Sunday, August 26, 2018

Summertime Blessings...

A blessing of this stay-at-home summer has been hours spent at New Jersey lake and seaside beaches and at the Totowa Pool until it was flooded in the August 11 torrential rainstorm and closed early. Another blessing has been sitting by my spectacular sunflower garden. Last summer I only had a few sunflowers, but the Monarch butterflies flocked to them. This summer the bees have been plentiful, but I've only seen one Monarch. That reminds me of one of my earliest poems, which I'll share with you now...

Photo credit: wired.com


There Used To Be Butterflies in New Jersey

I remember the day the monarchs held court on Cupsaw Beach
And filled the air with tangerine profusion
As they soared and danced with natural choreography.

There used to be butterflies in New Jersey.
They haven’t left completely,
But I see fewer every year
And miss their lilting frivolity, color, and grace.

Today, I strolled a lane in South Carolina,
And was gifted with more species than I know,
The sum greater than I’ve seen in years.
Praise God, they simply filled my heart with joy
As they danced with gay abandon among the wildflowers.
They flitted against the sky with petal-soft wings
As resplendent in hew as the blooms
They landed momentarily upon, then sprang
Into fanciful Fantasia pirouettes.

Maude Carolan

Maude in her garden


Sunday, August 19, 2018

Sunflower Joy!

I've been sitting in my beautiful sunflower garden, delightfully writing new sunflower poems...but for now, I've gone into my files and selected an old favorite to share with you.

Maude's selfie.
Photo was taken in her sunflower garden

SUNFLOWERS

Lafayette, New Jersey, September 1, 2001


God’s abundance wows me
from a sprawling field of sunflowers
which tower above
on thick woody stalks

They lift great ochre heads
framed in ragged haloes
of yellow gold
to shine sunrays upon me
like God’s own radiant face
amid a communion of saints
and I must smile back

Their leaves
are big green hearts
In their midst
my own heart
grows and greens

How God loves me!
He astonishes His child
with wondrous whimsies

Soon, when the season ends
they’ll just nod their weary heads
and shed their golden haloes
on the ground

and bequeath their gift of seed
to ravens of the air
which will feast festively
upon God’s abundance
unto them

Maude Carolan


Maude's sunflower garden


Sunday, August 12, 2018

Sunnier Every Day...

Sunflower Row...

My Sunflower Row gets sunnier every day!


Three Poems:

HAIKU

Lion of Judah
God’s Face in a sunflower
His mane is ablaze

Maude Carolan Pych


HAIKU IV 

God shines joy! Big! Bold!
Earth umber haloed in gold.
Sunflower. Full bloom.

Maude Carolan


 
A beauty from my garden.




BRINGING HOME THE SUN


Lafayette, New Jersey, September 1, 2001 

We took a late summer drive to Lafayette,
to see if sunflowers were shining yet.
We cruised through the countryside, lush and green
to a great golden field on Route Fifteen.
It was a most glorious sight to see,
for my hubby, Cousin Marie and me.

Leo stayed comfortably in the car;
Marie and I walked to the field, not far,
with sharpened clippers already in hand,
we sought the best sunflowers in the land;
but we did not seek, for Heaven’s sake,
giant bumble bees and slithery snakes
which certainly lurked in the open field.
We just aimed to cut an abundant yield
of glorious flowers with petals gold
oblivious of the perilous toll!

I was dressed for outdoors in summer heat;
suntanned arms, strappy sandals on my feet;
but I couldn’t turn back, I’m not that sort
and Marie was with me, a brave good sport!
Marie stood near in the wild grasses
and helped select from among the masses
of gigantic beauties, stately and high
while watching the earth and watching the sky
for creatures squirming and creatures flying.
I cut, quivering…there’s no denying.
If a creature had brushed against my flesh
I would have suffered cardiac arrest!

No snake bites! No bee stings! We filled the car
with bright flowering suns, quite without par!
At home I arranged them in pretty pots;
photographed and enjoyed them…lots and lots!
But, next year I shall be much more astute…
bug repellant, long sleeves, my highest boots!

Maude Carolan

The above poem was written days before the tragic event that changed all of our lives on 9/11/01. Leo F. Carolan and Cousin Marie Gioia have both gone home to be with Our Lord. This poem is in loving memory of both of them.

Sunday, August 5, 2018

The First Sunflower of Summer

THE FIRST SUNFLOWER of summer
has burst into bloom in my garden.
I've planted a whole row of them.
In a few days my backyard
will be GLORIOUS!

Photo credit: thespruce.com

SUNFLOWERS MAKE ME SMILE

Sunflowers make me smile—
because they’re absolutely outrageous!
They’re taller than a beanstalk
and way, way larger than a flower should be

They easily pass me in height
and keep right on growing
Each stately stalk and its sturdy leaves
go up, up, up like a ladder to Heaven
and when that flower bursts into bloom
it lights up my whole backyard
like the sun’s come down for a visit
All the shaggy petals are golden sunrays
shining upon me, while
the bees buzz with delight
sucking in nectar

I think God made sunflowers
to cause us to look up and take notice
of His handiwork and His generosity

His Love, too! The bigness of it!
His magnificent magnanimousness!

Oh! It’s certainly no wonder—
Whenever I see sunflowers
they always, always, always make me smile J

Maude Carolan Pych