Saturday, March 23, 2024

Margaret the Clam

(no date given)

My hard outside is what everyone sees
    but the soft vulnerable inside is really me
If I open up I will get hurt again
    So I stay closed off from family and friends.

Confidence and strength is the appearance I've given
    All the 37 years I've been livin'.
But uncertainty and fear is really what
    my life has been about.

Under all the soft insides
    There is a strong center,
A pearl round and strong
    Hey, What could be better? 

 Childhood II

(no date given)

To swim and swim the whole day through
    That dream for me as a child came true.
We lived upon a river bank,
    With a swimming hole as big as a tank.
From after lunch, to just before dinner,
    I swam and swam like an Olympic swimmer.

Childhood Haunts

(no date listed)

The sun was hot, the wind was blowing,
    And, Oh, my spirits they were flowing.
My sould must go with the wind that blew,
    To my own soul I must be true.

I grabbed a sweater, blue and bright,
    And took to walking, objective in sight.
My travels took me down the road and through the trees.
    I wonder who, so long ago, had planted these.

Along the way I crossed the bridge, 
    And climbed to the top of a very low ridge.
Upon the ridge was a wooded spot,
    And in those woods I chose to stop.

A small graveyard in those woods lay,
    And there upon a stone, I sat and stayed.
The sun was warm upon my face/
    The wind blew my hair all out of place.

The sun and sky above, the grass and flowers low.
    The past here behind me, the present there below.
To that place in years gone by,
    I used to go, my future to decide.

And now, that those future times are here,
    These times that I hold so very dear.
I wonder if in times of stress,
    When I am worried or depressed,
If I could find a place like that out there,
    I fear not, and that's not fair.

HELP

(August 21, 2003)

I need some help
It's plain to see,
I'm spaced out
I'm up a tree.

At the end of my rope,
Its plan you see
I needs some time away
To set me free!

My life is just repeating
Again and again,
It's work all week and then
More work almost all weekend!

A three month Sabbatical
Would be nice,
Heck I would even take a month
To put my cares on ice.

Sanity is just a vacation away,
But I have used all my vacation days. 

The Big Bang

(June 29, 2000 5:00 p,m)

Summerfest S2K
 Opens officially today,
The Big Bang Fireworks are tonigh.
I hope they won't give anyone a fright.

The weather is perfect,
The sun is shining and it's not too hot.
It is partly cloudy
and so far the crowd is not rowdy.

People looking for places on the Rocks
Some rubberneckers, others real Jocks.
Police Search & Rescue boat cruises by.
Jets and seagulls continually fly.

 The Big Three

A tribute to Barbara, Emil, and Elmer

(No date listed)

They are all gone, but not forgotten
I'll bet today they are looking down
Watching up play, eat and interact
They are proud of us and there are no frowns.

They were all in the same First Communion Class
And went to school together at St. Charles
With Barbara driving the Buggy with a horse
That hated those newfangled cars, of course.

They had some daring rides when the horse
Was spooked and took them on a headlong run
They ended up at a school stable where he finally calmed down
All okay including the horse and Buggy. It could not have been fun.

I referred to them as the Big Three
Barbara the Big Sister and her
Two younger brothers looked out for each other
Emil was the best man at her wedding, and she doted over Elmer

I remember when she gave Emil lessons in baking
He was trying to get a better job at the Military Academy
He needed to know how to bake as well as he could cook
So Barbara's Kitchen turned into Bakery Class 101.

She fussed over these two the most
Because to them she was closer in age
She loved you all and THE BIG THREE would be delighted to see
You all here to teach the next generation about the Ketterhagen Family.

Baby's Thirty Today!!

(June 22, 2001)

Baby Daphne is thirty today.
To which I say "No way"/
It's not fair! She can't be that old.
Sneaking up on me like that is just too COLD!

Daphne has never quite grown up,
Or for that matter has never shut up.
Once she started talking, she's never quit.
She yaks and yaks quite a bit.

She's bouncy and a regular BLONDE,
But in spite of that, of her I am quite FOND.
A soloist for Church, she has a great voice.
Listening to her is a really good choice.

To be a Missionary is her greatest wish
For souls she hopes to fish.
she is of partial Irish descent,
So to Ireland she would love to be sent.

I know this poem is shorter than she would like,
But then she can always take a hike.
She can go on her favorite Parnell Tower Loop,
I don't give a hoot!

May this day bring you all you deserve,
And because it is the Lord I know you serve,
Your rewards will be many,
In this life or the next they will be plenty.

My poems are sappy,
But you asked for it, so I hope you are HAPPY!
Take care Baby Girl
I know you will be good and not hurl,

Love,
Mom 

Margaret the Clam (no date given) My hard outside is what everyone sees     but the soft vulnerable inside is really me If I open up I will ...