Sunny days, dark days…
We’re growing old together
every precious day.
You are intellect,
ethics, affection, passion,
thoughtfulness, and joy!
Magic of the moon,
Venus, Mars, and all the stars…
sunshine of your smile.
Wherever I go,
my thoughts are always with you…
Can’t wait to come home!
Copyright© 2020 by Cheryl Batavia
Happy Birthday, Robert!
September 20, 2020
There is no relief
in the master of grief,
Ambition who has no soul…
He offers only a goal.
He lashes and goads
into stony roads
of passion and desire
where every step is higher.
Upward go I, though I grieve,
to heights I must achieve.
Ambition’s wanton slave,
I climb toward my grave,
and Ambition, I can swear,
has planned me tasks for there!
Copyright© 2020 by Cheryl Batavia
A poem written during my high school years. I woke at 4:30 one morning with this poem on my mind, and wrote it down from memory.
Nobody shares
my sorrows…
nobody cares!
Nothing repairs
my broken body…
nobody cares
about my pain.
Society tears
my heart out.
Nobody wears
my shoes.
Everyone stares
when I am angry,
everyone glares
when I demand my rights.
Everyone swears
that I am wrong.
Nobody cares
about the law!
Nothing repairs
my broken heart,
no one shares
my lonely nights.
No one dares
to get close to me,
nobody’s there
to dry my tears!
No one cares
about my good intentions,
no one shares
my utopian dreams,
no one dares
to champion my cause.
All my prayers
go unanswered.
Everyone fares
better without me.
Nobody cares!
Copyright© 2020 by Cheryl Batavia
This poem is an effort to portray the thoughts of a person who suffers from depression. In extreme depression, the person may feel hopeless, that the world is against him, and may be suicidal. Some are suffering from physical pain or are reacting to tragedies in their lives.
I have known two people who commited suicide. One had a wife and young children. One was a middle-aged man who had been an intelligent, popular friend when we were in high school. I have wondered many times what thoughts were in the mind of someone who would take their own life.
Saturday morning…soup in the crockpot,
wholegrain bread rising, birdseed scattered
on the snowy porch. Cat at the window
watching cardinals, jays, and finches!
Sunday afternoon…packing a picnic,
dressing in long johns, boots, and mittens.
Daughter excited! Driving up the mountain
to George Washington National Forest.
Building a fire, soup pot on the grill.
Sledding downhill, trudging uphill,
sledding down again. Cheeks red with cold,
ice-matted sleeves, jeans wet at the knees.
Steaming mugs of homemade soup,
homemade wholegrain bread.
Sitting tired and happy at a picnic table,
laughing, talking…making memories!
Copyright© 2020 by Cheryl Batavia
Photos by Joshua J. Cotten from Unsplash
Beauty Berries, Photo by Cheryl Batavia
Cardinal perches, so alive,
atop a beauty berry bush,
fluffing feathers, bright-eyed,
she surveys the bounty.
Clustered along the branches,
green pearls ripening
to plump, shiny berries…
magenta meals for birds.
Fuzzy leaves fading
at summers end,
reveal beauty berries
in all their autumn splendor.
Echoing in the woods beyond,
cardinals are calling…
rippling silver songs
of unadulterated joy!
Copyright 2020 by Cheryl Batavia
BABY’s not a pet…
she’s my service dog.
BABY’s well-trained;
she has a very important job.
BABY knows it’s time to work
when she is wearing her vest.
BABY reads my every mood.
She knows when I am stressed.
BABY loves to work;
I take her everywhere.
I am calm and safe
because my service dog is there.
Then we go home to chill;
I take off BABY’s vest.
BABY eats her supper
and flops down for a rest.
I find a movie on Netflix
and lock the door.
BABY cuddles up beside me,
and I listen to her snore.
BABY is my friend.
a member of my family.
I take care of BABY,
and she looks out for me.
Copyright© 2020 by Cheryl
Service dogs are trained and certified to help disabled people to live independently. The first and most well-known service dogs assist those who are blind, but service dogs and other service animals now help people with a variety of disabilities. For example, there are dogs who assist those in wheel chairs and people with epilepsy. Remember not to distract a dog who is wearing a service vest. Never pet or feed a service dog without the owner’s permission.
Babysitter’s cat
had kittens. Wow! Honeybunch
was so excited!
Calico kitten,
Sunshine, was a birthday gift…
Honeybunch was three.
Small girl and kitten…
Honeybunch and her Sunshine
became lifelong friends.
Sunshine was sunny…
swatting and chasing cat toys,
purring and snuggling.
Cuddled in slumber,
Honeybunch and Sunshine roamed
in the land of dreams.
Hiking through the woods,
Sunshine walked with Honeybunch
down to the river.
Honeybunch grew up,
Sunshine lived for fourteen years…
They were lifelong friends.
Copyright© 2020 by Cheryl Batavia
Ruellia flowers open
with the sunrise,
bringing joy…
and vivid butterflies!
Ruellia mingles with stick-tights,
so you think it’s a weed?
You must be joking, friend…
a weed? No, indeed!
Mexican petunia
is its other name.
Even if it were a weed,
I’d love it just the same!
The garden book warns
it’s invasive; don’t be surprised
if you hear me describe ruellia…
as “naturalized!”
Copyright© 2020 by Cheryl Batavia
Child in agony.
Parent watching powerless
to take pain away.
We share children’s pain…
from scraped knees to tragedies
to their misspent years.
If we didn’t love,
we wouldn’t feel the anguish…
wouldn’t share the joys!
Copyright 2020 by Cheryl Batavia
Hello, everyone! It’s so good to be back! 🙂 I have a new computer battery. Two new features, Archives and Categories, have been added to my site. Just click “Archives” at the top of the menu next to the folder icon, and you will find both of them there.
Over the next few days, I’ll be catching up on my emails. I know I’ll find some gems! ❤ All the best! Cheryl
Costs today are skyrocketing.
Look how much the plumber’s pocketing!
Technology is changing way too fast!
Let’s continue doing thngs as we did in the past.
Singers today sound like sick cats!
Why do parents let kids dress like that?
Nothing these days is made to last.
Quality and service are things of the past!
You won’t hear me making remarks like this;
I may be over the hill, but I try to resist!
Well, you might hear me say a thing or two,
but only when I’m sure that it’s true!
Reprinted from Life in Inspiring Places
Copyright© 2019 by Cheryl Batavia
This will be the last post for a while. I will be taking a break, doing some computer maintenance, and catching up on neglected tasks. When I return, I will need to reduce computer time to give my eyes more rest. All the best! Stay safe and be happy! ❤ ❤ ❤ Cheryl
Gulf Coast Poet 