will remember?

Eventually, you will be known

as you truly were!


Copyright© 2022 by Cheryl Batavia

Two Poems: Storm Clouds & Sunbeams

Storm over Tampa Bay, Florida. Photo by Artturi Jalli from Unsplash.

Storm Clouds

Storm clouds

foster fears.

I view this world

through a veil of tears.

Loss of courage,

lack of trust.

Ashes to ashes,

Dust to dust.

Sunbeams. Photo by Pawel Czerwinski from Unsplash.

Sunbeams

Bright hopes

shine anew.

I view the clouds with

sunlight breaking through.

Summoning courage,

building trust.

Living joyfully

until I’m dust.


Copyright© 2022 by Cheryl Batavia

Sunflowers

Photo by John Ramsdin from Unspalash.
Ukrainian flag. Image from Pixabay.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers of Ukraine,

the world turns toward you in admiration

as sunflowers turn toward the sun,

always facing the light.

A president, refusing to retreat to safety,

fighting side-by-side with his fellow citizens,

delivering eloquent messages of brotherhood

in the face of brutal attacks.

Civilians…men, women, and children

shine the light of courage and patriotism

into the darkness

of violence and aggression.

Young and old serve their country

standing in unarmed solidarity

in front of advancing tanks…

Fearless sunflowers!

Citizens making and stockpiling Molotov cocktails.

Civilians, men and women, learning to shoot guns.

People delivering food to brave soldiers…

Patriotic sunflowers!

A little girl giving a Russian soldier an earful and a slap!

The soldier turns and walks away…He knows he is

an unwilling puppet forced to attack his Ukrainian neighbors.

He can see that she’s a sunflower!

Men welding together roadblocks

from scrap metal and rebar.

Women constructing camouflage nets

to conceal Ukrainian tanks!

Babies being born in hospital basements,

into a world of devastated neighborhoods

and schools in ruins…

the tiniest sunflowers!

Ukraine, the nations of the world

stand with you in your fight for freedom.

We mourn with you the loss of loved ones.

We support you.

The sunflowers of Ukraine

shine brightly in this dark time,

always turning their faces toward the light…

Freedom-loving sunflowers!

Photo by Fabio Fisterol from Unsplash.

Copyright© 2022 by Cheryl Batavia