Second Annual Ode to Thanksgiving

A holiday about tradition
Merits another poetic rendition
That’s at least my humble position
I say this with zero contrition
Thanksgiving is the best!

Cookbooks scattered here and there
Tables, counters, everywhere
As hubby wonders what to pair
With his pumpkin pudding éclair
New recipes to test!

Turkey’s easy, at that we’re pros
Gravy and stuffing, but then who knows?
Sweet or russet mashed potatoes?
And as for veggies, anything goes
Saute well, add lemon zest!

Friends and family will arrive
Thanks you guys for making the drive
And for new dishes you all contrive
So on Thanksgiving we will thrive
And afterwards will need a rest!

In case you were curious, here is last year’s poem

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The Cue Ball Mysteries’ Producer: A Tribute

The assistant, the producer
Whatever he’s called
My fantastical hubby
I sincerely applaud

I write my stories
And work out the plots
But hubby? He does
A whole heck of a lots

At all technical issues
I am far from astute
Without help from hubby
My books go capoot

Setting margins and font size
How does this work?
I ask hubby to help me
And with nary a smirk

He takes over my laptop
And while I’m not looking
He fixes all problems
And yep—He also does cooking!

Formatting for kindle
And website design
These skill sets I lack
But my hubby’s refined

And so as I get
My next book self-published
Claiming my self did it
All would be rubbish

I could write all I wanted
But without hubby’s assistance
Only in my dreams
Would my books be existent

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The Sunday Night Blues

When it comes to Sundays
They have a way
Of going where they will
No matter what I say

I always make plans
To get a lot done
But what else comes up?
Most everything under the sun

My to-do list lingers
With nothing crossed off
It’s as if Sunday knows
At my lists it should scoff

I plan to go shopping
But a call from a friend
Sets me back hours
The thing never ends

Once I get to the store
My needs they don’t stock
Sunday showed them my list
Clerk says check down the block

But the shop down the street
Today closes early
I go home empty-handed
My mood turning surly

Okay, I’ll try laundry
But lo, I’m out of soap
Maybe I’ll go back to bed
Cuz’ I’m finding it hard to cope

Sunday night is now here
I give up and drink wine
Next Sunday will go better
And everything will be fine

But deep down and honestly
I already know
Next Sunday’s to-do list
To the winds I should throw

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Having a Say in Four Play

My beta readers
Are patient sorts
They’re reading my book
I await their reports

As much as I can
I revise and re-do
Beta readers get a look
When I think I am through

They read quite closely
They look for all flaws
And when they criticize
It gives me great pause

If something bores them
They let me know
I take the book back
And give it another go

Sticklers for detail
Grammarians they are
Without them my writing
Would set folks ajar

Intimidated not
They eat typos for lunch
Ah yes, I adore them
My beta reader bunch

Thanks to John, Kathy, Megan
Sharon and Jean
Better beta readers
The world has not seen!

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Whimsical Wednesday: Drunk with no E’s by Pam Barchers

Whimsical Wednesday With Friends is back!

Here’s fellow author (she writes Sci-Fi) Pamela Barchers’ contribution! Pam recently attended a writers workshop, and was given the following assignment: Write about a drunk guy at a bar. Easy, you say? Well here’s the catch. Pam had to write the description with no E’s. That’s correct. Zero E’s. She did it! And here’s her A+ assignment. When she does use E’s, Pam writes the Adelia Kayland Personal Logs–the adventures of a space traveler! 1st log up–Out Of Time, available on Amazon, along with Time Again and Manipulated Time. Check it out! But before you head over to Amazon, be sure to read about that drunk guy with no E’s…

Here is a link to the book: Out of Time by Pamela Barchers

Drunk with no E’s

Sitting in a bar, I spy a man who has had too much to drink.

I think I know this man.
Oh right, it’s Frank who owns a cabin a block down from us.

It’s obvious, from watching him wriggling on his stool, that Frank will soon go looking for a bathroom.

This is wrong, I’m thinking.
I thought Frank didn’t drink.
His brown suit looks dingy; has his old “ball-and-chain” thrown him out again? Poor thing!

I was right in my first assumption; Frank and his dingy brown suit slid off of his stool, stumbling forward to look for a bathroom.
Painfully, I watch this poor guy work his way forward, bumping into things, and gaining odd looks from many happy hour participants.

Finally, as Frank was almost to his mark, a crowd of idiots (thinking it funny) join to block his way.
Laughing at him mockingly, said boys would not allow him to pass.
Starting to pity him, I stood up to assist.
(Actually, I was not to worry for long.)

Surprisingly, I saw Frank work things out on his own, by unzipping his brown dingy pants, and casually urinating on a culprit’s foot!

Economy Class Gal

Hubby says I’m crazy
But this is how I feel
An upgrade to first class
Is really no big deal
A fancy hotel?
Or extravagant meal?
Oh yes, I find them
Most pleasant and surreal

But first-class flying
Does little for me
Since they seldom offer
Much of anything for free
Got upgraded for our recent
Trip to the sea
For breakfast we got pretzels
And a cup of coffee

Pretzels and potato chips
You read that right
They hung up our jackets
But that isn’t quite
Such a huge amazing
Incredible delight
Holding my own jacket’s
Not a great plight

So yes, I’ll take the upgrade
When they’re giving them away
But for such great “luxury”
I doubt I’ll ever pay
I’d rather splurge on something
When I get to where I’ll stay
Now they’re calling my “zone” for home
So I’d better not delay

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An Explanation of Exclamations!

My new favorite
Punctuation mark
Turns a sentence
The opposite of stark
On a poem about it
I hereby embark!

The Grammar Police
Would disapprove
They’d say this habit’s
Not a sound move
But I’ve gotten into
An unstoppable grove!

Now phrases without
An exclamation point
Seem rather old-fashioned
Perhaps even quaint!
And so I dismiss all
Harping or comploint

Exclamation points
Abound galore!
I use two quite often
But seldom do four!!
And the combo !?
Like that one for sure!!!!

I write my novels
Texts, e-mails, and tweets
Tossing in exclamation points
To wrap them up neat
Cuz’ without exclamations
My ideas aren’t complete!!

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A Small Adventure

No special topic
For this week’s poem
So out on my bike
I decided to roam
To change my setting
Away from my home

Headed to
The Swamp Rabbit Trail
A path that once was
Part of a road-rail
Perhaps the train
Transported the mail

I head out of Greenville
Through dale, over hill
Great exercise for me
But I got hungry, so still
Stopping for lunch
Sure hit the bill

So that’s how I spent
My day so far
And the quality of this poem
Is about on par
With the one that I wrote
About driving my car

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No Leaf Peeping for Me

How can it be
A friend asked me
That you left V.T.
When on every tree
The leaves turned orange?

I told that friend
Summer’s at end
Weather doesn’t bend
Winter it will send
To shacks with no heat

Leaf peeping now
But wait, and pow!
With snow on each bough
You’ll need a big plow
And I don’t like cold

S.C. today
Here I will stay
Come whatever may
Say yay or say nay
Until spring springs again

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Four Play Soon, Someday

It will be done in September, I say
And then I work on it day after day

When I’ll be through, nobody knows
This is how writing a book for me goes

Rough draft stinks, nothing new there
When I re-read it I try not to swear

It calls for revision, three times at least
Before I am at all with it pleased

Then some friends will read it through
Giving me more ideas to think of anew

But soon after that the book will be done
Ready to see the light of the sun

This one’s called Four Play, due out real soon
But please don’t expect it tomorrow at noon

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