Can I?
Can I hope?
Can I dream?
Can I believe?
Can I see
the future?
Hope I can.
Dream I can
Believe I can.
See, I can!
Copyright© 2022 by Cheryl Batavia
Can I?
Category / Perspectives
Egalitarian Utopia
Egalitarian Utopia
All human beings
individual, unique,
nurture their talents.
Equals working together,
creating a better world.
Copyright© 2022 by Cheryl Batavia
Sunflowers
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!
Copyright© 2022 by Cheryl Batavia
At One with the River
At One with the River
Time of river…
River of dreams
blissfully reflecting
sky blue, trees green.
Feeling peaceful,
gently flowing past
heron sentinel,
sunshine in mind.
Consciousness of stream,
underwater wonders,
fish inquisitive.
Joyful making memories.
At one with the river, time flowing by…
Memories making joyful.
Inquisitive fish,
wonders underwater,
stream of consciousness.
Mind in sunshine,
sentinel heron,
past flowing gently.
Peaceful feeling,
green trees, blue sky
blissfully reflecting.
Dreams of river…
River of time.
Copyright© 2022 by Cheryl Batavia
This Little Boat
This Little Boat
In all honesty, man-to-man,
I am rowing this little boat as fast as I can.
Courage, friend, as forward we go.
If you keep bailing as I row,
we may reach the shore, I think,
before our little boat begins to sink.
Copyright© 2022 by Cheryl Batavia
Quest for the Holy Grail
“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” Alexander Pope
Some adventurers engage in one one risky venture after the other, unprepared, trusting in luck, giving up too soon.
Quest for the Holy Grail
Upon our worthy quest, the fates will smile.
We venture forth in faith and confidence.
Our fervent zeal inspires each lonely mile,
and hearts sing gratitude to providence.
With compass and a map, we chart our course.
At night we have the stars to guide us there.
We endure for better or for worse,
through rough terrain and weather foul or fair.
We tire of questing for the holy grail.
Our hopes are dead, our dreams all turned to dust.
This foolish enterprise is doomed to fail.
We doubt the grail exists…In gold we trust!
Now seeking pirate wealth from days of old,
we’ll share with God our glory and our gold!
Copyright© 2022 by Cheryl Batavia
Shakespearean Sonnet Written for D’Verse https://dversepoets.com
Hurry Up and Wait!
Hurry Up and Wait!
Traffic passes
like molasses.
We must wait.
Can’t be late.
We must accelerate.
Hard not to stress,
wondering why, I confess,
we’re in this mess.
Early departures avoid distress.
What terrible angst it creates
to be five minutes late!
Waiting…Earth we could circumnavigate.
After endless wait, we celebrate.
Good outcomes justify the wait!
Copyright© 2022 by Cheryl Batavia
Robert’s cataract surgery went well yesterday, and he has started to see improvements in his vision. Thank you to my fellow bloggers for their encouragement and good wishes. It means a lot to me. ❤
I wrote this poem to distract me and pass the time while I was waiting for Robert’s surgery to be completed. The form is a ZIGGERAUT: two lines of two words each, three lines of three words each, four lines of four words each, and five lines of five words each. The rhyme pattern is aa, bbb, cccc, ddddd.
Beyond Earth
Beyond Earth
Hidden by the moon
are stars brighter than the moon…
our earth-perspective.
Beyond the boundaries of earth,
we explore wider vistas.
This morning I woke with a poem I wrote when I was about sixteen years old running through my mind. I wrote the tanka poem above, paraphrasing the poem I remembered from nearly sixty years ago, an update for today. I don’t have a copy of that old poem,”Stars,” but I have reconstructed it from memory and posted it below.
Stars
Hidden by the moon
are millions of stars
brighter than the moon.
Because we are small,
it is so.
Because we are wise,
we understand.
When I was eight years old, Russia launched Sputnik, the first satellite, and the “space race” began. Antique relics from early space exploration are on display now in museums. In 1969, when I was twenty, Americans landed on the moon. For the first time, there were photos of the whole earth taken from space.
Now, in 2022, fifty-two years after astronauts landed on the moon, unmanned spacecraft routinely photograph distant planets and send the images back to earth. Satellites are used for spy missions and international communication. They show us hurricanes from above, and help to predict weather. Commercial Space travel is in its infancy. Drones are used in warfare and by amateur photographers. Many dead satellites and other “space junk” orbit the earth.
Humans have much bigger dreams for future travel in space. Before us lie some important lessons about restoring and protecting this beautiful Planet Earth and living in peace with our neighbors. If, in the future, we settle in new worlds, we need to remember those lessons, respect and preserve those new environments, and live in harmony with any civilizations we discover. Star treks, yes…star wars, no!
Copyright© 2022 by Cheryl Batavia
Dear Fellow Bloggers,
After two failed root canals, a tooth extraction, and extensive testing of his eyes with different eye drop prescriptions, Robert has finally been cleared for cataract surgery. Numerous appointments have been scheduled for February. I may sometimes be absent from WordPress in the weeks to come. We look forward to Robert’s pre-cataract vision being restored. Many thanks to all of you who have expressed concern for Robert.
Kindest Regards,
Cheryl Batavia
Thoughts on the New Year
Thoughts on the New Year
1
Twenty-twenty-one…
Goodbye! Goodbye! Good riddance!
I won’t miss you much!
2
I am used to you,
twenty-twenty-one. You are
the devil I know.
3
What is worth saving?
What needs to go in the trash
as we move forward?
4
A shiny new year,
like a new diamond ring…
So full of promise!
5
Time to reflect…
Welcome twenty-twenty-two!
Time to turn the page!
Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia
It’s time to pause, to reflect, to write, to make New Year’s Resolutions (or not). I will focus on these objectives from now until 2022, and may not be as active on the blog as usual.
Happy Holidays! Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
Photo by Kimson Doan from Unsplash.
Happy New Year!
Much to enjoy.
Much to be thankful for.
Much to hope for.
Much to work toward.
We find inspiration
in the love of family and friends,
in the courage of everyday heroes,
and in the vision of those
whose new ideas
lead to brighter tomorrows.
We move forward
in joy, in gratitude, in hope,
and with the will to persevere.
Wishing You a Bright 2025 !
Much Love,
Cheryl & Robert
Gulf Coast Poet 