Blood Moon

Taken with iPhone and spotting scope during "Blood Moon" Eclipse, 4/15/2014


Sitting in the dark
Fiddling with trappings of modern life
Juggling DSLR and spotting scope and iPhone
(while thankfully none are dropped!)
debating which photos record the moment
best
and then touching, briefly, the awe
that must have been felt when people
simply watched an event with awe
and knew:
it has meaning.

© 2014, Liza Lee Miller
April is National Poetry Month, Write a Poem-A-Day, NaPoWriMo

Questions?

Do you hear that?
Do you know what kind of bird makes that call?
Do you know which birds live in your yard?
Do you see those blossoms falling and scattering on the ground?
Do you smell their fading scent?
Do you see or hear or smell or touch the beauty all around?
Do you care?
Are you aware?

© 2014, Liza Lee Miller
April is National Poetry Month, Write a Poem-A-Day, NaPoWriMo

Moon Madness

Orb
Glow
Full moon
lights the sky
anticipated
howl at the moon, my dear friends

© 2014, Liza Lee Miller
April is National Poetry Month, Write a Poem-A-Day, NaPoWriMo

Seeking Solitude

I sought a few moments of quiet among the purple blossoms of the front porch.  After a long day, in the midst of a long week, I wanted to hang on to the quiet I'd achieved during my week alone.  In my adirondack chair, I sipped a cold coke and read a book on my iPad.  One by one, I was joined by a husband, who brought his own chair and iPad, a small dog who wanted in my lap, a great, huge dog who wanted to love on me with a wet beard, and a teen who wanted to discuss deep, important, meaningful issues. I had to laugh.

Seeking solitude
is highly overrated
Pay attention now

© 2014, Liza Lee Miller
April is National Poetry Month, Write a Poem-A-Day, NaPoWriMo

P.S.  My wonderful husband did notice my plight and toss the dogs and kid in after a few moments.  Sometimes solitude shared is the best kind.  

Tonight's Dinner for Teen & Mom

Homemade Mac and cheese. I started with Pioneer Woman's recipe (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/04/macaroni-cheese/) and added bacon, fried onion, and used queso cheese and smoked mozzarella. Yum! Teen did most of the critical stirring and I assembled everything. He more ideas of what should be added -- such as bagels. Very helpful! 

Bumbles

Great bumbles buzzing
bumping around the wisteria blooms
bickering over the best blossoms
Hurry, silly bumbles
Sip the nectar
There is no time for bumble battles
The wisteria is almost gone
Purple puddle pooled on the driveway

© 2014, Liza Lee Miller
April is National Poetry Month, Write a Poem-A-Day, NaPoWriMo

Review: Destroyer Angel

Destroyer Angel by Nevada Barr

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



If Anna Pigeon ever invites you to go camping with her, just say, "No, thank you." Okay, sure, she'll have your back if something bad goes down but the fact is something bad will go down. And, when the bad goes down, the book will be exciting, scary, entertaining and you won't sleep much while you're reading it. But, really, don't go camping with Anna Pigeon!



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Ch-ch-ch-changes

Cold rainy days
with smoky fires
snuggled under quilts sipping hot tea
have given way to
open windows and fans
blowing artificial breezes.
I think we skipped Spring.

© 2014, Liza Lee Miller
April is National Poetry Month, Write a Poem-A-Day, NaPoWriMo

The Little Joys of Teaching are Without Number

Syllable patterns

Deceptively simple to teach

Children surprise me

© 2014, Liza Lee Miller
April is National Poetry Month, Write a Poem-A-Day, NaPoWriMo

Gratitude

Life

Love

Laughter

Gratitude

Time spent on my needs

Thankfulness flows out of my soul

© 2014, Liza Lee Miller
April is National Poetry Month, Write a Poem-A-Day, NaPoWriMo

Upon Seeing Your Mustache

Upon seeing your mustache

I smiled, widely

More widely than one normally would

when greeting a waiter

I'm sure you are used to that 

I wonder what other reactions you get

Your mustache was lovely, perfect

and very, very Edwardian gentleman.

