For friends.....poems and thoughts.

Friendship is born at that moment when one man says to another, "What you too! I thought that noone else but myself..........Oh, the joy of that. I am not alone! He understands."

As we grow older, more experienced in and accepting of friendship the feeling is calmer, more recognition that discovery.

But in adolesence it is as piercing, as joyful as love itself.

(C.S. Lewis)

Always in love......poems

Many poems I have written
of others who have touched my heart.

Yet to read them now,
each one speaks of you.

It's as if you were always here
in my mind, through my life.

I can not fit another face to my poems,
each time it's you I see.

(May 9, 1981)

I love this quote from the movie "MOONSTRUCK"......

I love you. Not like they told you love is, and I didn't know this either. But love don't make things nice. It ruins everything. It breaks your heart. It makes things a mess. We're not here to make things perfect. The stars are perfect. Not us. We are here to ruin ourselves and break our hearts and love the wrong people and die! The story books are bullshit!!!! Now get upstairs and get in my bed.

(That is Nicholas Cage being a smooth talker to Cher.)

POETRY

If you should see
a man
walking
down a crowded street
talking to himself,
don't run
in the opposite direction
but run toward him
for he is a poet.

(Ted Jones)

"Excrement! That's what I think of J. Evans Prichard; Be gone J. Evans Prichard.....This is a battle, a war, and casualties could be your hearts and souls. Armies of academicians going on measuring poetry........... No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.

We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race; and the human race is filled with passion.

Poetry, beauty, romance, love, those are what we stay alive for."

(from the movie "Dead Poets Society". A speach by Robin Williams to his young students.)

Poems: "Canadian summer" Michael G. 1979

Your name is etched in my mind,
from the night we sat staring at the fire.
Your face and the image of you,
lingers in my eye, your touch
tingles through my body like you are still here.
The memory of your smile brings a tear of joy to me,
you are my sunshine.
Now you've gone, my summer has ended.

(Aged 16, 1979)


And so this is what they mean by "love".
The complete honesty and laughter shared.
The warm embraces, touches through the crowd.
The way I feel when you wink at me,
The secret way you squeeze my hand
when we aren't alone.
"Love". Total bliss as I stand beside you.
As the wind races past us, but can not part us.
I love your gentle brown eyes, your gifts to me,
This extreme closeness between tow young people,
The closeness enabling me to tell you my feelings.
I cried so hard the day you left me.
I should have been prepared for the loss.
Now I have noone to share my outrageously
crazy dreams with.
Noone understands me like you do.
Honey, no one has ever taken the time.
I've let only you enter my private world.
When you needed me, I held you,
loves energy flowed through us.
Now my friend, it is I who need you.
I need your reassuring smile,
your special way of telling me you care.
To see you leaving, saying goodbye to everyone,
That look in those eyes.
I knew what your mind was burdened by.
I have been inside your mind, you let me in.
You sorrow at the prospect of growing up,
You shudder with the fear of loosing friends.
My life has changed so much in a few days.
If this is what they call "love",
When you're here wiht me it's heaven,
When you leave me......it sucks!

(16 years old.....he was soooooo cute)

For my first husband. Poems 1982-2002

I feel your arms in the winds embrace,
Your kiss in the ocean spray.
The pounding waves repeat your pulse,
I need you now, and you're half the world away.

(October 28, 1982)

If you had listened
hard enough,
you might have heard
what I meant to say.
Yet I had no words.

(July, 1982)

About poetry.

A poem starts with a lump in the throat, a homesickness or a lovesickness. It is a reaching out towards expression, an effort to find fulfillment. A complete poem is one where an emotion has found it's thought and the thought has found the words. (Robert Frost)

I love poetry and have written in some form since I was in my early teens. About a year ago I went to a poetry class where we read our work and the "teacher" critiqued it. I had been to another class where the criticism was positive and helped me to broaden my knowledge of the art. This teacher was very different. He was not positive in any way, he listened to our work and slammed us because it did not agree with him. He berated me and another poet for the "old fashioned " quality of our poems. I am mad at myself for giving this over blown egotist the power to stifle something that has given me joy for years.

I am only now, 18 months after this class, beginning to write again. Someone of like that should not be allowed to 'teach' classes on something so deeply personal as poetry.

Just had to get that off my chest.!

SPRING INTO ACTION......

Today I start a routine of getting into shape and back to feeling better about myself.
I am 40+, 5 foot 5 inches and weigh 160 lbs. I started getting back to regular exercise this time last year by joining a group that met every evening after work to run, bike, stretch and generally get in shape. At the begining of the month we ran a timed mile and then at the end we did the same. My first mile was timed at 10:45 and my final run was 7:45. So, after just one month I was feeling better about myself and in much better shape then for years.
My boss/friend and I kept on running through the summer and into the fall. By November I had lost two dress sizes and lost aobut 18 lbs. I had not changed my eating habits and did not feel deprived at all. My self esteem was greatly improved and I was thrilled by the compliments of friends and family.
Unfortunatly I have enjoyed a rather lazy winter, going up in weight (9lbs) and down in self esteem. But now, with the lovely Spring weather and the attention of a new man in my life, I am getting back on track. This blog will help me keep track of what I am doing and how things are going.

MAY 2nd. Give up chocolate and alcohol for the month. Also limit bread and pasta intake, but not give them up.

Day 1:
Last night I did 10 perfect push ups, getting my chin all the way down to the ground each time. I was pleased that I could do 10 and will increase the number each night. I also used my ab roller and did 10 repeats in front, 10 to either side and then 10 more in front.
Using a 8lb weight I did 20 reps of three different exercises. Today I am a little sore but because I am edging into this slowly I am not in agony.
Tonight I am off to the track to run three miles, not pushing myself to go like the wind but getting into the habit of getting out there and moving.
I feel good about this and am motivated to return to the Memorial Day 5k race that I did last year and better my finish time.
Off I go. Whoopie....Life is so good.

Evening day 1:
Ahhhhh. Went for my run with the dog, good company (and I thought she could pull me if I got too worn out.) I ran a terrible 2.22 miles in 30:27 minutes. That means I have to take something like 5 minutes off my time to improve on my time from last year. Ahhhhh. I have my work cut out for me! Press on regardless.....full speed ahead.....etc.

Day 2:

Softball this evening. What a blast to play with 70 woman, all having fun and screaming in support of everyone team or not.
We did have two injuries but they were not serious and didn't need EMT help or anything like that. No blood either....so that is good.
I didn't get a turn at bat but did run about in out field trying to catch the ball.
We had to stop play as it got too dark and there is only one lit field, the one we were not on!
Can't say it was strenuous exercise but it was fun and in a small town like ours, it is developing friendships between woman of ages 18 to 55. What better way to get to meet people than to wing a large hard ball at them at incredible speeds. Quite memorable indeed.

Day 3:
Ran almost three miles today. My legs seem to be fine, it is my lungs that are screaming! Got to get my bike ready for the summer. Also want to bike one evening and run the next. It feels good to get out there in the brisk air. Life is good.