"Oh let's do have tea, shall we?"

Waxed and curled. 

And, it made me smile, widely.  

© 2014, Liza Lee Miller
April is National Poetry Month, Write a Poem-A-Day, NaPoWriMo

Ode to a Gentleman I Saw in the Bookstore

I'm sorry I startled you.
Your look of guilt made me sad.
I did not judge
(although I was surprised).
Read what you want to read, my friend.
Read cookbooks or kids books;
Read gardening books or philosophy;
Read magazines or self-help books;
Read romance
(which you were)
for the world needs more love and happy endings.


© 2014, Liza Lee Miller
April is Poetry Month, Write a Poem-A-Day, NaPoWriMo

Review: Three Weeks With Lady X

Three Weeks With Lady X by Eloisa James

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I can't adequately express how much I enjoyed this book but I will try. I read the two previous books in the series last month to get ready for this one so I was already half in love with Thorn (aka Juby aka Tobias) before it started. India swept me up into her world very quickly. The story was delightful and almost light to begin with - the byplay of the letters between Thorn and India was delightful and naughty. By the end of the story, these two strong-willed characters had demolished each other. The way they found their way back was wonderful! All that is grand but the epilogue section of the book won me over. Eloisa James is an author who understands why we read romances and how we don't want the stories to end. We want them to live happily ever after and we want to know how that looks. No spoilers here but read all the way to the end -- including the author's notes. I've always loved how smart and well-researched Eloisa James' books are and this one doesn't disappoint in any way. I loved it!



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Review: The King

The King by J.R. Ward

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I love this series which has kept me reading it even though I think the author has lost her way a bit. She made the world too complicated and confusing. A story now focuses on the relationship between a couple (in this case, Wrath and Beth are being revisited) but also has to move forward the storylines for several other characters such as iAm, Assail, and more. Oh, and then we have to get caught up on past characters as well. Whew, it's exhausting. The links to the main story are often almost non-existent (Assail and Sola's story, for example) but I kept waiting for it to tie in somehow but nope. I much preferred the energy she had when the series was new. I'm glad she wrapped back to give us more on Wrath and Beth but there are so many, "Wait, what?" moments when reading her books that you really have to consider it a force of will to continue.

But I will continue . . . despite my complaints, I want to know what happens next. I like this world even if it is chaotic and confusing.

Oh, and please, no more Miley Cyrus references, please. The language and tone of this book felt a little forced compared to earlier books too. Sort of a "insert cultural reference here" feeling. Again, compared to the easy way that the Brotherhood's culture was shown in earlier books, this was forced to say the least.



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Learning, a lune based poem

You learn something
Everyday whether you want to
Or you don't.

Sometimes the lesson
works well and is joyful
And sometimes not.

It's not about
what we want to learn.
It's about growing.


© 2014, Liza Lee Miller
April is National Poetry Month, Write a Poem-A-Day, NaPoWriMo
Today's poem is a Lune (variation on a Haiku with three words, five words, and three words)

Sounds

The creaks and sighs around me
are never heard
when the house is full
of light and laughter
the clamor and voices
all whirling energy and filled with song
But they are good, too.



© 2014, Liza Lee Miller
April is National Poetry Month, Write a Poem-A-Day, NaPoWriMo

Blue

Piercing blue sky
Only appreciated
after the rains fall in torrents of gray and gray and gray


© 2014, Liza Lee Miller
April is National Poetry Month, Write a Poem-A-Day, NaPoWriMo

Solitary

Being alone well
takes skill
To be alone but not lonely
Filling your mind with yourself and your thoughts
Relaxing into your own schedule of waking and eating and
just being
Skills, man, mad skills



© 2014, Liza Lee Miller
April is National Poetry Month, Write a Poem-A-Day, NaPoWriMo

So today,
I am 50 plus 1.
A half a century and one more day.
A future fills with bright and exhausting possibilities.

~~~~~
© 2014 Liza Lee Miller
Based on prompt by Wednesday Poetry Prompts, Writers Digest Magazine.